Chetco River - OR

Mike Phillips of New Jersey holds a 35-pound king he caught Nov. 30 on the Chetco River while fishing with his son, guide Rye Phillips. The salmon hit a 5.0 MagLip. Photo courtesy of Rye Phillips

This week, the Chetco River dropped into a picture-perfect drift boat fishing and plunking coloration, with a light emerald-green hue and 8 inches of perfection visibility. Photo by Larry Ellis

Don Williams of Brookings holds a king salmon he caught Nov. 26 while fishing the Chetco River with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. Photo courtesy of Andy Martin/Wild Rivers Fishing

When the Chetco River gets blown out and has a chocolate-brown coloration, as this photo shows at 4,000 cfs on Friday, it is unfishable. All anglers can do is watch-and-wait for the river to drop and clear. Photo by Larry Ellis

Nate and Dennis Alexander were fishing with David Castellanos from brookingsoceanfishing.com last week when they put the hurtin' on some large black rockfish as well as some China cod while fishing out of the Port of Brookings Harbor. Photo by Larry Ellis

With no rain in the forecast, boaters continued to troll the Chetco bay last Thursday in the hopes of one solid take-down from a big king. Photo by Larry Ellis.