fishingthenorthcoast

California Halibut Derby on Humboldt Bay this Saturday, July 19

The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association (NCGASA.org) will be holding the first annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 19. The fishing event will be held within the waters of Humboldt Bay and is a Slot Size Derby. Fishing times are from 5:30am to 2:30pm. Check-ins, Weigh-ins and Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive at the East-I Lot Grass Area. Weigh-ins from 2:30-3:30pm. Must be in line with your fish by 3:30pm in order to qualify. A slot size measurement will be drawn at the Eureka Public Launching Facility (between Englund Marine and the Vista Del Mar on Eureka Waterfront Trail 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 RMI Outdoors gift cards. All Youths registered in the Derby will receive a rod and reel combo!

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.

Other Prizes from our Partners, Sponsors

• Fishing Trips with Sea Hawk Sportfishing, F/V Wind Rose Charters, Crescent City Fishing with Steve Huber, and Alan Borges Guide Service

• Fishing Tackle & Gear from P-Line Fishing, Pacific Outfitters, Englund Marine, RMI Outdoors, Grundman’s Sporting Goods, Reel Steel Sportfishing, Bigfoot Bait Co, B2-Squid Co and more!

• $50 and $100 Gift Certificates from Leon’s Care Care, Six Rivers Brewery, Arcata Pizza Deli, The Mill Yard and more!

Winners will be announced at event. Find details about the other prizes on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Raffle Tickets for Purchase at Check In

Win donated raffle prizes at the event by purchasing ticket strips! You can purchase raffle tickets at the check in station at the event.

$20 = 5 raffle tickets

Fill out your full name on the back of the tickets and insert tickets into a drum or bucket. Tickets will be drawn at the event.

Contact Nor-Cal Guides Board of Directors Kenny Priest for more information, how to donate products or to sponsor the event. Email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com or call or text (707) 496-8671

California Halibut Derby Rules

You must be a CURRENT NCGASA MEMBER to PARTICIPATE in this Derby PAYOUTS AND PRIZES ARE BASED ON 70 minimum ADULT ENTRANTS.

FISHING HOURS: JULY 19 from 5:30 am to 2:30 pm • WEIGH-INS from 2:30pm to 3:30pm
RAFFLE PRIZES and AWARDS START AFTER LAST WEIGH IN
WHERE: Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive East-I Lot/Grass Area
The boundaries of the 2025 California Halibut Derby are: All California halibut must be caught in the waters of Humboldt Bay

All entrants must be entered by Friday, July 18th by midnight. Derby event date is July 19 starting at 5:30 am and closing at 5:30 pm. Sign up and register at ncgasa.org/product/california-halibut-derby/. Registration fees will cover the entry into the event including annual 2025 annual membership to NCGASA. Current members will receive $20 in raffle tickets at event check in. There is a Youth division for 13 years old and under. Entrants closest to the slot size will win. There will be three winners for adult and youth. Derby fees are listed on website.
Payouts will be as follows for CALIFORNIA HALIBUT ONLY. 1st place $500, 2nd place $300, 3rd place $150. Youth payout: 1st place $100, 2nd place $75, 3rd place $50. All adult payments will be a written check from NCGASA. Youth will receive Gift Cards. Prizes based on 70 minimum adult entrants and subject to change.
The Derby will officially draw the slot size July 19 at approx. 5:00 am LIVE on FACEBOOK. The NCGASA Board will have a qualifier of 3” over and under from the target size. Fish that fall within the slot size will be measured to the 1/16” up to 3” from target and weighed. (Example: 27” TARGET = qualifier 24” to 31”). The closest entrant to the slot size wins. Entrants can ONLY ENTER ONE FISH for the main slot category.
“Big Fish” 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.
Measuring device and scale will be provided by the NCGASA Board of Directors and used for all the same fish. Upon an exact tie in length, with 2 Board of Directors confirming a tie, the winner will be decided by weight. All fish within 3” of the target length will be weighed. Biggest weight would take 1st and losing entrant takes 2nd. Upon a 3rd place tie, we will take the same direction. All disputes will be solved by NCGASA Board of Directors present at event.
A Slot Length of a fish is measured from the tip of nose, closed mouth to the CENTER of the tail. Measure your fish from the tip of nose to the center of a fanned-out tail. The tail should be fanned opened and it will be measured to its longest point in the center of the tail, not the tip of the tail.
All people on a vessel must be registered for the Derby if one is participating. For example: If there are four people in a boat, they all must be registered in the Derby. 2-3 people CANNOT fish as a team for one person. Any cheating on this will be a forfeiture of all monies paid for entrants on that vessel. Only exception is licensed guides do not have to be entered. Any licensed guide entered in the Derby must be a current member of NCGASA to avoid paying derby entry fee.
The boundaries of the 2025 California Halibut Derby are all waters within Humboldt Bay. All derby waters are off-limits at Friday, July 18 at Sunset until 5:30 am when you can launch your boat on Saturday, July 19. You are not allowed to be on the water before 5:30 am on Derby event day. If anyone sees you on the water before 5:30 am, besides getting ready to launch at the dock, you are automatically disqualified. Fishing event hours are ONLY from 5:30 am to 2:30 pm on event day.
All entrants must be in line for weigh-in before 3:30 pm. One minute late is an automatic disqualification. Weigh-in takes place at Woodley Island in Eureka at East I lot and weigh-in starts at 2:30pm and finishes by 3:30 pm. All awards and raffle will start after weigh-in is complete.
All derby monies and proceeds go to help fight to save our fisheries and wildlife in Northern, CA. NCGASA is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization, and all donations are 100% tax write off. Tax ID # 680294956
All entrants and people helping with derby understand the risks involved with fishing and boating on Humboldt Bay and are required to follow all CA Department of boating and waterways procedures and California Department of Fish and Wildlife rules. All entrants must carry all boating safety equipment on their own vessels per CDFW. All Derby fish must be taken to the Woodley Island for weigh-in and measuring location between 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. Winners will be reported to local police and investigated upon any form of foul play or cheating determined by the NCGASA Board of Directors. By registering online, all Derby participants understand and are responsible for all the risks to participate in this event.
All entrants must follow all local, state, and federal laws in this Derby. All CDFW laws are required to be followed. All fish must be caught in the mouth and landed legally by hand or net. You may use any legal technique to fish for California Halibut.
NCGASA reserves the right to deploy emergency rule changes if deemed necessary by the NCGASA Board of Directors. Please make sure that you check the NCGASA Facebook and Instagram account before the start of the derby or any changes to the rules will be announced at that time.

