Current Fishing Reports | Fishing the North Coast with Kenny Priest

Excitement abounds for salmon opener

Shelter Cove resident Eric Kaai landed this nice salmon on Sunday while fishing out of Shelter Cove with Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. Salmon fishing has really picked up this week at the Cove, with boats limiting out daily. Sport salmon season reopens on Thursday from Horse Mtn. north to the OR/CA border. Photo courtesy of Jake Mitchell/Sea Hawk Sport Fishing

Sport salmon season reopens through end of June

The excitement and anticipation for Thursday’s salmon opener is as thick London fog in November. I’m not sure if it’s the two-week hiatus – or the fact that there’s so much promise in the ocean right now – but anglers are chomping at the bit to get back on the troll. The fish have arrived big-time in Shelter Cove and there’s good sign up north in Crescent City. Since Monday, the Eureka fleet has been seeing birds, bait and whales while heading both directions upon leaving Humboldt Bay. And there’s been a large amount of birds and bait right at the tip of the entrance, which begs the question if the salmon aren’t right out front? Given the amount of bait that’s inside of the bay right now, anything is possible. Who knows what the boats will find come Thursday morning, but I can almost guarantee there were plenty of salmon anglers tossing and turning and staring at the clock Wednesday night.

Weekend Marine Forecast
The ocean is forecasted to get a little sloppy this weekend, but should remain fishable. Out 10 nautical miles, Friday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the north 5 to 10 knots with NW swells 4 feet at 11 seconds. Saturday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the north 5 to 10 knots and 5 foot swells at 7 seconds out of the NW and SW 2 feet at 16 seconds. The winds pick up slightly on Sunday as do the swells. North winds are predicted to be 5 to 15 knots, with waves NW 6 feet at 8 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. 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.

Eel River Forum releases Action Plan to recover watershed and native fish
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the Eel River Forum, comprised of 22 public agencies, tribes, non-profit conservation organizations and other stakeholders, released the Eel River Action Plan. The plan identifies priority actions needed to recover the Eel River watershed and its native fish. It aims to achieve these goals while maintaining multiple land uses and recreation in the watershed. Priority actions in the plan address water diversions, water quality issues, habitat restoration, community engagement and protecting the Eel River Delta.

“This plan is the culmination of years of hard work and collaboration among a broad group of stakeholders,” said Darren Mierau, North Coast Director for California Trout. “The Eel River has seen decades of resource extraction and land use changes. The Forum has identified numerous high priority actions that will allow the river to recover and native fish to thrive while we maintain many of its economic benefits to the region.”

A wide variety of human activities have led to poor conditions along the Eel River and its tributaries. Competition for domestic and agricultural water supplies, increasingly for marijuana cultivation, have led to low flows during the hottest and driest months, which are also the times when native fish most need abundant, cool flows to survive. Water is also stored and then released during dry months to ensure sufficient flows to support hydropower generation at the Potter Valley Project.
For more information about the Eel River Forum, go to: http://caltrout.org/regions/north-coast-region/keystone-initiative-eel-river-recovery/eel-river-forum. To download the Action Plan, visit http://caltrout.org/wpfb-file/eel-river-action-plan-2016-pdf/

Pacific Halibut closed until July 1
The Pacific halibut season closed as of Wednesday, but will open back up on July 1. For information about the seasons and regulations, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut. To view the monthly catch estimates, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-2016-in-season-tracking

Boating safety class coming June 18
The US Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering a one-day “About Boating Safety” class this Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3p.m. The class will be held at the Woodley Island Marina conference room and the cost is $20.00 per person. For more information and to pre-register, contact Maggy Herbelin at 707-445-2401.

The Oceans:
Eureka
Prior to today’s salmon opener, the Eureka fleet has split their time between rockfish at the Cape or Halibut. Captain Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing has spent the last few days south on the rockfish grounds enjoying a wide-open bite. And as an added bonus, he’s been able to boat a few nice halibut as well. “The rock fishing has been awesome, and the lings have been plentiful. It’s been nice to get a few halibut too. We boated a 40-pounder last week and lost a bigger one at the boat. We’ve also pulled limits of jumbo crab daily for the clients,” Sepulveda added. Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing had one of the best days of the halibut season to date, landing five by noon on Tuesday. He added, “There seems to be quite a few halibut around right now. They were doing well up north near Trinidad as well as south to the Eel River, and at most spots in between including the dump site,” said Klassen.

Trinidad
Halibut fishing has been the main focus this week according to Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters out of Trinidad. He said, “There’s been quite a few caught the last few days, with most coming in 180 to 200 feet of water. There seems to be quite a few around, not one real hot spot. If the drift is right, the boats have been getting em’. The rockfish bite has been day to day. There seems to be quite a few blacks around, but the lings have been a little harder to come by the last couple days,” Wilson said.

Crescent City
The halibut bite was pretty good on Wednesday according to Leonard Carter of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “One of the charter boats landed four outside of the South Reef. And the salmon signs looked really good out there too. Lots of bait and whales – that would be a good place to start on Thursday when the salmon season opens again. The rockfish action has been really good at all the usual spots when the boats have been able to get out,” Carter added.

Shelter Cove:
Captain Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing reports the salmon have showed up and they seem to be everywhere. He said, “Boats are getting them straight out and all the way down to the lower end of the Banks. It’s been limits every day since Sunday. It’s been a solid grade as well with about a 14-pound average. The rockfish and lingcod bite remains phenomenal to the north but pretty slow close to port.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Spring salmon fishing remains up and down, with boats getting one to three chances per outing. The river is still in really good shape, with no signs of moss as of 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.

Calm seas predicted for the weekend

Eureka resident Shane Ranstrom is dwarfed by the 55-lb Pacific halibut he landed last Friday while fishing off the Eel River Canyon. The big fish is currently in second place in the Englund Marine “Big Halibut Contest.” Photo courtesy of Kevin Jameson

It was a pretty tough week for the Eureka sport fishing fleet. The south winds kept most of the boats tied up since the weekend, but they were finally able to get back on the water on Wednesday. The boats that went out ran all the way south to the Cape for rockfish, opting for the sure thing. Last week’s halibut bite never did take off, which took some of the luster off of an all day drift for one or two opportunities. But better days lie ahead. Calm seas are predicted for the next several days, which will make getting to the Cape that much easier. There’s also plenty of good salmon signs around. According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, the area off of Table Bluff looks fantastic with lots of birds, bait and dirty water. Same goes for north around the 51-line. The bay is also stuffed with anchovies, the most Klassen has seen in a few years. While halibut and rockfish make great table fare, king salmon still reigns supreme on the North Coast. June 16 can’t get here quick enough.

