Month: January 2018

Our coastal rivers are finally getting the flushing and scouring they desperately need. The latest round of storms has brought the rivers to their highest levels of the season, providing ample water for steelhead to make it back to the streams and creeks where they were conceived. The extra flows will also trigger the fish that are still swimming in the salt to begin their migration upriver. Following a very wet few days, the last decent shot of rain in this series of storms is predicted for Saturday. After that is looks like dry weather all next week. Starting on Sunday, all of the rivers are predicted to drop quickly, and we could be headed for a green water convergence. If the stars align and the forecasters are correct, all north coast rivers could be green by the end of next week, giving steelhead anglers options O’ plenty.

The weather ahead
The North Coast can expect continued wet conditions off and on through Saturday according to Ryan Aylward of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “Thursday’s front should drop about an inch of rain in Del Norte, with snow falling as low as 2,000 feet. In Eureka, we could see a half-inch of rain at the coast and an inch in the mountains. Lingering showers are expected for Friday, with a quarter-inch in Del Norte and roughly a tenth here locally. Saturday should be the last decent day of rain, with the bulk of the rain falling to our north. Del Norte could see a couple inches in the mountains, and an inch at the lower elevations. Eureka may see up to a third of an inch. The next system will come in Monday night and into Tuesday, but it won’t be enough to see any increase in river flows. After Tuesday, it’s looking dry the rest of the week and into the weekend,” Aylward said.

Upcoming Humboldt Steelhead Days events
Humboldt Steelhead Days will be holding a Pints for Non-Profits event and fishing contest check-in on Thursday, Jan. 25 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the new Lost Coast Brewing Co., facility on Sunset in Eureka. For every pint sold, $1 will be donated to HSD and its programs. One lucky guest will win a Steelhead Days prize package. For more information, visit http://www.lostcoast.com/events/pints-non-profits-humboldt-steelhead-days

The Northcoast Regional Land Trust and Mad River Alliance will be taking a tour through the Wood Creek restoration project on Saturday, January 27th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Freshwater Farms Reserve. Humboldt Steelhead Days participants will learn about Coho salmon life history, the significance of estuarine habitat, large wood structures, fish monitoring technology, contextual historical regional land uses and project successes and challenges. Email Projects and Stewardship Director Kerry McNamee at k.mcnamee@ncrlt.org for more information. For more information about the tour, visit http://www.humboldtsteelheaddays.com/event/humboldt-steelhead-days-restoration-field-tour/ Freshwater Farms Reserve is located at 5851 Myrtle Ave, Eureka.

Dislodged Bell Buoy
Due to the latest series of storms, it was reported that Humboldt Bay Red Bell Buoy 2 (#8135) was off station and possibly aground according to Suzie V. Howser, Chair
Harbor Safety Committee of the Humboldt Bay Area. The Buoy has been located approximately one-eighth mile north of the North Jetty just outside the surf zone. It is unknown when the buoy will be recovered and replaced. All mariners are to use extreme caution when transiting near the entrance to Humboldt Bay. Contact USCG Sector Humboldt Bay at 707-839-6113 for more information.

Low flow fishing closures set to end
Special low flow regulations that went into effect on Oct. 1 for the Eel River, Mattole, Redwood Creek, Smith, Van Duzen, and Sept. 1 on the Mad, will end on January 31. Until then, low flow restrictions remain in effect. Currently, all North Coast rivers subjected to low flow fishing closures are open. For more information, visit http://www.eregulations.com/california/fishing/freshwater/low-flow-restrictions/

The Rivers
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“The Chetco fished surprisingly well over the weekend,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “For the first time this season, it had good color at 5,000 cfs instead of still being muddy. A lot of new fish came in last week. The plunkers did well on the lower end. We landed five steelhead on my boat Saturday. Most likely the Chetco will be blown out for a week or more with the latest storm. The Rogue is finally fishing well upstream from Gold Beach. Guide John Anderson landed four steelhead on Sunday running MagLip plugs while anchored from his jet boat. The Elk and Sixes were slow over the weekend, despite good conditions on the Elk.”

