Nor Cal Fish Report
Mad River Fish Report for 3-12-2026


As of Thursday, the Mad has dipped under 8 feet and still has some color

Mad River - Arcata, CA

As of Thursday, the Mad has dipped under 8 feet and still has some color

by Kenny Priest
3-12-2026
Website

As of Thursday, the Mad has dipped under 8 feet and still has some color, but is fishable. According to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors, those who are trying are hooking fish. He said, “large beads, 18 to 20 mm are working well along with spin n glo’s and bait. This weekend conditions should be excellent.


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 kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.


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More Reports

Nor Cal Fish Reports Reports
for Thursday, March 5th

Mad River: As of Thursday, the Mad is still high and off-color, sitting at 8.8 feet
Eel River: The main Eel is still high and dirty
Eel River - South Fork: After blowing out last week, the South Fork has since dropped back into shape
Van Duzen River: The Van Duzen is down to 480 cfs as of Thursday and is in fishable shape
Smith River: The Smith saw a slight bump in flows from Wednesday’s rain but is now under 9 feet

Nor Cal Fish Reports Reports
for Thursday, February 19th

Mad River: As of Thursday the Mad was muddy
Eel River: The main stem Eel was running at 14,000 cfs as of Thursday
Eel River - South Fork: The South Fork was flowing at 3,400 cfs at Miranda Thursday and rising slowly
Van Duzen River: The Van Duzen is on the drop following a peak of 1,400 cfs Monday near Bridgeville
Smith River: The big rains never did reach the Smith, and it’s remained low and clear this week
Chetco River: Steelhead fishing has been fair on the Chetco, but slower than expected