Marine Forecast
After a few days of crappy ocean conditions, the wind and seas are forecasted to lie down through the weekend. Friday’s forecast is calling for 5 to 10 knot winds out of the north and swells 5 feet at 11 seconds. Saturday is calling for north winds 5 to 15 knots with 5-foot swells at 13 seconds. Sunday’s forecast is calling for more of the same, north winds 5 to 15 knots with swells 5 feet at 12 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.

Klamath River – Blue Creek area re-opens to fishing
Back in April of 2015, the California Fish & Game Commission adopted a regulation that closed all non-tribal sport fishing at the mouth of Blue Creek on the Klamath from June 15 through Sept. 14 from half-mile below to 500 feet above the confluence of the creek. This April, the Commission modified that decision and changed the fishing boundary from a half-mile to 500 feet downstream of the mouth of Blue Creek from June 15 through September 14. The 500-foot closure above the mouth of Blue Creek will remain.

Youth fishing derby this Saturday
The 9th Annual SkyCrest Lake Youth Fish Derby & Firewise Day will be held this Saturday, June 11. The free event for youths 3 to 15 years old will be held at SkyCrest Lake, Burnt Ranch-Underwood Mtn. Rd. and is hosted by the Willow Creek Fire Safe Council. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and fishing will be from 9 a.m. to Noon. There is a free hot lunch for all from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Shore fishing only and no pets or alcohol. For more information, call 707-499-0767 or 530-629-2770 or email barbaradarst@yahoo.com. Directions to the event can be found at skycrestlake.com.

Boating safety class coming June 18
The US Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering a one-day “About Boating Safety” class on Saturday, June 18, from 9 a.m. to 3p.m. The class will be held at the Woodley Island Marina conference room and the cost is $20.00 per person. For more information and to pre-register, contact Maggy Herbelin at 707-445-2401.

Pacific Halibut closes after Wednesday
The Pacific halibut season will close again on June 15. The season will open back up on July 1. For information about the seasons and regulations, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670771-pacific-halibut-regulations

Sport salmon opens again Thursday
The second session of the sport salmon season from Horse Mt. north to the CA/OR border will open on Thursday, June 16 and run through June 30. The remainder of the season is as follows: July 16 through August 16, and September 1 through September 5. For more information about the seasons and regulations, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Salmon

The Oceans:
Eureka
Last week’s halibut action was pretty lackluster at best. According to Klassen, it was zeros, ones and the occasional two for the boats fishing straight out of Eureka. Most of the boats targeted halibut, but a few made their way south to the Cape where the rockfish bite was excellent. Per usual, full limits were easy to come by. Looking ahead to the weekend, rockfish will likely take center stage as the ocean is predicted to be fairly calm.

Crescent City
With salmon season being closed until the 16th, rockfish and halibut have been the main focus for anglers reports Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “A few halibut were caught this week near the south reef. The rockfish bite had been really good, but a huge patch of dirty water moved in which made the bite tough. It’s starting to clear back up, so I’d expect the bite to pick back up. I’ve also heard good reports from the perch fishermen targeting redtails at North Beach,” Hegnes said.

Shelter Cove
Captain Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing reports the salmon bite remains slow at the Cove. He said, “The rockfish action has been wide-open, but there aren’t many salmon around at the moment. That could be changing however as we’re starting to see a lot of birds and bait move into the area.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
The spring salmon action has been decent this past week with boats getting a chance at one to two fish per day. Big tidal swings begin this weekend, so hopefully that will push a few more fish in the river. The river is still in great shape with very little, if any, moss moving downstream.

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

Halibut, rockfish take center stage

Tracy McCormack, right, of Eureka landed and released this 4-foot Leopard shark while fishing in Humboldt Bay on Monday with Phil Glenn of Celtic Charter Service, pictured left. Leopard sharks are found along the pacific coast from Oregon to Mexico. They typically measure four to five feet and are often found in bays and estuaries. Photo courtesy of Kenny Priest

With Tuesday’s closing of the recreational salmon season, halibut and rockfish will once again become the main course on the menu. The off again, on again halibut closures are very much warranted, but it does make the finding the bottom dwellers a little more difficult right off the bat. Boats will likely need a little time on the water in order find the fish and put up some decent scores. Rockfish on the other hand, have been fairly easy to find. And so far this in this young season, they’ve been more than willing to bite. Boats fishing from Shelter Cove north to Crescent City have reported solid action. No real surprise there. As a reminder, halibut season will remain open through June 15. The next rounds of openings are 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. During the first session of the season, CDFW projected 4,011 net pounds were harvested towards a quota of 29,640 pounds. For up-to-date harvest tracking information, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-2016-in-season-tracking

Marine Forecast
The next couple days look pretty good, but the seas are forecasted to build back by the weekend. Friday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the NW 5 to 10 knots and waves from the NW 4 feet at 8 seconds and SW 2 feet at 12 seconds. Saturday is looking a little rougher, with winds out of the north 5 to 10 knots and waves 8 feet at 11 seconds. The wind picks up slightly on Sunday, blowing 5 to 15 knots out of the north and NW waves 8 feet at 9 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 or check out the bar cam located at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar

Ruth Lake Bass tournament coming this Saturday
Fortuna Fire Department CO-2’s will be holding the 23rd annual “Paul Jadro Memorial Bass Tournament” this Saturday, June 4. Blast off will be at 5:45 a.m. 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 3 at 4:30-7 p.m. or Saturday 4-5 a.m. For more information, contact Mike Ransford at 725-6310 or Lon Winburn at 725-5021 or 725-7880. Additional information can be found online at http://fortunafire.com/bass-tournament

Public meeting coming up on Chetco River motor ban
A reminder that a public meeting will be held on June 13 at 7:00 p.m. regarding the recent petition submitted that would potentially prohibit the use of motors on portions of the Chetco River. The meeting will be held at the Best Western Beachfront Inn Conference Room, 16008 Boat Basin Road, Brookings, OR. The petitioners, which include private boater and bank anglers Paul LeFebvre, Shane Hendren, Richard Heap, Ken Range and Ted Olson, all of Brookings; and Chetco riverfront property owners Richard Behrens, Peter Celli, Randy Warren and Rhonda Seymore, state a new rule is needed to reduce the conflict between user groups on the river (bank anglers, non-motorized drift boats, and drift boats with motors). Specifically, the petitioners refer to motorized boat anglers who are engaged in “side drifting” and the increase in boat traffic as the source of conflict. Written comments are also welcome, and can be mailed, faxed, or emailed to: June LeTarte, Rules Coordinator, Oregon State Marine Board, 435 Commercial St NE Salem, OR 97301; Fax: 503-378-4597; Email: osmb.rulemaking@state.or.usWritten comments due are due by 9 p.m., Monday, (close of meeting) June 13, 2016
For more information, visit http://www.oregon.gov/OSMB/info/Pages/Rulemaking-and-Public-Notices.aspx

The Oceans:
Eureka
The first two-week salmon season closed on Tuesday, and most were pretty excited, and surprised, about the number of fish that seem to be off the coast of Eureka. On most days, the charter boats scored easy limits well before noon. The last few days of the season, the fish were definitely a little more scattered, with fish being caught from the 38-line all the way to the 52. “There seems to be a fair number of fish around, it seemed like they were just spread out. There’s a lot of bait out there and the water temps are staying low,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. But now it’s on to halibut and rockfish. Wednesday’s report sounded like the halibut bite was pretty tough. A few were caught, though some of the boats threw in the towel early and headed to the Cape where the rockfish bite was its usual stellar self.

