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If you’ve been missing the thrill of hooking and landing ocean-fresh, large king salmon, you’ll want to keep your eyes on the Chetco River estuary.

Salmon have been staging in tidewater since early September, waiting for enough rain to push upriver. According to Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing, fishing at the mouth of the Chetco is already approaching peak-season catch rates — an encouraging sign for what could be a strong fall run.

“Big numbers of kings are staging near the mouth, moving in and out with the tides,” Martin said. “Aside from steady action in the estuary, bottom-fishing anglers are encountering salmon frequently out of Brookings.”

Trolling anchovies or herring, with or without 360 flashers, has been producing the best results. The strongest bites have been coming at daybreak, just before high tide, and during the middle of the outgoing tide.

It’s still early for significant numbers of salmon upriver, but Martin expects to see jacks showing up in the tidewater soon. A mix of wild and hatchery adults and jacks are already being caught along the jetties.

Chetco River Salmon Regulations

• Daily bag limit: 2 adult salmon, with no more than 1 adult wild Chinook.
• Anglers may harvest adult hatchery Chinook until they reach the daily limit. Once the daily adult limit is reached, jack salmon fishing must stop.
• RM 2.2 to Nook Creek, Sept. 1–Nov. 3: Angling is restricted to fly fishing with a strike indicator or bobber fishing only.
• Full regulations: Oregon Southwest Zone Fishing Regulations

Weekend marine forecast
Ocean conditions aren’t looking great for the weekend, with swells ranging from six to nine feet. As of Thursday, out 10 nautical miles, Friday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the north 5 to 10 knots with west waves 9 feet at 12 seconds and southwest 2 feet at 14 seconds. Saturday, winds will be out of the north 10 to 15 knots with northwest waves 7 feet at nine seconds and southwest 2 feet at 13 seconds. Sunday looks a little better, with winds coming from the north 10 to 15 knots and northwest waves 5 feet at nine 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.

Ruth Lake Fall Bass tournament coming Oct. 3
The Alderpoint Volunteer Fire Department is hosting the Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial Bass Tournament on Saturday October 3rd at Ruth Lake. Check in is Friday night between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at Ruth Lake Marina or at Journey’s End between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. This is a catch and release tournament with a 13-inch minimum length. Blast off is 6 a.m. or at first safe light. For more information, call Thomas Bruce at 707-223-6258 or Roger Coleman Jr. at 707-223-3858.

The Oceans:
Eureka
According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, the saltwater season is starting to wind down. There hasn’t been much effort in the last week or so, and the ocean hasn’t been great either. There’s been a few days where you could of went for halibut, but the bite has slowed. Once the ocean settles down, we’ll hopefully be able to make some trips to the Cape as well as target Pacific halibut. The tuna water is still in the same general area, but it has moved about 10 miles out.

Shelter Cove
The rock fishing continues to be really good, reports Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. He said, “The lingcod are starting to get more aggressive and we’re seeing easy limits each time out. The weather hasn’t been really nice, so no one has been offshore. It’s actually been pretty quiet.”

Crescent City
“The ocean hasn’t been real nice, so not a lot of fishing effort lately,” said Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “Even when the boats can get out, there’s only a handful trying. It’s getting to be the time of the year when things slow down and anglers look forward to crab season. From what I’m hearing, the rockfish and lingcod bite has been good while the Pacific halibut bite continues to be slow.”

Brookings
Lingcod and rockfish action has been good, even during the mostly windy weather out of Brookings reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Schools of rockfish are close to shore near Chetco Point and south of the harbor, with even bigger schools from Bird Island north,” said Martin. “Halibut fishing remains slow. Only a handful of halibut have been caught the entire season. Sport crabbing has been excellent.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Salmon fishing remains good on the lower Klamath, especially earlier in the week. Fresh kings, adults and jacks, are still making their way into the river. The best bite continues to be upriver, with not a lot of fish stopping on the lower end. That’s been the story for the last couple of weeks. Flows are starting to drop as of Wednesday evening due to the reduction in flows coming from Lewiston Dam on the Trinity. By Friday morning, flows will be down to about 2,550 cfs on the lower river from 3,200 cfs, which should help slow the fish down.

The recreational fall-run adult salmon quota on the Klamath River below the Highway 96 Bridge near Weitchpec was met as of Sunday, Sept. 13. The lower main stem of the Klamath River below the Highway 96 Bridge will remain open to the harvest of jack salmon (2-year-olds) measuring 23 inches or less. All adult Chinook salmon caught in this reach must be immediately released.

Anglers may still target adult Chinook salmon in other reaches of the Klamath Basin, including the main stem of the Klamath River above Weitchpec and the entire Trinity River, until those fisheries are closed.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay is still producing kings and hatchery coho, while action also has been good upriver near Agness. “Fresh kings are arriving daily, and quickly moving through the bay and upriver,” said Martin.

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 was a Saturday that Eureka tuna anglers won’t soon forget. After several less-than-stellar days, the stars finally aligned for the small fleet that made the 30- to 35-mile run south. It wasn’t the number of fish that stood out — it was the size. The majority of the albacore caught were 25 pounds or better, with some fish pushing 40 pounds.

