Author: fishingthenorthcoast

It’s been awhile since the North Coast has played second fiddle to other parts of the state when it comes to sport salmon fishing, but that’s the reality right now. Unlike the ports to our south, who are enjoying some of the best salmon fishing that anyone can remember, the large concentrations of keeper-size salmon have yet to move into the Eureka/Trinidad area. That’s not to say if you went trolling tomorrow you’d be bored, you’d just likely come home with lots of empty bait trays and maybe a keeper or two. The amount of undersized kings and silvers around right now is exciting for the future – and also a little bit of a nuisance. “There’s lots of areas of shakers, especially offshore,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “The areas that have some of the bigger fish are really small and scattered, if you find one you’ve got to grind away at it. As of Tuesday, there was a better chance for an occasional bigger fish to the south, but there were lots of little ones. To the north, there’s more keepers but they’re really spread out. There just isn’t any large concentrations of bigger fish right now.” With plenty of good sized kings coming over the rails in the southern ports, it should be just a matter of time before we see a convergence of kings right off our front porch.

Weekend marine forecast

The ocean is going to be a little bumpy this weekend, but should be good enough for some of the larger salmon trolling boats. As of Wednesday afternoon, Friday’s forecast is calling for N winds 10 to 20 knots and waves NW 5 feet at 7 seconds and north 2 feet at 11 sconds. Saturday’s forecast is calling for N winds 10 to 20 knots and swells NW 9 feet at 9 seconds. Sunday’s prediction is NW winds 5 to 15 knots and waves NW 7 feet at 7 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan

Humboldt Bay Dredging

The 372-foot dredge STUYVESANT is scheduled to arrive Thursday in Humboldt Bay to begin dredging operations in the bar and entrance channels. You can help by spreading the word to all mariners to give the dredge plenty of room to work as it’s a very large boat and is restricted in maneuverability. Mariners should use extreme caution when transiting in the area near the dredge and be aware of the prop wash.

Fish Lake Kid’s fishing derby this Saturday

The 44th annual Kid’s Fish Lake Fishing Derby is taking place on Saturday, June 23 in Orleans. The derby starts promptly at 8 a.m. and runs until noon. It’s open to kids from Pre-K to the 8th grade. Poles and tackle will not be provided and an adult must accompany all children. Hot dogs and lemonade will be provided; adults are encouraged to bring a side dish or salad to share. The Orleans Rod and Gun Club, Orleans Ranger District, Coast Central Credit Union, CA Deer Assoc., Pacific Outfitters, AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards, and Our River Community host the event. For more information, visit https://www.evensi.us/44th-annual-kid-fish-lake-fishing-derby/260187580

Vessel inspections coming to Woodley Island

The Crescent City USCG Auxiliary has arranged to come to Woodley Island Marina on Saturday July 07 from 10 a.m. to 3p.m. to conduct free recreational and commercial vessel examinations. The H and I Parking Lots will be available for vessels who wish to come in by trailer. In-water inspections will also be available. For more information, contact John Knox at 707-218-0162.

The Oceans:

Eureka

With the salmon bite not quite up to speed as of yet, skipper Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing, along with most of the charters, has opted to run some combo trips. “The rockfish bite at the Cape has been incredible this week. We’ve been catching some real big lings, with quite a few in the 30-pound range. The vermilion continue to chew on anything we throw at them, and they’re big too. We haven’t been focused on the blacks as much, we’re rounding out our limits with plenty of coppers and quillbacks. There are lots of salmon around, but it just hasn’t been consistent. We’ve had good fishing, bad fishing, and everything in between. There’s certainly no shortage of small kings, and there’s some pretty big silvers around too,” Sepulveda added.

Given the number of shakers and silvers in the area, it’s always a good idea to make sure you can identify the difference. For identification info, visit https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=36125&inline

Trinidad

Following a few days of heavy winds, the Trinidad fleet were back on the water on Monday reports Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. He said, “The salmon bit pretty well on both Monday and Tuesday. Most boats reported at least half limits, with plenty of opportunities for full limits. On Monday the fish were right at Pilot Rock where the bait was thick. Most of the action on Tuesday was right out front from the whistle buoy to Pilot Rock in 50 to 60 feet of water. The bite was real steady all morning. We’re still catching some rockfish, especially lot of blacks. The crabbing is a little slow, but we’re getting some real nice-sized males.”

Shelter Cove

The wind and the big minus tides forced us to cancel our trips last week, but conditions are looking good this week reports Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. He said, “On Sunday, we headed right back to where I saw all the bait last week outside The Hat in 50 fathoms. The bait wasn’t as thick, but the fish were there and bit pretty well. We put our 16th fish in the box for limits for clients and crew just before 1 p.m. The fish averaged right around 8-pounds. On Monday, the fish seemed to be a lot more spread out and we covered a lot of territory to put just nine fish on the boat. The grade was a bit better, with a couple fish over 15 pounds.”

Crescent City

The weather has finally calmed down and a few more salmon have started to hit the deck reports Britt Carson of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “They showed up pretty good on Wednesday, Pacific West Coast Ocean Fishing Guide Service boated eight. The hot spot was out in the halibut grounds in 180 to 200 feet of water where there’s a pretty good temperature break. Lots of silvers have showed up as well. There’s quite a bit of bait in close, and I think there’s fish there too. More people are starting to show up, so we should start to get some better salmon reports.” Carson said.

Brookings

After showing signs it was about to bust wide open, salmon fishing slowed this week reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. He said, “Strong winds late last week lowered water temperatures to 47 degrees, and although there is a bunch of bait, the salmon are not biting. A few nice halibut were caught in 200 feet of water last Tuesday. The Rogue Bay also is slow, but with water temperatures warming and bait in the bay, salmon fishing should improve soon.”

The Rivers:

Lower Klamath

Not much has changed on the Klamath. The hot weather inland continues to push the moss downriver, making it tough for those sitting on the anchor. There seems to be a few fish around but the conditions are hindering the bite. A few boats have started to troll the estuary, but there hasn’t been much action yet. 

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

Since the opener, the sport salmon season has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride. It started out with a bang, but the fish have been pretty fickle since. With no established pattern or consistent sign, charter and sport boats have been on the hunt almost daily. “Every day has been different,” said Capt. Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing. “We haven’t seen any type of pattern as of yet, nothing really to go back to everyday. And we’ve covered a lot of water, from the Cape to Trinidad from 80 to 300 feet. The fishing is good when we find them – we’ve had a few days where we had limits in 45 minutes. But it’s been pretty inconsistent,” added Sepulveda.