Shelter Cove:
Captain Jared Morris of C’Mon Sport Fishing has been limited to half days on the water as of late due to the high winds. He said, “The weather has been holding us back as it has been blowing 20 knots every afternoon. We have been able to get out on our half-days to fish for rockfish along the local reefs, but we really can’t venture more than 5 miles from the harbor due to the wind coming up by mid-morning. Rock fishing has been good, but there are so many short-belly rockfish around, you have to work for them. Salmon remains slow, but it has been very hard to get out and search for them. We are still pulling up limits of Dungeness crab.”

Crescent City
There wasn’t much effort this past week due to the ocean being a little rough according to Leonard Carter of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “There were a few boats targeting salmon, but I didn’t hear of any fish being caught. The wind has been keeping the boats close to home, and blowing them off the water early. Same goes for the rockfish, boats that have been getting out early are catching plenty of rockfish, but not many have been trying. As soon as we get some decent weather, we should see the scores improve,” Carter said. Just a reminder, the recreational salmon season closed on May 31, but will reopen June 16.

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
The river is in great shape, but the spring salmon bite has been hit and miss this past week. We should see the bite begin to improve as the water coming down the Trinity has been scaled back. The fishing pressure has been light, but that will likely change as the scores increase.

Eureka kings flying over the rails

Chris Beard of Eureka landed his first pair of kings last weekend while fishing off the coast of Eureka. The salmon bite has been wide-open this week, with most anglers quickly landing their two-king limit. Photo courtesy of Tony Sepulveda — Green Water Fishing Adventures

My proclamation last week stating the “good ole’ days of wide-open salmon fishing out of Eureka were back” seemed rather outlandish as I was putting pen to paper. But after another week of lights-out salmon fishing, that doesn’t look like much of a stretch now. The ocean finally flattened out last Friday, and the king bite busted wide-open. Charters, as well as the sport boats, have all been flying limit flags by early morning. Most of the action has taken place nice and close to home, just north of the entrance in 120 to 150 feet of water. The opener saw the ocean teeming with krill, but they have since been replaced by huge balls of anchovies, sardines, and squid. The ocean has warmed slightly the past couple days, but the north wind that is expected to blow for the next few days will likely squash that trend. For now, the fishing is a good as it gets, and the only roadblock is the vast amount of crab gear that’s covering a good portion of the fishing grounds.

Weekend marine forecast
Wind is in the forecast for the next several days, and the ocean looks to be marginal at best. Saturday and Sunday’s forecasts are calling for winds out of the north 10 to 20 knots, with waves NW 7 feet at 8 seconds. The Memorial Day forecast is looking similar, with winds out of the north 10 to 20 knots and waves NW 8 feet at 8 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 www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan or check out the bar cam located at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar.

Ocean sport salmon season closes May 31
As a reminder, the sport salmon season, from the OR/CA border to Horse Mountain, will close on May 31. The season will re-open again on June 16 and run until June 30. For the complete list of regulations, visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Salmon#recreational

Halibut season re-opens June 1
As part of the new state and federal sport regulations for the Pacific halibut fishery off of California, the Pacific halibut season will re-open June 1 and will remain open through June 15. During the first session of the season, which went from May 1 to 15th, CDFW projected 4,011 net pounds were harvested towards a quota of 29,640 pounds. For up-to-date harvest tracking information, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-2016-in-season-tracking

PFMC Halibut meeting coming up
The Pacific Fishery Management Council will be meeting June 23-28 PFMC regarding Scoping of Pacific Halibut Catch Share Plan Allocation Changes. In order to let the PFMC and the state of California know how import a much more fair Catch Share Plan is to us, HASA is advising the public to send written comments. There are two submission deadlines; the first one is on Thursday, May 26 for inclusion in their initial briefing package, and the second one is on June 14 for inclusion in their final briefing package. Comments and letters can be emailed to pfmc.comments@noaa.gov.

Crab fishery opens statewide
The final piece of closed ocean waters (between a line extending due west from 40° 46.15′ N latitude, the west end of the north jetty at the entrance of Humboldt Bay and north to the southern boundary line at 41° 17.6’ N latitude of the Reading Rock State Marine Conservation Area near Redwood Creek), opened up to sport Dungeness crab fishing last Thursday. The commercial soak period began on May 23 at 8:01 and they pulled the first pots at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, May 26.

Pacific Outfitters Big Fish competition
Pacific Outfitters of Eureka is once again holding its annual Big Fish Competition for Salmon, Halibut & Lingcod. The contest is open to anyone; you don’t need to be local to win. Entries will be accepted at the Eureka and Ukiah locations. Enter any legal size Salmon, Halibut & Lingcod – there’s no limit on the number of entries. Salmon entries will be weighed. All salmon entries must be gilled and gutted. Lingcod and Halibut entries will be measured – entries do not have to be gilled and gutted. Winners will be announced in each category at the end of the 2016 season. There will be first, second and third place prizes for each category. All entries will be required to have their photo taken with their fish. For more information, visit: www.pacificoutfitters.com/2016/05/03/2016-big-fish-contest/#sthash.zvu7nupy.dpuf

Nick Johnson of Eureka battles a 7 foot, Seven Gill Cow Shark in Humboldt Bay on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Phil Glenn/Bluefin Charters

The Oceans:
Eureka
The salmon bite is wide-open off the coast of Eureka according to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “Most of the action has been coming between the 47 and 52 lines in 120 to 150 feet of water, said Klassen “The fish have moved up in the water column the last few days, we’ve been doing well fishing at 40 feet. There’s lots of bait around, along with tons of crab gear. You really need to keep an eye out in order to avoid getting hung up.” Though almost all of the fishing effort has been on salmon, Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing opted for some new scenery and took a ride south on Tuesday to the Cape looking for rockfish. And they were there, and biting. He said, “The rock fishing was phenomenal. Even though we had to move a few times, the box of fish we ended with was incredible. The grade of fish was the best I’ve seen. We had some really giant Vermilions and some big Coppers as well. The ling cod bite started slow, but once we found em’ they came over the rail pretty quickly,” added Sepulveda.