The fish were reportedly spread out along the 125-line, from the 46-line down to the 38-line, where a hard break pushed water temperatures up six degrees. The action ranged from boats reporting single hookups to others hooking eight at a time, and everything in between. A couple of common themes emerged from the fleet: when the fish are this big, you only have room for so many, and several anglers left fish biting at the end of the day.

Hearing the reports, a handful of boats, including a few charters, ventured back to the same area Sunday. Conditions weren’t quite as good as Saturday, but the fishing sure was. Big fish were again on the chew, and boats loaded their coolers with as many as they could hold. When a 20-pounder is the smallest tuna in the box, you know you’ve been blessed with a pretty special day.

Looking ahead, there appears to be a small weather window for Friday and Saturday. Unfortunately, the forecast is starting to deteriorate, and the water appears to be breaking up. Whether the fish stick around will likely depend on how much the ocean conditions change over the next couple of days.

Weekend marine forecast
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, “moderate to strong northerly winds will gradually return to the southern waters by Friday and gradually spread north through the weekend, though winds will most likely remain much calmer closer to shore. Short period wind waves will dominate the marine environment with only a very minor southwest mid period swell up to 2 feet.”

As of Thursday, out 10 nautical miles, the Friday forecast is calling for winds out of the north 5 to 10 knots with north waves 3 feet at nine seconds and southwest 1 foot at 15 seconds. Saturday is calling for winds from the north 5 to 10 knots and northwest waves 2 feet at five seconds and south 1 foot at nine seconds. Sunday, the winds will be from the north 5 to 10 knots and northwest waves 3 feet at six seconds and south 4 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.

Low flow river closures in effect since Sept. 1
As Sept. 1, All North Coast rivers subjected to low flow fishing closures, including the Eel, Mad, Redwood Creek, Smith, and Van Duzen were closed to fishing. The Department monitors low flow conditions on Mondays for decision days Tuesday and Wednesday, Wednesday for decision days Thursday and Friday, and Friday for decision days Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and will update this message as needed. Please note that the Department may open waters between regularly scheduled updates in response to changing flow conditions. The department will only close waters on decision days Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays for their respective decision windows.

Anglers are advised to check the Department’s Low Flow Fishing Regulations – North Coast website before deciding to fish in any of these low flow restricted waters, and to clean, drain, and dry all fishing gear to prevent the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species.

The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. NOTE: The main stem Eel from the South Fork to Cape Horn Dam and the Mattole River will be closed until January 1, 2027.

Trinidad launch closed for the season
The launch facility and water taxi service closed after Sunday, Sept. 13 for the season. The floating dock and moorings have been removed as well.

The Oceans:
Eureka
According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, boats did really well on Saturday on tuna. “We fished about 10 north of the fleet and went 7 for 11,” said Klassen. “All the fish were in the mid-20’s to 30 pounds. The better fishing was definitely south of us where they put up some pretty big scores. That water looks like it’s pushing out a little now. It looks like there may be a weather window for Friday/Saturday before the swells build back up. The rockfish bite at the Cape was fair on Sunday, definitely not as good as it has been. We were still able to get limits and over a one ling person, but it was tougher fishing. There hasn’t been much effort on Pacific halibut this week, especially with tuna being so close.”

Shelter Cove
Rock fishing continues to be pretty darn good, reports Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. He said, “We fished locally around the whistle for the most part. We made it offshore for albacore on Sunday and put 48 fish in the boat before the wind came up. We were fishing straight out 30 miles. Looks like there’s a short, one-day window on Thursday that we’ll try and take advantage of.”

Crescent City
“The rockfish and lingcod bite are still going strong,” said Will Moore of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “We’re seeing some really nice lings come in from the Lighthouse. The Pacific and California halibut bite are both slow, with not much in the way of effort. The tuna water came within reach last week, but ocean conditions weren’t good. It looks to be about 35 miles to the south now.”

Brookings
“Lingcod, rockfish and crab action is good out of Brookings, while halibut fishing continues to be slow,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Ocean salmon season is closed.”

ODFW Hosting Public Meetings on 2027 Bottomfish and Halibut Seasons
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is holding four public meetings to receive input on the 2027 recreational bottomfish and Pacific halibut seasons.

ODFW staff will be hosting in person meetings October 5, 6, 7, and 8 to discuss the 2027 recreational bottomfish and Pacific halibut seasons with anglers. The meeting on October 8 will be a hybrid meeting, available for folks to participate in person or remotely (online), for those unable to attend any of the meetings in person.

Meeting Schedule:

• Tillamook: Monday, October 5, 6-8 pm at the ODFW Office, 4907 3rd St,
• Brookings: Tuesday, October 6, 6-8 pm at the Port Meeting Room at the Port of Brookings, 16330 Lower Harbor Road
• North Bend: Wednesday, October 7, 6-8 pm at the North Bend Public Library, 1800 Sherman Avenue
• Newport: Thursday, October 8, 6-8 pm at ODFW Marine Resources Program Conference Room, 2040 SE Marine Science Drive (also available online, info below)

Discussion on the bottomfish fishery will reflect on how the fishery has progressed in 2026. We will also be discussing bag limits and season structure for 2027, including the potential allowance of limited retention of yelloweye rockfish now that that species has been declared rebuilt by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Discussion on the Pacific halibut fishery will focus on the proposals that will be adopted at the September meeting of the Pacific Fisheries Management Council for further public review.