Smith River
Despite the unstable water conditions, the fishing has been pretty good on the Smith reports guide Mike Coopman. He said, “There’s definitely a few fish around. Boats are getting up to three per trip – somedays more and somedays less. The next few days the water is going up and down quite a bit. It’s looking like we’ll be doing a little plunking and hopefully some side-drifting. Boat pressure has been light, but with all the other rivers blown out, we’ll probably see a few more next week.”

Main stem Eel
Forecasted to peak at 39,500 cfs on Thursday and predicted to drop quickly. With no rain in the forecast after Saturday, there’s a chance it could come around by next weekend. How quickly it drops and turns green will be depend on the amount of snow that’s falling in the hills.

South Fork Eel
Peaking at 10,600 cfs on the Miranda gauge on Thursday morning, it should drop back into fishable shape by mid-week, depending on snowmelt.

Van Duzen
Flowing at just over 3,500 cfs on Wednesday afternoon and on a steep rise, it’s predicted to peak at just over 8,000 cfs Wednesday evening. With sparse rain predicted for next week, it may be fishable late next week or by the weekend. There’s quite a bit of snow in the hills, which if it melts, the river will remain off color. Your best bet will be above Yager Creek.

Chris Anderson of Laytonville landed this bright hatchery steelhead at daybreak last week on the Mad River while fishing with guide Damon Albright. Photo courtesy of Damon Albright

Mad
According to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors, fishing on the Mad has been slow. “The fish aren’t bunching up below the hatchery like years past. The river has definitely changed and the fish are more spread out. A few are being caught every day in the dirty water, but not a ton. With next week looking dry, we should be back to bait-fishing conditions by the end of next week.” Kelly added.

Upper Trinity
The upper Trinity is in great shape as we’re getting more snow than rain reports Tim Brady of Trinity Outdoors in Weaverville.  He said, “The fishing has been decent between Lewiston and Junction City. The winter fish are here, I’m guessing we’re right in the middle of the run. Guys I’m talking to are getting a fish here and there. The one thing I’m hearing is the fish are running a little smaller this year, but there are some nice ones around.”

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

Coming off the first weekend of the winter steelhead season that saw all of the coastal rivers turn green, I was sure hoping to hear some better scores. From the South Fork Eel north to the Chetco, steelhead reports ranged from decent to tough – and everywhere in between. The Chetco likely fished the best, but there were plenty of boats that came up empty. The Smith has been tough all season, and not much changed over the weekend. The Mad River should have been the hot spot, but the bite never took off. For whatever reason, the bulk of the hatchery steelhead have yet to show up there. Both the main stem and South Fork Eel turned green over the weekend, but it was tough fishing for most. A few boats ran into some fish on the South Fork on Sunday, but again, lots of zeros. But just as your next cast could lead to a 20-pound steelhead, the next big storm, which is predicted for Sunday, could lead to North Coast rivers chocked full of winter steelhead.

The weather ahead
The North Coast can expect continued wet conditions according to Ryan Aylward of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “The first front will move in on Wednesday night, with snow levels dropping to 3,000 feet overnight. Rain amounts for this front will be around an inch in Crescent City and maybe three-quarters in Eureka. Lingering showers are forecasted for Friday and possibly into Saturday where we can expect a quarter to a half-inch. The next system will arrive on Sunday, and this should bring some heavier rain. The mountain areas in Del Norte could see over three inches, with one and a half falling at the lower elevations. The Eel basin could see three inches in the hills and an inch down lower. Showers should last into Monday, with the next round of storms predicted for Tuesday or Wednesday. Next week is looking similar to this week, with another couple cold fronts predicted that will bring snow to the lower elevations and keep the rivers flowing,” Aylward said. 

