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Well, that was quick.

With the recreational ocean salmon season officially closed in the Klamath Management Zone (KMZ), North Coast anglers will once again turn their attention to Pacific halibut, rockfish, and—hopefully in the very near future—albacore tuna. While there are still plenty of opportunities offshore, it doesn’t make the abrupt end to salmon season any easier to swallow. After all the anticipation leading up to the opener, many anglers were hoping we’d squeeze in at least a few more days before the quota was met.

The good news is there’s no shortage of fish to chase.

Pacific halibut fishing has flown a bit under the radar this season, but the action has been better than many realize. Eureka continues to be the top-producing port, with both private and charter boats regularly returning to the dock with limits. The most consistent bite has been north of the entrance in 240 to 300 feet of water, where anglers willing to put in the time have been rewarded with quality fish.

Rockfish remain the sure thing along the North Coast. Whether you’re fishing out of Crescent City, Trinidad, Eureka, or Shelter Cove, the bite has been consistently strong and should remain that way through the summer. If your goal is to put fresh fillets in the freezer, it’s hard to go wrong with a rockfish trip right now.

Then there’s tuna—the fish everyone is watching for. Weather has been the biggest obstacle, but with El Niño conditions developing, warmer offshore water could be knocking on our door sooner rather than later. That’s already happening farther south, where the Fort Bragg fleet has been enjoying excellent albacore fishing less than 15 miles offshore. If those water temperatures continue to push north, it may not be long before North Coast anglers get their first legitimate tuna shots of the season.

So, while the salmon rods may be headed back into the garage for now, the offshore season is far from over. Halibut are biting, rockfish continue to produce, and tuna season could be just around the corner.

Still, it’s hard not to wonder what might have been. A few more days of salmon fishing would have been welcomed by just about everyone.

Ocean sport salmon season over for KMZ anglers
The recreational salmon season in the Klamath Management Zone (California/Oregon border to Horse Mountain) is now closed after anglers reached the area’s harvest guideline.

Preliminary estimates show:
• KMZ: 3,968 Chinook landed by 4,830 anglers, surpassing the 3,900-fish guideline.
• Fort Bragg Management Area: Reopens August 1-9 only, with approximately 748 Chinook remaining in the area’s harvest guideline.

Anglers planning to fish Fort Bragg should expect a short season, as current catch rates indicate the remaining quota will likely be reached by the August 9 closure.

South of Point Arena, the San Francisco and Monterey management areas will reopen or remain open on August 1 under their respective harvest guidelines.

Pacific halibut quota update
As of July 26, California’s share of Area 2A’s quota, which includes Washington and Oregon, is at 11 percent, with just 4,455 net pounds harvested against the 40,040-pound quota. The Pacific halibut season will be open until Nov. 15 or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. To monitor the in-season tracking, visit https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking. The daily bag and possession limit for Pacific halibut is one fish. There is no minimum size limit.

Marine Forecast
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, “A ridge of high pressure will strengthen through the weekend, bringing increased chances for gale strength northerlies over much of the waters. There is growing confidence for strong northerlies with sustained gale strength winds of 34 knots and gusts approaching or exceeding 40 knots as troughing to the north squeezes against the strong ridge to the southeast. Subsequent steep seas over 15 feet will develop over the weekend and into early next week. Gale conditions could start as early as late Friday in portions of the southern zones.”

Out 10 nautical miles, Friday’s forecast is calling for northwest winds 5 to 10 knots and waves north 4 feet at eight seconds and southwest 2 feet at 15 seconds. Winds will begin to increase Saturday, coming from the north 15 to 20 knots with northwest waves 4 feet at eight seconds and southwest 1 foot at 14 seconds. Sunday’s forecast looks worse, with north winds 20 to 25 knots and waves northwest 8 feet at eight seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/ or www.windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at 443-6484.

CDPH Lifts Warning for Sport-Harvested Bivalve Shellfish from Del Norte County
In a press release issued Wednesday, July 15, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) lifted the shellfish safety notification on July 14, 2026, related to sport-harvested bivalve shellfish from Del Norte County.

Statement from CDFW:

“The safety notification for Del Norte County was issued on May 1, 2026, due to dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins in mussels. These naturally occurring toxins can cause illness or death in humans. Recent testing shows paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins have decreased to safe levels in bivalve shellfish in this area.

While this warning for clams, scallops and oysters in Del Norte County has been lifted, the annual mussel quarantine remains in effect. The annual quarantine prohibits the sport-harvest of mussels for human consumption and applies to all species of mussels harvested along the California coast, as well as all bays and estuaries, and will continue through at least October 31. Additionally, there is a razor clam advisory for Humboldt County due to domoic acid.

For the most current information on shellfish advisories and quarantines, call CDPH’s toll-free Shellfish Information Line at (800) 553-4133 or view the recreational bivalve shellfish advisory interactive map. For additional information, please visit the CDPH Marine Biotoxin Monitoring web page.”

Sport Crab season coming to a close
The 2026 sport Dungeness crab season in Humboldt, Mendocino and Del Norte counties will close after Friday, July 30. The season is expected to reopen Nov. 1.

The Oceans:
Eureka
The Pacific halibut bite has improved, according to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “The bite isn’t red-hot, but it’s been good,” said Klassen. “The most consistent action has been between Eureka and Trinidad in 240 to 300 feet of water. Rockfish action at the Cape has been excellent, and the nearshore black rockfish bite has been wide open. Lingcod are biting as well. We haven’t gotten in on the tuna yet, as most of the action has been farther south, but the water is warm close to shore. With the wind expected to pick up this weekend, conditions will change and mix things up.”

Trinidad
Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing poked his nose offshore Tuesday looking for tuna, knowing that conditions were less than perfect. “Often, people expect to fill the boat with albacore when we run offshore,” said Sepulveda. “I was pretty sure that wasn’t going to be the case Tuesday given the modeled sea surface temperature and chlorophyll readings. But it was so close I felt like we had nothing to lose by giving it a look. We landed eight, but half of them were pushing 30 pounds. Was fun to hear some reels scream so close to home. 
Then the lingcod ripped Wednesday on the remote waters run. Limits in one 30-minute drift with the biggest just shy of 30 pounds. And the jumbo rockfish came on two at a time. The wind machine is now ramping up offshore; it will likely be mid-August before we revisit the tuna water. In the meantime, we’ll be busy with lingcod, halibut, and rockfish.”

Shelter Cove
We finished out the salmon season on a good note reports Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. He said, “The last day was a little tough and we had to put in a lot of time, but we were able to get our limits. A lot of warm water moved in over this last week with the calmer weather, which made for some nice, short tuna runs. But it’s probably not a good sign for our short-season salmon opener this weekend. The wind has started blowing last couple days so hopefully it mixes things up a little. Rock fishing is still pretty solid. Most of the better action has been out in a little deeper.”

Crescent City
“The rockfish and lingcod bite is still really good when the boats can get out,” said Will Moore, of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “Most of the boats are heading south to the South Reef and the Sisters. The Pacific halibut bite has been good, with quite a few being caught past the South Reef in 180 to 220 feet of water. The California halibut bite has yet to materialize. Looks like the wind is going to blow for a while, hopefully we’ll have some tuna conditions when it calms back down.”

Brookings
“While plenty of kings and hatchery coho are still being caught out of Brookings, the salmon action has slowed,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “There remains a good early morning bite just outside of the jetties, and then decent action for coho further offshore. Halibut fishing has been slow to fair. Sport crabbing remains excellent.”

The Rivers
Klamath River
Excellent fishing continues in the Klamath estuary, with big schools of kings pushing in and out with the tides. Boats trolling spinner blade rigs with anchovies are seeing multiple hookups per trip. The best bite has typically come two hours before high tide through about an hour after, though there also seems to be consistent action at first light, regardless of the tide. Upriver, the steelhead action has been good, but it’s typically an early morning bite.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay is now producing big numbers of kings. “Many guides are averaging a fish per rod. Anchovies trolled behind 360 flashers are working well.”

Kenny Priest operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.

The words El Niño — or even super El Niño — can mean different things depending on where you are. But for North Coast anglers, they mean one thing: tuna.

We’re already seeing the first signs of warmer ocean conditions as nearshore water temperatures continue to climb. It was only a matter of time before someone found albacore, and on Monday, the wait officially ended.