ODFW staff will have the meeting materials posted on the recreational bottomfish and Pacific halibut webpages by Friday, October 2. More information can be found here.

Trinity River flow reduction
This release schedule reduces Trinity River flows in a gradually from 1,200 cfs to 450 cfs over about 28 hours, ending the Lower Klamath Base Flow Augmentation Release.

• Sept. 22, 12:01 a.m.: 1,200 → 1,100 cfs
• 4:00 a.m.: 1,100 → 1,000 cfs
• 8:00 a.m.: 1,000 → 900 cfs
• 12:00 p.m.: 900 → 800 cfs
• 4:00 p.m.: 800 → 700 cfs
• 8:00 p.m.: 700 → 600 cfs
• Sept. 23, 12:01 a.m.: 600 → 500 cfs
• 4:00 a.m.: 500 → 450 cfs

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
The recreational fall-run adult salmon quota on the Klamath River below the Highway 96 Bridge near Weitchpec was met as of Sunday, Sept. 13. The lower main stem of the Klamath River below the Highway 96 Bridge will remain open to the harvest of jack salmon (2-year-olds) measuring 23 inches or less. All adult Chinook salmon caught in this reach must be immediately released.
Anglers may still target adult Chinook salmon in other reaches of the Klamath Basin, including the main stem of the Klamath River above Weitchpec and the entire Trinity River, until those fisheries are closed.

Fishing on the lower Klamath remains good, though it’s been a little more hit-and-miss this week. There’s a mix of adult salmon in the lower river, along with some jacks. A few more adult steelhead have also started showing up, and there are quite a few half-pounders scattered throughout the lower river.

Flows remain higher than normal, hovering around 3,200 cfs as of Thursday. The higher flows have kept plenty of water moving through the lower river, and conditions should continue to change as hopefully more salmon make their way upstream.

Chetco/Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Chetco estuary is fishing above average for early September, with most boats getting fish daily, and some catching limits. “There is a mix of wild and hatchery kings, plus plenty of jacks. The river is open to trolling along the jetties, and bobber fishing upriver. It’s still too early for tidewater bobber fishing, with most of the salmon holding right at the mouth. 

The Rogue Bay has slowed, but is still producing adult kings, jacks and hatchery coho. Fishing has been good upriver 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.

Over the Labor Day holiday weekend, we were patiently waiting for the fall run of king salmon to begin their migration upriver. Well, the wait is over. Water temperatures cooled significantly thanks to dam releases and rain, and schools of ocean-fresh kings finally made their way into the lower river in big numbers beginning with Monday’s outgoing tide.

This week, the fishing has been nothing short of spectacular from the Glen to well above Blue Creek. There are plenty of jacks to be had, and some really nice adults have shown up as well. The fish are dime-bright, with plenty still sporting seal lice, and they’re spread throughout the river. Most anglers have been able to quickly catch their limits and get off the water before the afternoon temperatures soar.

As of last Thursday, 665 adults remained to be harvested from the 1,624-fish quota. With this week’s catch rate, the quota could be met after this weekend.

Reminder: The spit area, within 100 yards of the channel through the sand spit formed at the Klamath River mouth, is closed to fishing for the remainder of the year. Fishing is open from the estuary upriver to the State Route 96 bridge at Weitchpec. Once the quota is met, no Chinook salmon greater than 23 inches in length may be retained. Anglers may still retain a limit of Chinook salmon under 23 inches in length.

Anglers can keep track of the Klamath and Trinity river quotas by calling (800) 564-6479. Klamath and Trinity fishing regulations can be found here.

Weekend marine forecast
According to the Eureka’s National Weather Service, “the winds will ease Friday and Saturday as a weak front moves through the area. Strong northerlies return Sunday. Along with wind driven seas, a long period south swell from Hurricane Marie at around 2 to 3 feet continues through the waters.”
As of Thursday, out 10 nautical miles, the Friday forecast is calling for winds out of the northwest 10 to 15 knots with northwest waves 6 feet at eight seconds and south 2 feet at 10 seconds. Saturday is calling for winds from the south up to 5 knots and south waves 1 foot at eight seconds and northwest 4 feet at 11 seconds. Sunday, the winds will be from the north 5 to 10 knots and northwest waves 4 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 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.

Pacific halibut quota update
As of Sept. 6, California’s share of Area 2A’s quota, which includes Washington and Oregon, is at 21 percent, with just 8,505 net pounds harvested against the 40,040 net pound quota. (500 pounds are set aside for the area south of Point Arena). 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 https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking

Trinidad launch closing for the season
The launch facility and water taxi service will close after Sunday, Sept. 13 for the season. The floating dock and moorings will be removed starting Monday.