Questions: ncgasa530@gmail.com Kenny (707) 496-8671 or Tracy (707) 496-2948

Finally, Calm Seas Ahead

Keith Daniels, right, along with grandson Brian landed this nice Pacific halibut Wednesday while fishing out of Eureka aboard the Sea Weasel II. Photo courtesy of Gary Blasi/Full Throttle Sport Fishing

After a full week of sitting on the sidelines watching the wind blow, the Eureka fleet finally got untied Wednesday. And it looks there’s some really nice weather on the horizon too. Friday looks good, though Saturday is looking a little lumpy. Sunday and into next week are looking nice and calm. As for fishing, the few boats that went out Wednesday found some hungry Pacific halibut. I’d expect to see scores go up over the next few days. The other ports are finally getting in on the action. A few were finally caught out of Shelter Cove and Crescent City this week. Along with Pacific’s showing signs of life, both those ports also saw an uptick in the California halibut catch rate. With the nice weather, the Eureka boats will be able to get down to Cape Mendocino to enjoy some of the wide-open rockfish action that’s happening up and down the coast. The fishing is definitely looking up; all we needed was some nice weather.

Marine Forecast
After a weeklong stretch of rough seas and wind, we’re finally getting a break. As of Thursday, Friday’s forecast is calling for north winds up to 5 knots and waves north 1 foot at four seconds and northwest 5 feet at nine seconds. Saturday, the winds will increase slightly, coming from the north 10 to 15 knots with northwest waves 5 feet at nine seconds. Sunday, winds will be out of the north 5 to 10 knots with waves out of the northwest 4 feet at seven 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 2025 sport Dungeness crab season in Humboldt, Mendocino and Del Norte counties will close 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 first annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 19. The fishing event will be held within the waters of Humboldt Bay. Check-ins, Weigh-ins and Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive at the East-I Lot Grass Area.

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

Entry Fees for adults is $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/shop. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 18 at midnight. Derby information and rules can be found here.

The Oceans:
Eureka
It was a quiet week for the Eureka fleet, with boats tied up since the last week, reports Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “Some boats went out for halibut Wednesday and caught a few,” said Klassen. “We have some good weather coming up starting Thursday. Saturday looks a little iffy, but Sunday and next week are looking good at the moment.”

Shelter Cove
Rock fishing remains great, but the lingcod bite has gotten more inconsistent,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “The best rockfish action this week was in close right off the point. The Pacific halibut bite has started to show some signs of life as there were a few caught this week. Some California halibut are being caught as well.”

Crescent City
The California halibut bite has really picked up reports Will Moore of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “Boats trolling South Beach are doing well along with anglers fishing off the rock wall across from the launch,” said Moore. “The Pacific halibut bite is finally showing signs of life. I heard of a couple caught this week. And with better weather coming, we should see those numbers go up. The rockfish and lingcod bite are still excellent, with limits coming pretty easily The Sisters and right out front at the cans have both been very productive.”

Brookings
The ocean king season ended Tuesday, with the last few days producing surprisingly good fishing considering big swells and strong winds reports Andy Martin, of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Lots of kings were schooled up near the buoys, feeding on baitfish, said Martin. “Kings to 30 pounds were caught, with a mix of hatchery and wild salmon. Fishing remains open for hatchery coho salmon through most of August. Coho have been found in deeper water, three to five miles offshore. Halibut fishing has been fair. Lingcod fishing also is good. Sport crabbing has improved.”

Klamath River
The lower river is still really big, flowing at 4,370 cfs on the lower gauge. There are some steelhead around, including some hatchery fish. As the river drops, which is predicted, we should start to see more fish move into the system.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay is showing signs of life, with a dozen or more kings caught each day. “Fishing generally picks up considerably in August. Hot weather in the Rogue Valley has salmon held up in the bay. The incoming tide has been best. Mossy conditions have slowed the action at low tide.”

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.

Eureka Kicking Out Some Big Butts

John Lanz scored the biggest Pacific halibut of the season with this 91-pounder. It was caught on July 4th out of Trinidad fishing with Don Galusha. Photo courtesy of John Lanz

Anglers fishing out of Eureka enjoyed some of the best Pacific halibut fishing of the season this week. Not only was there a good volume of fish, there were some big ones in the mix. The leaderboard for Englund Marine’s big fish contest consists of 71, 75, and 88 pounders. Not to be outdone, Trinidad checked in with a 91-pounder over the fourth of July weekend.

Ocean conditions were excellent the last several days, and that played a big role in anglers success. Out of Eureka, boats have congregated around the 50-line in 250 to 270 feet of water. But halibut have also been caught south at the edge of the Eel River canyon and we’re starting to see more come out of Trinidad. But just as soon as we get on a roll, the wind machine fires back up. North winds are expected to reach near gale force through the weekend.

Weekend marine forecast
After a nice stretch of calm seas, the wind is forecast to pick up over the weekend. According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, “surface high pressure is forecast to re-build toward the Northwest California coast through Thursday. This will enhance the pressure gradient and once again strengthen the northerlies. Gale force winds and large steep waves are probable over the outer waters Thursday afternoon through Friday night. Gale force winds and/or very large steep waves will likely persist into at least Saturday for the northern outer waters. Closer to shore and across the inner waters, gale force gusts are probable around and downwind of Cape Mendocino and Pt St George.

As of Thursday afternoon, Friday’s forecast is calling for north winds 20 to 25 knots with gusts up to 45 knots. Waves will be from the north 9 feet at nine seconds. Saturday’s forecast is calling for north winds 15 to 20 knots with gusts up to 35 knots. North waves will be 9 feet at nine seconds and west 2 feet at 12 seconds. Winds will decrease slightly Sunday, blowing 10 to 15 knots from the northwest with waves northwest 7 feet at eight seconds and northwest 3 feet at 11 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

California Halibut Derby on Humboldt Bay coming July 19
The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association will be holding the first annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 19. 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.

Nathan Teasley of Rio Del with a monster California Halibut caught Tuesday out of Humboldt Bay. The big fish measured 43 inches.

Entry Fees for adults is $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/shop. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 18 at midnight. Derby information and rules can be found here.

Eel River Pikeminnow Fishing Derby now underway
After a successful Eel River Pikeminnow derby in 2024, CalTrout is back with another derby that started July 1 and will run through Aug. 31. The derby, which is put on with the help of CDFW, will offer $2,500 worth of prizes for:

Most pikeminnow greater than six inches
Most pikeminnow greater than 12 inches
Biggest fish (length)
Drawing for kids (under 18) that entered a pikeminnow in the contest.

Rules:
Contestants will follow all CDFW fishing regulations, including no bait, barbless artificial lures only.
Prohibited actions: Throwing fish on the bank or into the river, any blatant waste of fish.

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

Submit entries online using one email address. All entries for the “most pikeminnow” will be tallied by participant name. Photos from poor angles or of bad quality are subject to disqualification.
Mail in forms must be postmarked on or before September 3. Send a copy of your photo(s), minimum size 3”x5” each, along with completed entry form to: CalTrout 1380 9th St. Arcata, CA 95521
Individual contestants can win no more than one prize category. In the case of multiple wins, the largest prize amount will be awarded.
Cheating or falsification of entries will result in automatic disqualification.

