Chetco River - OR

Bill Curry of Brookings, Ore., holds a hatchery steelhead he caught Feb. 6 while fishing the Chetco River. The Chetco, like most of the other coastal rivers, is getting low and clear, making fishing conditions tough. Photo Courtesy of Andy Martin/Wild Rivers Fishing.

Elaine Witters from Okanogan, Washington hammered this chrome-bright 12-pound hatchery steelhead while plunking a flame/chartreuse Spin-N-Glo on the Chetco River on Wednesday, photo by Larry Ellis

Here's what the Chetco River looked like on Wednesday when the river crested over 16,000 cfs. The Loeb State Park bar was completely submerged, blown out by chocolate/tea brown high water.

Here is the author's personal homemade slider used for plunking for salmon and steelhead.

A local angler holds up a nice 12-pound hatchery steelhead caught while plunking a Spin-N-Glo on the Chetco River last week just before the rains came, photo by Larry Ellis

2,200 cfs was the perfect flow for Richard Zanetti from Shasta Lake, California who is holding up one of the steelhead he caught on the Chetco River on January 9 while side-drifting Puff Balls-and-roe with guide Bill Jesperson, photo by Larry Ellis.

Fortuna resident Nick Watson landed this bright winter steelhead last weekend while fishing the Eel River. Most of the coastal rivers should be dropping back into fishable shape by the weekend following the rains that hit earlier in the week. Photo courtesy of Jeff Griffith.