Running south from Shelter Cove, Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing made the run to about 30 miles southwest of Fort Bragg and found hungry tuna in 61-degree water. The crew boxed 22 albacore, including 14 “peanuts” and eight quality fish in the 20- to 30-pound class. That’s an impressive way to kick off the 2026 tuna season, and news of the catch quickly spread through the Eureka fleet.

Ocean conditions can change quickly, but if the forecast holds, Saturday could provide the first legitimate shot for North Coast boats looking to chase albacore. At the moment, the fish appear to be roughly 35 nautical miles offshore.

One thing is certain—tuna fever has officially arrived on the North Coast.

Marine Forecast
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, “winds and seas will have a low impact for the remainder of the week and trend northerly again by late weekend as high pressure fills back in, and the summer pattern returns.”
As of Thursday, Friday’s forecast is calling for southwest winds up to 5 knots and waves northwest 4 feet at nine seconds and south 2 feet at 10 seconds. Saturday, winds will be coming from the west up to 5 knots with northwest waves 3 feet at nine seconds and south 2 feet at 13 seconds. Sunday, winds will be out of the north 5 to 10 knots with waves out of the northwest 3 feet at eight seconds and south 1 foot at 12 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/ or www.windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at 443-6484.

Sport Crab season coming to a close
The 2026 sport Dungeness crab season in Humboldt, Mendocino and Del Norte counties will close after Friday, July 30. The season is expected to reopen Nov. 1.

California Halibut Derby on Humboldt Bay this Saturday
The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association will be holding the 2nd annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 25. The fishing event will be held within the waters of Humboldt Bay. Check-ins, Weigh-ins and Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive at the East-I Lot Grass Area.

This is a slot size derby; a measurement will be drawn in the morning before the derby and posted to the event’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Adult payouts will be $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place, and $150 for 3rd place. Youth Payouts – $100 for 1st place, $75 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd place. Youth payouts will be in the form of gift cards. All Youths registered in the Derby will receive a rod and reel combo! Raffle prizes will include fishing trips, a 35 qt. cooler, rods and reels, fishing tackle and gear, merchandise and more.

Big Fish Prize: entries will be California Halibut 30” and above. ONLY ONE Big Fish can be entered per entrant. In case of a tie, winner will be determined by weight. For the big fish, adult and youth divisions will be combined. Winner to be announced at event.

Entry Fees for adults are $60 (comes with a $30 NCGASA Membership). Youth entry fees are $40, 13 years and under (comes with a $10 NCGASA Membership)

*If you are a current NCGASA member, you will receive $20 in raffle tickets at check-in.

You can register online at https://ncgasa.org. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 24 at midnight. Derby information and rules can be found here.

Salmon season set to resume Aug. 1
Though not yet official, it looks like we still have some quota to catch starting Aug 1 within the KMZ. CDFW updated the catch estimates through July 15 and it shows we have 914 left. The final update coming from NMFS is scheduled for July 28. Word on the dock, which comes from a reliable source, is we have roughly 900 left to catch.

The Oceans:
Eureka
After leaving the salmon biting last Sunday, boats have been back on the rockfish and Pacific halibut reports Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “The lingcod fishing down at the Cape has been excellent,” said Klassen. “I had one of my best days down there Tuesday. We had lings up to 23 pounds and four over 17. The rockfish bite is still good, with a nice variety of blues, blacks, cabezon and coppers. The Pacific halibut are biting as well. Some of the charters were out Wednesday and were able to get limits. There are definitely a lot of fish to be had out there. Most of the boats are right around the 50-line. It looks like we’ll have some excellent ocean conditions for the next few days.”

Shelter Cove
Like the rest of the North Coast, the Shelter Cove fleet left the salmon biting on Sunday. And there were some really nice fish in the mix. With the warm water within reach, tuna will likely take center stage now. Ocean conditions are forecast to be excellent this weekend too. The rockfish and lingcod are still chomping baits at the Old Man. There’s also been a few Pacific halibut caught.

Crescent City
The Pacific halibut bite is still going well, we’ve seen a few come in this week reports Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “It really started to get good last week, so this is a good sign. They’ll probably be some more effort now that salmon is closed for a while. Rockfish and lingcod are both still really good. The Sisters and South Reef continue to produce limits. Crabbing off the pier has been excellent, with lots of limits reported this week.”

Brookings
“Salmon fishing has been good to very good out of Brookings, with a mix of kings, hatchery coho and wild coho biting close to the harbor and offshore,” said Andy Martin, of Brookings Fishing Charters.  “Kings are moving into the estuary to feed on massive schools of anchovies clogging the harbor, allowing anglers to enjoy success mooching freshly caught bait. The king bite also is good in front of the beach, and three to five miles offshore. Bigger numbers of hatchery coho also have arrived. Halibut fishing remains slow, but a few fish a week are being caught. Sport crabbing has been excellent.”

Klamath River
The lower Klamath has been fishing well this past week, with big schools of kings pushing in with the tides. Boats trolling spinner blade rigs with anchovies are seeing multiple hookups per trip. The best bite has typically come two hours before high tide through about an hour after, though there also seems to be consistent action at first light, regardless of the tide.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay has improved, and crowds have also arrived with triple digit temperatures in the Rogue Valley. “Nice weather this weekend will allow anglers to troll outside of the jetties, where the best action has been.”

Kenny Priest operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.

Salmon fishing has hit full stride across the North Coast, with excellent action both offshore and in the rivers.

Offshore, boats from Shelter Cove to Crescent City are enjoying some of the best fishing of the season. Limits have been coming early at most ports, with anglers finding eager schools of Chinook. Eureka was the lone exception on Wednesday, when the larger fish seemed to disappear and the bite slowed. That proved to be short-lived, however, as the action rebounded Thursday with both steady catches and some quality fish. Chinook in the 20-pound class have become much more common, along with plenty of fish in the mid- to upper-teens—a welcome change from the smaller salmon that dominated catches earlier this season.

Inland, the news is just as encouraging. The Trinity River weir at Junction City continues to show a strong return of spring-run Chinook, with a healthy number of fish already moving through the system and more expected to follow. Downstream, the Klamath estuary is packed with salmon, and anglers trolling anchovies or spinner blades are putting together quick limits on bright kings.

The Trinity River is currently open from the South Fork confluence upstream to the hatchery, while the Klamath River is open from the Highway 96 Bridge downstream to the mouth, providing anglers with plenty of opportunities to enjoy outstanding salmon fishing throughout the region.

Sport ocean salmon season closing
The ocean sport salmon season will close after July 19 from the OR/CA border down to Point Arena. This includes the Klamath Management Zone (KMZ) and the Fort Bragg areas. The season is scheduled to open back up August 1 in both zones but will be dependent on the harvest guideline.

Marine Forecast
The long run of fishable conditions should continue through the weekend. As of Thursday, Friday’s forecast calls for northwest winds 5 to 10 knots, with northwest waves 4 feet at seven seconds and southwest waves 1 foot at 15 seconds. Saturday’s winds are expected to remain the same, with northwest waves 3 feet at eight seconds and west waves 4 feet at 15 seconds. Sunday’s forecast calls for northwest winds 5 to 10 knots, with northwest waves 4 feet at seven seconds and west waves 3 feet at 15 seconds. Conditions can change by the weekend. For the latest forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/ or www.windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at 443-7062 or the Woodley Island office at 443-6484.

Sport Crab season coming to a close
The 2026 sport Dungeness crab season in Humboldt, Mendocino and Del Norte counties will close after Friday, July 30. The season is expected to reopen Nov. 1.

California Halibut Derby on Humboldt Bay next Saturday
The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association will be holding the second annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 25. The fishing event will be held within the waters of Humboldt Bay. Check-ins, Weigh-ins, and Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive at the East-I Lot Grass Area.

This is a slot size derby; a measurement will be drawn in the morning before the derby and posted to the event’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Adult payouts will be $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place, and $150 for 3rd place. Youth Payouts – $100 for 1st place, $75 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd place. Youth payouts will be in the form of gift cards. All Youths registered in the Derby will receive a rod and reel combo! Raffle prizes will include fishing trips, rods and reels, fishing tackle and gear, merchandise and more.