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

Warning against consumption of Sport-Harvested Bivalve Shellfish from Del Norte County
In a press release issued July 3rd, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is advising consumers not to eat sport-harvested mussels, clams, scallops, or oysters from Del Norte County.

Statement:
“Dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins have been detected in mussels from Del Norte County. The naturally occurring PSP toxins can cause illness or death in humans. Cooking does not destroy the toxin.

This shellfish safety notification is in addition to the warnings against eating sport-harvested bivalve shellfish in Marin, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, and Orange counties due to marine biotoxins, and to the annual mussel quarantine. The annual quarantine prohibits the sport-harvest of mussels for human consumption and applies to all species of mussels harvested for human consumption along the California coast, as well as all bays and estuaries, and will continue through at least October 31. Additionally, there are razor clam advisories for Del Norte and Humboldt counties due to domoic acid.

This warning does not apply to commercially sold mussels, clams, scallops, and oysters from approved sources. State law permits only state-certified commercial shellfish harvesters or dealers to sell these products. Shellfish sold by certified harvesters and dealers are subject to frequent mandatory testing to monitor for toxins.”

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

The Oceans:
Eureka
“There is a little bit of a Pacific halibut bite going on right now,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “It’s not wide-open, but there are limits to be had. It’s about being at the right place at the right time. The tide change has been the key, with most of the bites coming just prior to high tide. Most of the action is coming just a little north of the entrance in 270 feet of water. But I’m sure there are fish in other places as well. Herring has been the bait of choice. The fish are ranging from 20 to 50-pounds, with the occasional bigger one. The wind is coming back up starting Thursday and looks to stick around through the weekend.”

Shelter Cove
“The rock fishing and lingcod got a little tougher this last week with the increased pressure over the holiday weekend,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “We still got limits every day, but really had to work for them. We fished all over from the whistle down to the Ranch House. We still have not caught a halibut, but there are a few California halibut being caught.”

Crescent City
“Both the rockfish and lingcod bite have been over the top, with limits coming easily,” said Chris Hegnes, of Crescent City’s Englund Marine.” The reefs along with the Sisters have been productive. The California halibut bite has improved, with five landed off the rock wall on Tuesday. The Pacific halibut bite remains non-existent; I haven’t heard of one caught yet. There hasn’t been much effort.”

Brookings
“Salmon fishing has shown signs of busting open out of Brookings, but every time there is a day or two of good fishing, strong winds return,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Wednesday was the best day so far this season, with numerous boats returning with multiple kings and hatchery coho. The best fishing has been in 140 to 300 feet of water. The fish are close to the surface. Windy weather returns for the weekend. Halibut fishing has been decent out of Brookings, while lingcod and rockfish action has been good. Surfperch continue to bite at beaches around Brookings.”

Michael Cowan with a hatchery king salmon caught Wednesday with Capt. Rye Phillips of Brookings Fishing Charters.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay has been slow, but typically improves by mid-July. “A handful of fish a day are being caught.”

Catch Limit Met – Salmon Season Won’t Reopen on the North Coast

David Gould, of St. Helena, with a nice Shelter Cove Chinook salmon landed during the June 7-8 season. CDFW determined the 7,000 quota has been met, which closes the remaining July and August dates for the North Coast. Photo courtesy of Jake Mitchell/Sea Hawk Sport Fishing

I think we all saw this coming. All you had to do was open up any social media platform and take a gander at the huge numbers of salmon flying over the rails or laying on the docks. From Bodega Bay all the way to San Luis Obispo, anglers experienced some of the best salmon fishing in recent memory. And it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that our season wasn’t going to last beyond the initial two-day season of June 7-8.

And on Monday, California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) made it official. Citing excellent ocean conditions up and down the coast, along with over 10,000 anglers, it’s easy to see why the 7,000 quota was gobbled up so quickly. The official estimate from CDFW was 9,165 Chinook salmon were harvested statewide. What this means for the North Coast is the remaining summer dates of July 5-6, July 31-August 3, and August 25-31 are canceled.

What’s next: The recreational ocean salmon fishery is set to reopen September 4-7 under a separate fall harvest guideline of 7,500 Chinook in waters between Point Reyes and Point Sur. If the harvest guideline isn’t reached, the season will continue September 29-30. If any fish remain after this date, the fishery will continue in waters between Pt. Reyes to Pigeon Point on October 1-5 and October 27-31.

Weekend marine forecast
Northerly winds will increase again and spread north on Friday and through the weekend. As of Thursday afternoon, Friday’s forecast is calling for north winds at 10 to 15 knots and waves northwest 4 feet at five seconds and west 3 feet at nine seconds. Saturday forecast is calling for north winds at 15 to 20 knots and waves north 5 feet at six seconds and south 2 feet at 10 seconds. Winds will be out of the north Sunday 10 to 15 knots with north waves 6 feet at seven seconds and northwest 2 feet at 10 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

July 5 is statewide free fishing day
On Saturday, July 5, people may fish California’s waters without a sport fishing license. All regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect. On Free Fishing Days, every angler must have the appropriate report card if they are fishing for steelhead, sturgeon, spiny lobster, or salmon in the Smith and Klamath-Trinity river systems. For more information visit, wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days

Eel River Pikeminnow Fishing Derby starts July 1
After a successful Eel River Pikeminnow derby in 2024, CalTrout is back with another derby that starts July 1. The derby, which is put on with the help of CDFW, will offer $2,500 worth of prizes for:

Most pikeminnow greater than six inches. (1st-$250, 2nd-$150, 3rd-$100)
Most pikeminnow greater than 12 inches. MUST include tape measure in photo. (1st-$500, 2nd-$350, 3rd-$250)
Biggest fish (length). MUST include tape measure in photo. (1st-$250, 2nd-$150, 3rd-$100)
Drawing for kids (under 18) that entered a pikeminnow in the contest. (8 winners – $50/each)

Submit entries online using one email address. All entries for the “most pikeminnow” will be tallied by participant name. Photos from poor angles or of bad quality are subject to disqualification.
Mail in forms must be postmarked on or before September 3. Send a copy of your photo(s), minimum size 3”x5” each, along with completed entry form to: CalTrout 1380 9th St. Arcata, CA 95521
Individual contestants can win no more than one prize category. In the case of multiple wins, the largest prize amount will be awarded.
Cheating or falsification of entries will result in automatic disqualification.

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

Eel River fish counts
As of May 18, 2025, the final counts for salmonids are: 361 steelhead (163 female, 117 male, 81 unknown adults, 42 subadults). 893 Chinook (320 female, 309 male, 94 unknown adults, 170 jacks). These counts don’t reflect the entire population; only the fish who travel over 150 miles to the fish ladder at Cape Horn Dam. Historic fish count numbers can be found here.

