Montana Fish Report

The Chetco River rose 8 feet between Saturday night and Sunday morning, giving a boost in flows that steelhead anglers have been waiting for. Flows jumped from 600 cfs to just under 10,000 cfs. As they drop this week, the river should be in prime shape for steelhead fishing. “Anything under 5,000 cfs is fishable for side-drifting, and 3,500 to 2,500 cfs are ideal,” said guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “If the early forecast is correct, we should have good fishing sometime this week. Steelhead were already in the river before the storm but low, clear water made fishing tough. It was difficult to get a good drift without spooking the steelhead holding in the shallow tailouts,” Martin said.