Shelter Cove
Captain Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing reports the salmon bite remains very slow at the Cove, but the lingcod bite has been phenomenal. He said, “The lings are biting like crazy, but when we’ve stayed close to the Cove, we’ve had to work hard for the snappers. The last few days I’ve been running north to Rogers Break and the rockfish and ling bite has been on fire. On Saturday we hooked over 70 lings and came home with a good mixed bag of snappers.”

Crescent City
There were a few salmon caught earlier this week reports Leonard Carter of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “The last three days, a few boats have been making the 10 to 12 mile run to the backside of the South Reef, which seems to be the spot for now. The fish are coming pretty deep on the downriggers. The rockfish action has been good per usual when the boats have gotten out. The wind started to blow pretty good on Wednesday, so it might be a few days before boats are able to get back out,” Carter said.

King season opens with wide-open bite

Eureka resident Jo Weisgerber landed the seasons first king salmon on Monday while fishing out of Eureka with Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. Ocean conditions weren’t ideal for Monday’s opener, but the salmon fishing was red hot. Photo courtesy of Reel Steel Sport Fishing

Ocean looks fishable for the weekend

The good ole’ days of wide-open salmon fishing out of Eureka are back! At least that’s how it felt for a couple hours into Monday’s sport salmon opener. Much like the Halibut opener a couple weeks ago, the sport salmon season opened with a bang. The small handful of boats that crossed Humboldt bar into less than ideal ocean conditions were all rewarded with quick limits of salmon. Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing and Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sporting were two of the boats that reported limits before 10 a.m. The fast and furious action came north of the entrance near the “dumpsite” in 180 feet of water, with the salmon ranging from barely legal to 17-pounds. “The ocean looks normal, like what we’re using to seeing this time of the year,” said Klassen. The water temperature has been right around 52 degrees and we’ve been seeing lots of whales, krill and other types of baitfish. The fish we caught on Monday were stuffed with krill.” Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse on Tuesday, keeping the fleet tied up. Friday is looking like the day when the boats may be back on the troll.

Sunday’s rockfish opener out of both Eureka and Trinidad went off as expected. Boats making the run from Eureka south to the Cape reported a wide-open bite on a wide variety of rockfish as well as lings. Kayakers fishing out of Trinidad reported a hot bite as well.

Weekend marine forecast
The weekend forecast is looking plenty fishable, but Friday is still looking marginal. For Friday, the forecast is calling for winds out of the NW 5 to 15 knots with waves NW 8 feet at 9 seconds. The swells will start to come down by Saturday, with winds out of the south 5 to 10 knots. Waves will be out of the NW 7 feet at 10 seconds. Sunday is looking like the best day with west winds up to 5 knots and NW waves 5 feet at 9 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 www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan or check out the bar cam located at www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar

Humboldt Bay fishing trips now available
Phil Glenn, former captain of the charter vessel Shellback, is now running fishing trips inside of Humboldt Bay. Glenn will be targeting various species of sharks and bat ray’s in his new vessel, the Bluefin. Trips run from 7 a.m. until noon and the cost is $100 per person. For more information or to book a trip, call 707-442-7115.

Crescent City salmon update
Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine reports a couple boats fished Monday’s salmon opener, but didn’t hear of any fish being caught. “It’s been too rough to fish since, and there probably won’t be a whole lot of effort until next month. While the ocean was fishable last weekend, anglers did really well on rockfish. Big and South Reefs both produced good numbers of ling cod. I also heard of a few halibut being caught prior to the closure near South Reef,” Hegnes added.

Shelter Cove
Reports have been hard to come by out of Shelter Cove, but with the weather improving and the opening of rockfish, we should start to hear some consistent reports. If you plan to head that way this weekend, expect a crowd. Saturday is the 10th Annual Gimme Shelter Kayakfishing Tournament and close to 200 entries are expected.

River openings
Sections of the Eel (South Fork to Cape Horn Dam), Van Duzen, Mad, Mattole and Smith will re-open on Saturday, May 28th. On most rivers, only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used. For a complete list of river openings and regulations visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/regulations

Ruth Lake Bass tournament coming June 4
Fortuna Fire Department CO-2’s will be holding the 23rd annual “Paul Jadro Memorial Bass Tournament” on Saturday, June 4. Blast off will be at 5:45 a.m. 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 3 at 4:30-7 p.m. or Saturday 4-5 a.m. For more information, contact Mike Ransford at 725-6310 or Lon Winburn at 725-5021 or 725-7880. Additional information can be found online at http://fortunafire.com/bass-tournament

SkyCrest Youth Fishing Derby coming June 11
The 9th Annual SkyCrest Lake Youth Fish Derby & Firewise Day will be held Saturday June 11. The free event for youths 3 to 15 years old will be held at SkyCrest Lake, Burnt Ranch-Underwood Mtn. Rd. and is hosted by the Willow Creek Fire Safe Council. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and fishing will be from 9 a.m. to Noon. There is a free hot lunch for all from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Shore fishing only and no pets or alcohol. For more information, call 707-499-0767 or 530-629-2770 or email barbaradarst@yahoo.com. Directions to the event can be found at skycrestlake.com.

Send in your fish photos
Land a big salmon or perch lately? Or maybe your friend or relative has reeled in their first trout. Email your fishing photo to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com and I’ll run them with the “Fishing the North Coast” weekly column and also post them on the digital version on times-standard.com. Just include the name of the person in the photo, where and when it was taken and any other details you’d like to share.

Good weather ahead for rockfish, salmon openers

Six year-old Otis Lee Zepp of McKinleyville took first place in the Juniors category of the Perch’n on Peninsula fishing tournament, which took place last Saturday. The young anglers redtail perch measured 13.27 inches. Photo courtesy of Samoa Peninsula Fire District

Pacific halibut closes Sunday

The ball is about to get rolling here on the North Coast, and it looks like the weather and the ocean conditions are starting to align. Both Friday and Saturday should be excellent for Halibut, with 4-foot waves forecasted for both days. It’s been about a week since the ocean’s been nice enough to drift for flatties, so you’d be wise to take advantage of the next few days as the first halibut closure begins Monday morning. Ocean conditions, especially for salmon, are starting to look real fishy. Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, who’s been targeting halibut the last couple days, reports there’s plenty of good looking water outside of Humboldt Bay. “Offshore is starting to look really good. There’s lots of brown water, and we’re seeing quite a bit of bait on the outside as well as in the bay .We’ve also seen a few whales, which could be feeding on krill. The water temps are nice and cool as well, it’s been ranging from 50 to 53 degrees, which is perfect for salmon,” Klassen added. As a reminder, Halibut closes on Sunday, rockfish opens on Sunday, and the sport salmon opener is Monday. Let the good times roll….

