Month: November 2014

Father and son anglers Daniel and Wyatt, of Orange County, had their hands full putting this 35-pound king salmon in the net on a recent trip on the Smith River with Mike Coopman’s Guide Service.

Winter steelhead starting to show
The approaching storms will likely blow out most, if not all, of our coastal rivers by the weekend. Beginning Thursday in the Smith Basin and early Friday in Humboldt, as much as four inches of rain is predicted to hit the ground. And the series of storms are forecasted to stick around through early next week. Most of the rivers should be on the rise by Friday or early Saturday. The Smith and Chetco will be the first rivers to clear, and should be fishable by mid-week, or earlier. Depending on how much rain falls, the rest of the rivers could start to drop back into shape at the end of next week. That’s if the forecasts are spot on.

When the rivers do drop back into fishable shape, my guess is we’ll see the first signs of the impending winter steelhead run. There’s already been a handful caught on all the rivers, but with more high water coming, expect the steelies to start showing in numbers. But don’t give up entirely on salmon just yet. The Smith is still seeing fresh fish coming in daily and there should be some smaller spurts of fish coming into the Chetco, Eel and Mad.

Weekend forecast
The next four to five days are forecasted to be wet according to Reginald Kennedy of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “The rain will begin Thursday in Del Norte and Friday morning in the Humboldt area. The rain will stick around through next Tuesday, with the heaviest rain falling on Sunday and Monday. Three to 4 inches of rain is forecasted for the Del Norte region and 2.5 to 3.5 inches is likely to fall in Humboldt,” Kennedy said. Showers are on tap for next Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a few days of dry weather.

Smith River Rowdy Creek Hatchery update:
To date, the salmon run on the Smith has been a little bit better than average according to hatchery manager Andrew Van Scoyk. As of Tuesday 148 salmon have returned, which includes 52 males, 26 females, and 70 jacks. “We’ve spawned 8 pairs to date, last year we spawned 2 pairs the whole season,” Van Scoyk added. “Our goal is to spawn 24 pairs and I don’t think we’ll have a problem reaching that goal.” No steelhead had returned to the hatchery as of Tuesday according to Van Scoyk.

Commercial Dungeness crab season opens Dec. 1 in Northern California
The northern California Dungeness crab season will open at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 1, north of the Sonoma-Mendocino county line.

Prior to the season opening, commercial fishermen are allowed a 64-hour gear setting period. This year, crab trap gear can be set no earlier than 8 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 28. Quality tests conducted in northern California in November indicate that California Dungeness crabs are ready for harvest. For more information on Dungeness crab, please visit http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/invertebrate/management_com.asp#crab

HASA meeting next week
The HASA Board of Directors will meet on Wednesday, Dec. 3, and the public is welcome to attend. The meeting will be held at McBain & Associates office, 980 7^th Street, Arcata at 7 p.m. Agenda items include an update on Pacific Halibut, rockfish mortality, and a derelict crab gear update.

The Rivers:

Chetco River
The rain that fell last week pushed the river up and out for several days reports Val Early of Early Fishing Guide Service. She said, “The river was fishable on Monday, although it was very limited as the river was still quite high. Tuesday was better but the river was still pushy. The best days will probably be Wednesday and Thursday, possibly Friday although another storm is supposed to hit with rainfall predictions up to 2 inches. There was a little surge of new fish in the river but there are a lot of fish that are dark and should be released as their meat is past the prime by a long ways. We are seeing a few steelhead including a 15-pound hatchery male caught by a plunker at Social Security.”

California’s Recreational Pacific Halibut allocation to increase for 2015
The PFMC has made recommendations to increase the California Pacific halibut fishery allocation beginning in 2015 in response to greater interest in the northern California fishery, and new information indicating a higher abundance in California than when the formal Catch Sharing Plan (CSP) was originally adopted.

