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Mad River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Mad River: a Humboldt County steelhead river with CDFW's Mad River Hatchery near Blue Lake and a low-flow rule tied to the Arcata gauge.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
52 cfs
Air / High
45 / 60 F
Wind
NW 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 11481000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Mad River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 52 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind NW around 6 mph, falling pressure near 1020 hPa and a high of 60. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:56 AM-11:56 AM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

SteelheadExcellent

Main tributary season: fish seams, pool heads and tails and structure with drifted eggs, beads, nymphs or streamers, and plan trips around rising or falling water.

Tomorrow: Similar at 64 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

California requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $64.54 for residents. What a California licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing steelhead here? Check the size and bag limits with CDFW before you keep anything. The season dates for California, read off the agency, are on the California seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Mad River near Arcata.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 11481000.

44495552 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 79 years of October 23

At 52 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 11481000 (Mad River near Arcata) is at the 34th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 79 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 68 cfs; the highest was 8,960 cfs and the lowest 21 cfs.

p10 32median 68p90 388

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 11481000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp45 F
High / Low60 / 45 F
WindNW 6-20 mph
Pressure1020.4 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:36 / 18:23
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Mad River this week

Today is the pick of the week on Mad River, at 4 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
9:56 AM-11:56 AM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM
Minor period
4:21 AM-5:21 AM
Sun
07:36 to 18:23
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 12 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Mad River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Steelhead illustration

Steelhead

Great Lakes tributaries from fall through spring; West Coast rivers have both summer and winter runs

Steelhead are rainbow trout that migrate to the Pacific or the Great Lakes to grow, then return up rivers to spawn; unlike most Pacific salmon they can survive spawning and spawn again. Main tributary season: fish seams, pool heads and tails and structure with drifted eggs, beads, nymphs or streamers, and plan trips around rising or falling water.

When to come: the Mad River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Steelhead
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Mad River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Steelhead led the card at good. High of 57 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Steelhead led the card at excellent. High of 66 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Steelhead led the card at good. High of 63 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

Before you go

License

California requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

California fishing license plus a Steelhead Report Card ($10.29 in 2026). Low-flow rules Sept. 1-April 30: closed when the Arcata gauge (11481000) reads below 200 cfs, status updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Read CDFW's current North Coast special regulations for the Mad River before keeping fish.

Access

Mad River Fish Hatchery, 1660 Hatchery Road, Arcata (Highway 299, Blue Lake exit).

About this water

Coastal steelhead river in Humboldt County, CA, with CDFW's Mad River Hatchery and USGS gauge 11481000 near Arcata.

Fishing Mad River: the full guide

The hatchery

CDFW runs the Mad River Fish Hatchery at 1660 Hatchery Road, reached from the Blue Lake exit on Highway 299, and describes the Mad River as an outstanding steelhead fishery. The hatchery was built from 1969 to 1971, closed in 2004 during the state budget crisis and reopened in 2005 with help from the Friends of the Mad River Hatchery, Humboldt County and local supporters. Steelhead are its river species; it also raises sterile fish for stocking inland lakes.

Low-flow closures

From Sept. 1 to April 30, CDFW's low-flow rules apply to the Mad River and other Humboldt County streams. The river closes to fishing when flow at USGS gauge 11481000, Mad River near Arcata, is below 200 cfs; CDFW updates the status on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The gauge reading on this page is the one that rule uses, but CDFW's posted status decides whether the river is open.

Report card

Anyone fishing for steelhead in California needs a Steelhead Report Card, including anglers who need no sport fishing license, such as children under 16. CDFW lists the 2026 card at $10.29.

Common questions

When is the Mad River closed for low flow?

Between Sept. 1 and April 30, whenever flow at USGS gauge 11481000 near Arcata is below 200 cfs. CDFW updates the status on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Do I need a report card to fish the Mad River?

Yes, for steelhead: CDFW requires a Steelhead Report Card for anyone fishing for steelhead, even anglers under 16 who need no license.

Where is the Mad River Hatchery?

At 1660 Hatchery Road, off Highway 299 at the Blue Lake exit, 5.3 miles east of Highway 101.

Is fishing good at Mad River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Smith River61 miTrinity River (CA)62 miTrinity Lake68 miWhiskeytown Lake82 miShasta Lake90 miRogue River106 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 11481000 β€” Mad River near Arcata
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 13:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 40.9100, -124.0600 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.