Use extreme caution when crossing Humboldt Bar
Current conditions in the Humboldt Bar channel are extremely dangerous and unpredictable. Where you’ve crossed in previous years may no longer be navigable. You’ll want to use caution, check the marine forecast and know the tides. You should avoid crossing during an outgoing tide when there are large swells on the outside. 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 or check out the bar cam located at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar

Marine forecast
After a rough start to the halibut season, the wind and seas are finally predicted to subside. Friday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the west at 5 knots and north waves 3 feet at 11 seconds. Saturday is looking nearly the same, with waves out of the NW 4 feet at 12 seconds. The wind starts to build on Sunday, with north winds forecasted 10 to 15 knots. Waves will be from the NW 4 feet at 6 seconds…and NW 3 feet at 14 seconds. Monday’s weather for the salmon opener is looking plenty fishable, with north winds 10 to 20 knots and waves NW 4 feet at 6 seconds and NW 3 feet at 11 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.

Pacific Halibut closes after Sunday
Per the new state and federal sport regulations for Pacific halibut, the season’s first closure will begin after this Sunday, May 15. The season will open back up on June 1. For information about the seasons and regulations, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut

Rockfish opener slated for Sunday
The 2016 rockfish season will open this Sunday to boat-based anglers within the Northern Management Area — which runs from the Oregon border south to the Cape Mendocino Area. The recreational rockfish and lingcod season will run from May 15 through October 31. The daily bag limit per person is a 10 fish combination, except only three cabezon three bocaccio, and five black rockfish are allowed per person. Cabezon have a minimum 15-inch size limit. There is no size limit for Boccaccio. The lingcod limit remains the same as last year, three fish per person with a minimum size of 22 inches. The depth limit remains the same as last year; fish may only be taken or possessed in less than 120 feet (20 fathoms) of water. The take and possession of bronzespotted rockfish, canary rockfish, cowcod and yelloweye rockfish will remain prohibited statewide.

Sport salmon season opens Monday
Our 2016 ocean sport salmon season from Horse Mt. north to the CA/OR border will open on Monday, May 16 and run through May 31. The remainder of the season is as follows: June 16 through June 30, July 16 through August 16, and September 1 through September 5.

The daily bag limit is 2 salmon of any species except Coho, with a minimum size limit of 20 inches. Fishing is permitted seven days a week. 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.

Gear restrictions:
North of Pt. Conception: No more than two (2) single-point, single-shank barbless hooks shall be used and no more than one rod per angler when fishing for salmon or fishing from a boat or floating device with salmon on board.
Horse Mt. to Pt. Conception: When fishing with bait and angling by any other means than trolling, no more than two (2) single-point, single-shank barbless circle hooks shall be used. The distance between the two hooks must not exceed five (5) inches when measured from the top of the eye of the top hook to the inner base of the curve of the lower hook and both hooks must be permanently tied in place (hard tied). Barbless hooks are required and anglers are limited to one rod per person when salmon fishing or when fishing from a boat with salmon on board.

Perch’n on the Peninsula results
The 7th Annual Perch’n on the Peninsula fishing tournament was held on last Saturday, May 7. A total of 26 adults and 8 juniors entered this year’s tournament with 13 adults and 6 juniors registering catches. This year’s top catch was a 16.34-inch redtail caught by Tyler Jabbour at Hidden Beach. Marlene Allen took second place with her 15.31-inch redtail and Casey Allen held onto third place with a 14.96-inch redtail.

Six year-old Otis Lee Zepp of McKinleyville took first place in the Juniors category with his 13.27-inch redtail caught at Gold Bluff Beach. The second place winner was Breanna Tatro, 12 years old from Manila, with her 13.19-inch redtail followed by eight year-old Ella Hart of Eureka with her 12.60-inch fish.

Trinity/Klamath Rivers
Water releases from Lewiston Dam into the Trinity River will rapidly increase to 10,000 cfs on Friday, May 13 through Saturday. Release rates will then gradually decrease over approximately 11 weeks to return to the 450 cfs summer baseflow rate around August 2. Spring salmon fishing on both the Trinity and Klamath should pick up when the flows taper off and the rivers begin to clear, which should be in the next couple weeks.

Halibut season opens with a bang

Bob Pagliuco of McKinleyville landed this 47-pound Pacific halibut on Tuesday while fishing out of Eureka. Halibut season opened May 1 will run through the 15th before opening again June 1st. Photo courtesy of Marc Schmidt/Coastline Charters

Perch’n on the Peninsula this Saturday

Two days on the water sure doesn’t make a season, but if the halibut fishing is anything remotely close to the level of the past couple days, we’re in for a helluva season. The opener on Sunday was a bust due to weather, but Monday and Tuesday the fishing was spectacular. On Tuesday, Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing had five limits by 10 a.m. — and he wasn’t the only one catching. “The fishing started out really good on Monday too, we got two right off the bat before being blown off the water early. Tuesday was off the hook, with most of the boats fishing straight out of the entrance in roughly 300 feet of water,” Klassen added. The sport crabbings has also been good, both inside the bay and offshore. According to Klassen, his pots have been loaded the all week and easily averaging 25 per trap. With both the salmon and rockfish openers right around the corner, let’s hope they also start with a bang.

Weekend marine forecast
As of Wednesday, the weekends forecast for coastal waters out 10 nautical miles is looking pretty ugly. Saturday’s forecast is for winds out of the north 5 to 15 knots and waves NW 7 feet at 9 seconds and NW 3 feet at 13 seconds. There’s hope for the halibut anglers with Sunday’s forecast. Winds will be out of the north 5 to 15 knots and waves NW 7 feet at 12 seconds. The ocean really starts to lay down on Monday, with similar winds and waves NW 4 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.

Sport crab territory expands, commercial season to follow
As of Monday, the majority of coastline in northern California has been opened to recreational Dungeness crab fishing. These areas comprise all the ocean, bay and estuarine waters south of the Humboldt Bay entrance, including the entrance and the waters of Humboldt Bay, and the area north of the southern boundary of Reading Rock State Marine Conservation Area (near Redwood Creek in Humboldt County) to the California/Oregon border. The area between the northern jetty of the Humboldt Bay entrance and the southern boundary of Reading Rock State Marine Conservation Area remains closed to recreational take of Dungeness crab. The commercial fishery will open in northern California in the same areas just opened to recreational fishing at 12:01 am on Thursday, May 12, after a 64-hour gear-setting period that will commence at 8:01 a.m. on Monday, May 9.

Trinidad boat launch information
As posted this week on the Humboldt Tuna website, the Trinidad boat launch is once again up and running. Boat launch hours for the first Halibut Season (May 1-15) will be 7 a.m. to 3p.m., seven days a week. When the rockfish and salmon seasons open May 15-16, the boat launch will be open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 707-677-3625 for more information.