Big Fish Prize: entries will be California Halibut 30” and above. ONLY ONE Big Fish can be entered per entrant. In case of a tie, winner will be determined by weight. For the big fish, adult and youth divisions will be combined. Winner to be announced at event.

Entry Fees for adults are $60 (comes with a $30 NCGASA Membership). Youth entry fees are $40, 13 years and under (comes with a $10 NCGASA Membership)

*If you are a current NCGASA member, you will receive $20 in raffle tickets at check-in.

You can register online at https://ncgasa.org/product/california-halibut-derby/. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 24 at midnight.

The Oceans:
Eureka
Salmon fishing was strong for most of the week, reports Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “Up until Wednesday, limits came pretty easily each day,” Klassen said. “For whatever reason, boats had a hard time finding fish Wednesday, and when they did, they were small. By Thursday, things were back to normal, with some nice fish caught. Most of the salmon have been holding in 200 to 220 feet of water, though quite a few have also been caught in 120 feet. The fish are moving a little shallower in the water column, with many coming 30 to 50 feet down on the wire. The grade has improved, with about half of the fish in the 6- to 20-pound range and several in the teens. While most boats are targeting salmon, some Pacific halibut are also being caught. “We landed four Wednesday, with the biggest right around 60 pounds,” Klassen said. “They seem to be in the same general area, just to the north in 250 to 320 feet of water.”

Shelter Cove
The rockfish and lingcod bite was great this week with most the action being around the Old Man reports Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. He said, “The salmon bite has been hit and miss, good one day and kind of slow the next. Salmon are being caught from the harbor out to the buoys. The grade has been excellent, with most in the 10 to 25 lb. range with the occasional smaller one and bigger one in the mix. A couple Pacific halibut were caught last week.”

Crescent City
The Pacific halibut bite has really picked up reports Will Moore of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “We’ve had about a dozen come in this past week, including a couple nice ones. The salmon bite is still going strong, with most boats getting limits. They don’t have to go far, just past the third can in 120 feet of water has been the area. Rockfish and lingcod are both wide open. South Reef and Little South Reef have both been producing.”

Brookings
“Ocean salmon fishing busted completely open this week, as a new batch of larger kings arrived off of Brookings, along with schools of coho,” said Andy Martin, of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Kings to 35 pounds are being caught in front of the beach just south of the jetties, while the coho are schooling up in 110 to 150 feet of water out from the buoys. Action was wide open Tuesday and Wednesday. Anchovies fished behind Fish Flash flashers are working best, with some guides relying on 360 flashers. Many boats limited, with kings making up most of the catch, but some anglers fishing further out coming back with coolers of hatchery coho. Lingcod and rockfish action has been fair, while sport crabbing is very good. Halibut remains hit and miss.”

Klamath River
The lower Klamath was loaded with kings as of last weekend, with schools pushing in on the tides. Boats trolling spinner blade rigs with anchovies are seeing multiple hookups per trip. The best bite has typically come two hours before high tide through about an hour after, though there also seems to be consistent action at first light, regardless of the tide.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay showed signs of life this week, but heavy moss, and shallow water along the jetties and sand spit has limited catches. “Morning minus tides haven’t helped.”

Kenny Priest operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.

The Eureka fleet enjoyed some of the best salmon fishing it’s seen in years over the past week, as a welcome stretch of fishable weather and manageable ocean conditions gave anglers plenty of opportunity to get offshore. Boats were able to cover some ground and check multiple areas, and the general consensus was encouraging — there are salmon spread throughout the local grounds.

While fish were found in several spots, much of the fleet focused on the four-mile zone between the 44 and 48 lines, where the most consistent action was reported. It wasn’t a wide-open bite every day, but the fishing was steady enough that nearly every charter boat was coming back to the dock with limits on a regular basis, and private boaters were getting in on the action as well.

As expected, a strong week of fishing has also taken a noticeable bite out of the quota. The last official update came on June 30, when 2,397 Chinook remained available to harvest, but that number has almost certainly dropped significantly over the past week and a half.

Now, attention turns to the possibility of an early closure. Rumors on the docks suggest the California Department of Fish and Wildlife could shut the season down after Sunday, though nothing had been announced as of this writing. If a closure is coming, CDFW would need to make that call by Thursday in order to provide the required three-day notice.

For now, anglers are hoping the rumor mill is wrong and that the Eureka fleet will get a little more time on the water. After waiting a long time for salmon fishing like this, no one is quite ready to see it end.

Weekend marine forecast
After a nice stretch of fishable weather, the wind and seas picked up slightly Thursday and Friday. According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, “for the northern outer waters, winds of 20 to 25 knots combined with steep 9-foot waves at short 8-second periods satisfy advisory criteria. All coastal marine zones are currently under a Small Craft Advisory.”

As of Friday afternoon, Saturday’s forecast is calling for north winds 10 to 15 knots. Northwest waves will be 4 feet at 10 seconds and southwest 2 feet at 15 seconds. Winds will be the same Sunday, blowing 10 to 15 knots from the north with waves northwest 5 feet at 10 seconds and southwest 2 feet at 14 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

Eel River Pikeminnow Fishing Derby underway
After another successful Eel River Pikeminnow derby in 2025, CalTrout is back with another derby that runs from July 1 through Aug. 31. The derby, which is put on with the help of CDFW, has increased the prize money available and will now offer $5,000 worth of prizes for:

• Most pikeminnow (greater than 6 inches) caught over the duration of the contest. (1^st $550, 2^nd $450, 3^rd $400)
• Most pikeminnow (greater than 12 inches) caught over the duration of the contest. MUST include tape measure in photo. (1^st $800, 2^nd $700, 3^rd $600)
• Biggest fish (length). MUST include tape measure in photo. (1^st $500, 2^nd $400, 3^rd $300)
• Drawing for kids (under 18) that entered a pikeminnow in the contest. (6 winners – $50/each)

Contest rules

• Online form: submit entries using one email address. All entries at the end of the contest for the “most pikeminnow…” will be tallied by participant email address.
• Mail in Form: mail in forms must be postmarked on or before September 3. Send a copy of your photo(s), minimum size 3”x5” each, along with completed entry form to: CalTrout, 1380 9th St., Arcata, CA 95521
• Individual contestants can win no more than one prize category. In the case of multiple wins, the largest prize amount will be awarded.
• Photos must be geotagged. The link to turn this on for your iPhone or android is located here.
• Cheating or falsification of entries will result in automatic disqualification.
• Photos from poor angles or of bad quality are subject to disqualification.

Contestants will follow all CDFW fishing regulations, including no bait, barbless artificial lures only.

Prohibited actions: Throwing fish on the bank or into the river, any blatant waste of fish.

All waters open to angling on the South Fork Eel River downstream of the Humboldt County line to the confluence with the mainstem. The mainstem Eel from Dos Rios to the mouth of the Van Duzen. The Van Duzen from Grizzly Creek to the mouth of the Van Duzen.

For more information, visit https://tribresearch.org/pikeminnow/

Junior Angler fishing program coming July 12
The Redwood National and State Parks, along with California Fish and Wildlife experts, will be hosting a Junior Angler Fishing Program Sunday, July. 12. The event, which runs from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. will be held at Freshwater Beach with anglers meeting at the Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center. Address is 119441 Highway 101 N. in Orick. This is a free event, and fishing equipment will be provided. Participants 16 years and older are required to have a fishing license. For more information, call 707-951-5388.

California Halibut Derby on Humboldt Bay coming July 25
The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association will be holding the second annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 25. The fishing event will be held within the waters of Humboldt Bay. Check-ins, Weigh-ins, and Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive at the East-I Lot Grass Area.

This is a slot size derby; a measurement will be drawn in the morning before the derby and posted to the event’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Adult payouts will be $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place, and $150 for 3rd place. Youth Payouts – $100 for 1st place, $75 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd place. Youth payouts will be in the form of gift cards. All Youths registered in the Derby will receive a rod and reel combo! Raffle prizes will include fishing trips, rods and reels, fishing tackle and gear, merchandise and more.

Big Fish Prize: entries will be California Halibut 30” and above. ONLY ONE Big Fish can be entered per entrant. In case of a tie, winner will be determined by weight. For the big fish, adult and youth divisions will be combined. Winner to be announced at event.