The one bit of good news from this week is the fish being caught have been a better grade. After seeing lots of fish in the 20 to 24-inch range, this week’s fish are averaging a solid six to 15 pounds. The wind is forecasted to howl starting today with a gale warning in effect through Saturday night. A few days of wind-driven coastal upwelling could be just what we need to kick our salmon season into high gear.

Weekend marine forecast

The ocean doesn’t look very fishable for the weekend, with high winds and large swells predicted north of Cape Mendocino. Friday’s forecast is calling for N winds 20 to 30 knots and waves NW 9 feet at 10 seconds. Saturday’s forecast is calling for N winds 15 to 25 knots and swells to 11 feet at 11 seconds. Sunday’s prediction is SW winds 5 to 10 knots and waves NW 6 feet at 9 seconds and W 5 feet at 13 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan

Potential dangerous bar crossing

With minus tides lasting through next Tuesday, the Humboldt bar could be a little dicey due to the combination of tides and swells converging. If you’re planning on hitting the bar at daylight, check the conditions first. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan.

Weekend tides

The tidal exchanges will be big once again this weekend, with some very low tides predicted in the morning making for a potentially dangerous bar crossing.

Fri. June 15 –  High: 12:49 a.m. at 8.0 ft. down to a low of -2.1 ft at 7:50 a.m.

Sat. June 16 –  High: 1:39 a.m. at 7.8 ft. down to a low of -2.0 ft at 8:38 a.m.

Sun. June 17 –  High: 2:32 a.m. at 7.4 ft. down to a low of -1.6 ft at 9:28 a.m.

Halibut season closes after Friday

The first of four sport Pacific halibut seasons off of California will come to a close after Friday, June 15. The season will re-open on July 1 and remain open through July 15. The remainder of the seasons open dates are: Aug. 1-15 and Sept. 1-Oct. 31, or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. CDFW has projected 6,592 net pounds of the 30,940-pound quota of Pacific Halibut has been harvested through June 3. To view the latest catch projection information, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking

Recreational Ocean Salmon Season Opens from Horse Mountain to Pigeon Point.

The 2018 sport salmon fishing season opens Sunday, June 17 in coastal waters south of Horse Mountain to Pigeon Point. Recreational anglers will be allowed to catch two salmon of any species except Coho per day, with a minimum size limit of 20 inches. For more information, visit the Ocean Salmon webpage at www.wildlife.ca.gov/oceansalmon or call the CDFW Ocean Salmon Regulations Hotline at (707) 576-3429.

The Oceans:

Eureka

The salmon bite was pretty slow the last couple of days reports Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “The fish seem to be real scattered right now. The common theme is here today, gone tomorrow,” said Klassen. “If you’re in the right place at the right time, you can do well. We’ve been looking and covering a lot of water, but there just isn’t any consistency. Hopefully the wind that’s going to blow for the next few days will shuffle things around a bit and bring in some more fish.” With the salmon bite unpredictable at best, Capt. Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing has spent a few of his days jigging up rockfish at Cape Mendocino. “The rockfish bite hasn’t been wide-open down there, but the fish have been a super high grade. We’ve been catching some real nice vermilions, up to eight or nine pounds and we had three lings over thirty last week. But we’re definitely having to hunt for them, they aren’t coming as easy as usual.”

Trinidad

Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters reports the salmon bite has tailed off since last week’s hot action. He said, “I haven’t seen much sign lately, I think it’s moved on along with the salmon. With the lack of fish being caught, most of the effort has switched over to rockfish where the bite has been fair. We haven’t had any trouble catching our share of black rockfish, but all the other species have been tough to come by lately.”

Shelter Cove salmon opener

The wind backed off over the weekend and we were able to get out Friday through Monday reports Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “We made a couple runs north to Gorda and the rock fishing was fantastic. We had quick limits with big lingcod to 30 pounds on Friday and Sunday. The halibut also bit pretty well up there on Friday, with every boat getting one to three fish. Saturday it blew pretty good and kept us closer to home. We fished the Old Man and got limits of rockfish pretty quickly but the lingcod didn’t want to play and we ended up a few fish short of limits. On Monday, we fished on the Old Man again and got limits but we really had to work hard for them. A few boats tried for salmon north of the 40’05 line over the weekend, but there wasn’t any caught that I know of. It looks really good for salmon just below the Cove and outside the rocks in 50 fathoms, so hopefully it stays that way through Sunday.”

Crescent City

There were a couple salmon caught out by the second can a few days ago reports Britt Carson of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “The majority of the fish being caught are still roughly six to nine miles straight out. There has been quite a bit of bait around, so maybe the bite will improve. The rockfish bite is still slow and has been for a few days. The water is really off color from the storms, that may have something to do with it,” Carson said.

Brookings

“Salmon moved in closer to shore on Tuesday, with several boats limiting out between the red bell and the whistle, fishing in 60 to 80 feet of water, said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Prior to that, all of the salmon action was 6 to 9 miles offshore. The commercial trollers filled their quota on Monday, with a few boats getting more than 50 fish a trip. Lots of bait close to the harbor should keep the salmon around for a while.”

The Rivers:

Lower Klamath

Springer fishing has steadily improved this week, with most boats getting one to three chances per trip. The water is starting to get low, and the moss is starting to make its way down to the lower river. The fishing should continue to improve through the month.

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

One thing we know for sure after the first week of salmon season on the North Coast – the future looks very bright. According to reports, there is no shortage of small kings from Shelter Cove all the way to Crescent City. Boats fishing out of Eureka and Trinidad have been weeding through the undersized fish and filling their boxes with kings ranging in sizes from 20 to 26-inches, with the occasional 7-8-pounder in the mix. Trinidad has been the spot for bigger fish the past couple days, with sport and charter boats scoring easy limits of kings ranging from barely legal up to 10-pounds. According to Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters, there are fish in every direction between 200 and 300 feet of water. The CDFW predicted roughly 360,000 Klamath River adult kings would be swimming off our coast this summer, and that may very well be true. But what’s really cool to see are the new crop of two-year-old’s that are scattered the length of the coast. After a few down years, the ocean salmon population is finally headed in the right direction on the North Coast.

