The Mad River Slough lies within Arcata Bay on the upper northern side, in the northern half of the Humboldt Bay, about 100-miles south of the Oregon border. Humboldt Bay includes Arcata Bay, to the north, divided by Highway 101, with Humboldt Bay to the south.

The Mad River Slough provides an easy put-in access and offers several miles of pristine paddling opportunities around where the Mad River was diverted into Humboldt Bay during the logging heydays. The slough still remains the way you saw the world as a young child, when the pace was a little slower, and the birds and wildlife were more abundant.

The Mad River Slough is a favorite paddling retreat among birdwatchers. There are over hundred and fifty bird species at the Mad River Slough. Red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, kestrels, harriers, kites, and osprey are all occasionally seen here. The shorebirds commonly seen are dunlin, sandpiper, dowitcher, godwit, and willet, among many others. You may also see ducks, Aleutian geese, Snow geese, and Pacific Black Brant, depending on the time of year.

Wildlife sightings wait around the turn of every bend, with sounds of waves crashing across the dunes just west of the slough. Be on the lookout beyond the ocean waves for brown pelicans and cormorants. Northern harriers can often be seen as they glide in and out of willow thickets in the small freshwater wetlands. Great blue herons are often sited stalking fish along the water’s edge.

Pacific and California halibut are both found in the waters of Arcata Bay. Piers located adjacent to sanding bottoms provide the best fishing opportunities for halibut. The best time to fish is on an incoming tide, about two hours before the high tide being the best. Halibut fishing season usually begins around April.

Map of the Mad RIver Slough

  
 
 
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