Perch’n on the Peninsula happening Saturday
The Samoa Peninsula Fire District’s 7th annual “Perch’n on the Peninsula” a Surfperch Fishing Tournament and Fish Fry Fundraiser, will return to Samoa this Saturday, May 7.

This fun-filled, family-oriented event, which is hosted at the Peninsula Elementary School, 909 Vance Avenue in Samoa, benefits the Samoa Peninsula Fire District Volunteer Association. The fish fry fundraiser begins at noon and will include Humboldt Bay Oysters and locally harvested ocean fish. The fishing tournament begins at sunrise with the check-in deadline at 2:00 p.m. Prize presentations will begin at 2:30. There will be lots of great raffle prize items, donated by local merchants, available at the fundraiser.

You don’t have to go fishing to join in the fun because the fish fry fundraiser is open to the public. Fish Fry Fundraiser Admission is only $10.00 for Adults and $5.00 for Junior’s, children 6 and under get in free.

Adult Fishing Tournament Entry is $20.00 and Junior Fishing Tournament Entry (Under 16) is only $10.00. The fishing tournament entry includes admission to the fish fry fundraiser and one (1) door prize entry.

Tournament Day Registration is available at the Peninsula Elementary School beginning at 6 a.m. or you can get pre-registered before tournament day online at samoafire.org or at local merchants such as Mad River Bait, Tackle and Guide Service in Arcata, Pacific Outfitters, Englund Marine, or RMI Outdoors in Eureka. Fishing tournament prizes include guided fishing trips donated by Northwind Charters, Patrick’s Point Charters, Jolly Time Charters, and Fishing the North Coast with Kenny Priest. For more information contact Samoa fire at 707-443-9042 or visit samoafire.org to learn more about this event.

Halibut Contest
Don’t forget, Eureka’s Englund Marine will be holding its “BIG FISH” Halibut Contest again this year. The 10th annual event runs from May 1 to October 31, 2016. 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 Supply, Co., 2 Commercial St., Eureka, CA 707-444-9266.

Petition started to ban motors on the Chetco River
The Oregon State Marine Board received a petition on April 7 requesting that the Marine Board open rulemaking to adopt a new rule to prohibit the use of motors on a portion of the Chetco River in Curry County. The petition proposes prohibiting the use of motors on the Chetco River from the downstream boundary of the National Forest near Miller Bar to the lower water tower located at approximately river mile 3.2 below Social Security Bar.

The petitioners state a new rule is needed to reduce the conflict between user groups on the river (bank anglers, non-motorized drift boats, and drift boats with motors). Specifically, the petitioners refer to motorized boat anglers who are engaged in “side drifting” and the increase in boat traffic as the source of conflict.

A public meeting will be held on June 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the Best Western Beachfront Inn Conference Room, 16008 Boat Basin Road, Brookings, OR. Written comments can be mailed, faxed, or emailed to:

June LeTarte, Rules Coordinator, Oregon State Marine Board
435 Commercial St NE Salem, OR 97301
Fax: 503-378-4597; Email: osmb.rulemaking@state.or.us

Written comments due by: 9 p.m., Monday, (close of meeting) June 13, 2016
For more information, visit http://www.oregon.gov/OSMB/info/Pages/Rulemaking-and-Public-Notices.aspx

Coastal saltwater season set to take off

Jared Gadberry, left and Dave Totten landed this nice 30-inch lingcod on a recent trip to Humboldt Bay’s south Jetty. Rockfish season is open year-round on the North Coast to shore-based anglers and divers. For boat-based anglers, the season will open May 15 and run through Oct. 31. Photo courtesy of Jared Gadberry/Humboldt Jetty Rats

For the saltwater junkies of the North Coast, the month of May couldn’t come soon enough. Since the first of the year, the fishing news has been nothing but gloom and doom. The salmon numbers are down significantly, Dungeness crab and razor clam seasons were both cut short or closed all together due to domoic acid, there’s talk of reduced bag limits and the closing of some key locations for rockfish, broken promises by the California Fish and Game Commission regarding MLPA assessments and the entrance to Humboldt Bay has filled in with sediment flushed from the Eel River. With multiple fisheries set to open in May, it’s time to brush aside the bad news and get back to what we love to do – fish.

First up is the May 1 Pacific Halibut opener. This is the lone bright spot this year as our quota was increased by 4,420 pounds over the 2015 quota, allowing us 29,640 pounds in 2016. The open season dates will be May 1-15, June 1-15, 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.

Next up will be the Northern Management Area recreational rockfish and lingcod opener, which is May 15 and the season runs through Oct. 31.

Right behind the rockfish opener will be the much-anticipated ocean sport salmon season. From the OR/CA border south to Horse Mtn., season dates include May 16 through May 31, June 16 through June 30, July 16 through August 16, and September 1 through September 5. Fishing will be allowed seven days per week, two fish per day with minimum size limit of 20-inches.

Weekend marine forecast
Ocean conditions are not looking to favorable for the Sunday Pacific halibut opener. For the coastal waters from Crescent City to Mendocino out zero to 10 nautical miles, Saturday’s forecast is calling for north winds 15 to 25 knots with waves out of the NW 10 feet at 10 seconds. On Sunday, winds will be out of the north 5 to 15 knots with waves NW 7 feet at 10 seconds and NW 6 feet at 14 seconds. For an up-to-date marine forecast, visit http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/

New dredger on the way to Humboldt Bay
According to Capt. Tim Petrusha, who is the Director of Harbor Operations/Bar Pilot, the U.S. Army Core of Engineers and the Captain of the dredge ESSAYONS have determined after looking at the soundings that the entrance to Humboldt Bay is unsafe to for the ESSAYONS to dredge. The draft of the dredge is too much for them to operate and will instead be bringing in the smaller BAYPORT dredge. Dredging will begin on approximately May 20. BAYPORT will be here for the entirety of the project once they arrive including the bar and entrance, and transition area near Schneider Dock.

Recreational crab season opens for most of Humboldt, commercial still on hold
The recreational Dungeness crab fishery opened last Friday south of 40° 46.15’ N Latitude at the northern jetty of Humboldt Bay to the California/Mexico border, including ocean waters of Humboldt Bay.
Recent test results show that domoic acid levels in Dungeness crabs south of Humboldt Bay entrance and in Mendocino County no longer pose a significant human health risk. Skipper Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing was one of the few boats to set gear on Tuesday, but hasn’t been able to check the gear since. “We went back out on Tuesday after a short soak, but the heavy current kept the buoys under water. It was too rough on Wednesday, now it looks like it will be Sunday or Monday before the seas are calm enough,” said Klassen.
The recreational fishery to the north of Humboldt Bay could open up as early as Thursday if the six crabs collected off Trinidad Head come back clean. “If the crabs don’t show high levels of a neurotoxin, which has delayed the state’s crab season since Dec. 1, the commercial season could start as soon as May 5, according to Department of Fish and Wildlife senior environmental scientist Pete Kalvass.