Weekend marine forecast

The ocean looks to be fishable through the weekend, at least for those trolling for salmon. On Friday, winds will be out of the E up to 5 knots with W waves 5 feet at 12 seconds. Saturday’s forecast is calling for NW winds 5 to 10 knots and NW swells to 4 feet at 5 seconds and W 6 feet at 12 seconds. Sunday’s prediction is N winds 5 to 10 knots and swells 2 feet at 5 seconds and W 6 feet at 11 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan

Pacific Halibut quota update

The first of four sport Pacific halibut seasons off of California will come to a close after next Friday, June 15. Through May 27, the CDFW has projected 4,891 net pounds of the 30,940-pound quota of Pacific Halibut has been harvested. This season’s open dates are May 1-June 15, July 1-15, Aug. 1-15 and Sept. 1-Oct. 31, or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. To view the latest catch projection information, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking

Free class on baitfish catching

Eureka’s Sportsman’s Warehouse will be holding a free class on “Baitfish Catching Techniques” on Friday June 8 from 5 p.m.to 6 p.m. The class will teach you how to catch your own bait for local fish. They will be going over everything from harvesting sand crabs to anchovies for the best plan for catching the big ones. Sportsman’s Warehouse is located at 3456 Broadway in Eureka.

The Oceans:

Eureka

The first two days of the salmon season were really good right out front reports Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “There were lots of fish around, though mostly small, but most everyone had limits of fish ranging from 20 to 26-inches,” said Klassen. “By Sunday, the conditions really changed and the dirty water, bait, and birds all but disappeared. The ocean was pretty rough, and not very many boats limited out.” Following some reports of a better grade of fish near Trinidad, most of the fleet headed north on Tuesday. “We made it about six miles shy of the head as we were hearing it wasn’t red-hot up there. We stopped and ended up fishing between the 48 and 52-lines in 250 feet of water where a north to south running current rip was holding bait fish – as well as salmon. We worked that area for most of the day and ended just shy of limits. Overall, there seems to be fish as far as the eye can see. There’s tons of shakers, and I don’t think the bigger three-year-old’s have shown up yet. It’s looking like it’s going to be a good season.”

Trinidad

Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters called in a wide-open salmon bite report on Wednesday morning. “The salmon bite is red-hot today,” Wilson said. “The fish are off Patrick’s Point in roughly 240 feet of water. The fish are a little better grade today, with most running 7 to 12-pounds.” Wilson also added a 40-pounder was weighed in at the Trinidad pier on Tuesday, so there are some bigger fish around.

Shelter Cove

The big news coming out of the Cove this week was Jared Morris of C’mon Sportfishing landing the season’s first salmon caught above the 40’05 line out of Shelter Cove. His crew put five kings in the box on Saturday in windy conditions. The fish were a decent grade, all running 7 to 8-pounds. According to Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing, the wind has really been blowing at the Cove. He said, “I fished on Monday with three clients and it was very sloppy. We managed to get limits of rockfish and lingcod before it got unbearable. We also lost a nice halibut at the boat. Looks like the wind might let up a little at the end of the week so we should be able to get back out.”

Crescent City

There were a few salmon caught this past weekend reports Leonard Carter of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “Most of the sport and commercial fleet have been fishing 10 to 12 miles straight out on a 180 to 210 heading. I’m hearing a few being caught, but it’s not been red-hot. Like everywhere else, there’s lots of shakers around. The keepers are averaging 10 to 12-punds. The rockfish bite has been good overall, but the last couple days we’ve had some real heavy current which made the bite tough.” Carter said.

Brookings

Salmon fishing continues to be hit and miss out of Brookings reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. He said, “After a couple dozen fish are caught one day, only a handful are caught the next. Most of the fish are still six to 10 miles offshore along the California border. The bait has moved in close, but the salmon are still offshore. The water temperature is 48 to 49 degrees, which may be affecting the bite. Lingcod and rockfish action has been good, but the incoming tide is fishing much better than the outgoing. Red-tail surfperch are just beginning to spawn, so the action is really good at Crissy Field right next to the state line.”

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

It’s been a long wait, but the time is finally here. After suffering through a complete shutdown of our salmon season in 2017, beginning Friday morning sport salmon anglers will once again set their sights on ocean kings. I’m not sure whether it’s the year-long hiatus or the fact that nearly 360,000 adult Klamath kings are said to be swimming off our coast – but there’s a buzz around town like I’ve never heard. It’s all anyone wants to talk about. Standing in the checkout line at the supermarket or waiting in line to get your morning coffee, it’s all about the salmon. And for good reason. It’s clear that last year’s closure left a huge void in our saltwater season that wasn’t filled. There’s really nothing that compares to the thrill, taste, and the tradition of salmon fishing off of our coast. And now the kings have returned, enjoy…

Weekend Marine Forecast

If the forecast holds, salmon anglers may only get a couple days on the water at the most. Friday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the NW 5 to 10 knots and waves NW 6 feet at 10 seconds. The forecast begins to go downhill on Saturday, with NW winds 5 to 15 knots and waves NW 6 feet at 7 seconds and NW 4 feet at 11 seconds. The wind returns in force on Sunday, coming out of the NW 10 to 20 knots with NW waves 9 feet at 8 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

Use extreme caution when crossing Humboldt Bar

For the anglers who aren’t aware, there could be potential early morning hazardous bar conditions beginning on Friday due to the combination of tides and swells converging at the time when most boats will be headed out the mouth of the harbor. Hard charging water flowing out of the bay and running straight into large swells can be extremely dangerous and you should always error on the side of caution — even if it means waiting until the out-flowing water from the bay has slowed, which usually occurs within 30 to 45 minutes prior to the tide bottoming out. For the salmon opener on Friday, 6.6 ft. of water will be flowing out down to an -0.8 when boats will be crossing the bar. Recreational anglers can provide bar reports on VHF channel 68 while the Coast Guard emergency channel is 16 on the VHF. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan. The bar cam, located at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar, is currently off line.

Weekend tides

The tidal exchanges will be big this weekend, with minus tides in the morning making for a potentially dangerous bar crossing.

Fri. June 1 (High: 1:28 a.m.(6.6 ft.) and 3:24 p.m.) (Low: 8:30 a.m.(-0.8 ft.) and 8:18 p.m.)

Sat. June 2 (High: 2:04 a.m.(6.3 ft.) and 4:08 p.m.) (Low: 9:09 a.m.(-0.5 ft.) and 9:02 p.m.)

Sun. June 3 (High: 2:43 a.m. (6.0 ft.) and 4:53 p.m.) (Low: 9:50 a.m. (-0.3 ft.) and 9:52 p.m.)

General sport salmon regulations:

Our 2018 ocean sport salmon season runs from June 1 through September 3 and is open from the OR/CA border south to Horse Mountain, CA. Fishing is allowed seven days per week for all salmon except Coho, two fish per day and a minimum size limit of 20 inches total length for Chinook.  The possession is no more than two daily bag limits in possession while on land. On a vessel in ocean waters, no person shall possess or bring ashore more than one daily bag limit. No salmon punch card is required for ocean salmon fishing. For complete ocean salmon regulations, please visit the Ocean Salmon webpage at https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/fishing/ocean/regulations/salmon or call the Ocean Salmon Regulations Hotline (707) 576-3429.