Entry Fees for adults are $60 (comes with a $30 NCGASA Membership). Youth entry fees are $40, 13 years and under (comes with a $10 NCGASA Membership)

*If you are a current NCGASA member, you will receive $20 in raffle tickets at check-in.

You can register online at https://ncgasa.org/product/california-halibut-derby/. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 24 at midnight.

The Oceans:
Eureka
“The salmon fishing has been pretty good this past week, with limits coming every trip,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “Some days were wide-open, and some it took a little longer to get limits. We had a nice long stretch of fishable weather, which allowed plenty of boats to get in on the action. The majority of the fish were caught between the 44 to 48 line from 140 to 200 feet, but there seemed to be fish all over. About half of the fish were smaller, and the other half ranged from 8 to 15 pounds. Though most of the focus has been on salmon, there were some halibut caught this week. Boats were focused around the 50-line in 270 to 300 feet of water.”

Shelter Cove
“Salmon fishing was pretty good this past week, but the last couple days was a little tougher”, said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “Some action has been at the Hat and some right out front. The fish have been a nice grade, averaging 12 to 15 pounds. Rock fishing has been solid with the lings a little harder to get.”

Crescent City
|“The salmon bite really improved this week,” said Chuck Blakeslee, of Crescent City’s Englund Marine.” They’ve moved closer to the shore, and they aren’t as deep. The best bite has been between 80 to 200 feet. The rockfish and lingcod bite are still excellent, with the South Reef and the Sisters being a couple top spots. There was also a couple Pacific halibut caught Wednesday out past the South Reef.”

Brookings
Salmon fishing has busted wide open again out of Brookings, but the action has been limited to the first hour or two of daylight reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Fish are schooled up along the beach and jetties just outside of the Chetco River entrance,” said Martin. “Fish to 25 pounds are being caught. Most boats are catching multiple fish, trolling anchovies or herring.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Spring salmon fishing improved quite a bit for trollers in the Klamath estuary earlier this week. Anchovies rigged with a spinner blade has been the top producer so far, but some are being caught on spinners and Cut Plugs. Best fishing has been on the incoming and a couple hours after the high.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay has improved for salmon, with action still slow, but a handful of fish a day being caught. “Action tends to improve rapidly by mid-July.”

Kenny Priest operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.

The howling north winds have provided a much-needed break for both the salmon and the quota. Since last Saturday, winds that are all too common in late June and early July have kept boats tied to the docks at every North Coast port. Fortunately, the weather is finally starting to lay down, and the timing couldn’t be much better. The Fourth of July holiday weekend is traditionally one of the busiest of the summer for ocean salmon anglers, and with seas forecast to ease back down to around five feet, there should be no shortage of boats headed offshore in search of kings.

The good news is we know the fish are here, as anglers left them biting last weekend before the wind took over. The only question now is what kind of conditions they’ll find after nearly a week of pounding north winds. The ocean will likely be a much different place than it was a week ago, but if the salmon are still hanging around, the holiday fleet could be in for a productive weekend.

Potentially dangerous bar crossing
With large tidal exchanges in effect through the weekend, there could be potential early morning hazardous Humboldt bar conditions. High tides will be over six feet and will drop to minus or very low tides. With a large volume of water flowing out of the bay and running into 5-foot swells, you’ll want to error on the side of caution — even if it means waiting until the out-flowing water from the bay has slowed, which usually occurs within 30 to 45 minutes prior to the tide bottoming out. If you’re planning on hitting the bar at daylight in the next few days, check the conditions first. The latest tide and current predictions can be found here.

Low tides —Fri. July 3 (-.63 at 9:01 a.m.), Sat. July 4 (-.31 at 9:35 a.m.), Sun. (.16 at 10:08 a.m.)

Weekend marine forecast\
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, “the end of the persistent northerly gale is finally in sight. Hazardous seas have certainly been observed in the inner waters with the Humboldt Bay North Spit buoy reading up to 12 feet at 9 seconds as of Wednesday evening. The gales in the outer water and portions of the inners responsible for these seas will wind down into Thursday morning.”

As of Thursday afternoon, Friday’s forecast is calling for north winds 10 to 15 knots and waves northwest 5 feet at seven seconds and southwest 1 foot at 15 seconds. Saturday’s forecast is calling for north winds 10 to 15 knots and waves northwest 5 feet at eight seconds and southwest 1 foot at 15 seconds. The winds will decrease Sunday, coming from the northwest 5 to 10 knots, with northwest waves 7 feet at nine seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

Eel River Pikeminnow Fishing Derby underway
After another successful Eel River Pikeminnow derby in 2025, CalTrout is back with another derby that runs from July 1 through Aug. 31. The derby, which is put on with the help of CDFW, has increased the prize money available and will now offer $5,000 worth of prizes for:

• Most pikeminnow (greater than 6 inches) caught over the duration of the contest. (1^st $550, 2^nd $450, 3^rd $400)
• Most pikeminnow (greater than 12 inches) caught over the duration of the contest. MUST include tape measure in photo. (1^st $800, 2^nd $700, 3^rd $600)
• Biggest fish (length). MUST include tape measure in photo. (1^st $500, 2^nd $400, 3^rd $300)
• Drawing for kids (under 18) that entered a pikeminnow in the contest. (6 winners – $50/each)

Contest rules

• Online form: submit entries using one email address. All entries at the end of the contest for the “most pikeminnow…” will be tallied by participant email address.
• Mail in Form: mail in forms must be postmarked on or before September 3. Send a copy of your photo(s), minimum size 3”x5” each, along with completed entry form to: CalTrout, 1380 9th St., Arcata, CA 95521
• Individual contestants can win no more than one prize category. In the case of multiple wins, the largest prize amount will be awarded.
• Photos must be geotagged. The link to turn this on for your iPhone or android is located here.
• Cheating or falsification of entries will result in automatic disqualification.
• Photos from poor angles or of bad quality are subject to disqualification.

Contestants will follow all CDFW fishing regulations, including no bait, barbless artificial lures only.
Prohibited actions: Throwing fish on the bank or into the river, any blatant waste of fish.
All waters open to angling on the South Fork Eel River downstream of the Humboldt County line to the confluence with the mainstem. The mainstem Eel from Dos Rios to the mouth of the Van Duzen. The Van Duzen from Grizzly Creek to the mouth of the Van Duzen.
For more information, visit https://tribresearch.org/pikeminnow/

Saturday, July 4 is statewide free fishing day
On Saturday, July 4, people may fish California’s waters without a sport fishing license. All regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect. On Free Fishing Days, every angler must have the appropriate report card if they are fishing for steelhead, sturgeon, or salmon in the Smith and Klamath-Trinity river systems. For more information visit, wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days

Junior Angler fishing program coming July 12
The Redwood National and State Parks, along with California Fish and Wildlife experts, will be hosting a Junior Angler Fishing Program Sunday, July. 12. The event, which runs from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. will be held at Freshwater Beach with anglers meeting at the Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center. Address is 119441 Highway 101 N. in Orick. This is a free event, and fishing equipment will be provided. Participants 16 years and older are required to have a fishing license. For more information, call 707-951-5388.

California Halibut Derby on Humboldt Bay coming July 25
The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association will be holding the second annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 25. The fishing event will be held within the waters of Humboldt Bay. Check-ins, Weigh-ins, and Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive at the East-I Lot Grass Area.

This is a slot size derby; a measurement will be drawn in the morning before the derby and posted to the event’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Adult payouts will be $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place, and $150 for 3rd place. Youth Payouts – $100 for 1st place, $75 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd place. Youth payouts will be in the form of gift cards. All Youths registered in the Derby will receive a rod and reel combo! Raffle prizes will include fishing trips, rods and reels, fishing tackle and gear, merchandise and more.

Big Fish Prize: entries will be California Halibut 30” and above. ONLY ONE Big Fish can be entered per entrant. In case of a tie, winner will be determined by weight. For the big fish, adult and youth divisions will be combined. Winner to be announced at event.

Entry Fees for adults are $60 (comes with a $30 NCGASA Membership). Youth entry fees are $40, 13 years and under (comes with a $10 NCGASA Membership)

*If you are a current NCGASA member, you will receive $20 in raffle tickets at check-in.

You can register online at https://ncgasa.org/product/california-halibut-derby/. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 24 at midnight.