Razor clam fishery shut down in Humboldt/Del NorteThe California Fish and Game Commission on Monday closed the razor clam fishery in Humboldt and Del Norte counties following an emergency meeting. The commission’s report stated “Ingesting razor clams with high levels of domoic acid is a matter upon which urgent action is necessary to avoid severely impairing public health and safety.” The commission has notified the Humboldt and Del Norte counties Board of Supervisors of the closure, which will remain in effect until the commission receives further notice from hazard assessment office, according to the commission’s report.

HASA dinner Saturday night
The annual HASA fundraiser dinner will be held this Saturday, April 30, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The popular event has changed venues this year and will be moving from Redwood
Acres to the Arcata Community Center, 321 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway in Arcata. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children. Food will be provided by Ramone’s and some great items will be auctioned and raffled off. Each ticket will get you a HASA annual 2016 membership as well as entry into our door prize. For more information, email hasa6191@gmail.com or call (707) 845-4106.

Perch’n on the Peninsula coming May 7
The Samoa Peninsula Fire District will be hosting their 7th Annual Perch’n on the Peninsula Surfperch Fishing Tournament and Fish Fry Fundraiser on May 7, 2016.

The fishing tournament begins at sunrise with the check-in deadline at 2:00 p.m., prize presentations will begin at 2:30 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 RMI Outdoors. For more information, call (707) 443-9042 or visit http://www.samoafire.org

Trinity River restoration program water releases
The Bureau of Reclamation announced recently that releases from Lewiston Dam into the Trinity River began increasing last Thursday from 300 cubic feet per second to approximately 4,500 cfs by Saturday, May 7.

On Sunday, May 8, flows will begin to increase from 4,500 cfs, reaching 10,000 cfs on Monday, May 9, through May 10. On Wednesday, May 11, flows will be gradually decreased to 5,600 cfs. On Friday, May 13, flows will rapidly increase to 10,000 cfs through Saturday, May 14. Release rates will then gradually decrease over approximately 11 weeks to return to the 450 cfs summer baseflow rate around August 2. The public should take appropriate safety precautions whenever near or on the river. Landowners are advised to clear personal items from the floodplain prior to the releases.

The releases for this “wet” 2016 water year will result in a total volume of 701,000 acre-feet. This year releases will include two peak flows as compared to only one peak flow in previous years. The two peak flows are to better meet coarse sediment management objectives as part of the Trinity River Restoration Program. For more information, visit http://www.trrp.net/restore/flows/current

Klamath/Trinity Rivers 2016 salmon season set
Based on a projected return of only 30,909 natural area spawning adults to the Klamath River basin in 2016, the PFMC approved an in-river recreational quota of 1,110 fall-run Chinook salmon, which will be divided between the Upper and Lower Klamath as well as the Trinity. In 2015, the quota was 14,133 adult kings. Regulations will go into effect on the Klamath River for fall-run Chinook salmon fishing from Aug. 15 through Dec. 31 with a daily bag limit of 2 Chinook salmon, of which no more than 1 may be more than 22 inches in length. The possession limit is 6 Chinook salmon, of which no more than 3 may be more than 22 inches in length. The Trinity River will open to salmon fishing on Sept. 1 and close Dec. 31.For more information visit cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2016/04/26/salmon-seasons-set-for-ocean-and-inland-waters/

An uncertain salmon opener on tap for Shelter Cove

Albert Larcina of San Rafael landed this nice steelhead on a recent outing to the South Fork Eel River. Except for the main stem of the Eel, Trinity, Klamath and the Smith, all other coastal rivers, including the Chetco, will close to fishing after March 31. Photo courtesy of Albert Larcina

It’s been quite a few years since we’ve headed into a salmon season with this much uncertainty. With the number of salmon swimming off North Coast waters on a pretty sharp decline, all bets are off as to how bad or good the fishing will be. Hopefully we’ll be talking about the latter on Saturday morning as the recreational salmon season will open from Horse Mountain south to the U.S. – Mexico border. The Pacific Fisheries Management Council has forecasted 299,600 Sacramento River salmon to be swimming in the ocean along with another 142,200 Klamath River salmon — which is about half as many as last year. That’s the bad news. The good news is the ocean should be plenty fishable out of Shelter Cove or Fort Bragg over the weekend. As of Wednesday, light winds were forecasted to blow on Saturday from north at 5 knots with waves coming out of the west 6 ft. at 13 seconds. A mixed swell is forecasted for Sunday. Winds will be out of the east at 5 knots, with waves coming from the southwest 2 ft. at 5 seconds and from the west 5 ft. at 13 seconds. For an up-to-date marine forecast, visit http://marine.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-124.11255&lat=40.03701#.VvxNx3oUPg4

The three season alternatives from the area between Horse Mountain and Point Arena all have the season opening on April 2, though all have different lengths and end dates.

The daily bag limit will remain at two Chinook salmon, with a minimum size limit is 20 inches total length. All of the season alternatives can be found at http://www.pcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Preseason_Report_II_2016_final.pdf and will be finalized at the PFMC meeting in Vancouver, WA on April 8-14.

The sport opener for water north of Horse Mountain – the California KMZ – will be determined at the same meeting. Currently, three options are on the table for OR/CA border to Horse Mountain (which includes Humboldt County).

May 16 through May 31, June 16 through June 30, July 16 through August 16, and September 1 through September 5.
May 1 through May 31, June 18 through June 30, July 16 through July 31, and September 1 through September 5.
May 7 through May 31, June 18 through June 30, July 16 through August 7, and September 1 through September 5.

All options would be for all salmon except Coho, two fish per day, 20-inch minimum size, with fishing allowed seven days per week.

Upcoming events
HASA dinner April 30
The annual HASA fundraiser dinner will be held Saturday, April 30, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The popular event has changed venues this year and will be moving from Redwood
Acres to the Arcata Community Center, 321 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway in Arcata. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children. Food will be provided by Ramone’s and some great items will be auctioned and raffled off. Each ticket will get you a HASA annual 2016 membership as well as entry into our door prize. Dinner, auction and raffle tickets are available from any HASA board member or from the following merchants: Ace Hardware, McKinleyville; Bucksport Sporting Goods, Eureka; Englund Marine, Eureka; Englund Marine, Crescent City; Mad River Tackle, Arcata; Pacific Outfitters, Eureka; RMI Outdoors, Eureka; and W&W RV & Sporting Goods, Eureka. For more information, email hasa6191@gmail.com or call (707) 845-4106.