Pacific halibut is allocated among users on the West Coast (known as Area 2A) through a CSP that was developed in the late 1980s. Area 2A sectors include the recreational fisheries in Washington, Oregon and California, the coast-wide commercial fishery, and the tribal fisheries, which operate primarily in Washington.

The California recreational fishery allocation will increase from 1 to 4 percent of the non-tribal allocation by implementing a one percent reduction for the Washington recreational (35.6 percent), Oregon recreational (29.7 percent), and commercial (30.7 percent) sectors.

Additional changes for 2015 include in-season tracking and management of the California recreational fishery to stay within the CSP allocation. The California recreational season structure will be determined based on a catch projection method developed by California Department of Fish and Wildlife staff, and specific season dates will be developed with the input of stakeholder involvement. This process will begin in early 2015 after the Pacific halibut total allowable catch is established. For more information, visit www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pacifichalibut.asp.

Smith River
According to Mike Coopman of Mike Coopman’s Guide Service, there were quite a few salmon around on Wednesday, but the bite wasn’t red hot. He said, “We saw fish rolling in quite a few spots, but they didn’t bite real well. There are still quite a few jacks around, which tells me the salmon season is far from over. I didn’t see any steelhead rolling, but I did hear of one caught by a bankie.”

Eel River (main stem)
As of Wednesday, the main stem in the Rio Dell area was still a little murky and on the high side reports Fred Grundman of Rio Dell’s Grundmans Sporting Goods. “My guess is it will fish by Friday, and possibly Thursday. I’ve heard reports of a pretty good push of steelhead had moved through the lower river,” Grundman added.

Eel River (South Fork)
Should be fishable through Friday, but predicted to rise on Saturday morning.

Van Duzen River
The river was in great shape as of Wednesday, with some steelhead starting to show according to Grundman.

Mad River
The last rise brought in quite a few bright salmon into the Mad. The river is in perfect shape and should fish through Friday. We should see the first push of winter steelhead following the next big storms. Humboldt Steelhead Days fishing contest coming up Jan. 24 – Feb. 7, 2015. Buy your tickets online at HoldMyTicket.com. Proceeds from this event go toward restoration, education, and citizen monitoring in the Eel and Mad River.

Upper Trinity
Three days of rain has helped get the creeks running and the steelhead are on the move to their spawning grounds reports Steve Huber of Steve Huber’s Guide Service. “The weather has just started to get cold, with more rain and possibly some snow on Monday. This week, we averaged 2 to 4 adult steelhead per trip fishing both roe and plugs. The fly fishermen are also catching a few fish,” Huber added.

Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

2nd annual Humboldt Steelhead Days/Fishing Derby on the Mad River coming up in 2015, and perhaps something on the Eel River as well. Contests, dinner/awards/auction/prizes in the works so far. Hotel partner: Red Lion Hotel in Eureka will have a special room rate where the derby ticket ($25) is included in the room rate. Contact www.madriveralliance.org to donate or partner with.

Also, Eureka Main Street will be putting on a Crab Crawl Festival the first weekend of February 2015 and both events will be partnering up so that you can go fishing as well as eat some Humboldt Dungenous Crab down at the new Fisherman’s Terminal in Old Town Eureka where Wild Planet and Coast Seafood’s operates.

Hashtag your Mad River or Eel River Steelhead photos: #HumboldtSteelheadDays

Tickets available online at Hold My Ticket.com

Young anglers Jacobi and Jaxon are all smiles as they hold a couple Dungeness crab caught while fishing last Saturday with Gary Blasi of Full Throttle Sport Fishing. Sport crabbing, which opened Nov. 1 along the North Coast, has been excellent out of Eureka. Photo courtesy of Full Throttle Sport Fishing

Multiple storms lined up for next week

A decent amount of rain is predicted to hit the ground over the next couple days, but it may not be enough to open any of the rivers south of the Mad. The main stem Eel, South Fork and Van Duzen are all forecasted for small rises, but it’s unlikely they’ll open to fishing this weekend. To the north, the Smith and Chetco, which are both low and clear, should see enough of a rise to bring in fresh salmon from the ocean. Conditions have been tough on both rivers, but there certainly hasn’t been a lack of fish. Spots that hold fish are dwindling and getting them to bite hasn’t been that easy, which has some of the guides and sport anglers waiting for better days. If the current storm, and the next few that are lined up behind it, fall into place, better days definitely lie ahead.

