Young Anglers Nail Huge Steelhead On Mad, Smith Rivers   By: Dan Bacher February 15, 2007 More Articles by Dan

This is developing into a superb winter for trophy steelhead on the Smith and Mad rivers. The Smith has produced two 26 lb. steelies to date this season, while the Mad yielded a 23 lb. 10 oz. beauty on January 12.

Buck Greene took a day off from work on December 29 to take his 13-year-old son, Alex, fishing at Ruby Park, according to Val Early of Early’s Guide Service. The day’s catch was something that most California steelhead fishermen only dream of – capturing a fish that is close to the state record of 27 pounds, 4 ounces caught by Robert Halley of Crescent City in the smith on December 22, 1976.

“They were plunking when he hooked and landed a steelhead that weighed 26 pounds on a certified scale at Hiouchi Hamlet,” explained Early. “They bled the fish and it sat on the bank while Buck tried to get one for himself. It was the fish of a lifetime and the proud dad called everyone - rightfully so!”

These fish were followed by two other steelhead weighing 26 and 24-1/2 pounds, both caught by shore anglers plunking with bait when the river was high from rain runoff and snowmelt.

The Hiochi Hamlet also weighed in a 20 pound steelhead on January 9, another 20 pounder on January 11 and an 18 pounder on January 17.

“We haven’t seen any real big fish since the river became low and clear,” added Early. “The fish are spooky now.”

Another young angler, 17-year-old Roy Heape of Oroville, landed another impressive fish, a 23 lb. 10 oz. steelie, on the Mad River. He was fishing a watermelon corky with a barbless #4 Gamakatsu hook across from the pipe by the fish hatchery on Friday, January 12 during a shore fishing trip with Rick Thompson of McGrath’s Fishing and Diving Supply in Oroville.

“This was his first big steelhead – he had only landed two 2 to 3 pound steelhead on the Feather before that trip,” said Thompson. “It took the angler 300 yards down the river to the Summer Bridge Hole.”

“The fish was the biggest steelhead I’ve ever personally seen. I’ve fished the Mad and other North Coast River for over 10 years, as well as the Feather,” emphasized Thompson.

The young fisherman caught the fish about 3 hours into their fishing trip. “We left Oroville at 2 am and he hooked the fish about 10 am. He sat down on a log for about 40 minutes afterwards he was so tired after the battle,” said Thompson.

“I pulled the fish out of the river for Roy,” said Thompson. “It was chrome as a fish can be.”

Heape caught the fish on equipment that Thompson loaned him – a 9 foot 6 inch Certified Pro Lamiglas rod, teamed with a Shimano Curudo reel filled with 10 lb. test Maxima line and an 8 lb. test Maxima leader.

On the other hand, Thompson and his other fishing partners found tough fishing on their “whirlwind” bank fishing tour of the Mad River, Redwood Creek, Smith River and Chetco River.

“I had one 3 lb. steelhead up near the bank on Redwood Creek and then it spit the hook,” said Thompson. “All of the rivers were on the drop; we were one day late on each river that we went to.”

However, for Roy Heape it will be a trip he never forget. “I’ve caught many steelhead over my fishing career and I’ve never landed a fish close to the size of the one that he caught,” disclosed Thompson. “I told Roy that you need to quit right now because you’ve already caught the biggest steelhead of your life.”

The returns of steelhead to the Mad River Fish Hatchery are relatively low this season. This season is the third year after the one where the hatchery didn’t release fish into the river because of DFG budget cuts, so the adult fish now returning are 4 to 5 year olds. As a consequence, the fish are very big and robust, including some 18 to 19 pound fish, according to Jerry Ayers, manager of the Mad River Fish Hatchery.

The hatchery has received 499 adult steelhead to date, in contrast to the 1500 fish that the hatchery would usually see by this time. The hatchery’s goal is to release 150,000 yearling steelhead into the river from this year’s progeny. To do this, they need 200,000 eggs and they’ve already collected round 170,000 eggs.

Hopefully, the Smith, Mad, eel and other North Coast rivers will receive some much needed rain soon to raise stream levels, color up the water and prod more fresh steelhead to ascend the rivers.

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