Fishing Report Cards Due Soon
CDFW wants to remind anglers and divers that the due date for turning in steelhead, sturgeon, abalone and North Coast salmon report card data is Jan. 31, 2018.
Anglers and divers must report even if the report card was lost, they did not fish or they did not catch any fish. Cards should be reviewed carefully for accuracy prior to submitting. Harvest reporting can be submitted online at https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/fishing#44521416-harvest-reporting or by mailing the cards to the address listed on the report card.

HASA dinner scheduled for April 14
The annual Humboldt Area Saltwater Anglers (HASA) fundraiser dinner and auction will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 14 at the Arcata Community Center in Arcata. Tickets, which are not yet available, are $25 for adults and $10 for children under 12. Food will be provided by Ramone’s and some great items will be auctioned and raffled off. For more information, email hasa6191@gmail.com. 

The Rivers
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“Last week’s rain brought in quite a few hatchery steelhead on the lower Chetco, but the upper river has been surprisingly slow,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “We caught most of our fish the last few days within sight of the takeout. The little bit of rain on Monday night brought in new steelhead on Tuesday, and the plunkers had one of their best days so far this season. This weekend looks like the river may be just a little too high, and then a major high-water event is in the forecast for early next week. The Elk and Sixes have been slow for steelhead, but the South Coquille has been really good, with most guides catching limits of hatchery steelhead. The Coquille has been crowded. The Elk may be the only river on the Oregon side still in play this weekend.”

The Smith River kicked out this chrome-bright winter steelhead last week for Arcata resident Justin Kelly. All of the coastal rivers should see increased flows from the storms that are expected to hit the North Coast over the next few days. Photo courtesy of Alan Borges/Alan’s Guide Service

Smith River
“Fishing has been decent on the Smith this week, but it looks like we’ve got a pretty good blowout coming,” said guide Mike Coopman. “I’d say the average is about a fish per boat, with scores ranging from zero to three per day. The Chetco has been in good shape, so the fishing pressure has been fairly light here. It looks like we have quite a bit of rain coming on Thursday and Sunday, which should be the first real blowout of the season. Once the water comes back down, we’ll see what we have to work with.”

Eel River (main stem)
The main stem Eel turned green on Sunday, but there didn’t seem to be many fish around. The fish that were between Rio Dell and the forks last weekend likely moved up. The river remained fishable up until Tuesday, but it turned brown overnight on Wednesday and looks to be blown out for quite a while. Flows are predicted to hit 23,000 cfs on Monday.

Eel River (South Fork)
The South Fork was in great shape over the weekend and there were quite a few boats taking advantage of the conditions. There were a few fish caught and scores ranged from zero to two fish per boat. Hopefully the next big rise will bring in some more fish. Forecasted to hit 6,500 cfs on the Miranda gauge on Monday morning.

Van Duzen
The river dropped into shape on Sunday, but blew out again on Tuesday. A few bank anglers were on the water, but scores were hard to come by. The storm on Sunday has the flows ramping up to nearly 13,500 cfs by Monday.

Mad River
According to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors, fishing was tough over the weekend on the Mad. “There’s a few around, but not many. The few fish that are being caught are mostly wild as the hatchery fish have yet to show up in big numbers. The river was extremely crowded over the weekend, but the scores were pretty bad. Hopefully this rain that’s coming will bring in some fish.” Kelly 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

Fortuna resident Nick Watson landed this bright winter steelhead last weekend while fishing the Eel River. Most of the coastal rivers should be dropping back into fishable shape by the weekend following the rains that hit earlier in the week. Photo courtesy of Jeff Griffith

That little shot of rain seems to have done the trick. For the first time this season, just about all of the coastal rivers are starting to see winter steelhead show up in decent numbers. From the Chetco to the Eel, the reports have all been good. Boats drifting the Chetco are landing one to three fish a day, with some scoring two-fish limits. After a couple weeks of tough fishing, the Smith bounced back over the weekend and fished well. In Humboldt, the Mad is full of steelhead, and back anglers put the hurt on em’ pretty good over the weekend. The main stem Eel turned green on Saturday, and quite a few fish were reportedly caught on Sunday. And the conditions should only get better. Following a dry weekend, we’re right back into a rainy pattern beginning on Monday. It’s safe to say steelhead season is in full swing here on the North Coast.

