Steelhead fishing has been pretty slow. Low and clear conditions have kept most anglers at home waiting on some rain. Rain and snow this week should change river conditions enough to give anglers a chance at catching a steelhead. Spawned out steelhead are starting to show up in pretty good numbers, so anglers will want to handle fish that they are going to release gently.

ODFW is conducting several projects on the river. Anglers can participate in the Chetco River angler caught winter steelhead broodstock program by signing up and receiving a permit. ODFW also has crews conducting angler creel and spawning ground surveys to monitor angling pressure on the river, steelhead catch and wild steelhead spawning. It is a busy time on the Chetco River and anglers can find out more about either program by contacting the ODFW Gold Beach office at 541-247-7605.

There are new license requirements to fish for winter steelhead in 2023 on south coast rivers and anglers should check the new regulation book prior to fishing. In particular, anglers that used to buy their license as a guest will now need to establish an ODFW Angler ID Number.