Current Fishing Reports | Fishing the North Coast with Kenny Priest

Calm seas put boats back on the water

The rough ocean conditions that persisted this past week provided a nice little break for most of the charter and sport boats fishing out of Eureka and Trinidad. But with the ocean lying down just enough on Wednesday, the fleet was able to get back on the water. Halibut and rockfish are what’s on the menu now as the recreational salmon season closed last week and won’t open again until July 16. Quite a few halibut were reportedly landed on Wednesday out of both Eureka and Trinidad ports. And the action should only get better as the ocean conditions improve.

An important reminder when combo 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 120 feet when fishing for other species. It’s a good idea to get those halibut first.

Weekend marine forecast
Ocean conditions aren’t looking to bad for the weekend. Friday’s forecast is calling for northwest winds up to 5 knots and waves out of the northwest 5 feet at 10 seconds. Saturday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 knots with northwest waves 6 feet at 12 seconds. Sunday isn’t looking as nice, with winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 knots and northwest waves 7 feet at 10 seconds and southwest 2 feet at 18 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan, or you can also verify the conditions as reported by looking at the bar cam at www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar. You can also call the National Weather Service at 707-443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at 707-443-6484.

Kayak demo day coming July 23
Mad River Tackle and Kayak Trinidad are teaming up to host a Free Kayak Demo day at Big Lagoon County Park on Saturday, July 23. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Come and test-paddle the latest and greatest fishing kayaks from FeelFree, Viking, Emotion, and the 2016 Slayer Propel from Native Watercraft. Try paddles from Werner and Bending Branches. Free clinics will be offered where you can learn to rig your kayak for fishing and rescue and recovery for kayak anglers. For more information, call 707-826-7201.

Report derelict crab gear
If any ocean fishermen come across old crab floats across the North Coast, the California Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project is still active and looking for help in removing old derelict crab gear. When you come across gear in which you believe is old, make a note of the GPS coordinates. From there you can enter the information and location at http://www.seadocsociety.org/report

The Oceans:
Eureka
With the closing of the recreational salmon season, it’s all about the halibut and rockfish until July 16 when the season opens back up. And it looks like we’ll finally have some decent weather to actually fish for both. Captain Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing spent the past week or so fishing in some less than ideal conditions, and he pretty much had the ocean to himself. “The forecast wasn’t always as bad as predicted, and we were even able to make a couple trips all the way to the Cape. The rockfish bite was stellar as usual, with easy limits flying over the rails. We spent a couple days on the halibut grounds as well, with our best day landing four flatties for five customers,” Sepulveda added.

Trinidad
“After fishing some really crummy weather this last week, it looks like we’re finally going to get a break” said Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “The water is starting to clear up and the halibut bit pretty well on Wednesday. The rockfish were snapping pretty good too, and if you target the lings, you’ll get em. ”

Shelter Cove
Captain Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing reports the salmon bite has been decent, with most boats averaging about a fish per rod. He said, “On Tuesday we had limits of rockfish and lings before we switched over to salmon. We put five nice ones onboard to 21 pounds and lost a few other good ones. The best bite has been at the Old Man.”

Crescent City
Not much has changed around here; the best action is still from the rockfish reports Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. He said, “The oceans been a little snotty, so not many boats have been out this week. It looks like we’ll finally have some better conditions the next few days. The rockfish bite is still good, with quite a few lings around too. Not much has been happening with halibut due to the weather, but that should change now. The salmon season, which temporarily closed last Thursday, never did materialize.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Early July means transition time on the Klamath. The majority of the spring salmon have made their way upriver, and now the fall kings are beginning to mill around the estuary. Boats are also beginning to side-drift the riffles targeting summer steelhead.

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

Volunteer anglers wanted for Klamath River study

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is putting their money where their mouth is. Stemming from the backlash of the California Fish and Game Commission’s decision to close a stretch of the Klamath River to fishing from the mouth of Blue Creek to downstream a half mile, they’re now making good on a promise to study the effects of water temperature and the catch and release mortality of steelhead. These studies come on the heels of the recent modification by the Commission when they changed the no fishing buffer zone from a half-mile below Blue Creek to 500 feet.

The studies will be conducted by CDFW, and they’re looking for a few experienced steelhead anglers to help. This is a rare opportunity to assist CDFW scientists with an important study by fishing for steelhead in a wild and remote section of the Klamath River.

Due to the remote location of the study site, volunteers will need to dedicate a full day to the study; including 5-9 hours angling, plus additional time for training and orientation.

Volunteers will meet CDFW personnel near the town of Klamath and will be transported to and from the study site via jet boat. Volunteers must provide for themselves: transportation to and from the meeting location, valid California fishing license and steelhead punch card, personal fishing equipment, food, water, extra clothing, and personal safety gear (sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, etc.) adequate for a full day (sunrise to sunset) on the river.