The Oceans:
Eureka
According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, there’s been some tuna caught off of False Cape since Sunday. “One of the charters landed 20 last Sunday, and there’s been reports of a few other boats catching a few. We went and looked at the water off the cape Wednesday, and there wasn’t much life out there and no fish. Conditions are shaping up for another run Saturday, with most boats likely going south again. The rockfish bite at the Cape has been wide-open, especially for big blacks. The ling cod has been a little tougher, we’re getting about one per rod on most days. The Pacific halibut bite has been hit and miss, and the effort has definitely dwindled.”

Shelter Cove
Rock fishing is still lights out, reports Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “We made it out a couple days for tuna last week and averaged 50 fish per trip and the grade was really nice,” said Mitchell. Probably a 23-25-pound average.  We were fishing straight out about 30 miles. Boats went offshore again Wednesday and had about a 30 fish average per boat. There were also three Bigeye tuna caught on Wednesday. The warm water looks to be sticking around, but the forecast doesn’t look good for us for a while.”

Crescent City
“Rockfish and lingcod are all that’s going on right now,” said Will Moore of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “The fishing is still really good, with the Sisters and the South Reef consistently the two top spots. Saturday’s ocean conditions look good, and some boats are gearing up for a tuna run.”

Brookings
“Lingcod, rockfish and crab action have been good out of Brookings, while halibut is still slow,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Boats found tuna within 30 miles Labor Day weekend. The grade of fish made up for lighter numbers. Some boats are prepping for trips this weekend.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Fishing for salmon busted open this week on the lower Klamath. There’s a mix of adult salmon around, along with plenty of jacks. Flows are dropping slowly after peaking at over 4,000 cfs with the dam releases and rain. As of Thursday, flows were down to 3,300 cfs, and the river is in perfect shape. Fishing should remain excellent through the weekend.

Regulations for the fall fishery include a two-fish daily bag limit, though anglers may retain only one adult salmon ≥ 23 inches per day. The possession limit is six Chinook total, with no more than three adults ≥ 23 inches.

Once individual sub-quotas are met in each section, retention will shift to jack salmon under 23 inches total length only.

Chetco/Lower Rogue
According to Martin, salmon action has started on the Chetco estuary, with jacks, small adults and a few larger kings being caught. “The estuary is already crowded. Trolling anchovies behind flashers has accounted for most of the fish. The Rogue Bay continues to fish well, as the peak season has arrived. The bay is still crowded. Fish are also being caught upriver 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.

Following some excellent salmon fishing in the Klamath estuary over the past few weeks, adult fall-run king salmon are now beginning to make their way upriver. There are a couple of reasons for the push. First, cool water releases from behind Lewiston Dam began last Friday to help reduce the risk of disease in the salmon. The other factor is the weather. Cooler outside temperatures, along with a fair amount of rain, can do wonders for river temperatures.

Combined, these conditions should produce a steady stream of kings moving upriver and staging in the various holes throughout the lower river. But don’t give up on the estuary just yet—the fishing was reportedly pretty wide-open on Monday. I think it’s safe to say we’re smackdab in the middle of what could be a pretty good run of kings.

According to Dan Troxel, an environmental scientist with the Klamath River Project, 432 adult salmon were harvested from the State Route 96 bridge at Weitchpec downstream to the Klamath mouth during the week ending Aug. 26, counting toward the quota of 1,624 fish. As of last Friday, 1,192 adults remained on the quota. Meanwhile, the spit area closed to fishing as of Thursday, Sept. 3.

With excellent conditions and the Labor Day crowd on the water, I’d expect a big dent to be taken out of the remaining quota in the coming days.

Trinity River quotas began on Sept. 1
Fall regulations for Chinook salmon fishing on the Trinity River went into effect on Sept. 1 and run through Dec. 31, with a sport quota of 1,072 adults. The quota will be split almost evenly: 536 adults for the main stem Trinity downstream of the Old Lewiston Bridge to the State Route 299 West bridge at Cedar Flat, and 536 adults for the main stem Trinity downstream of the Denny Road bridge at Hawkins Bar to the confluence with the Klamath. The main stem downstream of the State Route 299 Bridge at Cedar Flat to the Denny Road Bridge in Hawkins Bar is closed to all fishing Sept. 1 through Dec. 31. 

Anglers may keep track of the Klamath and Trinity river quotas by calling 800-564-6479. Klamath and Trinity fishing regulations can be found here.

Trinity River water release
The Bureau of Reclamation approved an increase to flows below Lewiston Dam to reduce the risk of disease for salmon migrating from the ocean to the Klamath and Trinity rivers. Starting Aug. 28 through Sept. 21, flows below Lewiston Dam will increase from approximately 450 cubic feet per second to as much as 1,200 cfs. This is a planned release and does not affect water supply to agriculture, communities, or other environmental obligations. The public is urged to take all necessary precautions on or near the river while flows are increased during this period.

Weekend marine forecast
According to the Eureka’s National Weather Service, “Winds will be light for most of the waters through Saturday. Then, northerlies will strengthen some through the weekend, mainly over the southern water south of Cape Mendocino. The northerlies do not look to fully strengthen again until early next week.”