The Oceans:
Boats fishing out of Shelter Cove, Eureka, Trinidad, and Crescent City have all been mostly tied since last weekend due to high winds. Better conditions will begin Friday, and the long weekend looks plenty fishable.

Brookings
“After a month of very good salmon fishing, the king action suddenly slowed down out of Brookings late last week, in part because of windy weather limiting where anglers can fish,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Except for a brief daylight bite, fishing has slowed considerably near the mouth of the Chetco. Strong winds and big wind waves are preventing anglers from getting offshore. The first albacore of the season were caught last week out of Brookings by a sport boat that ventured 70 miles out and returned with four small albacore. Commercial fishermen are finding tuna 100 miles offshore. Halibut fishing is slow, but several fish were caught during a brief offshore weather window last week.”

The Rivers
Salmon season now open on parts of Klamath and Trinity Rivers
The spring Chinook salmon fishery on the lower Klamath River (downstream of the Highway 96 bridge at Weitchpec) and Trinity River (upstream of the confluence of the South Fork Trinity River) opened on July 1 and will run through Aug. 14 on the Klamath River and through Aug. 31 on the Trinity River. The daily bag limit has been set to one Chinook salmon (no size restrictions), and the possession limit set at two Chinook salmon.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, The Rogue Bay is producing a few salmon, but windy weather, and a morning minus tide have limited the chances to troll in recent days.

Kenny Priest operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.

It’s beginning to feel like the old days out of Eureka. Salmon and Pacific halibut are both biting, and rockfish are providing easy limits at ports all along the North Coast.

Everyone wants to talk about salmon—and for good reason. After a three-year closure, the return of the king salmon fishery has anglers fired up. But the biggest story this week may be the resurgence of the Pacific halibut bite. After an incredibly slow start to the season with very little to get excited about, Eureka has come alive. Plenty of boats have been returning to the dock with limits of halibut, and anglers are once again enjoying the kind of action they’ve been waiting for.

For the first time in what feels like forever, the North Coast has three outstanding fisheries firing on all cylinders. Salmon, halibut, and rockfish are all producing, making combo trips one of the hottest tickets around.

The only thing that could slow the momentum is the weather. Unfortunately, the forecast calls for the north wind to come roaring back next week, which could limit opportunities on the water. Until then, anglers should take advantage of one of the best stretches of fishing the North Coast has seen in years.

Salmon and Pacific halibut quota updates
As of June 15, CDFW has projected 503 Chinook salmon have been harvested in the Klamath Management Zone (KMZ) towards the guideline of 3,900 fish. In the Fort Bragg area, 938 have been harvested against the 5,100 quota. More information can be found here.

As of June 14, California’s share of Area 2A’s quota, which includes Washington and Oregon, is at 2.5 percent, with just 993 net pounds harvested against the 40,040-pound net quota. The Pacific halibut fishery will run through Nov. 15 or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. To view the latest catch projection information, visit wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/pacific-halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking.

Weekend marine forecast
Ocean conditions have been mostly favorable this week, but that looks to change by the weekend. As of Thursday afternoon, Friday’s forecast is calling for southwest winds up to 5 knots and waves northwest 3 feet at seven seconds and southwest 2 feet at 15 seconds. Saturday’s forecast is calling for northwest winds 10 to 15 knots and waves northwest 5 feet at nine seconds and southwest 2 feet at 17 seconds. The winds will increase dramatically Sunday, coming from the north 20 to 25 knots, with northwest waves 8 feet at 10 seconds and southwest 2 feet at 17 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

Eel River Pikeminnow Fishing Derby starts July 1
After another successful Eel River Pikeminnow derby in 2025, CalTrout is back with another derby that runs from July 1 through Aug. 31. The derby, which is put on with the help of CDFW, has increased the prize money available and will now offer $5,000 worth of prizes for:

• Most pikeminnow (greater than 6 inches) caught over the duration of the contest. (1^st $550, 2^nd $450, 3^rd $400)
• Most pikeminnow (greater than 12 inches) caught over the duration of the contest. MUST include tape measure in photo. (1^st $800, 2^nd $700, 3^rd $600)
• Biggest fish (length). MUST include tape measure in photo. (1^st $500, 2^nd $400, 3^rd $300)
• Drawing for kids (under 18) that entered a pikeminnow in the contest. (6 winners – $50/each)

Contest rules

• Online form: submit entries using one email address. All entries at the end of the contest for the “most pikeminnow…” will be tallied by participant email address.
• Mail in Form: mail in forms must be postmarked on or before September 3. Send a copy of your photo(s), minimum size 3”x5” each, along with completed entry form to: CalTrout, 1380 9th St., Arcata, CA 95521
• Individual contestants can win no more than one prize category. In the case of multiple wins, the largest prize amount will be awarded.
• Photos must be geotagged. The link to turn this on for your iPhone or android is located here.
• Cheating or falsification of entries will result in automatic disqualification.
• Photos from poor angles or of bad quality are subject to disqualification.

Contestants will follow all CDFW fishing regulations, including no bait, barbless artificial lures only.
Prohibited actions: Throwing fish on the bank or into the river, any blatant waste of fish.
All waters open to angling on the South Fork Eel River downstream of the Humboldt County line to the confluence with the mainstem. The mainstem Eel from Dos Rios to the mouth of the Van Duzen. The Van Duzen from Grizzly Creek to the mouth of the Van Duzen.
For more information, visit https://tribresearch.org/pikeminnow/

July 4 is statewide free fishing day
On Saturday, July 4, people may fish California’s waters without a sport fishing license. All regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect. On Free Fishing Days, every angler must have the appropriate report card if they are fishing for steelhead, sturgeon, or salmon in the Smith and Klamath-Trinity river systems. For more information visit, wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days

Junior Angler fishing program coming July 12
The Redwood National and State Parks, along with California Fish and Wildlife experts, will be hosting a Junior Angler Fishing Program Sunday, July. 12. The event, which runs from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. will be held at Freshwater Beach with anglers meeting at the Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center. Address is 119441 Highway 101 N. in Orick. This is a free event, and fishing equipment will be provided. Participants 16 years and older are required to have a fishing license. For more information, call 707-951-5388.

California Halibut Derby on Humboldt Bay coming July 25
The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association will be holding the second annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 25. The fishing event will be held within the waters of Humboldt Bay. Check-ins, Weigh-ins, and Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive at the East-I Lot Grass Area.

This is a slot size derby; a measurement will be drawn in the morning before the derby and posted to the event’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Adult payouts will be $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place, and $150 for 3rd place. Youth Payouts – $100 for 1st place, $75 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd place. Youth payouts will be in the form of gift cards. All Youths registered in the Derby will receive a rod and reel combo! Raffle prizes will include fishing trips, rods and reels, fishing tackle and gear, merchandise and more.

Big Fish Prize: entries will be California Halibut 30” and above. ONLY ONE Big Fish can be entered per entrant. In case of a tie, winner will be determined by weight. For the big fish, adult and youth divisions will be combined. Winner to be announced at event.

Entry Fees for adults are $60 (comes with a $30 NCGASA Membership). Youth entry fees are $40, 13 years and under (comes with a $10 NCGASA Membership)

*If you are a current NCGASA member, you will receive $20 in raffle tickets at check-in.

You can register online at https://ncgasa.org/product/california-halibut-derby/. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 24 at midnight.

Freshwater Lagoon/Fish Lake trout plants
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website, Freshwater Lagoon was last planted with trout the week of June 6. Fish Lake also received a fresh batch of trout during the last week of May. Both are open to fishing year-round and the limit is 5 trout per day and 10 in possession. For more information, visit https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FishPlants/Default.aspx?county=Humboldt&time or call (530) 225-2146.

The Oceans:
Eureka
“The salmon bite has been really good the last few days,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “The action has been good until 9:30 or 10, then it slows way down and the few fish we do catch are smaller. You really need to make the morning bites count. The fish are on the small side, but we’re starting to see bigger ones show up now. I’d say most are falling in the 6-to-15-pound range with the occasional bigger one. Most of the action is coming straight out in 180 to 250 feet of water. Boats are working the areas roughly a mile and a half north or south and are doing well. There’s not much sign out there, very few birds and no whales and not a ton of bait, but the fish are there. The Pacific halibut bite has really turned on as well. Several of the charters have gotten limits the last few days. Like the salmon, the bite has been best earlier in the morning. Most are being caught just north of where the salmon have been in 250 feet of water. Looks like we’ll have really good ocean conditions Friday before the wind starts to come up Saturday. Sunday and next week aren’t looking good.”