Big Salmon Contest

Don’t forget, Eureka’s Englund Marine will be holding its BIG FISH Salmon Contest again this year. The annual event runs from June 1 to September 3, 2018. There is no entry fee and you can enter as many fish as you’d like. Salmon need to be gutted and gilled. Prizes will be awarded to the top three fish. A complete list of rules and regulations are available at Englund Marine, 2 Commercial St., Eureka, 707-444-9266.

Fish for free this weekend in Oregon

Oregon will be having a Free Fishing Weekend on June 2 and 3. 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. For more information, visit https://myodfw.com/workshops-and-events/free-fishing-weekend-june-2-3

The Oceans:

Eureka

“The Eureka fleet hasn’t been offshore since last Thursday,” said Skipper Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “The wind has been blowing and it’s just been too rough. But, as luck would have it, it looks like the wind will die down for the salmon opener on Friday. Prior to the wind, it was looking real good straight out in 250 to 300 feet of water. Some really good edges, lots of birds and bait, and salmon boiling on the surface. That’s where we’ll likely start looking on Friday. The wind is predicted to pick back up on Sunday, so we may only get a couple days on the water. And the morning tides don’t look good for crossing the bar, hopefully everyone will error on the side of caution. The California halibut bite inside the bay has been good and is getting better. There’s not tons of bait yet, we should start to see more as we move into summer.” said Klassen.

Trinidad

The rock fishing over the weekend was really good reports Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters out of Trinidad. He said, “There was a lot of fish caught right in the bay, including some real nice lings.  Everyone is geared up for the salmon opener on Friday. The last time we were offshore, the signs looked really good straight out in 300 feet of water. Lots of birds, bait and good looking water. That’s probably a good place to start,” added Wilson.

Shelter Cove

Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing ran a few halibut and rockfish combo trips at Gorda late last week, and had some good success on the rockfish. “The halibut did not cooperate for us, but the rockfish bit pretty well. On Friday, we ran up too Rodgers Break in pretty sloppy conditions and boated limits of lings and plenty of rockfish. Over the weekend, we fished south off the Ranch House and Bear Harbor. The fish bit pretty well and we got limits both days. The crabbing is still going strong, we’re getting limits of every trip. With the wind continuing to blow, it looks like we’ll be off the water for the next few days,” said Mitchell.

Crescent City

The ocean has been too rough to get out this week reports Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. He said, “Like everywhere else, the wind has been howling here. I haven’t seen many boats going out. And if they went out, it wasn’t for long. It will be interesting to see what’s out there when the salmon season opens on Friday. I’d start either above or below the South Reef in 150 to 180 feet of water. There always seems to be fish there. The commercial guys were catching down below the Sisters in 240 feet, that would be another place to look. We’ve got some anchovies in the harbor, which we haven’t had in big numbers in recent years. Hopefully that’s another good sign that there’s salmon around.”

Brookings

Windy weather has made fishing tough this week, but calm seas are expected Friday and Saturday reports Andy Martin, of Brookings Fishing Charters. He said, “Last Saturday, the boats that ventured 6 to 8 miles offshore, right on the California border, did well for salmon, with several limiting out. Nearly 30 salmon were caught, which was the best day so far this season.  The best fishing was in 250 to 300 feet of water, fishing 80 to 100 feet down. A few more salmon were caught early Sunday before the ocean became unfishable for several days. The kings are running 24 to 26 inches, with a few in the 15- to 20-pound range. Several hatchery fish have been caught, likely Klamath or Sacramento fish since the Rogue fall salmon run is mainly wild fish.”

The Rivers:

Lower Klamath

Springer fishing improved over the weekend on the Lower Klamath, with the rain likely spurring them on. The bite slowed down by Monday, with only a few fish being caught. Quite a few boats were on the river for the holiday weekend, but it’s been fairly quiet during the week. The beginning of June is typically when the season takes off.

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

When the ocean conditions have been right, both the halibut and rockfish bite out of Eureka has been pretty spectacular. The only thing that has slowed down either fishery has been the wind. And there’s been plenty of it since late last week, although it finally relented enough on Wednesday for the Eureka fleet to get back on the water. Prior to the blow, the halibut action had been nothing short of amazing. The bite has been in the same location for most of the season, in between the 50 and 53 lines in roughly 300 feet of water. The same can be said for the rockfish and lingcod down at Cape Mendocino. Since the season opened on May 1, the boats that have made the trip south were rewarded with wide-open action and easy limits of both.

A reminder that the recreational salmon season opens next Friday, June 1. And hearing the reports of all the good signs – birds, bait, whales, dirty water and salmon themselves – the opener can’t get here soon enough.

Weekend marine forecast

The ocean conditions are looking good for the next couple days, but the holiday weekend forecast is looking a little breezy. Friday’s forecast is calling for NW winds up to 5 knots and W waves 5 feet at 12 seconds. The winds will increase on Saturday, coming out of the NW 5 to 15 knots and waves will be NW 5 feet at 5 seconds and W 4 feet at 10 seconds. Sunday looks a little worse with NW winds 10 to 20 knots and NW waves 6 feet at 6 seconds and 5 feet at 12 seconds. The Memorial Day forecast doesn’t look too good either, with winds out of the N 10 to 20 knots and waves NW 5 feet at 6 seconds and NW 5 feet at 13 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For up-to-date weather forecast, visit http://www.weather.gov/eureka/. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan/

Pacific Halibut quota update

The CDFW has projected 2,764 net pounds of the 30,940-pound quota of Pacific Halibut has been harvested through May 13. This season’s open dates are May 1-June 15, July 1-15, Aug. 1-15 and Sept. 1-Oct. 31, or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. To view the latest catch projection information, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking

The Oceans:

Eureka

“Prior to Wednesday, we haven’t been on the water since last Saturday,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “We did try to get a trip in on Tuesday, but it was a little too sloppy. It looks like we’ll have some decent weather leading up to the weekend, but after that it looks like the wind will pick back up. When we can get out, the halibut bite is still going strong. The rockfish action at the Cape is as good as it gets, with lots of nice lings in the mix. The California halibut action in Humboldt Bay is starting to pick up. I tried for a while on Tuesday, and there were lots of shorts. They aren’t thick in there yet, but they are starting to show up in better numbers now. It’s still relatively early.”

Trinidad

Halibut fishing definitely slowed down this week according to Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters out of Trinidad. He said, “The scores dropped to about a fish per boat from what I’ve seen. Hopefully we’ll get some decent weather soon so we can start looking around a little more. I think the fish everyone was working on just moved. The rockfish bite is still good, we’re starting to see more vermillion and lings being caught now,” Wilson said.

