About

Mad River Steelhead Steward Frank Emerson drives up from Salinas to participate in the winter steelhead run on the Mad River every year. The Mad River will start to fish at 8 feet or approximately 1,500 cfs near Arcata. 7.5 to 7 feet is ideal for bait. The Mad is subject to low flow closures at 200 cfs. Call Low Flow Closure hotline: (707) 822-3164 for more info. -Photo by MackGraphics Humboldt

NCGASA’s annual
Mad River Steelhead Derby

This annual steelhead derby was created in 2019 by Nor-Cal Guides & Sportsmen’s Association (NCGASA) and North Coast anglers who fish the Mad River in Blue Lake, California during the winter steelhead run. Proceeds from the Derby benefit the nonprofit organization NCGASA.org and the Mad River Steelhead Stewards volunteer angler broodstock collection program in coordination with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) and the Mad River Hatchery.

If you’re considering donating or partnering with us, click on our Community Partnership Letter to download this PDF with our Tax ID#.

A 2023 Derby leaderboard will be posted on our POST/BLOG page once entries are verified. Please subscribe to our Blog for more info.

Derby rulers are available at RMI Outdoors‘ fishing counter.

Please read the Derby RULES page before fishing.

A BIG THANK YOU to our sponsors, partners and donors that make this fishing event possible! If you would like to donate and product to the Derby’s angler prize pool at any point, please EMAIL US at MadRiverSteelheadDerby@gmail.com as we will host weekly raffles from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28 on our social media pages where we give SHOUT OUTS to our sponsors.