Shelter Cove
The salmon bite has been good according to Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. He said, “The grade of fish has been really good too, averaging between 12 and 15 pounds. Most of the fish are coming from the whistle down to the Hat. Rock fishing overall was a little tougher this last week. We’re still getting limits but taking more time than usual. We’ve been fishing out in deeper water outside of the Hat.”

Trinidad
“It’s been a building salmon bite through the week out of Trinidad,” said Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing. “What started out as picking away at a few fish here and there, turned into flat out wide-open Wednesday and picked up where it left off Thursday morning. I’ve been focusing my attention north of the point and up to Stone Lagoon.  We wrapped up Thursday with limits of salmon, limits of rockfish, limits of Dungeness crab along with five lingcod.”

Crescent City
“King salmon fishing has slowed way down,” said Will Moore, of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “There’s a lot of silvers around, but the kings have moved somewhere, and no one has found them yet. The good news is the Pacific halibut bite has really picked up as a few were caught this week. The bite is coming in roughly 250 feet of water. The rockfish and lingcod bite continues to be excellent, with easy limits. A couple California halibut have been caught, but it’s still pretty slow. Quite a few more boats are trying now.”

Brookings
Salmon fishing has been wide-open to start each morning out of Brookings, with big numbers of kings feasting on anchovies just outside of the harbor reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “There also has been a very good late afternoon and evening bite,” said Martin. “The kings are running 10 to 20 pounds, with bigger fish mixed in. Coho fishing has been slow. A few halibut were caught this week. Lingcod and rockfish action has been good. Sport crabbing also is good.”

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, a few kings have been caught on the lower Rogue, but overall action has been slow.

Kenny Priest operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.

Not a bad start to the salmon season. Last weekend’s opener provided anglers with an opportunity they haven’t had in three years, and they were more than willing to take advantage of it. Despite less-than-ideal ocean conditions, salmon were caught all along the North Coast, from Shelter Cove to Crescent City.

When the ocean finally laid down on Monday, boats were able to dial in on the schools of salmon and put together some impressive scores. Eureka and Crescent City led the way, with both charter and private boats reporting plenty of limits. The early results suggest the fish are here, and when weather and ocean conditions cooperate, the catching should be very good.

Looking ahead to the weekend, the forecast appears favorable, with manageable winds expected and opportunities for boats to get back on the troll.

Weekend marine forecast
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, winds will be mostly calm Friday with moderate north winds rebuilding and pushing close to shore Saturday and Sunday.
Friday’s forecast is calling for southwest winds up to 5 knots and northwest waves 6 feet at nine seconds and southwest 3 feet at 15 seconds. Saturday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the north 5 to 10 knots with northwest waves 5 feet at 10 seconds and southwest 3 feet at 14 seconds. Sunday, winds will be from the north 10 to 15 knots with waves from the northwest 6 feet at nine seconds and southwest 2 feet at 15 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

Kid’s Fish Lake Derby coming this Saturday
The 50th Annual Kid’s Fish Lake Fishing Derby will be held Saturday, June 20, at Kid’s Fish Lake in Orleans. The derby begins promptly at 8 a.m. and runs through noon. The event is open to children from Pre-K through 8th grade. Participants must bring their own fishing poles and tackle, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.
Hot dogs and lemonade will be provided. Adults are encouraged to bring a side dish or salad to share.

The derby is hosted by the Orleans Rod and Gun Club and Six Rivers National Forest, with support from Coast Central Credit Union, RMI Outdoors, and the California Deer Association.
For more information, contact Eric Fieberg of the Orleans Rod and Gun Club at (707) 951-4453.

Eel River Pikeminnow Fishing Derby starts July 1
After another successful Eel River Pikeminnow derby in 2025, CalTrout is back with another derby that runs from July 1 through Aug. 31. The derby, which is put on with the help of CDFW, has increased the prize money available and will now offer $5,000 worth of prizes for:

• Most pikeminnow (greater than 6 inches) caught over the duration of the contest. (1^st $550, 2^nd $450, 3^rd $400)
• Most pikeminnow (greater than 12 inches) caught over the duration of the contest. MUST include tape measure in photo. (1^st $800, 2^nd $700, 3^rd $600)
• Biggest fish (length). MUST include tape measure in photo. (1^st $500, 2^nd $400, 3^rd $300)
• Drawing for kids (under 18) that entered a pikeminnow in the contest. (6 winners – $50/each)

Contest rules

• Online form: submit entries using one email address. All entries at the end of the contest for the “most pikeminnow…” will be tallied by participant email address.
• Mail in Form: mail in forms must be postmarked on or before September 3. Send a copy of your photo(s), minimum size 3”x5” each, along with completed entry form to: CalTrout, 1380 9th St., Arcata, CA 95521
• Individual contestants can win no more than one prize category. In the case of multiple wins, the largest prize amount will be awarded.
• Photos must be geotagged. The link to turn this on for your iPhone or android is located here.
• Cheating or falsification of entries will result in automatic disqualification.
• Photos from poor angles or of bad quality are subject to disqualification.

Contestants will follow all CDFW fishing regulations, including no bait, barbless artificial lures only.
Prohibited actions: Throwing fish on the bank or into the river, any blatant waste of fish.
All waters open to angling on the South Fork Eel River downstream of the Humboldt County line to the confluence with the mainstem. The mainstem Eel from Dos Rios to the mouth of the Van Duzen. The Van Duzen from Grizzly Creek to the mouth of the Van Duzen.

For more information, visit https://tribresearch.org/pikeminnow/

California Halibut Derby on Humboldt Bay coming July 25
The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association will be holding the second annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 25. The fishing event will be held within the waters of Humboldt Bay. Check-ins, Weigh-ins, and Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive at the East-I Lot Grass Area.

This is a slot size derby; a measurement will be drawn in the morning before the derby and posted to the event’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Adult payouts will be $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place, and $150 for 3rd place. Youth Payouts – $100 for 1st place, $75 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd place. Youth payouts will be in the form of gift cards. All Youths registered in the Derby will receive a rod and reel combo! Raffle prizes will include fishing trips, rods and reels, fishing tackle and gear, merchandise and more.

Big Fish Prize: entries will be California Halibut 30” and above. ONLY ONE Big Fish can be entered per entrant. In case of a tie, winner will be determined by weight. For the big fish, adult and youth divisions will be combined. Winner to be announced at event.

Entry Fees for adults are $60 (comes with a $30 NCGASA Membership). Youth entry fees are $40, 13 years and under (comes with a $10 NCGASA Membership)

*If you are a current NCGASA member, you will receive $20 in raffle tickets at check-in.

You can register online at https://ncgasa.org/product/california-halibut-derby/. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 24 at midnight.

The Oceans:
Eureka
“A week into the season, I’d rate the salmon fishing as pretty good,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “We’ve only had a handful of days on the water, but there were quite a few fish caught. Conditions were really good on Monday, and we saw a lot of limits taken, including by most of the charter fleet. The best action has been around the dumpsite in 180 feet of water. Most of the salmon have been on the smaller side, but there are some quality fish mixed in. The fish appear to be spread out in small schools, which should give anglers plenty of opportunities to locate them. With favorable weather in the forecast, we’ll be able to cover more ground and explore additional areas. Historically, the Centerville area starts producing this time of year, and it looks like we’ll have some decent ocean conditions over the next several days.”

Trinidad
According to Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters, the salmon bite was pretty good Monday and Tuesday as ocean conditions were much improved. “There’s not a lot of effort, but there are salmon to be had,” said Wilson. “Most are coming in 180 to 200 feet of water. When the ocean has been flat, the rockfish bite has been excellent. We’re catching some nice big blacks and a few lingcod here and there. We’re pretty much staying south of Cone Rock. There hasn’t been much Pacific halibut effort this week due to the conditions.”

Shelter Cove
According to Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing, the rock fishing has been a little up and down this week. He said, “The lingcod fishing was actually better than the rock fishing this week. We spent most our time around the Hat. Salmon fishing has been decent, but very inconsistent. The fish haven’t held in one specific area yet, so boats are spending some time trying to find them each day.”

