Fishing

The south fork of the Eel River flows through magnificent stands of redwoods in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The river received its name, not from its meandering course, but from the lamprey (mistakenly called "eel") that frequent these waters during their spawning cycle.

Fishing on the river is mainly a winter sport, normally starting after the first rains in October and continuing through March. Salmon and steelhead are catchable in the river in the fall and winter. Regulations should be checked for exact dates and gear restrictions.

During the summer months, the mouth of the river is partially blocked by a bar of deposited silt. It is not until the first rains have increased the water flow enough to carve a channel through this bar that the larger fish are able to return from the sea. The principal game fish caught during the fall and winter seasons are salmon and steelhead. Both are anadromous fish, a term meaning "up-running" and referring to fish which spend part of their lives in the ocean but return to fresh water to spawn.

During summer, the river is open to fishing for squawfish. Squawfish are fun to catch and are edible, but boney. They are non-native fish that prey upon juvenile salmon and steelhead.

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Page updated: December 23, 2001