A short weather window off the North Coast has piqued the interest of local tuna anglers. With the closure of Pacific halibut, salmon, and now nearshore rockfish, we’re slowly running out of fish to target. So, excuse us if we’re a little more excited than usual when the tuna conditions align. The water sitting off Eureka is a little further out than one would like, but I’d bet some will give it a go starting Friday. As of Tuesday, it was roughly 50 miles to the edge. Fort Bragg looks to be one of the better options, with the warm water sitting 30 to 35 miles straight west. Crescent City and Brookings are also looking at longer runs, with the water sitting roughly 50 miles offshore. Conditions in Coos Bay are also aligning. As of Wednesday, you’re looking at about 45 miles to the break. With the number of angling options running thin, expect plenty of boats from all ports along the coast to be out in force chasing albacore as well as bluefin tuna this weekend.
Weekend marine forecast
Relatively calm conditions are forecast starting Friday and through the weekend. From Pt. St. George to Cape Mendocino out 10 to 60 nautical miles, Friday’s forecast is calling for winds 5 to 10 knots out of the west and northwest waves 3 feet at seven seconds and south 2 feet at 14 seconds. Saturday is calling for north winds 5 to 10 knots and waves out of the northwest 3 feet at seven seconds and south 2 feet at 15 seconds. Sunday’s forecast looks a little better, with winds out of the north 5 to 10 knots and waves northwest 3 feet at eight seconds and south 2 feet at 15 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.
Nearshore Groundfish Fisheries to close in Mendocino, San Francisco and Central Management Areas
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Monday that as of 12:01 a.m. Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, the 50-fathom Rockfish Conservation Area boundary line will take effect for the following areas.
Mendocino Groundfish Management Area (GMA) – Cape Mendocino to Point Arena
San Francisco GMA – Point Arena to Pigeon Point
Central GMA – Pigeon Point to Point Conception
In these management areas, recreational boat-based groundfish fishing will be ‘offshore only’ and allowed only seaward of the 50-fathom boundary line, defined by straight lines connecting waypoints (50 CFR Part 660, Subpart G). Shelf rockfish, slope rockfish and lingcod may be taken seaward of the 50-fathom boundary line, while it will be unlawful to take or possess nearshore rockfish, cabezon or greenlings at any depth.
In the Southern Management area from Pt. Conception to the U.S.-Mexico border, these same rules will take effect as originally planned on Sept. 16.
The press release states that “during the ‘offshore only’ fishery, fishing gear shall not be deployed shoreward of the 50-fathom RCA boundary line when shelf rockfish, slope rockfish or lingcod are possessed onboard the vessel, however vessels may transit shoreward of the 50-fathom RCA boundary line with these species in possession if no gear is deployed. Additionally, vessels fishing in the adjacent Southern GMA and transiting back to the Central GMA must adhere to the ‘offshore only’ provisions effective in the Central GMA and shall not return with nearshore species aboard. These changes do not apply to shore-based anglers or divers.”
“CDFW is carefully monitoring the harvest of quillback rockfish from both the recreational and commercial fisheries throughout the state and has taken a series of steps in an effort to reduce quillback rockfish mortality. On Aug. 7, retention of quillback rockfish was prohibited statewide, followed by closure of the recreational nearshore fishery in the Northern GMA, on Aug. 21. Newly available recreational data from the Mendocino, San Francisco and Central GMAs for the second week of August showed double the estimated recreational take and indicated the 2023 quillback rockfish harvest limit specified in federal regulations has been exceeded. This additional in-season action authorized by Title 14, Section 27.20 (e) to adjust the fishing depth is necessary to prevent further overage.”
“CDFW urges anglers to use best fishing practices to reduce impacts to quillback rockfish and other prohibited groundfish species. These include reducing mortality when releasing fish by utilizing a descending device and relocating to different fishing grounds or switching targets if quillback rockfish or other prohibited species are encountered. CDFW recommends reviewing the Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations page before each trip to ensure anglers are up to date on the most recent groundfish regulations, including a complete list of authorized species.”
For more information regarding the quillback population estimates and how these changes were developed, please see CDFW’s Quillback Rockfish In-Season Informational Briefing. For information on all groundfish regulations visit CDFW’s Marine Region Groundfish page.
The Oceans:
Eureka
According to Tim Klassen, of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, the tuna water is still a ways offshore. “It looks like it pushed out a bit since late last week,” said Klassen. “As of Tuesday, it was sitting about 52 miles from Eureka to the good edge off of Cape Mendocino. Ocean conditions look good for Friday and Saturday, so I’m sure there will be some boats that make the run.”
Shelter Cove
According to Jake Mitchell, of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing, boats were able to target tuna last Sunday through Thursday. He said, “Boats fished straight out 30 miles and scores ranged from 10 to 30 fish per boat. The good weather allowed us to make it up to Rodgers Break a few days for rockfish. The rockfish bit really well and even the lingcod fishing was great.”
Brookings
“Nice weather conditions could allow boats to get out for tuna Friday and Saturday, but the best water appears to be 50 miles from the harbor toward Gold Beach,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Halibut fishing remains good in 180 to 220 feet of water, with herring and squid combos working best. Rockfish action is solid and lingcod action is fair, but better the further north boats travel. California halibut are biting at Crissy Field and Sporthaven Beach.”
The Rivers
Lower Klamath
Flows on the lower Klamath are peaking Wednesday following the releases from Lewiston last Friday. As of Wednesday, flows were 5,220 cfs and leveling off. Reportedly, there is muddy water headed downriver from the Happy Camp area from the flash floods over the weekend. When that hits, it will be a few days before the river will be fishable again.
Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay is fishing well, but is crowded. “Sunday had one of the best bites of the year, with the majority of boats getting multiple fish. Be prepared for fishing in close quarters. Action has been spotty on the Coos and Umpqua.”
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
Fishing the North Coast with Kenny Priest 