Weekend forecast
According to Reginald Kennedy of Eureka’s National Weather Service, the bulk of the rain from the current storm will have fallen Wednesday night. He Said, “We should see showers through Thursday in Humboldt, and continuing into Friday in the Smith basin. Rainfall totals could reach one and a half-inches in Del Norte and up to an inch in Humboldt. After a break on Saturday, showers are forecasted for Sunday afternoon. Up to a quarter inch for the Smith and probably less in Humboldt is forecasted. Another break on Monday and into Tuesday will be followed by more rain beginning Tuesday night. Showers will last into Wednesday with up to an inch of rain possible for Del Norte and Humboldt.”

Sport crab fishing going strong
Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing and Phil Glenn, who’s running the Shellback through the end of the month, are both reporting excellent crabbing out of Eureka. On an overnight soak, they’re getting between 7 and 12 keepers per pot. According to Klassen, it’s slowed down a hair, but it’s still really good with limits coming easily. “From what I see, both sides of the entrance are fishing about the same,” Klassen added. Added Glenn, “There’s a lot of crab around, but I think they’re scattered. There’s no one real location that’s fishing better than anywhere else.”

Woodley Island sport crab trips
Reel Steel Sport Fishing, Shellback Sport Fishing, Full Throttle Sport Fishing and Northwind Charters are all booking crab trips out of Woodley Island. Trips will generally last two hours. Departure times will depend on the tides, but most often they’ll leave sometime in the morning. To book a trip with Shellback Sport Fishing, call 442-7843. Reel Steel Sport Fishing can be reached at 499-4925, Full Throttle’s reservations number is 498-7473, and to reach Northwind Charters, call 616-5328. The weekend trips fill up quick, so you’ll want to call early to reserve your spot.

Commercial Dungeness Crab Season Opens Nov. 15 in Central CA
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will open the Central California commercial Dungeness crab season on Saturday, Nov. 15 south of the Sonoma/Mendocino county line. The season opener will be preceded by an 18-hour gear setting period when crab trap gear can be set no earlier than 6 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 14.
The 2014-15 commercial Dungeness crab season marks the second season of the Dungeness crab trap limit program. The program consists of seven tiers of trap allotments ranging from 175 to 500 traps. Dungeness crab vessel permit-holders can only fish the maximum number of traps within their respective trap tier as a means to control the maximum number of total traps fished in California waters. For more information, visit www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/invertebrate/traplimit.asp

Smith River – Rowdy Creek Hatchery update
As of Wednesday, 35 Chinook salmon have returned to the hatchery according to hatchery manager Andrew Van Scoyk. “This is a pretty typical number for this time of the year, though I thought more would have returned with the early rains we had. At this time last year, we had zero returnees, so we’re ahead of the game there,” Van Scoyk added.

The Rivers:
Other than the Smith, all North Coast rivers subjected to low flow fishing closures, including the Eel, Mad, Redwood Creek, and Van Duzen were closed as of Wednesday. Sections of rivers that are open include the main stem Eel River from the paved junction of Fulmor Road to its mouth and the main stem Mad River from the Hammond Trail Railroad Trestle to its mouth. Be sure and call the low flow closure hotline, (707) 822-3164, to determine if the river is open prior to fishing.

Chetco River
Salmon fishing has been on the slow side with a lot of dark fish showing in the holes along with a few bright ones reports Val Early of Early Fishing Guide Service. “The sea lions are up the river — a sure sign that the fish have moved out of the estuary. I’ve been mostly bobber fishing and doing a little back-bouncing too. Small plugs and side-drifting has also caught a few fish. You really have to try everything and see if some of the rolling fish will bite. We really need the rain,” Early added.

