Current Fishing Reports

Ron Wallace of Sebastopol, pictured right, landed the winning salmon in Englund Marine’s big salmon contest. The first place fish weighed in at 29 lbs gutted and gilled and was caught on July 21. Wallace was fishing with Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, pictured left. Photo courtesy of Englund Marine, Eureka

Additional flows released from Lewiston Dam

The 2015 recreational ocean season ended on Monday much like it began – quietly. A handful of sport boats weathered the choppy seas, spending a few hours fishing around the entrance of Humboldt Bay. As has been the case the entire season, there were plenty of birds and bait around, but the salmon were nowhere to be found. And just like that, it’s over. So now the salmon action will shift to the Klamath River, where the salmon are starting to arrive in bigger numbers. According to Sara Borok, an Environmental Scientist on the Klamath River, after Tuesday’s tally, 2,687 adults have been harvested below the Hwy 96 bridge since August 15. Of those, 1,545 were harvested below the 101 bridge. Anglers above the 101 bridge have harvested 897 to date. “We have about 575 left to catch at the spit, which should keep it open through the weekend, but it will likely close early next week. The number of adult salmon left to harvest below the 96 bridge is 4,380.” Borok added. The estuary will remain open to fishing after the spit closes. For more information on the Klamath regulations, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations

More water for Klamath salmon
The Bureau of Reclamation released additional water from Lewiston Dam on Tuesday evening to help protect returning adult fall-run Chinook salmon in the lower Klamath River. The flows increased from the current rate of 1,100 cubic feet per second for one day only and peaked at approximately 3,300 cfs on Wednesday morning. Flows will begin ramping down until reaching 1,100 cfs on Thursday. Flows are predicted to peak in Hoopa on Thursday around 2 p.m. On the lower Klamath, the river should begin to rise Thursday afternoon, with flows peaking very early Friday morning.

The one-day pulse flow is a secondary preventative measure implemented because of the continued presence of low-level infections of adult salmon by Ich. The public is urged to take all necessary precautions on or near the river while flows are high. For more information on this project, visit http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=22309.

Weekend marine forecast
The forecast looks decent through Saturday, with Sunday looking a bit rougher. Out 10 nautical miles, Friday’s forecast is calling for NW winds 5 to 10 knots with waves NW 5 feet at 9 seconds and SW 2 feet at 15 seconds. N winds 5 to 10 knots are forecasted for Saturday, with waves NW 5 feet at 8 seconds. Sunday doesn’t look good offshore, with N winds up to 15 knots forecasted. Waves will be out of the NW 8 feet at 10 seconds. For up-to-date weather forecasts, 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.

Trinidad Rockfish Wars V event details
On Friday, Sept. 11, a pre-tournament meeting will be held at 4:00 p.m.at Pacific Outfitters in Eureka. Tournament details will be discussed and goodie bags handed out. If you can’t make it to the pre-tournament meeting, please email aaron@pacificoutfitters.com. There will be a pre-tournament social gathering at 6:30 p.m. at the Emerald Forest in Trinidad. The tournament begins on Saturday at 5:45 a.m. on the protected side of Trinidad. Check in with an event coordinator for boat inspection and sign-off before departure. Event coordinators will be signing your hand if you plan on doing catch and release. Parking will be in the parking lot closest to State Beach, furthest from the boat launch area. You must park on the dirt due to restrictions set by the land owners and out of respect for the commercial fishermen and their boats. The tournament ends at 2:00 p.m. and you’ll need to be on land with your fish in hand. If you are still in the water by 2:00 p.m., you will be disqualified. A Potluck will begin at 4:30 p.m. where the winners will be announced and prizes will be given away.

The Oceans:
Eureka
With salmon season wrapped up in the Northern Management Area, the focus will be on rockfish, and hopefully tuna. The charters will continue to run south to the Cape, depending on the conditions and the interest. According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, the warm tuna water is roughly 15 miles off of Eureka. He said, “There’s some really good looking water straight out, but I doesn’t look like the weather will cooperate anytime soon.” Live bait is still available at Woodley Island, but make sure and call 498-1904 to set-up an appointment.

Crescent City
Ocean angling has really slowed down, especially now that the salmon season has closed reports Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “The wind has been blowing pretty good this week, so not many boats have been out. A few went out last weekend and I heard the bite was still going strong for rockfish,” Hegnes added.

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
The lower river has fished excellent the last few days according to Mike Coopman of Mike Coopman’s Guide Service. “There’s been plenty of bright fish around and we’ve been able to get limits or close to it daily. The fish are ranging from Jacks to adults up to 25 pounds, and we’re still catching quite a few steelhead too. Conditions will definitely change on Friday morning when the added flows hit the lower river. It’s hard to say what’s going to happen with the water, we may see a lot of debris for a day or so. On the plus side it should bring in a bunch of new fish,” Coopman added.

