Anglers will want to keep an eye on flows. There is a lot of snow and the rain this week will most likely put the river out of shape. Only a handful of anglers are fishing the river, but the catch rates are pretty good. March is a great time to target steelhead. Anglers are picking up a mix of spawned out and fresh steelhead.

ODFW is conducting several projects on the river. Anglers can participate in the Chetco River angler caught winter steelhead broodstock program by signing up and receiving a permit. ODFW also has crews conducting angler creel and spawning ground surveys to monitor angling pressure on the river, steelhead catch and wild steelhead spawning. It is a busy time on the Chetco River and anglers can find out more about either program by contacting the ODFW Gold Beach office at 541-247-7605.

There are new license requirements to fish for winter steelhead in 2023 on south coast rivers and anglers should check the new regulation book prior to fishing. In particular, anglers that used to buy their license as a guest will now need to establish an ODFW Angler ID Number.