Out 10 nautical miles north of the cape, Friday’s forecast is calling for south winds 10 to 15 knots and waves out of the northwest 6 feet at 11 seconds. Saturday is calling for north winds up to 5 knots and waves northwest 5 feet at nine seconds and south 2 feet at 11 seconds. Sunday, winds will be out of the north up to 5 knots and waves northwest 4 feet at nine seconds and south 1 foot at 11 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.

Saturday is statewide Free Fishing Day
The last chance of the year to fish for free arrives over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Free Fishing Day is offered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Saturday, Sept. 5. While no fishing license is required on free fishing days, all fishing regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect. Every angler must have an appropriate report card if they are fishing for steelhead or sturgeon anywhere in the state or salmon in the Smith and Klamath-Trinity river systems. For more information, visit wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days.

Del Norte County Razor Clam fishery re-opens
In a press release issued Monday, the CDFW has opened the recreational razor clam fishery in Del Norte County following a recommendation from state health agencies that domoic acid no longer poses a significant threat to human health if consumed.

Statement from CDFW:

“The razor clam fishery was closed on July 31 in Del Norte County due to elevated levels of domoic acid. Clams sampled in July and August 2026 from Crescent Beach, Del Norte County, all had domoic acid concentrations lower than the federal action level, allowing the fishery to reopen. The recreational razor clam fishery in Humboldt County remains closed due to elevated levels of domoic acid. The closure, which began in May 2024, remains in effect until state health agencies determine razor clams no longer pose a health risk.   

CDFW will continue to work with the California Department of Public Health and Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as they monitor ocean indicators for domoic acid presence and continue to test razor clams from Northern California. This will determine when the recreational razor clam fishery can be reopened safely in Humboldt County while ensuring razor clams are safe to harvest in Del Norte County. 

CDFW reminds clammers that the daily bag limit for razor clams is 20 and the first 20 clams dug must be retained regardless of size or condition. The fishery is open south of Battery Point, Crescent City in Del Norte County. Each person is required to keep a separate container for their clams and is not allowed to commingle their take with another person when digging and transporting clams to shore.  

Recreational clam fishery regulations can be found in the Ocean Sport Fishing Regulation Guide; refer to Section 29.20 for general clam regulations and Section 29.45 for specific razor clam regulations.  

Health advisory information will be updated on CDFW’s fishery information and health advisories website. 
To get the latest information on current fishing season closures related to domoic acid, please call CDFW’s Domoic Acid Fishery Closure Information Line at (831) 649-2883.”

The oceans:
Eureka
This past week was quiet out of Eureka due to ocean conditions according to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “There was some tuna caught last week out of Eureka, but it wasn’t red-hot,” said Klassen. “The fish that were caught were bigger fish. The warm water looks like it’s pushing in, but the chlorophyll looks to be about 70 miles offshore right now. The Pacific halibut bite has been slow with not much effort right now. It’s possible with the warm water moving in that they went out deeper. Ocean conditions are looking good for this weekend, so hopefully we’ll get some better reports.”

Trinidad
“Options are limited, but the option is epic,” said Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing. “No tuna within range. Halibut bite is slow. Salmon season is closed. More giant lingcod than I’ve seen in the better part of decade. We’re starting the morning off by catching live bait for them, then moving in on the remote waters reef and its game on. Multiple fish over 30 pounds this week and more than I can count north of 20. We’re living in the good ole days again.”

Shelter Cove
“The rock fishing has been great,” reports Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. He said, “Most the action has been out in a little deeper water by the Hat. A few boats went out for tuna on Tuesday, but I didn’t hear any reports other than it was slow.”

Crescent City
“The tuna water moved within 30 miles last week, and some boats made the run, but it sounded like not many fish were caught,” said Andrew Williams of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “The rockfish and lingcod bite are still going strong when the boats can get out. Both the Pacific and California halibut bite have slowed down. A few Thresher’s have been caught the last couple weeks off of South Beach.”

Brookings
Ocean salmon season came to a slow end out of Brookings, with a one-day flurry of wide-open action a few days before the closure, and otherwise very hit-and-miss fishing since mid-August reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Brookings had the highest ocean salmon catch totals in Oregon, with more than 6,500 kings landed since the season opened in March, according to ODFW figures,” said Martin. “Around 12,000 kings were landed statewide in the ocean this season. Around 150 kings were caught last week. The best fishing was in July, April and early May. 

Lingcod fishing has improved with fish moving into shallow water. The best catch rates of the summer happened late last week and over the weekend, with most boats catching lingcod. Calm weather returns this weekend after a fall-like storm Tuesday night and Wednesday.”

Low Flow River Closures began Sept. 1
North Coast rivers that are regulated by low flow closures, including the Eel, Mad, Mattole, Redwood Creek, Smith and Van Duzen began angling restrictions on Sept. 1 and will run through April 30, 2027. As a reminder, in 2022, a low-flow angling restriction was added to the section of the Eel River from the mouth to Fulmor Road (Eel estuary) at its paved junction with the south bank of the Eel River. When a low-flow closure occurs in this section of the Eel, it will be closed to hook-and-line fishing; other legal fishing methods are allowed during this timeframe.