California halibut update
The CA halibut bite has been slow, but we’re starting to see an uptick according to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors. He said, “The wind and water clarity have been an issue. There is a lot of bait around, which is good. Most of the fish are being caught in the third channel.”

The California halibut bag and total possession limit is two in California waters north of Point Sur, Monterey County. The minimum size limit is 22 inches total length.

Entry Fees for adults is $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/shop. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 18 at midnight. Derby information and rules can be found here.

The Oceans:
Eureka
Conditions were up and down this week. According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, when the boats were able to make it out to the halibut grounds, the fishing has been really good. “There were quite a few limits reported,” said Klassen. “Most of the action has been straight out in 250 to 300 feet of water. Looks like the wind may keep the boats off the water this weekend.”

Shelter Cove
“It was pretty windy this week, but we made it out a few days and luckily we were able to get limits before the wind really kicked up,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “The rock fishing and lingcod fishing has been really good around the Old Man. We’re still getting boat limits of crab every day as well.”

Crescent City
“Not much has changed up here, the rockfish bite is still really good,” said Kevin Hooper of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “The Pacific halibut bite, however, is still non-existent. I haven’t heard of any caught so far this season. The California halibut has also been slow the last couple weeks. The redtail bite remains steady at Kellogg and South Beach.”

Brookings
Ocean salmon remains slow out of Brookings, with a few hatchery coho and plenty of wild silvers reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “There are good numbers of kings close to the harbor, which must be released, but chinook may be kept the first two weeks of July,” said Martin. “A few halibut are being caught, but effort has been light. Lingcod and rockfish action has been good, with sport crabbing also picking up. Surfperch action has been very good.”

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, salmon fishing has slowed to very few fish being caught in the Rogue Bay, and a few late springers upriver. “Expect action to improve with the next heat wave inland.”

Eureka’s Pacific Halibut Bite Heating Up

Eureka resident Richard Moody landed this dandy halibut Tuesday while fishing aboard the Sea Weasel II out of Eureka. Photo courtesy of Gary Blasi/Full Throttle Sport Fishing

With the two-day salmon season now in the rearview, Eureka anglers have again set their sites on Pacific halibut. And that looks to be a good call. While the rest of the North Coast has been void of halibut catches, the Eureka fleet has had a pretty good run the last couple weeks. They aren’t flying over the rails quite yet like a couple years ago, but the catch rates have definitely improved over the last few weeks. After a pretty rough go for us on the salmon, it’s nice to have a go-to fishery that’s producing some solid action. It looks like the only obstacle to putting up some really good numbers is the weather. It’s been marginal at best, and that looks to continue through the weekend.

Weekend marine forecast
Ocean conditions look iffy for the upcoming weekend. As of Thursday afternoon, Friday’s forecast is calling for northwest winds 5 to 10 knots and waves northwest 6 feet at 11 seconds, along with a chance of rain. Saturday’s forecast is calling for northwest winds 5 to 10 knots and waves northwest 6 feet at nine seconds. The winds will be out of the north Sunday 10 to 15 knots, with northwest waves 6 feet at nine seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

July 5 is statewide free fishing day
On Saturday, July 5, people may fish California’s waters without a sport fishing license. All regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect. On Free Fishing Days, every angler must have the appropriate report card if they are fishing for steelhead, sturgeon, spiny lobster, or salmon in the Smith and Klamath-Trinity river systems. For more information visit, wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days

Freshwater Lagoon/Fish Lake trout plants
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website, Freshwater Lagoon was last planted with trout the week of June 1. Fish Lake also received a fresh batch of trout during the week of June 8. Both are open to fishing year-round and the limit is 5 trout per day and 10 in possession. For more information, visit https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FishPlants/Default.aspx?county=Humboldt&time or call (530) 225-2146.

Entry Fees for adults is $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/shop. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 18 at midnight. Derby information and rules can be found here.

The Oceans:
Eureka
The wind continues to keep the Eureka fleet tied up on most days. Conditions were good Tuesday, and there were lots of boats on the halibut grounds and quite a few went south to the Cape. Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing made the left turn and reported some good rockfish action at Cape Mendocino. “The fishing was good, but not great,” said Klassen. “We caught limits of rockfish, but it wasn’t wide-open. The lings were a little tougher to get, we ended up with just half limits. There’s definitely a lot of feed down there right now, which could be slowing down the bite. I haven’t been halibut fishing in a while, but it sounds like the bite is pretty good for a few boats and quite a few limits were reported.”

Shelter Cove
Not much to report out of the Cove this week. Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing was only able to get out a few times due to the weather. “The rock fishing remains solid along with a very good lingcod bite,” said Mitchell. “Most of the action has been around the Old Man. The Pacific halibut bite remains slow.”

Crescent City
“We’ve had some really windy weather this week, so not a lot of boats have been getting out,” said Kevin Hooper of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “When they can get out, boats are finding a good rockfish bite. I haven’t heard of any Pacific or California halibut caught in the last week and a half. The redtail perch bite is really good at South and Kellogg Beach when the wind isn’t blowing.”

Brookings
Fishing for coho salmon has been fair out of Brookings, with large numbers of wild silvers and some hatchery fish being caught close to the surface in 220 to 300 feet of water,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Windy weather has limited the offshore opportunity, but nicer conditions are expected this weekend. Anglers trolling closer to shore are finding plenty of salmon, but they are nearly all kings, which cannot be kept until June 30. Fishing for halibut is fair on calm weather days. Lingcod and rockfish action has been good. Surfperch are still biting at most beaches around Brookings and Gold Beach. Commercial trollers have been switching gear to albacore, with several boats about to depart to search for tuna.”

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, salmon fishing is already picking up in the Rogue Bay, with a handful of kings caught every day this past week. “A mix of adults and jacks has anglers excited about the end of June and early July, when fishing begins to rapidly improve.”

Slow Salmon Fishing for North Coast Anglers

Two-day season provides a nice boost to local economy

Logan Floyd of Fortuna with a nice king salmon caught Sunday while fishing out of Eureka aboard the Warf Rat II. Photo courtesy of Eric Justesen/707 Sport Fishing

The weekend’s two-day salmon season came and went, and the fishing reports weren’t great from our neck of the woods. I’d best define it as inconsistent. Some limits of kings were reported, but there were plenty of low scores and skunks to go around. There weren’t any real hot spots that produced fish over the two days. Some boats landed on the fish, and did really well. And some trolled for two days with nothing to show for it. The same can be said for Shelter Cove, Trinidad, and Crescent City. The one constant was the number of coho salmon in the area. Just about every boat out reported catching quite a few, and unfortunately, not all were released, per the law.

While we sloshed around for two days hoping to get lucky, the Bay Area, from Bodega Bay south, experienced some of the best salmon fishing seen in many, many years. Or maybe ever. Party and private boats alike put a whooping on the kings out of every port all the way to San Luis Obispo. And there were some big fish in the mix. Plenty of 30-pounders were flying over the rails.