Shelter Cove

It’s been a bit windy down here this past week, but we’ve still been getting out reports Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. He said, “We got pushed off the water early by the wind a couple of the days. We’ve spent the majority of our time fishing The Hat and the Old Man. The lingcod have been biting really well, but the rockfish were a little harder to come by this week. Not much effort on the halibut due to the wind. It looks like we have a few days of good weather coming our way.”

Crescent City

Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine reports the rockfish action really slowed down the past couple days. “I’m not sure if it’s the tides or what, but even the ling bite slowed down. The water’s been a little sloppy in the mornings, but nicer in the afternoon. Not much has been happening with the halibut, I haven’t heard of any being caught in the last few days. The commercial salmon guys have been doing well, so we could have a good sport opener next Friday,” added Hegnes.

Brookings

Salmon season opened Saturday and the fishing started out slow reports Andy Martin, of Brookings Fishing Charters. “By mid-day, a few boats found the fish offshore, six to eight miles straight out next to the California border. The overall average was a fish for every four rods and one fish for every other boat, but some boats had three to four kings. Sunday and Monday were rough, but on Tuesday more kings were caught in the deeper water, fishing 100 feet down in 300 feet of water. There is a ton of bait offshore right now. The salmon that are being caught are 24 to 26 inches, with some shakers, and a few 20-plus-pounders, probably late Rogue springers. The lingcod and rockfish action continues to be really good.”

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, Mattole and Smith will re-open on Saturday, May 26th. On most rivers, only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used. For a complete list of river openings and regulations visit http://www.eregulations.com/california/fishing/freshwater/

Lower Klamath springers

Spring salmon fishing on the Lower Klamath is just getting started. The river is still pretty high, but it’s nice and green.  A few spring salmon were reportedly caught on the lower river earlier this week. The season typically really gets going in June and will go through July.

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

After a short break due to rough seas, the red-hot halibut bite picked up right where it left off last Thursday. On Monday, a few boats went out of Eureka and fished in marginal conditions. The current was ripping and the wind was blowing, which made it nearly impossible to keep your bait close to the bottom. A few fish were caught, but nothing to write home about. On Tuesday, conditions were ideal and flatties were flying over the rails at record pace. Quite a few limits were reported, including a few of the charter boats. “There were lots of boats out on Tuesday and it sounded like most were catching,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “The majority of the boats were straight off the stacks like last week, but the better fishing seemed to be a little deeper in 53 to 55 fathoms. Herring, mackerel, salmon and tuna bellies are all consistently catching fish,” added Klassen. The ocean looks like it will remain fishable until at least Saturday when the wind and waves will begin to increase.

Pacific halibut in-season tracking
The CDFW has projected 2,658 net pounds of Pacific Halibut has been harvested through May 6. The 2018 Pacific halibut quota for the California subarea is 30,940 pounds – about 3,600 pounds less than the 2017 quota. This season’s open dates are May 1-June 15, July 1-15, Aug. 1-15 and Sept. 1-Oct. 31, or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. The limit remains at one, with no size restrictions. No more than one line with two hooks attached can be used. To view the latest catch projection information, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking

Sport salmon season set to open June 1
The sport salmon fishery will open on June 1 from the CA/OR border south to Horse Mountain (KMZ) and run through Sept. 3. The daily bag limit is two salmon of any species except Coho. The minimum size limit is 20 inches total length. There’s quite a bit of excitement surrounding the opener as birds, bait and salmon themselves are being spotted from Eureka north in the 300 foot range. The commercial fleet are reportedly catching a few, including plenty under the 26-inch size limit. For more info on the sport season, visit https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=156296&inline

Weekend marine forecast
For coastal water from Pt. St. George to Cape Mendocino out 10 nautical miles, the marine forecast looks good for the next couple days, but the wind and seas will start to build by the weekend. For Friday, the forecast is calling for winds out of the NW 5 to 10 knots with waves NW 3 feet at 5 seconds and NW 2 feet at 13 seconds. The swells are a little bigger and the wind will increase slightly beginning on Saturday. Winds will be out of the NW 5 to 15 knots and waves will be out of the NW 5 feet at 5 seconds and W 4 feet at 14 seconds. Sunday looks to be a little sloppy, with NW winds 5 to 15 knots and NW waves 6 feet at 6 seconds and W 5 feet at 12 seconds. These conditions can and will change. For up-to-date weather forecast, visit http://www.weather.gov/eureka/. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan/

Lost Coast Fish Festival coming in June
The first annual Lost Coast Fish Festival and Halibut Derby will be held Saturday, June 9 in Shelter Cove. There will be live music all day at the Shelter Cove RV and Deli, along with oysters, food, drinks, raffles, and kids fishing games. Entry is $15 and all ages are welcome. Ages 12 and under get in free. The halibut derby will run June 1st  through June 9th. The buy in is $20, and the top three finishers will win prizes. Derby signups are May 15 through May 31 at the Shelter Cove RV and Deli, Shelter Cove General Store, or the Southern Humboldt Chamber office in Garberville. Must be present on June 9th to win. For more info, contact the Southern Humboldt Chamber of Commerce at 707-923-2613.

Daniel McGuire of Eureka boated this nice Pacific halibut on Monday while fishing out of Shelter Cove with Sea Hawk Sportfishing. The large halibut weighed in at 62-pounds. Photo courtesy of Jake Mitchell/Sea Hawk Sportfishing

The Oceans:
Shelter Cove
“We fished on Saturday for a couple hours before the wind sent us home, but we were able to boat 8 lingcod and 12 rockfish along with limits of crab – so it wasn’t a complete loss,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. On Sunday, we headed to the Hat and Old Man where we really had to work for them. We managed to get limits of lings and rockfish by days end. Monday and Tuesday we ran north for halibut and rockfish combos. The rock fishing wasn’t wide-open, but was still pretty good. The halibut fishing has picked up a bit and the ones putting in the time were averaging a fish per rod. We had two halibut Tuesday, along with limits of rockfish, lings as well as crabs.”

Trinidad
Halibut fishing has been pretty good this past week according to Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters out of Trinidad. He said, “We caught a couple each trip, and I heard of others being caught as well. Most of the action was due west of the Head in roughly 240 feet of water. The rockfish bit well this week too, but that’s typical for early in the season. There’s plenty of blacks around, and quite a few lings too. Most of the boats are hanging around Flat Iron. Much like Eureka, we’re seeing some real good salmon signs out in 300 feet of water. There’s lots of birds and bait, and the commercial guys are catching a few as well,” Wilson said.