Weather ahead
“It looks like we’ll have one more system move through the area, then we’ll be dry for a couple days”, said Ryan Aylward of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “A system will move through the area on Thursday, with the majority of the rain falling in the Smith basin. Up to an inch could fall in the hills, with a half inch expected on the coast. In Humboldt, we won’t see much, maybe a quarter in the hills and less on the coast. We’re looking dry Friday through Sunday, but a change in the pattern will start on Monday. A couple fronts will hit the area between Monday and Wednesday, dropping up to six inches in the hills of Del Norte and three in the lower elevations. In Humboldt, we could see up to three inches over the three-day period in the higher elevations, and an inch falling near the coast. The wet pattern doesn’t change much after Wednesday, it’s looking like we’ll have above normal rainfall for the next week or so.”

Humboldt Steelhead Days kickoff party this Saturday
Humboldt Steelhead Days Kick-Off Party and Pints for Non-Profits event will be held at the Mad River Brewing Co., Tap Room on Saturday, January 13 from 5 p.m. till 10 p.m.
Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson will MC the event, and 2nd District Congressman Jared Huffman will make an appearance as well. You can register to enter the fishing contest and talk to HSD event coordinators and other anglers. Learn more about the two rivers we’ll be fishing (Mad and Trinity) and pick up more information about the other events during HSD. A Limited Edition Humboldt Steelhead Days hoodie and hat will be raffled off, with plenty of items for sale. The band Ghost Train will play later in the evening and every pint sold will be donated to Humboldt Steelhead Days. For more information, visit http://www.humboldtsteelheaddays.com/event/humboldt-steelhead-days-kick-off-party/

Commercial crab season set to open Jan. 15
The northern California Dungeness crab fishery in Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties will open 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018. The opener will be preceded by a 64-hour gear setting period that will begin at 8:01 a.m. Jan. 12, 2018. Any vessel that landed crab from other ocean waters prior to the season opening in Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9 (Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties) is prohibited from participating in the crab fishery in Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9, for 30 days following the opening of those areas. In Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9, the 30-day wait period ends on Feb. 14, 2018.

“Although we have witnessed delays in the opening of the Dungeness crab commercial fishery in recent seasons due to domoic acid, a delay in the northern portion of the fishery due to quality isn’t unprecedented. The last time the northern season opener was delayed due to quality occurred with the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons and both those seasons started on Jan. 15,” said Christy Juhasz, CDFW Environmental Scientist. There were also two areas in the north that were under a health advisory issued by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) due to domoic acid since the recreational fishery season opened on Nov. 4. These were lifted last month by CDPH after continual sampling of Dungeness crabs by CDPH showed the amount of domoic acid had declined to low or undetectable levels. Recreational crabbing remains open in California statewide. For more information on Dungeness crab, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/crab.

Abalone meeting this Saturday
Recreational Abalone Advisory Committee (RAAC) will be holding a meeting on Saturday, January 13 regarding the Red abalone management plan along with the 2018 closure. The meeting will be held at the Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control boardroom, 595 Helman Lane, Cotati, CA from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. To conference call in, call 888-808-6929. When prompted, enter the Meeting Access Code: 9961539#
For more information, contact Ian Taniguchi, Senior Environmental Scientist at 562-342-7182 or email ian.taniguchi@wildlife.ca.gov

The Rivers:
Chetco River
“The Chetco has been in good shape since Saturday, with decent numbers of steelhead spread throughout the river,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “It blew out on Friday with muddy water from this summer’s fire, but had great color and flows since. There are quite a few hatchery fish. My customers were able to get their two-fish limits on Sunday and a couple more on Monday. The Chetco’s flow gauge had been malfunctioning, but was repaired early Tuesday afternoon. The river is expected to rise late this week but should remain fishable if flows stay below 3,000 cfs. The predication is around 2,900 cfs on Friday.”

