Late fall run KING SALMON FISHING on SMITH RIVER, NORCAL

Late fall run king salmon, coho salmon and steelhead action on Saturday, November 8 on the Smith River with Guide Kenny Priest of Fishing the North Coast. River conditions lined up nicely for both the Smith and Chetco river on this weekend for Nor-Cal Guides and their clients. SMITH RIVER VIDEO: https://youtu.be/ZVTZSnvGMJY Guides and their drift boats were seen up and down both river systems all weekend. With the run possibly winding down, I was lucky to get the invite from one of Kenny's new clients — who was a single — the chance to go fishing with her. Both steelhead and salmon were being caught in the river, but the guides were all targeting salmon as each angler could keep one chinook of any size. We fished with KwikFish K-15s wrapped with tuna and sardines and drifted from Society Hole to the Ruby Campground.

Earlier rain put plenty of water back into both river systems. Boats were on the Smith by Wednesday, while the Chetco was still too muddy to fish. The Smith was prime and the Chetco River was in shape by Saturday. On Saturday, the Smith River was on the drop and several guides and drift boats were on the river with us to get one last chance to catch a salmon. For a weekly fishing report, read Fishing the North Coast.com online.

Anglers needing either a salmon or steelhead punch or report cards — you can purchase them at Englund Marine in Crescent City or Big 5 Sporting Goods in Crescent City. The salmon punch card was around $8.90.

The low-flow closure telephone hotline for North Coast rivers is no longer in service. You can now find river openings and closures online at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/Low-Flow/North-Coast.

Background info: The Smith River is located in northwestern California, near the Oregon border, flowing into the Pacific Ocean north of Crescent City. It is the only major undammed river in the state and is part of the Smith River National Recreation Area, which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service within the Six Rivers National Forest.

A significant portion of the river system is protected as a Wild and Scenic River and is part of the Smith River National Recreation Area, which is located in the Six Rivers National Forest.

It is known for its incredibly clean, clear, turquoise water, which is partly due to the fact that it is undammed and flows freely from its source to the ocean. The water is naturally purified by the ecosystem.

FUN FACT: For the 1983 movie Return of the Jedi, the 3rd film in the Star Wars franchise, the Smith River and its surrounding forests and the community of Smith River were used as filming locations for most of the Endor scenes, although a miniaturized set was used for the battle sequences.

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