I have been reading conflicting reports on how good the steelhead fishing is on the Russian River, and when to go. Am I wasting my time going this week? I was going to start at the Wohler Bridge and work my way down. Any input from people who have fished the Russian, or have good knowledge on steelhead is appreciated.
The mouth is closed. I would wait until the first rain blows out the mouth and allows the salmon and steelhead in. If you were to fish it this week, I would focus on the lower portion below Guerneville.
I was hoping for a rain to come, but it looks like we are in a dry spot for the foreseeable future. I also have had the itch to make it to the Russian. I decided to make the drive up to Smartsville to fish the Yuba at the 20 bridge instead. A lot of spent salmon up there and small to medium rainbows hanging out. The Feather near Oroville was exploding with dark salmon, rainbows, and a bunch of steelhead, but that closes on the 15th.
-- Edited by blek42 on Monday 14th of October 2013 09:00:27 PM
The Russian River is tough to fish. It is at the mercy of the weather. First of all you need rain to open the mouth to let the fish in. That's good. However, when it rains the water gets muddy and you have to wait a week or so for the river to clear. Some years there are storms which open the mouth and allow fish to enter followed by a dry spell which allows the river to clear and fishing can be good. Other years are either storm after storm causing high muddy water and poor fishing, or poor rain years which keeps the mouth closed.
The good news is that it is the closest river I can fish in a day with a reasonable drive. Make sure you call the fishing shops in advance to get an update. Oh, and make sure you take their reports with a grain of salt. I usually ask this forum if anyone has fished it recently. Sometimes I get a PM with a good update, which I trust more then the shops. Wohler Bridge is a good spot to fish, and working your way down is a good strategy. There is a lot of water you can reach wading.
I have to confess that this is the year I finally drive to the Trinity. I took a scouting trip up there last week and found some good water. It is more consistent and gives you a better chance at hooking a nice fish. But for me this is not a day trip option.
So I spent a few hours yesterday checking out Wohler's Bridge and the area downstream of Steelhead Beach. Definitely not worth heading out there yet. The Wohler Bridge area had some impressive sized small mouths and schools of very large carp, if you're looking for a ride.
I'd wait for the mouth to open, the dust to settle, and the fish to make their journey to these upper reaches.
