Wade4/100
Wading is the most sensitive plan today. Use protected edges only, avoid crossings, and downgrade quickly if clarity or current feels wrong.
All California reports
Fly fishing report · West
Navarro River Fishing Report
Check the season first. From September through April, also check CDFW's low-flow status. Then check the USGS gauge and a confirmed bank below Greenwood Road bridge.
See the Navarro flow chart ↓Photo: Clinton Steeds Opens in a new tab. · CC BY 2.0
Good day to fish?Latest river check
Poor
Not today. Make another plan.
39
Best option: Bank / edge. Bank and edge fishing is the safer default when water is high, pushy, or not fully verified.
See update time and confidence
Live data checkHighHow much of the live flow, weather, and alert data came back.
Today's callMediumWater temperature not verified; do not use this score to clear warm-water risk.
Score calculated Aug 22, 2026, 9:24 PM PDTUsually checks again about every 45 minutes
Best access methodBank / edge
These scores compare the risks of wading, bank fishing, and floating.
Bank / edge · Best fit21/100
Bank and edge fishing is the safer default when water is high, pushy, or not fully verified.
FloatNot recommended
This report does not recommend floating this reach.
Your plan
A simple Navarro plan.
The Navarro is mainly a winter steelhead river. A useful trip needs an open season, a current CDFW decision when low-flow rules apply, fishable water, and confirmed access.
- Check
- CDFW's posted low-flow status during its September-through-April season, then the USGS gauge.
- Fish
- A confirmed bank only when winter steelhead water is open, falling, and clearing.
- Skip
- Summer-low water, a closure, muddy storm flow, warm water, or uncertain access.
Live river check
What the river is doing
Check the latest flow and weather before you go. A quick change can make the river harder or less safe to fish.
Showing the latest stored river check while current readings load.
- Flow
- 3.83 cfs
- From the latest stored river check. Open the official source for the newest reading.
- Air now
- 57°F
Current NWS forecast period
- Next 24h high
- 72.0°F
NWS air forecast near
- Rain chance
- 0%
For this forecast period
This is an air forecast, not a river-temperature reading. Check the water with a stream thermometer before fishing in hot weather.
Latest stored weather check
Partly Cloudy
Partly Cloudy
- Wind
- 7 mph
- Weather checked
Recent flow chart is loading
The latest stored reading is shown above. Check the official source below if you need the newest value now.
More forecast and source details
National Weather Service
Navarro River forecast point
The National Weather Service forecast is temporarily unavailable.
Live data
Where these readings come from
RiverReports gauge: Navarro River near Navarro
How to fish it
Use the gauge as context, not permission.
The useful window is winter after rain, when the river is legally open, falling, and clearing. Summer-low water is not a steelhead plan.
Falling and clearing after rain
This is the useful winter steelhead window, but only when CDFW says open and access is lawful.
Summer-low water
Skip steelhead. Low flow, warm-water risk, juvenile fish, and no live water temperature make this a poor trip.
High or muddy
Wait. Soft banks, poor visibility, and storm current are enough reason to leave.
200 cfs reference
This is CDFW's low-flow reference at USGS 11468000, not an automatic open-or-closed switch.
Fishing words used on this page
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gauge
- A USGS gauge is an official river station that measures flow or water height.
- Cubic feet per second (cfs)
- Cubic feet per second, or cfs, shows how much water passes the gauge each second.
Why this call
Why this score
SeasonHurts
Summer low water: The calendar season is open, but summer-low water is not a useful adult-steelhead window. Without a verified water temperature, do not turn an easy-looking low flow into a green light.
Best mode nowHurts
Bank / edge: Bank and edge fishing is the safer default when water is high, pushy, or not fully verified.
FlowHelps
USGS shows 4 cfs. The flow has been stable over about 6 hours. USGS marks this reading provisional and may revise it. USGS records for this date (1951-2025, 75 readings) show a typical middle range of 3 cfs to 13 cfs. Flow is within the typical range for this date, so weather, temperature, and access become the next checks.
WeatherHelps
The current NWS air forecast is about 57F, and the next 24-hour high reaches about 72F. Partly Cloudy.
Public alertsHelps
No active NWS alert was returned for this forecast point.
Trip notes
Trip notes
What matters on the Navarro.
A legal winter window when the river is falling and clearing after rain. The raw gauge does not prove that CDFW has opened the water.
Skip summer-low water, a CDFW closure, warm or unmeasured water, muddy storm flow, toxic algae, or uncertain access.
Check CDFW's status, then USGS 11468000. If both support a winter trip, choose one confirmed bank below Greenwood Road bridge and keep the session short.
If the Navarro is closed, summer-low, muddy, or uncertain, wait rather than forcing another North Coast salmonid river.
Fish on this river
What you can fish for
Steelhead
Primary fishWhen: Mainly December through March
Fish only when the season, CDFW status, flow, clarity, access, and water temperature support it.
Coho salmon
Not open nowWhen: Watershed conservation context
Do not target coho. Protect spawning fish, juveniles, and habitat.
Chinook salmon
Not open nowWhen: Watershed conservation context
Do not use a watershed record as permission to target Chinook.
Resident trout
Check current rulesWhen: Unverified for this main-stem reach
The rule booklet's trout language does not prove a dependable resident-trout fishery here.
What to try
Navarro steelhead flies through the year.
Winter and late fall are the useful windows. Summer is a skip.