Volunteers will be expected to use the gear types and angling techniques specified by CDFW personnel on site. The study will be performed mostly on weekends from July 9, 2016 through October 2, 2016. Tentative dates for angler participation are as follows: July 9, 10, 23, 24; August 6, 7, 20, 21; Sept. 1, 2, 17, 18; Oct.1, 2.

To sign up, contact Brett Anderson (brett.anderson@wildlife.ca.gov) or call (916) 323-3422 with the following information: Name, phone number and email address, preferred dates, short description of your angling experience. Only pre-registered volunteers will be allowed to participate.

Marine forecast
The ocean forecast for the holiday weekend is not looking great. From the beach out 10 nautical miles, Friday and Saturday’s forecasts are calling for winds out of the north 10 to 20 knots with northwest swells 9 feet at 9 seconds and southwest 2 feet at 16 to 17 seconds. Sunday is calling for winds out of the northwest at 5 to 15 knots, with northwest swells 7 feet at 9 seconds. Monday’s forecast is looking similar, with winds out of the north 5 to 15 knots with northwest swells 8 feet at 9 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an 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 you can also verify the conditions as reported by looking at the bar cam at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar

Saturday is statewide free fishing day
On Saturday July 2, people may fish California’s waters without a sport fishing license. All regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect. On Free Fishing Days, every angler must have the appropriate report card if they are fishing for abalone, steelhead, sturgeon, spiny lobster, or salmon in the Smith and Klamath-Trinity River Systems. For more information visit, www.wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days

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

Halibut season re-opens July 1
The Pacific halibut season will re-open Friday, July 1 and will remain open through July 15. To date, the CDFW has projected 8,672 net pounds have been 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

Abalone season closing
Abalone season will close Thursday, June 30 and will be closed for the entire month of July. It will reopen on August 1. For more information, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Invertebrates/Abalone

The Oceans:
Eureka
The salmon fishing was very good prior to Wednesday according to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. He said, “The salmon have been real close to home; on Wednesday most of the fish were caught right around the bell. There’s still lots of bait around and not just offshore but along the jetties as well. Only a couple boats went out on Wednesday due to rough weather, and Thursday isn’t looking very good either.”

With salmon season closing on Thursday, the focus will again shift back to halibut and rockfish. Offshore conditions will have to improve dramatically in order to make a run to the Cape or to drift for halibut.

Trinidad
There’s been a pretty good salmon bite this week, with most boats reporting limits said Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “The salmon fishing was really good on Monday and Tuesday, but it fell flat on Wednesday. All the same signs were there, but the fish were either gone or not biting. The rockfish has been excellent as well, with more lings starting to show,” Wilson added.

Clay Crandal of Samoa landed a nice pair of kings on Tuesday while fishing out of Trinidad aboard the Wind Rose. The sport salmon season from the OR/CA border to Horse Mtn. will close on June 30 but will reopen on July 16 and will remain open through August 16. Photo courtesy of Curt Wilson/Wind Rose Charters

Shelter Cove
Captain Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing reports the salmon have been spread out this week. He said, “Seems like there’s been different “hot spots” everyday. There was a good bite in the Old Man a couple days ago. On the average, guys trying are getting from zero to five fish per day if they work at it. The rockfish bite is still good as we’ve been able to get all of our lings and five to 10 snappers per angler.”

Crescent City
According to Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine, the salmon action is still really slow, but not many boats are trying. “There’s been about three to four boats trying for salmon each day, and they’re getting roughly one fish per boat. Definitely not red-hot. The rockfish bite is still good, there seems to be plenty of lings around,” added Hegnes.

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
The springer bite has remained steady this week, with boats getting one to four real good opportunities per day while sitting on the anchor. The steelhead should start to show in bigger numbers in the next couple weeks and boats will be switching over to side-drifting riffles. The fall kings should begin to make an appearance in the estuary any time now.

Volunteer anglers needed for Klamath River study

Blue Creek photo The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is seeking volunteer anglers to assist with a scientific study to be performed on the Klamath River near Blue Creek. The purpose of the study is to investigate the potential effects of water temperature on hooking related mortality of Steelhead Trout. This is a rare opportunity to assist CDFW scientists with an important study by angling for steelhead in a wild and remote section of the Klamath River. Anglers of all skill levels may participate. However, some experience fishing for trout, salmon, or steelhead in a river or stream environment is required.

Due to the remote location of the study site, we are asking volunteers to dedicate a full day (sunrise to sunset) to the study; including 5-9 hours angling, plus additional time for training and orientation.

