Mad River Fish Report

The Mad is still a little bit colored

Mad River - Arcata, CA

by Kenny Priest
3-19-2026
Website

The Mad is still a little bit colored, but there’s some fish around according to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors. “Bobbers with 16 or 18 mm beads are doing the trick,” said Kelly.

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.

More Reports

Nor Cal Fish Reports Reports

for Thursday, March 12th

Mad River: As of Thursday, the Mad has dipped under 8 feet and still has some color
Eel River: Conditions should be excellent starting this weekend and through next week
Eel River - South Fork: Conditions are still good on the lower South Fork
Van Duzen River: The Van Duzen is down below 200 cfs as of Thursday and is low and clear
Smith River: The Smith is low and clear, sitting just above 7 feet at the Jed Smith gauge
Chetco River: Steelhead fishing has slowed on the Chetco

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