SeasonWhat to look forFlies to try
December through February
What to look forMain steelhead window when CDFW says open and the river is falling and clearing after rain
March through May
What to look forMarch steelhead only; closed April 1 through the Friday before the fourth Saturday in May
June through AugustCurrent
What to look forSkip steelhead in summer-low water, especially without a verified water temperature
Flies to try
No fly recommendation
September through November
What to look forWait for CDFW to open the water and for rain to produce a useful late-fall steelhead window
Available fly names open their matching Fly Box guides. Summer has no fly recommendation.
Access and safety
The legal reach, access, and rules.
This report covers the main stem below Greenwood Road bridge. A road or park boundary is not blanket access. Below Greenwood Road bridge, the season runs from the fourth Saturday in May through March 31. Wild trout and steelhead must be released immediately. The daily limit is two hatchery trout and/or hatchery steelhead total, with four total in possession. Anyone fishing for steelhead needs a steelhead report card. From September through April, CDFW's posted low-flow status controls when the calendar season is otherwise open.
Choose the rules before the water.
Fourth Saturday in May through October 31
The main stem below Greenwood Road bridge is open with artificial lures and barbless hooks.
2026 CDFW freshwater regulations in a new tabNovember 1 through March 31
The same main-stem reach is open with barbless hooks, subject to CDFW's North Coast low-flow status.
2026 CDFW freshwater regulations in a new tabApril 1 through the Friday before the fourth Saturday in May
The main-stem reach is closed to fishing.
2026 CDFW freshwater regulations in a new tabSeptember 1 through April 30 · low-flow rules
CDFW's posted status controls. The 200 cfs reference at USGS 11468000 does not decide legal status by itself.
CDFW North Coast low-flow status in a new tabGreenwood Road bridge boundary
Fishing is not allowed inside Hendy Woods. State Parks points anglers just downstream of the Prune Belly or Philo-Greenwood Road bridge.
Hendy Woods fishing boundary in a new tabNavarro Beach Road
A confirmed lower-river area anchor on the south side of the Highway 1 bridge. Check signs and the exact water boundary.
Navarro River Redwoods State Park in a new tabPaul M. Dimmick Campground
A confirmed area anchor about six miles east of Highway 1 on Highway 128, not permission to fish every nearby bank.
Navarro River Redwoods State Park in a new tabAt the August 21, 2026 review, State Parks reported toxic algal mats near the Hendy Woods day-use area and Philo-Greenwood bridge. It advised visitors and dogs not to swim or drink where mats are present. Recheck the live alert.
A State Park area, campground, bridge, or Highway 128 turnout is not permission to fish every bank. Respect signs, private property, safe parking, and the exact water boundary.
The estuary from the mouth to Highway 1 is a State Marine Conservation Area. Its hook-and-line exception applies only to salmonids under the applicable salmonid rules.
River sources
Official checks for this report.
Flow, rules, access, safety, and steelhead sources were checked August 21, 2026. No field visit is claimed.
How this report was checked
How this report was checked
Reviewed byBlueStreamFly River Review Team
Trip guidance checked
What was checked: BlueStreamFly checked official public flow, rule, access, and safety sources. This review does not claim a field visit, local residency, or first-hand Navarro fishing experience.
Live measurements and forecasts keep their provider timestamps. Rules, access, and trip guidance use the source-review date shown here. BlueStreamFly planning advice is editorial interpretation, not an agency notice.
First-hand experience: BlueStreamFly does not claim a first-hand visit or local field test for this report unless a real contributor is explicitly named and linked.
Rules and closures
Check what is allowed, where the rule applies, and whether the river is open.
Flow and weather
Check the latest river reading and forecast before you leave.
Access and land
Check public entry points, land rules, and seasonal access changes.
More helpful links
Use these links for stocking, safety, and other local details.
See all 14 checked sources
Rules and closures
Check what is allowed, where the rule applies, and whether the river is open.
What this source covers
Open the current rules and check the river section, season, and special limits.
What this source covers
Open the current rules and check the river section, season, and special limits.
What this source covers
Open the current rules and check the river section, season, and special limits.
What this source covers
Open the current rules and check the river section, season, and special limits.
Flow and weather
Check the latest river reading and forecast before you leave.
What this source covers
Open this page and check the latest safety advice before your trip.
What this source covers
Open this river reading to check the latest level, flow, and update time.
What this source covers
Open this river reading to check the latest level, flow, and update time.
What this source covers
Open this river reading to check the latest level, flow, and update time.
Access and land
Check public entry points, land rules, and seasonal access changes.
What this source covers
Open the land or access page, then check signs before you park or enter.
What this source covers
Open the land or access page, then check signs before you park or enter.
More helpful links
Use these links for stocking, safety, and other local details.
What this source covers
Open this page and check the latest safety advice before your trip.
What this source covers
Open this page and check the latest safety advice before your trip.
What this source covers
Open this page for more river information and check when it was last updated.
What this source covers
Open this page for more river information and check when it was last updated.
Quick answers
A few useful answers.
What part of the Navarro does this report cover?
The main stem below Greenwood Road bridge. Fishing is not allowed inside Hendy Woods.
Is the Navarro worth fishing in summer?
Not for steelhead. Low flow, warm-water risk, juvenile fish, and no verified water temperature make summer a skip.
Does 200 cfs automatically mean the river is open?
No. It is CDFW's reference at USGS 11468000. CDFW posts low-flow decisions Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and can use forecasts. Its posted decision controls.
Can I float the Navarro for fly fishing?
This report does not recommend it. It has no verified fishing launch, takeout, practical float reach, or adequate-water plan.