Crescent City
Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine reports the rockfish action has been steady, with most of the boats going south. “I haven’t heard of many boats going north, most of the action has been at the South Reef. A few guys have been trying for halibut, but the bite has been real spotty. The redtail perch bite is still wide-open, with Kellogg Beach being one of the top spots. I heard the commercial salmon guys were catching a few, so hopefully they’ll be some around when the sport season opens on June 1,” added Hegnes.

Brookings
We are eager to get out salmon gear back in the water this weekend reports Andy Martin, who runs Brookings Fishing Charters. “May is generally slow to fair out of Brookings, as the peak season isn’t until late June and July,” said Martin. “But the anchovies and pelicans are already here, so the salmon can’t be too far behind. The Rogue forecast of nearly 450,000 fish, double that of the Sacramento forecast, bodes well for the Brookings fishery. We will be trolling anchovies and herring next to the bait balls for the opener. Lingcod and rockfish has been very good this week as the ocean has calmed down. Rockfish are still in shallow water feeding on crab spawn, so there is some good top-water action. We may have some wind this weekend.”

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

Chad Gaser of Eureka landed this monster 70-lb. halibut on Sunday while fishing out of Eureka. Gaser was fishing in 300 feet of water straight off the stacks. Photo courtesy of Chad Gaser

A little more than a week on the water isn’t a huge sample size, but if the halibut fishing is anything remotely close to the level of the past week, we’re in for a heck of a season. And potentially a short one. But talk of the impending quota can wait, let’s bask in the glory of a halibut bite that’s been on fire for the better part of a week. The first two days of the season were a bust due to weather, but it’s been pretty good fishing since. Charter boats as well as sporty’ s have been in on the action in what Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing is calling “one of the best May starts ever.” Most of the action has been between the 50 and 53 lines (straight off the stacks) in 280 to 350 feet of water. According to Klassen, it’s been almost a fish per rod, and there’s been many days where it’s been just that. Herring, salmon and tuna bellies have all been catching fish.

The rockfish action down at the Cape has been equally spectacular reports Klassen, but that’s nothing we didn’t already know. “Every trip down so far has resulted in limits of everything. It’s really nice to have the extra depth and adding the second Canary to the bag limit was a nice little bonus,” added Klassen. And the good news just keeps coming. According to Klassen, there’s some really good salmon signs off of Eureka. “On Tuesday, we saw quite a few whales feeding on krill and salmon chasing baitfish on the surface. With the salmon opener right around the corner, let’s hope that’s starts off with a bang as well.

Important reminder:
When fishing for halibut and rockfish, the more restrictive gear and depth restrictions apply. 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 180 feet when fishing for other species. If you’re targeting both halibut and rockfish, you’ll want to get your halibut first.

Weekend marine forecast
For coastal water from Pt. St. George to Cape Mendocino out 10 nautical miles, the marine forecast is not looking very pleasant beginning on Thursday. For Friday, the forecast is calling for winds out of the NW 20 to 30 knots with waves NW 11 feet at 10 seconds and NW 7 feet at 16 seconds. The swells and wind will decrease slightly beginning on Saturday. Winds will be out of the N 10 to 20 knots and waves will be out of the NW 8 feet at 9 seconds and NW 6 feet at 14 seconds. Sunday is looking better, with S winds up to 5 knots and NW waves 3 feet at 5 seconds and NW 6 feet at 11 seconds. These conditions can and will change. For up-to-date weather forecast, visit http://www.weather.gov/eureka/. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan/

Brookings
“Lingcod and rockfish action continues to be great, with limits most days,” said Andy Martin, who runs Brookings Fishing Charters. “The rockfish have been feeding on the surface the past week, so we have been getting them with top-water lures. The pelicans are now diving on anchovies in the Bird Island and Twin Rock area, a great sign for the May 19 salmon opener. Halibut fishing has been slow so far out of Brookings. I ran one trip and we had three good bites that resulted in two halibut between 40 and 45 inches. A lot of boats have come back fishless.”

Crescent City
Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine reports the rockfish bite is wide-open. “The South Reef sounded like the place to be. The ling cod bite has been over the top, and a couple halibut have been caught this week as well, including one that weighed 108-pounds.” Hegnes added.

Shelter Cove
Captain Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing reports the rockfish bite has been excellent out of Shelter Cove while the halibut bite was a bit on the slow side. “Last Wednesday, we fished The Hat and The Old Man and put together limits of some real nice rockfish and lingcod,” said Mitchell. “The next four days the weather was absolutely outstanding and we ran north to Gorda for rockfish and halibut combos each day. The rock fishing was lights out as expected and we got limits of rockfish and lings each day. Halibut was a bit slower for us and we only averaged a fish per day for our efforts. Although the crabbing isn’t red hot we still were able to grind up limits of crab everyday as well.

Emergency dilution water releases from Iron Gate Dam
Water flows increased below Iron Gate Dam early Monday morning to address disease concerns in salmon in the Klamath River according to a press release issued by The Bureau of Reclamation on May 7. Releases from Upper Klamath Lake via Link River Dam started early Monday morning, with flows anticipated to reach 3,000 cfs below Iron Gate Dam by mid-day. Subsequent flows below Iron Gate Dam could reach up to 4,000 cfs during the event. The higher flows will continue for 14 days, through May 21.

The public is urged to take all necessary precautions on or near the river while flows are high. For the 2018 water year, BOR is required to implement winter-spring surface flushing flows and emergency dilution flows. The emergency dilution flows will utilize approximately 50,000 acre-feet of water from Upper Klamath Lake.

For more information, visit https://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/newsrelease/detail.cfm?RecordID=62155

Ruth Lake Bass tournament coming June 2
Fortuna Fire Department CO-2’s will be holding the annual “Paul Jadro Memorial Bass Tournament” on Saturday, June 2. 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 $120 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 1 at 4:30-7 p.m. or Saturday 4-5 a.m. For more information, contact Lon Winburn at 725-5021 or 725-7880. Or visit http://fortunafire.com/bass-tournament/ Free boat inspections will be held at Reynolds R V Repair, 988 Hwy. 36. Inspections are by appointment only, call 707-725-3426.

Lower Rogue River
The Rogue has been hit and miss, but some guides on the lower river have been getting one or two fish a day reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “More wild fish than hatchery fish are now being caught. Wild salmon cannot be kept until June 1.”

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

Mother Nature can be so cruel sometimes. After months and months of anticipation leading up to Tuesday’s rockfish and halibut openers, boats from Crescent City to Shelter Cove were forced to stay in port due to howling north winds. Blustery winds this time of the year are common, and they actually do way more good than harm. But the timing could have been a little better. The good news is we won’t have to wait long to get on the water. By Thursday, wind and seas are forecasted to die down considerably. The forecast is also calling for light winds and calm seas through the weekend, so expect to see plenty of halibut and rockfish flying over the rails very soon.

