Mad River Fish Report for 11-15-2023
Mad River Steelhead Reward Program
Mad River - Arcata, CA
by Kenny Priest
11-15-2023
Website
For the Mad River steelhead fishery in the upcoming 2023-24 season, the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) plans to attach reward tags to a small subset of hatchery-origin (i.e., adipose-clipped) adult steelhead upon their return to freshwater. This is in effort to estimate the steelhead harvest on the Mad River. According to John Deibner-Hanson, a Northern Region Environmental Scientist for CDFW, a number of fish will be captured in the lower river using tangle nets and affixed with spaghetti tags worth $20, $50 or $100 rewards. Once the tags are applied on their backs behind the dorsal fin, the fish will be released. Upon capturing a reward tag, anglers should follow one of the methods outlined below to answer a series of questions about how the tag was acquired (e.g., caught on fish, found on dead fish, found on bank). Anglers will have until April 15th, 2024 to report tags and claim rewards, after which reward tags from this season will expire. To attain accurate harvest estimates, we must assume 100 percent tag return rates on harvested steelhead, so getting the word out for our tagging program will be vital to its success.
There are three ways an angler may report their tag for reward:
- Scan the QR code posted on message boards and signage around the river or carried by CDFW creelers.
- Visit: https://forms.office.com/g/jjWnw9t7Ss.
- Return the tag to CDFW at: 50 Ericson Ct., Arcata, CA.
Using options 1 and 2 above, anglers will not submit the physical tag, only needing to provide the unique tag number and answering the accompanying questions online. For this reason, anglers are strongly urged to retain the tag after submittal until all rewards have been claimed, as only one reward will be paid for each uniquely numbered tag.
For questions, please email [email protected].
Find "Fishing the North Coast" on Facebook and fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to [email protected].
More Reports
Nor Cal Fish Reports Reports
for Thursday, November 9th, 2023Eel River: The main Eel is open as of Thursday and running around 665 cfs
Smith River: The Smith is open and should remain that way through the weekend
Chetco River: Salmon fishing was fair on the Chetco last week
Elk River: Elk River Report
Nor Cal Fish Reports Reports
for Thursday, November 2nd, 2023Mad River: Forecast to reach 970 cfs by Sunday morning
Eel River: When the river becomes fishable, we should start to see some early steelhead
Eel River - South Fork: Flows are predicted to only reach 240 cfs Sunday
Van Duzen River: A larger rise is predicted for Monday morning
Smith River: Big changes are coming by Friday as the Smith is forecast to rise
Chetco River: Lots of salmon have stacked up in the tidewater
Sixes River: With increased flows expected over the next few days, salmon will be able to migrate upstream
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