Chetco River - OR

As soon as the Rogue River drops to 12,000 cfs possibly the end of the week, anglers will be anchoring up their sleds and setting out plugs for winter steelhead, like the author did several years ago. Photo courtesy of Larry Ellis

Stefon Muroff travelled all the way from Boise, Idaho to side-drift the Chetco River last week with Dave Castellanos of Cast Guide Service, and was rewarded with an 18-pound hatchery winter steelhead. Photo by Larry Ellis

Pictured is Chetco River Steelhead fishing guide Dave Jacobs and John Adams from Hilmar, CA. holding up a hefty 15 pound hatchery Chetco River steelhead from this weekend.

A small 3 pound wild Chetco River metal head caught on January 28, 2017 while drifting yarn and a puff ball near Leobe State Park.

A Chetco River Steelhead caught by salmonsacriver.com fishing guide mike Rasmussen while drifting eggs above the north fork Chetco on January 28, 2017.

Al McVay from San Luis Obispo, California sights in a hatchery steelhead he caught last week while side-drifting the Chetco River with Harvey Young of Fishawk River Company. Photo by Larry Ellis

Confluence of the main stem Chetco River and the North Fork Chetco River. Over a hundred Steelhead are holding here awaiting the next rain to enable access into the North Fork Chetco River for spawning.

Anglers from Medford and Jacksonville, Oregon put the royal hurting on some large black rockfish and lingcod as well as one diver getting a large abalone while fishing out of the Port of Brookings Harbor last week. Photo by Larry Ellis

Brothers Adam (left) and JJ Logan from Orick, California fished the Chetco River last week and caught a 16-pound and an 11-pound steelhead while side-drifting from Loeb State Park down to Social Security Bar. Photo by Larry Ellis

Camron Hendrix of Brookings, Oregon caught this steelhead while plunking a Spin-N-Glo (shown in the background) on the Chetco River on Friday. The Chetco should have stellar plunking conditions this weekend. Photo by Larry Ellis

Wayne Hirsch (left) and Scott Jones, both from Brookings, Oregon plunked Spin-N-Glos on the Chetco River last week to nail these beautiful winter steelhead. Wayne's hatchery steelie tipped the scales at 15 pounds! Photo by Larry Ellis