The Department monitors low flow conditions on Mondays for decision days Tuesday and Wednesday, Wednesday for decision days Thursday and Friday, and Friday for decision days Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and will update this message as needed. Please note that the Department may open waters between regularly scheduled updates in response to changing flow conditions. The department will only close waters on decision days Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays for their respective decision windows.

Anglers are advised to check the Department’s Low Flow Fishing Regulations – North Coast website before deciding to fish in any of these low flow restricted waters, and to clean, drain, and dry all fishing gear to prevent the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species.

The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. NOTE: The main stem Eel from the South Fork to Cape Horn Dam and the Mattole River will be closed until January 1, 2027.

Areas subject to low flow closures:

Mad River: The main stem Mad River from the Hammond Trail Railroad Trestle to Cowan Creek. Minimum flow: 200 cfs at the gauging station at the Highway 299 bridge. The Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream is closed until Jan. 1, 2027.

The main stem Eel River: New in 2022, a low-flow angling restriction was added to the section of the Eel River from the mouth to Fulmor Road at its paved junction with the south bank of the Eel River, Sept. 1 through April 30. The stream flow will be monitored as follows: Minimum Flow: 350 cubic feet per second at the gauging station near Scotia.

The South Fork of the Eel River: The South Fork of the Eel River downstream from Rattlesnake Creek and the Middle Fork Eel River downstream from the Bar Creek. Minimum flow: 340 cfs at the gauging station at Miranda.

Van Duzen River: The main stem Van Duzen River from its junction with the Eel River to the end of Golden Gate Drive near Bridgeville (approximately 4,000 feet upstream of Little Golden Gate Bridge. Minimum flow: 150 cfs at the gauging station near Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park.

Mattole River: The main stem of the Mattole River from the mouth to Honeydew Creek. Minimum flow: 320 cfs at the gauging station at Petrolia.

Redwood Creek: The main stem of Redwood Creek from the mouth to its confluence with Bond Creek. Minimum flow: 300 cfs at the gauging station near the Highway 101 bridge.

Smith River: The main stem Smith River from the mouth of Rowdy Creek to its confluence with Patrick Creek; the South Fork Smith River from the mouth upstream approximately 1000 ft to the County Road (George Tyron) bridge and Craigs Creek to its confluence with Jones Creek; and the North Fork Smith River from the mouth to its confluence with Stony Creek. Minimum flow: 600 cfs at the Jedediah Smith State Park gauging station.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay has been fishing well and should see a large number of new fish with this week’s rain. “Fishing also likely will bust wide open upstream near Agness, and kick into high gear next week in the Grants Pass area because of the rain and cooler water temperatures.”

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.

Fall regulations will begin Saturday, Aug. 15 on the Klamath River, triggering the start of the fall salmon quota. The California Fish and Game Commission adopted bag and possession limits for the Klamath Basin based on a quota of 3,248 fall-run adult kings. On the Klamath, the fall season closes Dec. 31. The fall season on the Trinity begins Sept. 1 and closes Dec. 31.

On the Lower Klamath, from the State Route 96 bridge at Weitchpec to the mouth, 1,624 adults will be allowed for sport harvest. The section above the bridge at Weitchpec to the CA/OR border will get 552 adults.

The Spit Area (within 100 yards of the channel through the sand spit formed at the Klamath River mouth) will close when 15 percent of the total Klamath River Basin quota is taken downstream of the U.S. Highway 101 bridge.

IMPORTANT: KNOW THE SPIT RULES

The Spit Area at the mouth of the Klamath will close once 487 adult Chinook have been harvested downstream of the U.S. 101 bridge. The closure applies only to the Spit Area — the remainder of the Klamath estuary below U.S. 101 will remain open.

Anglers fishing the Spit must retain all legally caught Chinook. Once you’ve retained your adult Chinook limit, you must stop fishing in the Spit Area.

On the Trinity side, the quota is set at 1,072 adults. The quota will be split almost evenly: 536 adults for the main stem Trinity downstream of the Old Lewiston Bridge to the State Route 299 West bridge at Cedar Flat, and 536 adults for the main stem Trinity downstream of the Denny Road bridge at Hawkins Bar to the confluence with the Klamath.

The daily bag limit will be two Chinook salmon, no more than one of which may be greater than 23 inches, and a possession limit of six, of which only three may exceed 23 inches. Once these quotas have been met, no Chinook salmon greater than 23 inches in length may be retained (anglers may still retain a limit of Chinook salmon less than 23 inches in length).

Visit Klamath Basin Salmon and Steelhead Fishing Reminders for a complete list of regulations. Anglers may monitor the quota status of open and closed sections of the Klamath and Trinity rivers by calling the Klamath information hotline at 800-564-6479. All anglers on the Trinity and Klamath rivers must have salmon harvest cards in their possession when fishing for salmon.

Weekend marine forecast
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, “The northerlies will drop even more substantially Friday and especially through the weekend as troughing continues to weaken the pressure gradient. Seas will lower into and through the weekend.”
For coastal waters out 10 nautical miles, Friday’s forecast calls for winds from the northwest up to 5 knots with northwest waves 4 feet at seven seconds and southwest 1 foot at 15 seconds. Saturday’s forecast is calling for north winds up to 5 knots and waves out of the northwest 3 feet at eight seconds and southwest 2 feet at 15 seconds. Sunday looks the same, with winds up to 5 knots from the northwest and waves northwest 3 feet at eight 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 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.