Weekend marine forecast
As of Wednesday, the forecast for coastal waters out 10 nautical miles is looking really good for halibut and rockfish anglers for the next few days. Friday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the NW 5 to 10 knots and waves N 3 feet at 4 seconds and NW 4 feet at 12 seconds. Saturday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the NW 5 to 10 knots and waves N 2 feet at 4 seconds and NW 2 feet at 10 seconds. Sunday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the NW 5 to 10 knots and waves NW 3 feet at 4 seconds and NW 2 feet at 9 seconds These conditions can and will change. For up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

Brookings rockfish update
“Windy weather made bottom fishing tough out of Brookings early this week, but there has been a window to catch fish before the wind comes up by heading south toward the border,” said Andy Martin, who runs Brookings Fishing Charters. “The grade of rockfish and lingcod has been good. Conditions look ideal for halibut fishing Thursday through Sunday. We hooked our third salmon in recent weeks on Tuesday while bottom fishing, a great sign for the May 19 Oregon salmon opener.”

Ruth Lake Bass tourney this Saturday
The Southern Trinity Volunteer Fire Department is hosting its 12th annual Ruth Lake Bass Tournament this Saturday, May 5. Blast off begins at 6:00 a.m. Entry fees are due May 4. Entries are $150 per team (includes Big Fish). First Place is $1,500 and second place is $1,000. Big Fish will win $100. One in five payback based on full slate of 40 boats. This is a catch and release tournament; live wells and life jackets are required. Check in is Friday at Journey’s End at 4:15-5:30 p.m. or Saturday 4:45 a.m. at the Marina parking lot. HBMWD is requiring that all boats be inspected for Quagga and Zebra mussels before launching. For more information, call RLCSD at 707-574-6332. For more info on the tournament, contact Todd Perras at (707) 273-9621.

Sport-Harvested Mussels quarantined
In a press release issued on April 30, The California Department of Public Health announced the annual quarantine of sport-harvested mussels gathered along the California coast. The quarantine began May 1 and applies to all species of mussels that are recreationally harvested along the California coast, including all bays and estuaries. The quarantine is in place to protect the public against poisoning that can lead to serious illness, including coma and death.

In addition to this annual quarantine, consumers are urged not to eat recreationally harvested razor clams from Humboldt and Del Norte counties due to continued high levels of domoic acid. To read the entire press release, visit https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR18-026.aspx

Fourteen-year-old Blue Lake resident Gabriel Lewis took second place in last Saturday’s Perch’n on the Peninsula fishing tournament with her junior’s division 13.62-inch Redtail perch. Lewis was fishing at Mad River Beach. Photo courtesy of Samoa Peninsula Fire District

Perch’n on the Peninsula results
According to even coordinator Charlie Holthaus, an event-record 109 participants from as far away as Monterey braved the pouring rain and big swells in search of giant perch in this year’s Perch’n on the Peninsula. “Mother Nature was not very kind to us this year”, said Holthaus. “It rained on tournament day, and it rained a lot. The surf also came up a bit from the previous day and anglers experienced waves several feet larger than forecast. Many anglers reported rough conditions and a tough bite. On average, the fish entered this year were smaller than past years. Despite the tough conditions most anglers still caught a few perch.” This year’s tournament winner was Thomas Jones with a 15.55-inch redtail caught at Gold Bluff Beach. The second largest perch was a 15.15-inch redtail caught by Gary Whitmer at Samoa beach.

Nine-year old Destanie Jones of Arcata brought back the largest surfperch for the junior’s category with a 14.56 inch and a 13.82-inch redtail caught at Gold Bluff Beach. Gabriel Lewis, 14 years old from Blue Lake, placed second in the junior competition with her 13.62-inch redtail caught at Mad River Beach. Third place in the junior competition was claimed by Vincent Melms with a 12.99-inch redtail. The other contenders in the junior competition were Psalm Meyer, fourth place, with his 11.10-inch redtail and Lane Baker, fifth place with a pair of Walleye surfperch that measured 7.8 and 7.7 inches. The junior competition winners were awarded various fishing gear items donated by Sportsman’s Warehouse.

The Rivers:
Main Stem Eel
The main stem Eel is emerald green and in perfect shape. As of Wednesday, it was running at just over 3,100 cfs on the Scotia gauge. I haven’t heard of any fish being caught, but there should be some downrunners and summer steelhead around. And there’s always the chance that a few bright winter fish are still making their way upriver.

Lower Rogue
The Rogue was good at times this past week on the lower end, with much of the effort focused on the Riverview restaurant area reported Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing.  He said, “The bite continued to be an afternoon bite until Tuesday, when a few fish were caught in the morning. Overall springer fishing the past week has been slow.”

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

Charlie Arce of Smith River and Mike Van Camp of Brookings hold a pair of lingcod caught over the weekend while fishing with Capt. Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. Pacific halibut and rockfish season will open along the North Coast next Tuesday, May 1. Photo courtesy of Andy Martin/Brookings Fishing Charters

Next Tuesday marks day one of our ocean sport fishing season on the North Coast as both rockfish and halibut will finally open, bringing with it tons of excitement, optimism and relief. Following a year in which we had a limited abalone season and total closures of both salmon and razor clams, we could all use a little saltwater therapy. As anglers take to the ocean next Tuesday — weather and conditions permitting – the hope is all the bad news will slowly fade into the horizon, leaving only happy thoughts of big lings and barn door-sized halibut.

May 1 openers:

Pacific Halibut: The 2018 Pacific halibut fishery will have four open periods, May 1-June 15, July 1-15, August 1-15 and Sept. 1-Oct. 31, or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. The quota allotment for 2018 will be 30,940 pounds. CDFW will again monitor catches of Pacific halibut during the season and provide catch projection updates on the CDFW Pacific halibut webpage, https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking. The limit remains at one, with no size restrictions. No more than one line with two hooks attached can be used.

Rockfish: Changes made prior to the 2017 season will carry over into 2018 for the Northern Management Area, which runs from the Oregon border to Cape Mendocino. The season for boat-based anglers will again run from May 1 through Oct. 31 within 180 feet and Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 with no depth restrictions. In 2018, the one big change is the sub-bag limit for canary rockfish will increase from one fish to two within the RCG daily bag limit of 10 fish, effective Saturday, April 14, 2018 statewide.