Volunteers will meet CDFW personnel near the town of Klamath. CDFW will provide transportation to and from the study site via jet boat. Volunteers must provide for themselves:

Transportation to and from the meeting location
Valid California fishing license and steelhead punch card
Personal fishing equipment (rods/reels, tackle, bait, flies, etc.)
Food, water, extra clothing, and personal safety gear (sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, etc.) adequate for a full day (sunrise to sunset) on the river.

Volunteers will be expected to use the gear types and angling techniques specified by CDFW personnel on site.

The study will be performed mostly on weekends from July 9, 2016 through October 2, 2016. Tentative dates for angler participation are as follows:

July volunteer table

To sign up, please contact Brett Anderson (brett.anderson@wildlife.ca.gov) or (916) 323-3422 with the following information:

Name
Phone number and email address
Preferred dates
Short description of your angling experience

Only pre-registered volunteers will be allowed to participate. We appreciate your understanding, and thank you for your interest in volunteering for this study.

Eureka still the place to be for kings

Eureka resident Kevin Jameson scored this nice king while trolling along the north jetty inside of Humboldt Bay last Thursday. Quite a few salmon have been caught inside the bay and the entrance as the salmon have been following large schools of anchovies and sardines as they move up the channels. Photo courtesy of Kevin Jameson

The salmon may not be flying over the rails in quantities of years past, but Eureka is once again the place to be for king salmon. And unlike last year when the fish were congregated 18 miles to the south, the fish are now nice and close to home. When the boats have been able to get out, they’re finding the largest concentrations of kings just south of the south jetty in 60-feet of water. The fish are kegged there likely due to the tidal influence of Humboldt Bay according to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “The bay has been absolutely loaded with anchovies and sardines the past couple weeks. And with the minus tides we’re having now, the bait is being flushed out of the bay and deposited right out front. And the salmon are right there waiting for them. The fish have been a pretty decent grade too, ranging between 10 and 18 pounds.” Klassen added. If you’re targeting salmon out of Eureka this weekend, a couple words of advice: Keep an eye on the tides and don’t overrun the fish…

Potential dangerous bar crossing
With minus, or very low tides in effect through the weekend, there could be potential early morning hazardous bar conditions 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. 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 or you can also verify the conditions as reported by looking at the bar cam at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar
Low tides — Sat. June 25 (-0.4 at 10:01 a.m.), Sun. June 16 (0.0 at 10:47 a.m.)

Marine forecast
The forecast for the weekend is looking a little on the sloppy side, but should be fishable. The big issue will be the outgoing tides out of Humboldt Bay. From the beach out 10 nautical miles, Friday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the north 5 to 15 knots with northwest swells 7 feet at 9 seconds and southwest 3 feet at 20 seconds. Saturday is calling for winds out of the northwest at 5 to 15 knots, with northwest swells 8 feet at 9 seconds and southwest 3 feet at 19 seconds. Sunday looks slightly better. Winds will be out of the north 5 to 15 knots with northwest swells 7 feet at 8 seconds and SW 2 feet at 18 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an 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.

Statewide free fishing day
On Saturday July 2, people may fish California’s waters without a sport fishing license. All regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect. On Free Fishing Days, every angler must have the appropriate report card if they are fishing for abalone, steelhead, sturgeon, spiny lobster, or salmon in the Smith and Klamath-Trinity River Systems. For more information visit, http://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days

The Oceans:
Eureka
Captain Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing reported, “There’s salmon spread up and down the beach from the Cape to the Mad River in 60 to 100 feet of water. If you find the right kind of bait signs on the meter, there have been biters amongst them. The action isn’t wide-open, but if you can keep your lines wet in the right places, you’ll catch em’. We were able to pull together a real good day on Wednesday, finding limits of nice kings close to home.” Taking advantage of a flat ocean a few days ago, Sepulveda gathered the customers an hour earlier than typical and ran all the way south to the Mendocino Canyon on an exploratory salmon trip. “We fished the northern lip and did limits in about 2 hours.”

Trinidad
There’s been a decent salmon bite this week reports Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “Boats have been picking up a few off the mouth of the Mad River in 180 feet. There’s been a bunch of bait there for awhile now. The rockfish action isn’t wide-open, but it has picked up the last few days. We’re starting to see more and more of them on the fish finders,” Wilson added.

Crescent City
Three kings were caught on Wednesday, so that’s a step in the right direction reports Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. He said, “I didn’t get the location where the salmon were caught, but I did also hear the same boat hooked quite a few silvers too. The rockfish bite is predictably good when the boats can get out.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
There was a pretty good push of fish that went through late last week, but the action has slowed a little since. Boats are still getting three or four real good takedowns per trip. The moss was starting to get a little heavier this past weekend.

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.

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.