Eel River Pikeminnow fishing derby continues through August
The Eel River Pikeminnow Fishing Derby continues through the end of August, giving anglers plenty of time to get involved. The derby, held with help from CDFW, has increased its prize purse this year to $5,000.

Prizes will be awarded in four categories:

• Most pikeminnow over 6 inches: 1st $550, 2nd $450, 3rd $400
• Most pikeminnow over 12 inches: 1st $800, 2nd $700, 3rd $600. A tape measure must be visible in the photo.
• Biggest pikeminnow: 1st $500, 2nd $400, 3rd $300. A tape measure must be visible in the photo.
• Kids’ drawing: Six winners will each receive $50. Open to participants under 18 who enter a pikeminnow in the contest.

There’s still time to get out there, catch some pikeminnow and take a shot at the prize money!

Contest Rules

• Online entries must be submitted using one email address. Entries in the “most pikeminnow” categories will be tallied by participant email address.
• Mail-in entries must be postmarked by September 3. Send completed entry forms and copies of photos, a minimum of 3-by-5 inches, to: CalTrout, 1380 9th St., Arcata, CA 95521.
• Individual contestants can win no more than one prize category. If a contestant qualifies for multiple categories, only the category with the largest prize amount will be awarded.
• Photos must be geotagged.
• Cheating or falsification of entries will result in automatic disqualification.
• Photos taken from poor angles or of poor quality may be disqualified.

Contestants must follow all CDFW fishing regulations, including no bait and barbless artificial lures only. Throwing fish onto the bank or into the river, or any other blatant waste of fish, is prohibited.

Eligible waters include:

• South Fork Eel River downstream of the Humboldt County line to its confluence with the mainstem
• Mainstem Eel River from Dos Rios to the mouth of the Van Duzen River
• Van Duzen River from Grizzly Creek to its mouth

For complete contest rules and entry information, visit tribresearch.org/pikeminnow

The Oceans:
Eureka
Rough seas have kept boats off the tuna grounds, and no tuna reports have come in since last Thursday, according to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “The ocean is going to be nice for a while, so hopefully we see the warm water push in closer,” said Klassen. “We fished Pacific halibut last Friday and the bite was unusually slow for the fleet. I’m hoping that was just an anomaly. With ocean conditions improving, we should see some better halibut scores, and we’ll also be able to get back down to the Cape.”

Shelter Cove
The ending of the salmon season was pretty good, reports Jake Mitchell, of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. He said, “We finished out with limits each day. The rock fishing was pretty good too, but the lingcod has been a little tougher lately. We’ve been spending most of our time around the Old Man. I haven’t heard of any Pacific halibut caught in a while.”

Crescent City
“The tuna water is still pretty far out there, but it should be moving back in,” said Andrew Williams of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “The rockfish and lingcod bite are still going strong when the boats can get out. There are a few Pacific halibut being caught, with most coming out in 250 feet of water past the South Reef. The California halibut bite remains really slow, we haven’t seen one caught in a couple weeks. The first Thresher shark of the season was landed today on South Beach.”

Brookings
Salmon fishing is quickly winding down out of Brooking reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Except for a hot bite on Friday, fishing has been slow, with just an occasional king or hatchery coho,” said Martin. “Rough weather has limited the range of the sport fleet, so this weekend’s better forecast could lead to better catch rates offshore. Halibut fishing remains slow. Lingcod, rockfish and crabbing action has been good, even with the windy weather.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Salmon fishing in the estuary has picked back up after slowing down over the weekend. Boats trolling are getting quite a few opportunities every day. There are quite a few steelhead, half-pounders and adults, spread throughout the river, but not many salmon around yet. Fall regulations will go into effect Saturday, Aug. 15. The daily bag limit will be two Chinook, no more than one adult (longer than 23 inches) and the possession limit is six, no more than three adults.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay is crowded, but kings are being caught. “Salmon are spread throughout the bay, with a good bite above the bridge at high tide. Anglers will be able to venture across the bar this weekend, with calm weather.”

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.

After nearly a week of strong winds and rough seas, the ocean finally settled down just enough to give North Coast tuna anglers a brief, one-day weather window Thursday. A handful of boats out of Eureka made the 30- to 35-mile run southwest of the Humboldt Bay entrance toward Cape Mendocino in search of albacore.

By mid-afternoon, boats were heading back to port with mixed reports. The bite was slower than many had hoped, with most crews boating five or six tuna. A few Pacific bluefin were also mixed in with the albacore catch, adding a little excitement despite the modest numbers.

While it wasn’t the wide-open action anglers were anticipating, tuna fishermen are a different breed. When there’s even a small weather window, they’ll take advantage of it. A few boats out of Trinidad also made the run, but they encountered similarly slow fishing.

The marine forecast looks favorable for rockfish, halibut, and other nearshore opportunities through Saturday before the wind is expected to ramp back up and keep most offshore anglers tied to the dock for much of next week.