Steelhead river closures
Except for the main stem of the Eel, Trinity, Klamath and the Smith, all other coastal rivers, including the Chetco, closed to fishing after March 31. The main stem Eel, from Fulmor Road to the South Fork, will remain through September 30. Only artificial lures can be used, no bait. The Smith River, from its mouth to the confluence of the Middle and South Forks, will be open through April 30. Barbless hooks are required and bait is legal. The Klamath and Trinity rivers are open year-round. For up-to-date regulations, be sure to pick up the 2015-2016 supplement or visit http://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations

The Rivers:
Main Stem Eel
The main stem remains blown out, currently running at just under 10,000 cfs as of Wednesday. According to Paul Grundman of Rio Dell’s Grundmans Sporting Goods, it will be another week to 10 days before it’s fishable.

Smith River
The Smith is holding right around nine feet on the Jed smith gauge and the fishing has remained pretty good this past week reports guide Mike Coopman. He said, “The river has been holding its color pretty well, likely from the snowmelt. There isn’t much fishing pressure left, but there’s plenty of fish around to make a good day. Almost all of the fish we’ve caught this past week have been downers, and we’re landing anywhere from two to 10 a day.”

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

Steelhead season winding down on the North Coast

It’s been an interesting steelhead season to say the least — and probably somewhat normal. After suffering through three years of low-water conditions, water was plentiful this year. And the fishing followed suite, especially the northern most rivers like the Chetco and Smith. It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen steelhead return like this year, which provides hope for the years to come. Here in Humboldt, all of the rivers, except for maybe the Mad, were hampered by big flows and dirty water for most of the season. When the Eel and Van Duzen did turn green, the fish were tough to come by. The hope is the big storms that hit in December and January allowed the steelhead to enter the river, take care of business, and ride right back out to the salt unabated. At least that’s the hope. As we head into April, it’s time to start preparing for the abalone season, ocean salmon and rockfish, spring salmon on the Klamath, redtail perch from our beaches, and hopefully — crab! All in all, it’s been a great winter steelhead season, but I for one am ready for spring and all the new angling opportunities that come with it.

Weekend weather
Other than a couple of weak systems to our north, we’ll be dry through the end of next week says Kathleen Lewis of Eureka’s National Weather Service. She said, “The first system will come through on Wednesday night and might drop a tenth of an inch, but not enough to affect any of the rivers. Another weak storm will roll in Saturday night into Sunday morning, bringing with it cooler temperatures. Snow levels could fall to 4,000 to 5,000 feet and the Smith basin could see up to a quarter inch of rain with less falling in Humboldt. A ridge of high pressure will settle in on Monday, keeping us dry throughout next week.”

Abalone season opens April 1
Abalone season will open on Friday, April 1 along the North Coast from the San Francisco Bay north. New regulations effective in 2014 closed parts of Fort Ross State Historical Park to the take of abalone. For a map of the closed area, visit https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=42101&inline=true

2016 regulations for breath-hold divers
Season and times: The season runs from April 1st through November, excluding the month of July. Diving is legal from 8 a.m. to 30 minutes after sunset.

What you’ll need:

1) Fishing license (not required for 15 years old and younger)

2) Abalone report card, which costs $22.42. (Must be in your possession while diving. Also required for those 15 years or younger.)

3) Fixed caliper measuring device

Limit and size restrictions: Three per day, three in possession and no more than 18 per year. Only 9 may be taken from Sonoma and Marin counties. Must be seven inches or larger. You must keep any legal abalone you pull from a rock and if it is not legal, you must stick it back on the same rock from where it came. Only your hand or a legal abalone iron can be used to pry them from the rocks.

General regulations: As soon as you get out of the water or step foot in a boat, you must tag your abalone. The tag needs to go through the siphon holes and held together with some type of string or zip tie. The shell cannot be removed until preparation begins for cooking or eating. For more information, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Invertebrates/Abalone

Crab season opens south of Sonoma/Mendocino County
The recreational Dungeness crab closure, in place since November, was lifted last Friday south of the Sonoma/Mendocino county line. The commercial season is set to open at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, March 26. The presoak period, during which commercial fishermen may begin setting gear in place, starts at 6:01 a.m. Friday, March 25.

Recent test results show that domoic acid levels in crabs off the California coast south of the Mendocino/Sonoma county line no longer pose a significant human health risk. Closures remain in place north of the Mendocino/Sonoma county line for the Dungeness crab commercial and recreational fisheries. For information, visit https://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2016/03/18/recreational-dungeness-crab-fishery-open-south-of-sonomamendocino-county-line-commercial-fishery-to-open-in-seven-days/

The Rivers:
Chetco River
The Chetco dropped back into shape late last week and scores ranged from two to six fish per trip. The majority of the catch was made up of downers, but a few fresh ones are still making their way upriver. The rain that fell earlier in the week turned it big and brown, but it’s dropping quickly. With no rain in the immediate forecast, it may be fishable prior to closing next Thursday.

Smith River
The Smith dropped back into shape late last week and provided some decent steelhead action prior to blowing back out on Monday. It’s projected to drop back under 10-feet on the Jed Smith gauge by Friday and conditions should be ideal through the weekend. The main stem of the Smith will remain open through the end of April from its mouth to the confluence with the Middle and South Forks. The Middle fork will also remain open through April from its mouth to Patrick’s Creek. The South Fork is open through April as well, from its mouth upstream approximately 1,000 feet to the County Road (George Tryon) bridge and Craigs Creek to Jones Creek. Bait can be used and barbless hooks are still required

Eel River (main stem)
As of Wednesday, the main stem was still running at over 30,000 cfs on the Scotia gauge and nowhere near fishable. The good news is the main stem will remain open to fishing after March 31.

Eel River (South Fork)
With no rain in the forecast, the quickly-dropping South Fork should be fishing by sometime early next week. As of Wednesday, flows were around 6,000 cfs on the Miranda gauge and predicted to drop below 2,000 cfs by Monday. The South Fork Eel will close to fishing next Thursday, March 31.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen is currently high and dirty and may not drop back into shape prior to closing next Thursday, March 31. Running at just over 3,000 cfs on Wednesday and predicted to drop to 1,300 cfs by early Monday, it may turn green just in time to close.

Mad River
The Mad jumped from 10 to over 12-feet from this week’s storm and is probably done for the year. As of Wednesday it was down to 11 feet and dropping slowly, likely due to water coming over the spillway from Ruth Lake. The Mad will close to fishing next Thursday, March 31.

Send in your fish photos
Land a big fish lately? Or maybe your friend or relative has reeled in their first fish. Email your fishing photo to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com and I’ll run them with the “Fishing the North Coast” weekly column and also post them on the digital version on times-standard.com. Just include the name of the person in the photo, where and when it was taken and any other details you’d like to share.