While our fishing may not have panned out like we had hoped, it sure was a nice shot in the arm for our local economy. Gear, bait, ice and fuel were all consumed at a ferocious pace. Not to mention the hotels and restaurants saw a nice uptick in business.

Whether or not this will be our only opportunity of the summer is in the hands of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. They will process the harvest data over the next two weeks to determine whether the statewide, 7,000 Chinook salmon summer harvest quota has been met. If it hasn’t been met, we’ll do this all over again July 5-6.

Weekend marine forecast
Rough seas are predicted for the weekend, but should improve by the first of next week. Saturday’s forecast is calling for north winds 15 to 20 knots and north waves 7 feet at seven seconds. The winds will decrease slightly Sunday, with waves from the north 6 feet at seven seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

California halibut bite remains slow
The California halibut bite hasn’t been great according to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors. He said, “The tides haven’t been great and the bay water temperatures are low. The good news is there is a lot of bait in the bay, so fishing should start to get better.”

Cal Poly Humboldt Fishery Dept. looking for tagged perch
If you catch a Silver Surfperch with a tag, Cal Poly Humboldt Fishery Dept. wants your data. Please report your catch to nsg27@humboldt.edu or call 707-826-3951 and collect your reward.

Entry Fees for adults is $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/shop. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 18 at midnight. Derby information and rules can be found here.

The Oceans:
Eureka
“The salmon fishing over the weekend was spotty,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “If you landed on em’ you got em’. We spent the two days mostly fishing straight out and south towards the canyon. There were a lot of silvers around and we only managed one king Saturday. The guys who were at the canyon caught a few, so we headed straight there Sunday. There weren’t many coho around and we managed three nice salmon. The halibut bite was good earlier in the week, some of the charters were catching limits.”

Trinidad
“The rockfish bite is still really good,” said Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “We’re having to move around a little, but we’re finding a pretty good variety along some nice blacks and blues. The Pacific halibut bite has been a grind. There’s been a few caught here and there, but overall, not much effort. The weather hasn’t been very good either. The crabbing is on the slow side, but we’re sending the customers home with a few each day.”

Shelter Cove
According to Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing, the salmon opener was very busy, but the fishing was very slow. “I’d guess there were under 50 fish caught each day between 70-80 boats,” said Mitchell. “The rock fishing remains really good. We got to fish Rodgers Break for a few days and it was quick limits for the most part. Pacific halibut bite has still been very slow.”

Crescent City
According to Kevin Hooper of Crescent City’s Englund Marine, salmon fishing over the weekend was mediocre at best. He said, “Some guys got em’, but there were a lot of skunks too. There wasn’t any real hot spot, the fish were kind of scattered. The rockfish bite has been really good around the Sisters and Pt. St. George Lighthouse area, but the ling bite has been a little slower. There’s been a few California Halibut caught off the rock wall at South Beach. The redtails are biting too, with Kellogg and South beach being the best spots.”

Brookings
“Hatchery coho salmon season opened over the weekend out of Brookings,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Large numbers of wild coho with a few hatchery fish mixed in were caught five to 10 miles out from the harbor. Plenty of kings also were caught, but they must be released until June 30. Halibut catches remain sparse, with a few fish a week coming in. Lingcod and rockfish action has been good.”

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, half a dozen salmon were caught in the Rogue Bay on Tuesday, with just a few boats fishing. “Hot weather inland has warmed river temperatures, forcing salmon to hold up in the bay instead of continuing upstream. Wild kings may now be kept in the Rogue Bay.”

With Much Excitement – Salmon season Opens Saturday

Following a two-year closure, salmon season will open Saturday for two days. Anglers are hoping for a couple salmon like the one pictured with Calvin Wagner of Boulder City, Nevada, who boated this nice king back when the season was open in 2022. Wagner was fishing out of Shelter Cove with Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. Photo courtesy of Jake Mitchell/Sea Hawk Sport Fishing.

After a two-year hiatus, the recreational ocean salmon fishery will open statewide for two days on June 7-8, 2025. Even though the ocean abundance of Sacramento and Klamath Chinook are well below average, there’s still a good chance to catch a king based on good return numbers of other Chinook stocks last fall. Taking into account the low Chinook abundance, CDFW will implement a statewide quota of 7,000 Chinook salmon for a series of potential short seasons scheduled between June and August. If the quota isn’t reached in the June 7-8 opening weekend, the summer season will reopen statewide July 5-6, July 31-August 3, and August 25-31, or until the harvest guideline is reached.

CDFW has hired field staff to monitor vessels returning to launch and dock sites to collect catch and effort information and coded wire tag data that is essential to managing California’s salmon fisheries. CDFW will be collecting heads from hatchery salmon, which contain coded wire tags that have information about the salmon’s hatchery of origin, release strategy, brood year, and run type. Anglers are required by law to relinquish the head of any adipose fin-clipped salmon upon request by a CDFW representative.

Here on the North Coast, expect every boat ramp to be plugged, and boats loaded with smiling anglers headed out Saturday morning. What will they find? No one really knows as the windy conditions have kept boats tied up and unable to do any advanced scouting. But no one really cares. After two consecutive years of salmon closures, we’re all just looking forward at the chance to catch and keep a salmon.

Important reminder:
When fishing for halibut, rockfish and salmon, or any combination of the three, the more restrictive gear and depth restrictions apply. When targeting salmon, or once salmon are aboard and in possession, anglers are limited to using barbless hooks when fishing for other species.
When targeting rockfish, cabezon, greenling and lingcod, or once any of these species are aboard and in possession, anglers are limited to fishing in waters shallower than 120 feet when fishing for other species.

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

Weekend Marine Forecast
Gale force winds have turned the ocean upside down, but that all looks to change Saturday for the salmon opener. Saturday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the west up to 5 knots and waves northwest 5 feet at 8 seconds. The forecast is a little better on Sunday, with winds coming out of the NW up to 5 knots and northwest waves 3 feet at eight seconds and 4 feet at 11 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

Humboldt Bay weekend tides
The tidal exchanges when boats will be headed out in the morning should be relatively low, which should make for safe bar conditions. Recreational anglers can provide bar reports on VHF channel 68 while the Coast Guard emergency channel is 16 on the VHF.

Saturday June 7: Low 4:36 a.m. (.31 ft.) and High: 11:19 a.m. (4.6 ft)
Low: 3:50 p.m. (2.8 ft.) and High 10:20 p.m. (7.1 ft.)

Sunday June 8: Low 5:15 a.m. (.18 ft.) and High: 12:12 p.m. (4.8 ft)
Low: 4:32 p.m. (3.1 ft.), High 10:54 p.m. (7.2 ft.)