Smith River
The Smith fished well over the weekend, and Monday too, but it’s gotten a little tougher the last couple days reports Mike Coopman of Mike Coopman’s Guide Service. “The rise we had earlier in the week definitely brought in some fish, we’ve been seeing them in the tail outs, but the bite has been tough. The water got a little color, but it’s still pretty clear. The next rise, which is looking like Thursday and Friday, should bring in a bunch more fish and add some more color to the water. It should be a good weekend,” Coopman added.

Eel River (main stem)
The main stem was fishable up until Tuesday, but it’s high and off color as of Wednesday reports Paul Grundman of Rio Dell’s Grundmans Sporting Goods. “Quite a few boats were out over the weekend, and there’s definitely some fish around. The river has peaked and is dropping, and it could fish later in the weekend or by Monday,” said Grundman.

Eel River (South Fork)
The South Fork opened back up to fishing earlier in the week, and was on the rise for a couple days. It finally peaked at just over 3,000 cfs on the Miranda gauge on Tuesday afternoon. It’s predicted to drop quickly, getting down to 500 cfs by Saturday afternoon. Darren Brown of Brown’s Sporting Goods in Garberville reports the river was dirty all the way to Piercy on Wednesday.

Van Duzen
According to Grundman, the Van Duzen is off color from the rain, but also on the drop. “My guess is it will be fishable above Yager Creek by the weekend,” added Grundman.

Mad River
The increased flows brought quite a few fish up the ladder on Tuesday reports Jens Hansen of Mad River Tackle in Arcata. He said, “Prior to the rain, the fishing was excellent, especially on Saturday. Some of the bankies who know what they’re doing reported up to 10 hookups. Flows peaked at 1,700 cfs on Tuesday and it looks like a bunch of fish came into the river. The river was just starting to turn on Wednesday, and should be somewhat green by Thursday or Friday. The river should be in great shape by the weekend and the fishing should be excellent.”

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

Coming off one of the driest December’s in history, we really have nowhere to go but up as far as rainfall totals go. Eureka checked in with a measly 1.94 inches of rain for December, well below the 8.12-inch average. But there is a change on the horizon as the forecast is finally calling for some well-needed rain. The lack of rain has made it tough on the winter steelhead anglers, where options have been few. Other than the Smith and main stem Eel, all of the other coastal rivers that are subjected to low flow regulations have been closed for at least a week. The rain in the forecast should open some of the rivers back up to fishing, while others could remain closed. Could this be the start to our rainy season? No one really knows, including the weather forecasters. When you hear  the phrases, “models are in disagreement,” and “uncertainty in the models,” it doesn’t exactly ooze confidence that we’re back to our normal, wet pattern. But you have to start somewhere.

The weather ahead
We should see a shift towards more wet weather, with several days of rain in the forecast according to Kathleen Lewis of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “Beginning on Thursday and into Friday evening, we should see a few fronts move through. Rainfall totals in the Smith basin over the two-day period will be between a half and an inch, with more falling in the hills. The same totals can be expected in the Humboldt area. Saturday is calling for a chance of some very light rain. Sunday and Monday are looking mostly dry with the next system forecasted for some time on Tuesday. The models on this system aren’t aligned yet, but it’s looking like we’ll get up to an inch of rain in both Del Norte and Humboldt counties, with more falling in the hills,” added Lewis.

Razor Clamming remains closed
A reminder for clam diggers, the recreational take and possession of razor clams is still prohibited on Humboldt and Del Norte county beaches. The razor clam season has been closed in Del Norte and Humboldt counties since April 26, 2016 because of high levels of domoic acid in the clams. If the season opens in 2018, it will be between Mad River and south of the boundary line due west from the Clam Beach south parking lot trailhead. In Del Norte County, the beach south of Battery Point would be open. For more information, visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/fishing/ocean/health-advisories. Or you can call the Domoic Acid Fishery Closure Information Line at 831-649-2883.