Weekend marine forecast
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, “Friday and into the weekend, a more uniform regime of northerly winds are forecast to return to the area. Gales are possible over the weekend into early next week with the likelihood of gusts over 30 knots over 80% for most of the outer waters from Saturday through most of next week. Very steep seas will build in response to this increasing winds and gale watches have been issued for the outer water zones for portions of the weekend. For coastal waters out 10 nautical miles, Saturday’s forecast is calling for north winds 10 to 15 knots and waves out of the northwest 5 feet at seven seconds and southwest 1 foot at 12 seconds. Sunday looks worse, with winds out of the north 15 to 20 knots and waves northwest 7 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.

Del Norte County razor clam fishery closes
Following a recommendation from state health agencies that consumption of razor clams in the area poses a significant human health threat for domoic acid exposure, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Acting Director Valerie Termini closed the recreational razor clam fishery in Del Norte County on July 31.

CDFW statement:

“Razor clam sampling from Crescent Beach in Del Norte County in mid-July found clams exceeding the current domoic acid federal action level. In Monterey Bay, however, samples in July show concentrations of domoic acid in northern anchovy and Pacific sardine have fallen below the federal action level that prohibit commercial distribution of seafood products for human consumption.

The recreational razor clam fishery in Humboldt County remains closed due to elevated levels of domoic acid. The closure, which began in May 2024, remains in effect until state health agencies determine razor clams no longer pose a health risk.

CDFW will continue to work with the California Department of Public Health and Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to collect, monitor and analyze razor clams to determine when the recreational razor clam fishery can be reopened safely in these areas.

Information will be updated on CDFW’s fishery information and health advisories.

To get the latest information on current fishing season closures related to domoic acid, call CDFW’s Domoic Acid Fishery Information Line at (831) 649-2883.

For the latest consumption warnings, call the California Department of Public Health’s Biotoxin Information Line at (510) 412-4643 or toll-free at (800) 553-4133.”

The Oceans:
Eureka
According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, the Pacific halibut bite has been good when the boats have been able to get out. The best bite has been north of the stacks in 270 to 300 feet of water,” said Klassen. “It’s not wide-open with limits everyday, but it’s been really good. The rockfish bite at the Cape has been excellent, with easy limits on rockfish and lings. Ocean conditions Thursday allowed us to get offshore and look for tuna. A handful of boats ran southwest off the Cape. The scores weren’t great, most boats landed five or six with some small bluefin mixed in with the albacore.”

Trinidad
Well obviously, the salmon closure kind of blind-sided us but we’re getting along just fine reports Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing. “After couple fun days chasing tuna in the blue water last week, the wind came on fierce by the weekend,” said Sepulveda. “Gusts to 40 plus knots ripped all the way to the beach at times. Heavy upwelling is the result, and the albacore water has receded well out of day range. We’ll hope for another push as things settle.

In the meantime, our remote waters bottom fish run has been stealing the show. The lingcod bite has been as good as I’ve seen in many years. Yesterday we picked through over 30 keeper size lings in just over an hour of bouncing swim baits and jigs to harvest our 12 fish limit for the boat. The rock fishing was just as good with 11 different species boated including some huge canary, vermilion, and coppers. 

Pacific halibut have been a good option for boats willing to put the time into trophy hunting. The most consistent bite has been to the southwest in 240 to 300 feet of water. With the tuna and spectacular lingcod bite this week, we never gave it a go but fish as big as 62-pounds were landed last week on private boats.”

Shelter Cove
“The salmon bite this week has been pretty decent, but the fish are really spread out,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. Most boats are getting limits, with the best bite at the Bread and Butter. Rock fishing is good. Some guys got tuna yesterday 20 miles out and they went back offshore Thursday as the ocean conditions were good.”

Crescent City
The California halibut bite has really picked up reports Will Moore of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “Fish are being caught by boats trolling South Beach and by bank anglers off the rock wall near the boat launch,” said Moore. “The Pacific halibut bite has picked up as well, with quite a few being caught when the boats can get out. The rockfish and lingcod bite are still on fire, with limits coming pretty easily. The Sisters area is producing some big lingcod right now. A few boats went out for tuna Thursday, but I didn’t hear of any being caught.”

Brookings
Ocean salmon fishing has slowed out of Brookings, although kings are being caught daily in the estuary by boaters mooching with freshly caught anchovies reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “A few wild coho and an occasional hatchery coho are being caught offshore,” said Martin. “Halibut fishing is still slow. Lingcod and rockfish action have been good.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
The salmon fishing slowed in the Klamath estuary this week, possibly due to rough ocean conditions. It’s also likely we’re in between seasons for spring and fall-run kings. There were still a few fish caught, and some nice ones are showing up too along with a lot of jacks. The best bite has been at first light. From there, it usually turns on again two hours before high tide through about an hour after. Upriver, the steelhead action has been good, but it’s typically an early morning bite.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, after several days of hot fishing on the Rogue Bay, the action has slowed. “Fish are being caught, but anglers are having to put in a lot of time for each salmon hookup. Hot weather inland will keep the kings kegged up in the bay.”

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.

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.