Fish for free this weekend in Oregon
Oregon will be having a Free Fishing Weekend June 7 and 8. On those two days, no license, tag or endorsement is required to fish, crab or clam anywhere in Oregon. This applies only to waters already open to fishing, crabbing or clamming. All other regulations, such as bag limits, still apply. More information can be found here.

California Halibut Derby on Humboldt Bay coming July 19
The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association will be holding the first annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 19. The fishing event will be held within the waters of Humboldt Bay. Check-ins, Weigh-ins and Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive at the East-I Lot Grass Area.
This is a slot size derby, a measurement will be drawn in the morning before the derby and posted to the event’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Adult payouts will be $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place, and $150 for 3rd place. Youth Payouts – $100 for 1st place, $75 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd place. Youth payouts will be in the form of gift cards. All Youths registered in the Derby will receive a rod and reel combo! Raffle prizes will include fishing trips, rods and reels, fishing tackle and gear, merchandise and more.

Entry Fees for adults is $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/shop. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 18 at midnight. Derby information and rules can be found here.

The Oceans:
Eureka
Like every other port on the North Coast, there hasn’t been much activity out of Eureka because of the wind. “The Eureka fleet hasn’t been offshore all week,” said Skipper Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “The wind has been blowing and it’s just been too rough. Looking ahead to salmon, it looks like the wind will die down for the weekend. The last time we were on the water, the salmon signs looked pretty good. We were marking all kinds of bait, seeing some nice edges with birds, and seen salmon swimming on the surface. But all of that may be gone due to the wind. The good news is there’s lots of upwelling keeping the water temps cold. We’ll probably head straight out to 180 feet and see if there’s any fish. If not, we’ll head south to the canyon where there’s usually all kinds of life.”

Trinidad
We haven’t fished since last Sunday due to weather reports Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. He said, “The rockfish bite is really good, way better than last year. Same with the lingcod. And we’re not having to travel very far. There’s a lot of unknowns with the salmon opener Saturday. There was a lot of life out there before the last round of wind, but that could have changed. I imagine the water will be dirty, so I’d be looking for some cleaner water out in 30 to 40 fathoms,” added Wilson.

The Trinidad Harbor boat launch is offering a “Salmon Season Mooring Special” for $135. You can launch your boat on Friday and pick it up on Monday. There are limited spots available. To reserve your mooring, call or message 707-677-3625.

Shelter Cove
Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing reports he was only able to get out a couple days this week and they stayed pretty close to the buoys, but still managed to get limits of rockfish and lings pretty quickly. “The weather looks pretty good this weekend for the salmon opener,” said Mitchell. “So far, I haven’t seen hardly any salmon sign, but we did have some dirty water show up a couple days ago so hopefully something will show up. There will be lots of boats out trying so we should be able to find something.”

Crescent City
“It’s been windy all week, and nobody has really been out,” said Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “All signs are pointing to a good salmon opener. The water temps are good, and there’s lots of bait around. There are anchovies right on the beach. And a few salmon have been incidentally caught rock fishing. A good place to start would be between the Sisters and the South Reef in 30 fathoms. There’s been a few California halibut caught off the rocks at South Beach by guys tossing swimbaits.”

Brookings
Coho season opens Saturday out of Brookings reports Andy Martin, of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Fishing for kings has been slow, with anglers encountering coho while targeting chinook salmon,” said Martin. “Coho have also been seen by halibut anglers fishing deeper water the past two weeks. Coho season runs through late August. Two hatchery coho a day may be kept.
Halibut fishing is fair out of Brookings, with a few fish a day being caught when the weather is calm. Best action has been in 200 to 250 feet of water along the border, with combinations of herring and squid working best. Lingcod and rockfish action has been good.”

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue is now open to wild kings, but windy weather kept anglers off the water. “Expect a few boats trolling the bay this weekend with light winds expected. Late springers are being caught at first light upriver by plunkers, but low, clear water has made for slow fishing the rest of the day.

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

Pacific Halibut Bite Yet to Catch Fire

It’s been a slow start to the Pacific halibut season for most ports, but these anglers had no problem doubling up while fishing out of Trinidad aboard the *Norwegian Jewel.* Photo courtesy of Micah Woolworth/Lost Coast Sport Fishing

Up and down the North Coast, the story has been very similar. Where are the Pacific halibut, and when will the bite turn full tilt? To date, it’s been a slow start to the season, but certainly no need to panic. To be fair, the month of May has seen its share of wind and unfishable days, which has put a big dent in the effort. Other than Eureka, where the fishing has been “fair”, the other ports from Shelter Cove to Crescent City have yet get on the board. A couple were caught out of Trinidad this week, so maybe that will kickstart their season. But right on que, after a few days on the water this week, the wind machine will kick in Friday. We’re looking at gale force winds late Saturday and lasting through at least Tuesday. I sure hope it calms before the weekend, otherwise we’ll have a lot of unhappy salmon anglers.

Weekend marine forecast
After a beautiful day on the ocean Thursday, the wind is forecast to return in big way. Friday, winds will be from the north 10 to 15 knots and north waves 5 feet at six seconds and west 5 feet at 12 seconds. The winds will increase Saturday, coming from the north 15 to 20 knots with north swells six feet at seven seconds and west 3 feet at 11 seconds. Sunday looks worse, with north winds up to 35 knots possible. Waves will be out of the north 13 feet at 10 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

Ruth Lake Bass tournament coming June 7
Southern Trinity Area Rescue will be holding the annual “Paul Jadro Memorial Bass Tournament” on Saturday, June 7. Blast off will be at 5:45 a.m. or at first safe light, by draw. The one-day tournament event offers a first prize award of up to $1,000 with payout to 1 in 3 in addition to door prizes and sponsor products. The entry fee is $140 per team with a big fish buy in option of $10. The tournament is catch and release and all competitors must fish from boats that are required to have operational live wells on board. Life jackets are required. Check in at the Marina on Friday June 6 at 4:30-6 p.m. or Saturday 4:30 – 5:15 a.m. For more information, contact Lon Winburn at 707-499-2490.

Entry Fees for adults is $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/shop. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 18 at midnight. Derby information and rules can be found here.

The Oceans:
Eureka
According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, the Pacific halibut bite so far has been fair. “Some days have been better than others, there really isn’t a consistent bite yet,” said Klassen. The fish and the catching seem to be spread out. Fish are being caught from the 44-lin up to the 51. And there’s been fish caught down at the canyon as well. The rockfish bite at the Cape has been good, but we’ve only been down there a few days. The lingcod bite has been good, and there’s plenty variety of rockfish. The wind looks like it will return Friday, and the weekend doesn’t look good at all.”

Trinidad
“The rockfish bite has been pretty killer this past week and the weather has been beautiful,” said Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “We’re catching all kinds of different species, and there’s also quite a few lingcod around. We haven’t had to travel far to find the fish as we haven’t ventured past Flat Iron. The Pacific halibut bite hasn’t taken off yet, but there’s been a few caught straight out in 300 feet of water. There hasn’t been much effort as of yet. The crabbing hasn’t been great yet, but we’re catching some each trip.”