Crescent City
“Opening weekend of salmon season was a little slow due to conditions,” said Will Moore, of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “The ocean laid down on Monday, and the fishing was really good, with lots of boats getting their limits. Tuesday slowed down again as the wind picked back up. The fish are sitting about 12 miles offshore in 260 to 280 feet of water, and guys are getting em’ at 100 feet on the wire. Ocean conditions are looking good starting Friday and for the weekend. The rock fish bite is still going strong, but not much, if any effort on Pacific halibut. Most anglers are focused on salmon now.”

Brookings
Salmon fishing busted wide open late last week and has been steady since reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Bigger fish, averaging in the upper teens, are being caught in shallow water close to the harbor,” said Martin. “Offshore, fishing has been slow. Very few coho are showing up in the catch. Halibut fishing remains slow, although a few were caught over the weekend. Lingcod and rockfish have been good, although windy weather has kept boats in close.” 

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, salmon fishing is still slow on the Rogue Bay. “A few early steelhead are already being caught near Agness.”

Kenny Priest operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

The day we’ve had circled on the calendar for months has finally arrived. King salmon season opens along the North Coast this Saturday, and it looks to be the best opportunity anglers have had in three years. Pacific halibut and rockfish have provided a nice alternative, but they simply don’t generate the excitement that comes with the chance to hook a big, bright king salmon.

The not-so-good news continues to be the ocean conditions. Persistent north winds have wreaked havoc this past week, and Saturday’s opener is shaping up to be a rough one. Conditions are expected to improve slightly on Sunday, become very favorable on Monday, and then deteriorate again as the wind returns Tuesday.

What will anglers find when they finally get on the water? The truth is, no one really knows. The windy conditions have kept boats tied to the dock and prevented any meaningful scouting effort. But after three consecutive years of salmon closures, most anglers aren’t worried about the reports. They’re simply excited for the opportunity to get back on the water and have a chance to catch and keep a salmon.

General sport salmon regulations:
The season in the KMZ and Fort Bragg area will run from June 13 through July 19, and Aug. 1-31 with a harvest guideline or quota of 3,900 Chinook. The minimum size limit is 20 inches total length. The daily bag limit is two Chinook salmon per day. No more than two daily bag limits may be possessed when on land. On a vessel in ocean waters, no person shall possess or bring ashore more than one daily bag limit. All salmon must be brought ashore prior to the end of any open season. Retention of coho (silver salmon) is prohibited in all ocean fisheries off California; information on how to distinguish coho from Chinook salmon can be found here. While salmon fishing north of Point Conception, anglers are required to use barbless hooks, and once salmon are aboard, barbed hooks may not be used to target other species. Anglers are encouraged to visit the Ocean Salmon Project’s webpage for details and complete regulatory information, or call the Ocean Salmon Regulations Hotline at 800-662-9825. 

Important reminder:
When fishing for halibut, rockfish and salmon, or any combination of the three, the more restrictive gear restrictions apply. When targeting salmon, or once salmon are aboard and in possession, anglers are limited to using barbless hooks when fishing for other species.

Salmon harvest tracking tools
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has launched new online salmon catch trackers that allow anglers to monitor recreational salmon harvest and track the number of fish remaining under each region’s harvest guideline. Updates will be posted twice monthly throughout the season, with more frequent updates possible as fisheries approach their limits.

The new tools will help anglers stay informed about catch totals and any potential in-season closures. Check the CDFW Ocean Salmon Fishery Information page for the latest updates before heading out on the water.

Weekend Marine Forecast
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, “strengthening northerlies over the northern outer waters Friday will build steep and hazardous seas up to 14 ft. The northern inner waters will have to be watched for a brief surge of hazardous seas late Friday. Currently it looks like the gales will continue beyond 10 to 20 nm north of Cape Mendocino on Saturday, then start to diminish on Sunday and this allows a southerly surge to move northward. Winds are generally expected to remain lighter into early next week.”

For Saturday’s salmon opener, out 10 nautical miles, winds will be out of the north 15 to 20 knots, with northwest swells 7 feet at nine seconds The forecast is a little better on Sunday, with winds coming out of the southwest 5 to 10 knots and northwest waves 6 feet at nine seconds. Monday is looking really good, with northwest winds up to 5 knots and waves northwest 4 feet at eight seconds and southwest 2 feet at 17 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

Humboldt Bay weekend tides
The minus tides should have bottomed out and started to flood when most boats will be headed across the bar. Recreational anglers can provide bar reports on VHF channel 68 while the Coast Guard emergency channel is 16 on the VHF.

Saturday June 13: Low 5:42 a.m. (-1.62 ft.) and High: 12:38 p.m. (5.67 ft)
Sunday June 14: Low 6:31 a.m. (-2.21 ft.) and High: 1:34 p.m. (5.95 ft)

50th Annual Kid’s Fish Lake Fishing Derby Set for June 20
The 50th Annual Kid’s Fish Lake Fishing Derby will be held Saturday, June 20, at Kid’s Fish Lake in Orleans. The derby begins promptly at 8 a.m. and runs through noon.
The event is open to children from Pre-K through 8th grade. Participants must bring their own fishing poles and tackle, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.
Hot dogs and lemonade will be provided. Adults are encouraged to bring a side dish or salad to share.

The derby is hosted by the Orleans Rod and Gun Club and Six Rivers National Forest, with support from Coast Central Credit Union, RMI Outdoors, and the California Deer Association.
For more information, contact Eric Fieberg of the Orleans Rod and Gun Club at (707) 951-4453.

California Halibut Derby on Humboldt Bay coming July 25
The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association will be holding the second annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 25. The fishing event will be held within the waters of Humboldt Bay. Check-ins, Weigh-ins, and Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive at the East-I Lot Grass Area.

This is a slot size derby; a measurement will be drawn in the morning before the derby and posted to the event’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Adult payouts will be $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place, and $150 for 3rd place. Youth Payouts – $100 for 1st place, $75 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd place. Youth payouts will be in the form of gift cards. All Youths registered in the Derby will receive a rod and reel combo! Raffle prizes will include fishing trips, rods and reels, fishing tackle and gear, merchandise and more.

Big Fish Prize: entries will be California Halibut 30” and above. ONLY ONE Big Fish can be entered per entrant. In case of a tie, winner will be determined by weight. For the big fish, adult and youth divisions will be combined. Winner to be announced at event.

Entry Fees for adults are $60 (comes with a $30 NCGASA Membership). Youth entry fees are $40, 13 years and under (comes with a $10 NCGASA Membership)

*If you are a current NCGASA member, you will receive $20 in raffle tickets at check-in.

You can register online at https://ncgasa.org/product/california-halibut-derby/. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 24 at midnight.

Trinity River flow increases
According to the Trinity River Restoration program, flows out of Lewiston Dam will increase starting Saturday, June 13 to benefit the spring-run Chinook currently in the river. Peak flow will reach 1,450 cfs at Lewiston Dam on Sunday, June 14 and hold through Mon., June 15. After, an incremental decrease until baseflow of 450 cfs is reached on Friday, July 3. More information can be found here.

The Oceans:
Eureka
Like every other port on the North Coast, there hasn’t been much activity this week out of Eureka because of the wind. “There were some halibut caught last weekend, so that’s a good sign that they may be moving into shallower water,” said Skipper Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “Looking ahead to salmon, the opener isn’t looking good, but it does look like the wind will die down by Monday. Sunday looks like it may be doable. It doesn’t sound like there’s much sign of salmon out front and the water is really dirty. There has to be an edge out there somewhere, and that’s what we’ll be looking for. It may take a day or so to find it, however.”

Trinidad
“We’ve dealt with some tough ocean conditions this week, which has made the rock fishing a lot tougher,” said Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “If we are able to scratch out limits, they aren’t coming easily. The crabbing has slowed down, but we’re still getting limits for the clients. The Pacific halibut bite is slow, with no effort this past week due to the wind.”

Shelter Cove
Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing reports the rock fishing is still going very well, although we have to work for our lings a little bit. “We’re still fishing around the Old Man mainly,” said Mitchell. “There had been a lot of bait, but the wind we’ve had the last couple of weeks seems to have pushed it out of here. There haven’t been any great signs of salmon recently. Looks like the weather will be decent this weekend, but the big minus tide will hamper the launching ability.”