Smith River
As of Wednesday, it was low, clear and getting tough to drift according to guide Mike Coopman. He said, “There’s fish around, but they’re holding in just a few spots. It’s getting tougher to find some current, but the rain that’s coming should change that. Hopefully with the next rise, we’ll see a new batch of fish come in and move the older fish up.” The Smith is predicted to peak at just above 9-feet on Friday afternoon and then be back on the drop. http://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=CREC1

Main Stem Eel
Predicted to nudge just above 350 cfs threshold on Friday, but will likely drop right back down. If it does open to fishing, it won’t be open long. http://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=SCOC1

South Fork Eel
A slight rise is predicted for Thursday, but probably not enough to open. http://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=MRNC1

Mad River
Forecasted to rise on Thursday and again on Friday, it may open to fishing on Friday. http://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=ARCC1

Van Duzen
Not much of a rise is predicted. Unless the forecast changes, it’s not likely to open to fishing this weekend. http://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=BRGC1

Upper Trinity
Working the Douglas City area, guide Steve Huber reports the steelhead fishing has been average, with one to three adults per trip. “The water is low and clear and steelhead are staging to move up their home creeks. We really need a good rainstorm to put the fish on the move. Fishing has been best in the mornings and late afternoons and back-trolling plugs and side drifting roe have been the top producers,” Huber added.

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

Covelo resident Ryan Aylsworth landed this nice Smith River salmon earlier this week while fishing with Mike Coopman’s Guide Service. The big king tipped the scales at 36-pounds.

Minus tides could create dangerous bar crossing

The sport Dungeness crab season kicked off this past Saturday, and those who ventured offshore reported the crabs were plentiful, as well as heavy. Captain Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing and Gary Blasi of Full Throttle Sport Fishing both set gear north of the entrance and reported the crabs are extremely full for this time of the year. Klassen said, “The reports are good for boats fishing both north and south of the entrance. Pots dropped south and rigged with good bait were producing 15 to 16 keepers per pot. The scores were roughly the same for the pots that fished north.” Klassen also added that the crabs were really full and in good shape. “They are certainly full enough to allow the commercial season to start on time, which is scheduled for Dec. 1. north of Mendocino.” Crab counts coming out of Humboldt Bay weren’t quite as encouraging. The story was the same for all the anglers I spoke with – the crabbing stunk. It’s hard to know exactly why, but most of the theories center around the early rains which brought an influx of freshwater into the bay, pushing the crabs offshore.
Opening day reports from Trinidad were a little bleak as well. But from the reports I heard, it picked up the last few days. Overnight soaks seemed to be the ticket to full pots. Up north to Crescent City, Leonard Carter of Englund Marine reported some pretty good crab numbers. “Straight out of the harbor in 100 to 120-feet of water was one of the top spots. I don’t think there’s a huge volume of crab out there, but an overnight soak on the opener produced up to 20 keepers per pot. Crabbers also did well off of South Beach as well as inside the harbor. There were very few light crab reported,” Carter added.

Marine Forecast
It looks like we’re in for another bumpy weekend on the ocean, coupled with a round of minus tides that will last through Monday. As of Wednesday, Friday’s forecast is calling for north winds 5 to 10 knots with 9-foot waves at 10 seconds coming out of the northwest. Saturday is looking better; the forecast is calling for north winds 5 to 10 knots with west waves 6-feet at 12 seconds. A mixed swell is forecasted for Sunday with winds out of the north 5 to 10 knots and waves northwest 3-feet at 6 seconds and west 7-feet at 16 seconds. The forecast will likely change, so before you head out, check the marine forecast at www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka and click on the marine tab. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

Weekend Weather forecast
After a weak system rolls through the area on Thursday, dry conditions will persist through Tuesday according to Reginald Kennedy of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “Thursday’s storm may bring up to a quarter inch to the Smith basin and maybe a tenth to Humboldt. Next Tuesday’s rain is forecasted to bring about the same rainfall totals. Next Thursday and Friday, a more powerful system is predicted, but that’s still a little far out there to be sure of rainfall amounts. The models are showing up to three-quarters of an inch,” Kennedy said.