Shelter Cove
“Rock fishing is still going strong as well as the lingcod,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “It’s been fairly quick limits for both on most days. We were able to make it up to Rodgers Break a couple times. The Pacific halibut bite has been almost nonexistent so far, we finally had some decent weather to try for them Sunday but there were zero hookups reported between the half dozen boats that tried.”

Crescent City
The rock fishing is still going strong out of Crescent City reports Will Moore, of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. He said, “The rockfish bite has been excellent at the Sisters, the cans right out front, and up at the lighthouse. The lingcod bite however, is slower. Boats are catching a lot of undersized ones right now. A couple California halibut have been caught off the beach, so that’s a good sign. I have yet to hear of anyone catching a Pacific halibut yet. There have been a few salmon incidentally caught the last few days.”

Brookings
“Salmon fishing remains slow off the coast of Brookings, with just a few kings caught since the opener, and increasing numbers of coho, which can’t be kept until June 7,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “A few salmon were caught near the buoys this week, closer than the beginning of the season, when most were well offshore. A few Pacific halibut a day are being caught, while rockfish action has been good.”

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue is slow for late springers. “Wild salmon may be kept beginning June 1. Catch rates are still slow in the bay, but typically begin to improve in early June.”

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

Holiday Weekend Anglers Have a Plenty of Choices

Excellent ocean conditions are forecast for the holiday weekend, providing anglers with a great opportunity to catch a Pacific halibut. Pictured are a couple nice ones caught aboard the *Fishy Business* a couple weekends ago. Photo courtesy of Matt Dallam/Northwind Charters

For North Coast anglers, Memorial Day weekend provides an excellent opportunity to try your luck at a variety of fish species and locations. With plenty of options on the table, the biggest decision might not be if you want to go, but where. Here are a few of the options that will hopefully make your decision a little easier this holiday weekend:

Offshore for Pacific halibut and rockfish — The halibut bite is starting to show signs of life, with a few limits being reported the last couple days. Rockfish is always a good option if you have a means to get offshore. Cape Mendocino, Trinidad, and Crescent City are all kicking out a variety of tasty rockfish.

Jetties for rockfish and lingcod —When the windisn’t howling, the jetties have been providing excellent rockfish and lingcod action. Small swimbaits or scampi jigs are catching fish as well as herring fished under a float.

California halibut —If bank angling is your only option, check out Fairhaven Beach on the bay side of the Samoa Peninsula. Fishing is best a couple hours before and after high tide. Swimbaits attached to a ¾-ounce jig head is a good bait choice. If you have a boat, a few fish have been caught in the middle channel, with swimbaits working best.

Freshwater Lagoon trout —Planted regularly with catchable-sized trout, there should be ample opportunities for shore-based anglers as well as boat fishermen. An easy rig to fish is a Berkley PowerBait with an egg sinker.

Ruth Lake trout and bass —Nice weather and a family-friendly atmosphere make this a great spot for the weekend. Reportedly, the trout and bass bite are heating up.

Elk River redtail perch —If it’s perch you’re after and the ocean is too rough or not your thing, Elk River Beach is a great spot to target redtails. Two hours prior to high tide and an hour after typically are the optimal times. Shrimp, clams, swimbaits and sand crabs all work.

Trinidad Harbor rockfish —A great option for rockfish and crab. Launching a small boat or kayak from the beach is fairly easy in good conditions. Typically getting an early start is best before the afternoon wind kicks in.

Dungeness Crab —Anglers dropping pots outside of the bay entrance are still catching a few Dungeness crab when the weather cooperates, though there hasn’t been a ton of effort. If it’s too rough, there’s some good locations inside Humboldt Bay. Out in front of the PG&E plant is a good spot as well as the flat off the South Jetty parking lot. Another top location is either side of the channel leading into the South Bay.

North Coast rivers —Many of the local rivers will re-open to fishing beginning Saturday, May 24. Rivers that will open include sections of the main Eel (South Fork to Cape Horn Dam), South Fork Eel (South Fork Eel River from mouth to Rattlesnake Creek) Van Duzen, Mad, Little River, Mattole and Smith. Be sure to check the regulations prior to fishing.
Fisheries currently closed: Red Abalone, Mussels, Razor Clams (both Humboldt and Del Norte Counties), Ocean and River Chinook fishing. Ocean salmon will be open June 7-8.

Weekend marine forecast
After a couple weeks of strong winds, we’re finally getting a break just in time for the holiday weekend. Friday, winds will be out of the north 10 to 15 knots with north waves 4 feet at five seconds and west 3 feet at nine seconds. Saturday is looking better, with north winds 5 to 10 knots and northwest waves 4 feet at six seconds and southwest 2 feet at eight seconds. Sunday, the wind will be out of the northwest up to 5 knots with north waves 2 feet at four seconds and northwest 4 feet at 12 seconds. Monday is looking good as well, with north winds 5 to 10 knots forecast along with west waves 5 feet 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.

Ruth Lake Bass tournament coming June 7
Southern Trinity Area Rescue will be holding the annual “Paul Jadro Memorial Bass Tournament” on Saturday, June 7. Blast off will be at 5:45 a.m. or at first safe light, by draw. The one-day tournament event offers a first prize award of up to $1,000 with payout to 1 in 3 in addition to door prizes and sponsor products. The entry fee is $140 per team with a big fish buy in option of $10. The tournament is catch and release and all competitors must fish from boats that are required to have operational live wells on board. Life jackets are required. Check in at the Marina on Friday June 6 at 4:30-6 p.m. or Saturday 4:30 – 5:15 a.m. For more information, contact Lon Winburn at 707-499-2490.

Entry Fees for adults is $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/shop. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 18 at midnight. Derby information and rules can be found here.

The Oceans:
Eureka
The Pacific halibut bite has been hit and miss so far, but there are some fish around,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “There’s been some limits, and some skunks. Without a hole lot of time on the water, it’s hard to tell if the fish are concentrated or not. They could be out in deeper water. Most of the boats are fishing between 270 and 300 feet of water between the 48 and 50 lines. The Cape rockfish bite has been good the few times we’ve made it down. Monday, we hit Blunts Reef and the rock fishing was excellent. We caught a wide variety along with some really nice lingcod.”

Trinidad
Ocean conditions are looking good for the holiday weekend out of Trinidad. It looks like small boats and kayakers will have a window of opportunity to launch off the beach to target rockfish and crab. The boat launch is scheduled to open sometime in June. For updates and current information, you can call the bait shop at 677-3625.