Crescent City
“All signs are pointing to a good salmon opener,” said Will Moore, of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “Sounds like in talking with some of the guys who are out there every day there’s some really good signs. Even with the wind predicted to blow, there are a lot of boats headed out in the morning. The rockfish bite continues to be excellent, with limits coming easy when the boats can get out. I didn’t hear of any California halibut caught this week, but I know one was caught off of South Beach last weekend. The big minus tides this weekend should make for some excellent razor clam conditions.”

Brookings
“Windy weather continues to keep boaters close to the harbor near Brookings, but king salmon, lingcod and rockfish are still being caught,” said Andy Martin, of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Salmon fishing has been good, with a fish-per-rod average. Fish Flash flashers and anchovies trolled behind divers continue to produce. The water temperature is cold, in the upper 40s, which may be keeping the action from busting wide open. Lots of baitfish, pelicans and other birds are present near Brookings. Halibut fishing remains slow.”

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, low water loaded with moss has slowed the salmon action on the lower Rogue River. “The bay has yet to kick into gear, although a few boats are trying.”

Kenny Priest (he/him) operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

Up and down the North Coast, anglers are asking the same question: Where are the Pacific halibut, and when will the bite finally take off?

So far, it’s been a slow start to the season, but there’s no reason to hit the panic button just yet. May brought its fair share of wind and unfishable days, significantly limiting effort along the coast. Even ports like Eureka, which typically produce some of the best early-season scores, have yet to see much action.

A handful of halibut have been landed out of Shelter Cove and Eureka, offering a promising sign that fish are around and better days are likely ahead. Unfortunately, just as anglers were able to string together a few days on the water this week, the wind machine fired back up on Thursday.

Gale-force winds are expected to persist through Saturday before conditions begin to improve Sunday. Once the weather settles and anglers can get back on the water consistently, we’ll get a much clearer picture of the Pacific halibut abundance along the North Coast. For now, patience may be the most important item in the tackle box.

Weekend marine forecast
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, “winds are expected to be lighter north of the Cape on Friday and Saturday, with steep seas slowly subsiding into Saturday. South of the Cape, winds are likely to remain strong with near gale to gale force gusts south of Cape Mendocino through the weekend. Sunday, winds increase again in the northern outer waters as the southern waters remain breezy. Winds finally ease Monday into early next week as a front moves through the area.”

As of Thursday, from Pt. St. George to Cape Mendocino out 10 nautical miles, Friday’s forecast is calling for north winds 15 to 20 knots and northwest waves 5 feet at seven seconds and west 6 feet at 12 seconds. The winds will be similar Saturday, with northwest swells six feet at ten seconds and southwest 2 feet at 17 seconds. Sunday the winds will ease up, coming from the north 10 to 15 knots. Waves will be out of the northwest 7 feet at nine seconds and southwest 2 feet at 16 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

Fish for free this weekend in Oregon
Oregon will be having a Free Fishing Weekend June 6 and 7. No fishing/shellfish licenses or tags/validations are required on these days (meaning you do not need a Combined Angling Tag, Columbia River Basin Endorsement, Ocean Endorsement, or two-rod validation where two rods are allowed). Both Oregon residents and nonresidents can fish for free. Oregon State Parks also offers free parking on Saturday, June 6.

All other fishing regulations apply including closures, gear restrictions, bag limits, and size restrictions. See the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations for regulations. Remember to check MyODFW.com for any in-season regulation changes, especially for salmon and steelhead fishing. All other regulations, such as bag limits, still apply. More information can be found here.

Ruth Lake Bass tournament this Saturday
Fortuna Rotary and the Southern Trinity Area Rescue will be holding the annual “Paul Jadro Memorial Bass Tournament” on Saturday, June 6. Blast off will be at 5:45 a.m. or at first safe light, by draw. The one-day tournament offers a first prize award of up to $1,000 with payout to 1 in 3 in addition to door prizes and sponsor products. The entry fee is $140 per team with a big fish buy in option of $10. The tournament is catch and release and all competitors must fish from boats that are required to have operational live wells on board. Life jackets are required. Check in at the Marina on Friday June 5 at 4:30-6 p.m. or Saturday 4:30 – 5:15 a.m. For more information, contact Lon Winburn at 707-499-2490.

California Halibut Derby on Humboldt Bay coming July 25
The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association will be holding the second annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 25. The fishing event will be held within the waters of Humboldt Bay. Check-ins, Weigh-ins, and Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive at the East-I Lot Grass Area.

This is a slot size derby; a measurement will be drawn in the morning before the derby and posted to the event’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Adult payouts will be $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place, and $150 for 3rd place. Youth Payouts – $100 for 1st place, $75 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd place. Youth payouts will be in the form of gift cards. All Youths registered in the Derby will receive a rod and reel combo! Raffle prizes will include fishing trips, rods and reels, fishing tackle and gear, merchandise and more.

Big Fish Prize: entries will be California Halibut 30” and above. ONLY ONE Big Fish can be entered per entrant. In case of a tie, winner will be determined by weight. For the big fish, adult and youth divisions will be combined. Winner to be announced at event.

Entry Fees for adults are $60 (comes with a $30 NCGASA Membership). Youth entry fees are $40, 13 years and under (comes with a $10 NCGASA Membership)

*If you are a current NCGASA member, you will receive $20 in raffle tickets at check-in.

You can register online at https://ncgasa.org/product/california-halibut-derby/. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 24 at midnight.

The Oceans:
Eureka
According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, the Pacific halibut bite so far has been pretty slow. “I think there’s more fish around than we think, as a few were caught on Tuesday,” said Klassen. “There aren’t a whole lot of boats fishing for them, and the weather hasn’t been great either. The few that are being caught have been around the 50-line in 270 to 300 feet of water. Conditions haven’t been good enough to get down to the Cape this past week, but we may get a break starting Monday.”

Trinidad
“We’ve been dealing with some large ground swells for a while, which has made the rock fishing a little tougher,” said Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “We’re still getting limits, but conditions haven’t been great overall. When the ocean has been calm, the fishing has been lights out. We’re catching lots of big blacks, and there’s lots of nice ling cod around as well. The crabbing has been excellent; the pots have been loaded with sport legal-sized male crab. The Pacific halibut bite is slow, with not much effort. I haven’t heard of any caught yet this season.”

Shelter Cove
It’s been really windy this week, reports Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “Fortunately, the fishing has been good enough that’s we’ve been able to get out and get our limits before it gets too bad,” said Mitchell. “We’re catching most of our fish around the Old Man. The Pacific halibut bite remains slow, I didn’t hear of any caught this week.”

Crescent City
The rock fishing is really good when the boats can get out reports Will Moore, of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. He said, “Like the rest of the North Coast, we’ve had a lot of unfishable days. When the ocean does cooperate, the rockfish bite has been excellent at the Sisters and the South Reef. The lingcod bite has been good as well. A couple California halibut have been caught off South Beach trolling, so that’s a good sign. I have yet to hear of anyone catching a Pacific halibut.”

Brookings
Ocean coho season opens Saturday out of Brookings reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Anglers trolling for kings, which have been open to harvest since mid-March, began encountering coho in late May, said Martin. “The best action for kings has been closer to the harbor, near the buoys and off the mill. The coho have been further offshore, close to the surface in 200 feet of water. Anglers have been catching king on anchovies and small herring, behind Fish Flash flashers and divers.
Pacific halibut action has been slow so far out of Brookings. Lingcod and rockfish action have been good. Surfperch are still being caught off beaches near Brookings.”

River openings
Sections of the main Eel (South Fork to Cape Horn Dam), South Fork Eel (South Fork Eel River from mouth to Rattlesnake Creek) Van Duzen, Mad, Little River, Mattole and Smith re-opened on Saturday, May 23. On most rivers, only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used. Click here for a complete list of CA river openings and regulations. The Chetco opened to fishing May 22.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay is mossy and difficult to fish. “No reports yet of decent salmon action. Most guides are crossing the bar on calm days and trolling for kings near the buoys.”

Send in your fish photos
Land a big lingcod or halibut lately? Or maybe your friend or relative has reeled in their first perch. Email your fishing photo to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com and I’ll run them with the “Fishing the North Coast” weekly blog. Just include the name of the angler in the photo, where and when it was taken and any other details you’d like to share.

Kenny Priest (he/him) operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com