Brookings rockfish opener
“The ocean opener for lingcod and rockfish out of Brookings was great,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “The lingcod bite has been wide-open. The season had been closed since mid-September because Oregon went over its rockfish allocation. Flat weather the first two days of January resulted in quick limits for all the charter boats out of Brookings. The Bird Island and Twin Rocks area fished well.”

Angling Report Cards due
Anglers who were issued report cards for steelhead, sturgeon, North Coast salmon, and abalone must report their harvest or effort by Jan. 31, 2018. Anglers and divers may report online or mail their report cards to the address printed on the report card. To report online, please visit www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales/customersearch/begin

Andrew and Anthony Zinselmeir of McKinleyville hold a pair of hatchery half-pounder steelhead caught Dec. 28 on the Chetco River while fishing with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. The Chetco has had big numbers of half-pounders this season. Photo courtesy of Andy Martin/Wild Rivers Fishing

The Rivers:
Chetco River
“We’ve been needing rain and it looks like we are going to get a decent amount this week,” said Martin. “There are steelhead spread throughout the Chetco, but fishing has been tough in the low, clear water. Just about all the tail outs have a few fish, but they are spooked after the first boat goes by. The upper river is loaded with half-pounders.” The Chetco is predicted to peak at 3,250 cfs on Sunday morning.

Smith River
Fishing has been tough on the Smith due to low water conditions and lack of fish. Not many boats have been out, but that could change this weekend. Flows are predicted to jump 4,600 cfs by late Friday. This should bring in a new batch of fish, and push the old ones up river.

Redwood Creek
As of Wednesday afternoon, the river was closed to fishing due to low flows. If the forecast holds, it could open on Friday or Saturday. Minimum flow: 300 cfs at the gauging station near the Highway 101 bridge.

Eel River
Main Stem
There’s been a few boats working around the Rio Dell area and below, but not much is happening above reports Paul Grundman of Rio Dell’s Grundmans Sporting Goods. He said, “We’re supposed to get a shot of rain, and that will help. My guess is a lot of fish have come in with the king tides and are sitting down in the estuary waiting for the river to rise. If we don’t get a whole lot of rain, it could remain fishable and not blow out. It just depends on some of the creeks and how dirty they get.” As of Wednesday, flows were right around 600 cfs on the Scotia gauge, but predicted to hit nearly 1,900 cfs by Saturday afternoon.

South Fork
Remains closed to fishing, and isn’t predicted to rise enough to warrant opening over the weekend. Flowing at roughly 150 cfs as of Wednesday. Minimum flow: 340 cfs at the gauging station at Miranda.

Van Duzen
Flowing at around 65 cfs on Wednesday, the Van Duzen is also closed to fishing. If the rain falls as predicted, it could open by Friday as flows are predicted to jump to 1,100 cfs. Minimum flow: 150 cfs at the gauging station near Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park.

Mad River
Flowing at just under 200 cfs as of Wednesday, the Mad remains closed to fishing. If the rain comes as planned, it could open back up on Thursday as flows are predicted to jump to over 1,600 cfs on Friday. Word from the anglers who’ve been working with CDFW to supply broodstock fish to the hatchery is the river has quite a few fish in it. The rain should really put the fish on the move and bring in lots of new ones. Minimum flow: 200 cfs at the gauging station at the Highway 299 bridge.

Trinity
The Trinity is low and clear and could use some rain,” said Steve Huber of Steve Huber’s Guide Service. “There’s some steelhead around, but they’re mostly hanging out waiting to head up the creeks. These are the fish that have been in the system for a while. The winter fish haven’t started to move through the Klamath yet in big numbers, it will take some rain to bring them up. Fishing pressure was heavy over the holidays, but has slowed since. Anglers are getting between one to three chances per day.”

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