Shelter Cove
“The rockfish and lingcod bite has been great all week,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “We’ve been able to sneak out and get limits every day before the wind really gets on us. The weather has kept us pretty close to port, so most effort has been from the whistle down to White Rock. We haven’t had the weather to try for halibut yet. Sunday and Monday are looking good, but we’ll see how that turns out.”

Crescent City
The rockfish bite has been excellent, but the ling cod fishing has been slow reports Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. He said, “When the boats can get out, the Sisters has been decent for rockfish. To the north, Star and Long Rock have been good as well as the lighthouse. There hasn’t been much effort at all for halibut yet, I don’t think any have been caught so far.”

Brookings
Ocean salmon has been slow out of Brookings, which is normally the case in mid-May,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “A few kings have been caught in 200 to 250 feet of water, around 100 feet down. Some coho also have been caught, but they can’t be kept until early June. Halibut fishing has improved, mainly off of Thomas Creek Bridge. Lingcod and rockfish action is good.”

Eric Howard, a deckhand for Brookings Fishing Charters, holds a king salmon caught by Chris Nolan while trolling an anchovy behind a Fish Flash aboard the Miss Brooke on May 20. Photo courtesy of Brookings Fishing Charters

River openings
Sections of the main Eel (South Fork to Cape Horn Dam), South Fork Eel (South Fork Eel River from mouth to Rattlesnake Creek) Van Duzen, Mad, Little River, Mattole and Smith will re-open on Saturday, May 24. On most rivers, only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used. Click here for a complete list of CA river openings and regulations. The Chetco opened to trout fishing Thursday.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue is slow for spring salmon, with better action near Shady Cove and Gold Hill. More boats are trolling the bay, but catches are few and far between. Wild salmon can be kept beginning June 1.

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.

Pacific Halibut Season Off to Sluggish Start

Happy anglers hold a 38-pound Pacific halibut caught Friday off of Eureka while fishing aboard the *Seaweasel II*. Photo courtesy of Gary Blasi, Full Throttle Sport Fishing.

Lack of effort, ocean conditions, or lack of fish, whatever the reason may be, it’s contributing to another slow start to the Pacific halibut season, eerie similar to last year. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s a combination of the first two. Since the season opened on May 1, there’s been just a few days which boats were able to get far enough offshore to where the halibut live. And it’s not just Eureka, anglers from Shelter Cove up to Crescent City have been dealing with similar conditions, which has led to limited success. Hopefully this trend won’t continue too long. An you can bet once we get a steady dose of flat water, the boats will hone in on the fish and we’ll begin to see some big bites taken out of the quota. To keep an eye on the in-season Pacific halibut catch rate, visit https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking.

Marine Forecast
According to the Eureka’s National Weather Service, north winds will generally peak Thursday afternoon with weak gale force gusts in the southern waters. “Conditions will slightly calm Friday with gusts in the northern waters dropping below 20 knots, but reaming higher in the south. Strong north winds and some marginal gale force conditions will return by Saturday afternoon and through the end of the weekend.” As of Thursday, Friday’s forecast is calling for north winds 5 to 10 knots with waves north 4 feet at five seconds and northwest 3 feet at 11 seconds. Saturday, the winds will be out of the northwest 10 to 15 knots and waves will be out of the northwest 4 feet at five seconds and west 5 feet at 11 seconds. Sunday, winds will come from the north 15 to 20 knots with waves out of the north 7 feet at seven seconds and west 3 feet at 10 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit https://www.weather.gov/eka/ or https://www.windy.com/. You can also call the National Weather Service at 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at 443-6484.

Kids free fishing derbies this Saturday
On Saturday, May 17, 2025 all kids 15 years old and younger are invited to the Ruth Lake Marina for the Kids Free Fishing Derby. The event will be from 8 a.m. until noon. Kids must bring their own fishing poles and must be accompanied by an adult. There will be a hot dog feed at 11:30. For more information, call the Ruth Lake Community Services District at 707-574-6332 or visit https://www.ruthlakecsd.org/local-events/

On Saturday, May 17, 2025, all kids age 4 to 15 are invited to the Carrville Dredger Pond for the 51st annual Trinity Lake Lions Fish Derby. The pond is located five miles north of the Trinity Center. Registration is from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. The fishing derby will last until 11 a.m. Free fishing tackle will be provided to the first 100 kids registered. Kids must bring their own fishing poles, and only bait will be allowed. Prizes will be awarded in many categories, along with a grand prize. Free hot dogs, chips and drinks for everyone. For more information, call Scott at 408-401-8333.

Klamath basin and Central Valley river season updates
In the May 14 California Fish and Game Commission meeting, Commissioners voted unanimously to again enact a full closure of California’s recreational salmon fishing season in the Klamath River Basin through its annual process for adjusting seasons and bag limits. The Commission also voted to close the springer fishery in the Klamath and Trinity rivers. More information can be found here.

For the Central Valley rivers, there will be some Chinook retention opportunities. The main stem Sacramento will remain closed in 2025, while the Feather, American, and Mokelumne will have sections open for nearly a full season. The proposed bag and possession limit will be one Chinook Salmon. More information can be found here.

The regulations are expected to take effect no later than July 1, 2025, following approval by the Office of Administrative Law.

The Oceans:
Eureka
Wind and rough ocean conditions continue to be the story out of Eureka as boats haven’t been on the water since last weekend. “The water has been pretty dirty, and it’s not a hot halibut bite right now,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “There were a few halibut caught last Friday and Saturday by a few boats, but it’s not red hot. Hopefully we’ll be able to get out Friday, and then it looks like the wind will return over the weekend.”

Trinidad
Ocean conditions have kept small boats and kayaks from launching this week. Friday looks doable, but more wind will return by the weekend. The boat launch is scheduled to open sometime around the first of June. For updates and current information, you can call the bait shop at 677-3625.

Shelter Cove
“Rock Fishing was pretty decent all of last week, but the wind made it pretty tough last couple days,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “The lingcod bite was very good as well. Most of our effort was from the whistle down to the Old Man. I haven’t spent much time for halibut, and I’ve heard of one caught so far. Looks like the wind may keep us of the water for a couple days.”

Crescent City
Wind and rough seas have kept most boats off the water this week. The bigger boats on most days have been able to get out in the morning for quick limits of rockfish and some lings. Most of the action has been to the north due to conditions. Conditions don’t look favorable for the coming weekend either.

Brookings
“Halibut fishing is still slow out of Brookings, but a few nice fish were landed over the weekend,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Lingcod and rockfish action is good, while sport crabbing has improved. Ocean salmon opens Friday out of Brookings. Late-arriving Rogue springers are the primary target, with the best success typically near Mack Arch trolling 50 to 100 feet down over 200 feet of water.”

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, a few spring salmon are still being caught on the lower Rogue, but catch rates have dropped significantly with just a handful of fish a day landed. “Fishing has improved near Shady Cove, where drift boat anglers are back-bouncing roe and running MagLip plugs. Some guides are limiting out.”