Humboldt bar hazardous warning
For crab fishermen heading offshore, there could be potential hazardous bar conditions due to the combination of minus tides and swells. Thursday and Friday’s tides will have the most runoff. Both high tides will be 8-feet followed by a -1.0 low on Thursday and a -1.2 low on Friday. Saturday’s high tide will be 6.2-feet followed by a low of -1.1 feet. These tides could be extremely dangerous, especially if the ocean is rough. It’s always best 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. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan

Weekend Tides – Humboldt Bay
Fri., Nov. 7 (High: 11:15 a.m.) (Low: 5:07 a.m. and 6:01 p.m.)
Sat., Nov. 8 (High: 12:39 a.m. and 11:54 p.m.) (Low: 5:51 a.m. and 6:44 p.m.)
Sun., Nov. 9 (High: 1:27 a.m. and 12:34 p.m.) (Low: 6:35 a.m. and 7:27 p.m.)

Sport-Harvested Mussel Quarantine Lifted
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced Oct. 30 that the annual quarantine on mussels gathered by sport harvesters from California’s coastal waters ended at midnight Friday, Oct. 31 for all coastal counties except Ventura County. The annual quarantine, which typically runs May 1 through Oct.31, is intended to protect the public from paralytic shellfish poisoning and amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). There have been no reports of shellfish-related poisoning in California during the quarantine period. For more information, visit http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR14-090.aspx.

The Rivers:
Currently, only the Smith River and the main stem of the Eel are open to fishing. All other North Coast rivers subjected to low flow fishing closures, including the South Fork Eel, Mad, Redwood Creek, and Van Duzen are closed. Sections of rivers that are open include the main stem Mad River from the Hammond Trail Railroad Trestle to its mouth. The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as to whether any river will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened up at anytime. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is (707) 822-3164.

Smith River
According to Mike Coopman of Mike Coopman’s Guide Service, the Smith is low and clear and in need of rain. “The best action has been prior to the sun hitting the water, after that it’s been tough. The fish we are catching are nice and bright however. We’re also seeing quite a few jacks around,” added Coopman. As of Wednesday, flows were right around 1,300 cfs and dropping. No increased flows were in the forecast at least through the weekend.

Chetco
The Chetco fished really well after last weekend’s rain, but the lack of rain since didn’t help Tuesday’s non-bobber opener reports Val Early of Early Fishing Guide Service. “The boat traffic and fishing pressure was incredible last weekend as well as Tuesday, which probably scattered the fish around. With the river dropping and clearing and not much rain in the forecast, we’ll probably be back to bobber fishing within a few days,” Early said.

Klamath
Lower
Not many anglers, if any, are still fishing the lower river, though salmon continue to trickle into the estuary. This is typically the time of the year when salmon that spawn in some of the larger tributaries begin to come into the river anticipating rain to increase flows in the creeks and tributaries. The river has good color and is plenty fishable.

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.

Based on the weight of the crabs, the commercial season will likely start Dec. 1 on the North Coast. Four charter boats are running sport trips out of Woodley Island, this is the best deal in town!! Guaranteed limits of 10 crabs!!

The weekend trips fill up quick, so you’ll want to call early to reserve your spot.
Reel Steel Sport Fishing (707) 499-4925 http://reelsteelsportfishing.com/
Shellback Sport Fishing (707) 442-7115 http://www.eurekafishing.net/
Full Throttle Sport Fishing (707) 498-7473 http://fullthrottlesportfishing.com/
NorthWind Charters (707) 616-616-5238 http://www.northwindcharters.net/