Summary of regulations: The daily bag limit per person is a 10-fish combination. Exceptions include three Cabezon, two Canary, and three black rockfish allowed per person as part of their 10-fish bag limit. Cabezon have a minimum 15-inch size limit and Kelp and/or rock greenlings must be 12-inches. The daily bag limit of Lingcod is two per person and they must be 22-inches in length. The take and possession of Cowcod, Bronzespotted rockfish, and Yelloweye rockfish will remain prohibited statewide. Petrale sole and Starry flounder can be retained year- round at all depths with no size limit. For more information about recreational groundfish regulations within the northern mgt. area, please call the hotline at 831-649-2801 or visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Groundfish-Summary#north

Marine forecast
It’s a little far out to predict what Tuesday will bring, but if Monday’s forecast is any indication, we may see some long faces hanging around the boat launches. Monday’s forecast is calling for NW winds 20 to 30 knots with waves out of the NW 10 feet at 5 seconds and NW 4 feet at 12 seconds. These conditions will most likely change before next Tuesday. For an up-to-date marine forecast, visit http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/

Tuesday, May 1 tides – Humboldt Bay
For anglers who aren’t aware, extreme caution should always be used when crossing the bar. The combination of large swells and outgoing morning tides could make for a dangerous bar crossing. On Tuesday, 7.4 ft. of water will be flowing out down to an -0.7. This could make for a dangerous bar crossing if the swells are large. If you’re planning on hitting the bar at daylight, always check the conditions first. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan or check out the bar cam located at www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar

Tuesday May 1 (High: 1:22 a.m. (7.4 ft.) and 2:33 p.m. (5.9 ft.) (Low: 7:48 a.m. (-0.7) and 7:38 p.m. (2.1 ft.)

Trinidad launch ready to go
The Trinidad launch will be open on Tuesday and ready to launch boats if the weather allows. The moorings are all in for the season. Hours of business will be 6:15 a.m. to 5 p.m., weather depending. For more info, call 707-677-3625.

Big Halibut Contest
Don’t forget, Eureka’s Englund Marine will be holding its BIG FISH Halibut Contest this again year. The annual event runs from May 1 to October 31, 2018. There is no entry fee and you can enter as many fish as you’d like. Fish do not need to be gutted and gilled. Prizes will be awarded to the top three fish. A complete list of rules and regulations are available at Englund Marine, 2 Commercial St., Eureka, 707-444-9266.

Perch’n on the Peninsula coming Saturday
The Samoa Peninsula Fire District will be hosting their 9th Annual Perch’n on the Peninsula Surfperch Fishing Tournament and Fish Fry Fundraiser this Saturday, April 28.

The fishing tournament begins at sunrise with the check-in deadline at 2:00 p.m., prize presentations will begin at 3:00 p.m. with the fish fry beginning at noon. The fish fry fundraiser is open to the public and admission is only $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for juniors. Children 6 and under get in free. Adult fishing tournament entry is $20.00 and junior entry (under 16) is $10.00. Tournament day registration is available at the Peninsula Elementary School in Samoa beginning at 6 a.m. or your entries can be purchased at Mad River Tackle in Arcata, Pacific Outfitters, Englund Marine, or Shafer’s Ace Hardware in Eureka. For more information, call (707) 443-9042 or visit www.samoafire.org.

Brookings rockfish update
“Bottom fishing has been very good out of Brookings, with easy limits of rockfish and limits of lingcod on most days, said Andy Martin, who runs Brookings Fishing Charters. “A strong drift of more than 1.5 knots made the lingcod bite tougher on Tuesday. Good conditions are in the forecast all week.”

The Rivers:
Main Stem Eel
The main stem Eel is green and fishable, but is still a little on the big side. As of Wednesday, it was running at just over 4,500 cfs on the Scotia gauge. It should be in really good shape by the weekend and into early next week.

Lower Rogue
Spring salmon fishing has improved on the Rogue, which is also getting crowded on the lower end reported Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. He said, “Guides are averaging a fish per boat, with a little more than half hatchery fish. Flows remain good. The bite was late in the day last week, but switched over to the morning with this week’s tides.”

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

In 2018, 3,490-adult fall Chinook are available for sport harvest in the Klamath and Trinity Rivers. The daily bag limit is Two (2) Chinook salmon, of which no more than one (1) may be more than 22 inches in length. The possession limit is six (6) Chinook salmon, of which no more than three (3) may be more than 22 inches in length.

Klamath River:

Fall regulations will begin on Aug. 15 and run through Dec. 31.

• 1,745 adults will be allowed for sport harvest from the Highway 96 bridge at Weitchpec to the river mouth.
• 593 adults will be allowed for sport harvest above the 96 bridge at Weitchpec to 3,500 feet downstream of the Iron Gate Dam.
• 523 adults can be harvested below the 101 bridge. The Spit Area (within 100 yards of the channel through the sand spit formed at the Klamath River mouth) will close when 15 percent (523) of the total Klamath River Basin quota is taken downstream of the Highway 101 bridge. Only the spit area will close to fishing once this quota is met, fishing will remain open upriver of the spit.
  • All legally caught adult salmon must be retained.
  • Anglers must leave the spit area once their adult daily bag is met
  • Anglers can fish other areas of the Klamath to fill their jack component of their daily bag.

Spring-run Chinook salmon fishing regulations began on Jan. 1 and will run through Aug. 14, with a daily bag and possession limit of two Chinook salmon. The take of salmon is prohibited on the Klamath River from Iron Gate Dam downstream to Weitchpec from Jan. 1 through Aug. 14.

Trinity River:

Fall regulations will begin on Sept. 1 and run through Dec. 31, with a quota of 1,152 adults

• 576 adults for the main stem Trinity downstream of the Old Lewiston Bridge to the Highway 299 West bridge at Cedar Flat
• 576 adults for the main stem Trinity downstream of the Denny Road bridge at Hawkins Bar to the confluence with the Klamath
• The main stem downstream of the Highway 299 Bridge at Cedar Flat to the Denny Road Bridge in Hawkins Bar is closed to all fishing September 1 through December 31.
• The take of salmon is prohibited from the confluence of the South Fork Trinity River downstream to the confluence of the Klamath River from Jan. 1 through Aug. 31.

The Trinity is open to spring-run Chinook salmon fishing from Jan. 1 through Aug. 31. The daily bag and possession limit is two Chinook salmon.

Once these quotas have been met, no Chinook salmon greater than 22 inches in length may be retained (anglers may still retain a limit of Chinook salmon under 22 inches in length).

Klamath -Trinity River hotline is 800-564-6479. All anglers on the Trinity and Klamath rivers must have Salmon Harvest Cards in their possession when fishing for salmon.