Middle Klamath
There weren’t many adult salmon on the middle Klamath this past weekend, but there were plenty of steelhead around to keep you busy. The river is in great shape and the salmon are likely moving through quickly. Quite a few new fish made their way into the lower river early this week, so fishing should only get better. The increase in flows should help as well.

Upper Trinity
The high water made a mess of the upper Trinity on Wednesday according to Tim Brady of Weaverville’s Trinity Outdoors. He said, “Prior to Tuesday’s increase in flows, boats working from the top down to Junction City were doing well. Bank anglers, on the other hand, were having a tough time. The fish aren’t going to travel in the same places as they normally would when the waters flowing at 1,100 cfs. It will be interesting to see if there are fish around and what shape the river will be in when the water comes back down,” Brady added.

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and www.fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.

Reclamation to Release Additional Water from Trinity Reservoir to Supplement Flows in the Lower Klamath River

REDDING, Calif. – The Bureau of Reclamation will provide a one-day pulse flow from Lewiston Dam to help protect returning adult fall-run Chinook salmon in the lower Klamath River as identified in the Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for this project which are available at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=22309.

In addition to the current supplemental flows being released out of Lewiston Dam to protect salmon, the one-day pulse flow is scheduled to commence on Tuesday evening, September 8, as a secondary preventative measure. The pulse flow will be implemented because of the continued presence of low-level infections of adult salmon by Ich, the disease thought primarily responsible for the fish die-off in 2002.

The flow from Lewiston Dam will increase from the current rate of 1,100 cubic feet per second and would peak at approximately 3,300 cfs for one day; it would then begin ramping down until reaching approximately 1,100 cfs the following day.

The public is urged to take all necessary precautions on or near the river while flows are high.

If you encounter problems accessing the documents online, please call 916-978-5100 or email mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov.

Brett Gregory, owner of Salty’s in Trinidad, had his hands full in landing this 67 lb. Thresher Shark on Sunday while fishing from his Kayak out of Trinidad. The big shark took an hour to land and towed Gregory a mile and a half. Photo courtesy of Salty’s Supply Company

Free fishing day this Saturday

The finish line is in sight for what can best be described as a very strange recreational salmon season on the North Coast. It began back in May with tons of excitement and optimism ­­— ­the prospect of a million salmon swimming in the ocean will do that. The general mantra for ocean salmon fishing has always been – find the birds, find the bait and you’ll find the fish. We had the first two the entire season, along with tons of whales, but the salmon just weren’t there. Needless to say, trips to the Cape for rockfish became a mainstay for charters and sport boats this year. And as it turned out, one of those trips changed the tide of our salmon season. A local sport boat ventured from the pack and found a pretty good salmon bite in the area called the pinnacles. From that day in mid July until today, that’s where the majority of the salmon were caught. The Eel River canyon produced some decent fishing days, but nothing as consistent as the pinnacles. As the season comes to a close on Monday, we should feel fortunate about the season we had. There were plenty of ports to our north and south where very few salmon were caught. As the El Nino takes hold of our coastline and pushes the warm ocean water inshore, let’s hope the albacore show up in big numbers to offset what turned out to be a strange and somewhat disappointing salmon season.

Klamath River quota update
According to Sara Borok, Environmental Scientist on the Klamath River Project, a total of 1,615 adult Chinook have been harvested as of Tuesday. This includes 704 adult salmon that have been harvested at the spit. The lower Klamath quota for 2015 is 7,067 adults and the spit fishery will close after 2,120 have been caught. For more information on the Klamath regulations, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations

Trinity River now open to Fall salmon fishing
As a reminder, the Trinity River opened to fall-run Chinook salmon fishing on Sept. 1 and will run through Dec. 31, with a sport quota of 4,663 adults. The quota will be split evenly, 2,331 adults from the main stem downstream of the Old Lewiston Bridge to the Highway 299 West bridge at Cedar Flat and the main stem downstream of the Denny Road bridge at Hawkins Bar to the confluence with the Klamath. The main stem downstream of the Highway 299 bridge at Cedar Flat to the Denny Road bridge in Hawkins Bar is closed to all fishing Sept. 1 through Dec. 31.

Free Fishing Day on Saturday
This Saturday, September 5 is the second of California’s two 2015 Free Fishing Days, when people can try their hand at fishing without having to buy a sport fishing license. All fishing regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect. For more information on Free Fishing Days, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days

Trinidad Rockfish Wars V to be held Sept. 12
Pacific Outfitters will be hosting the 5th annual Trinidad Rockfish Wars kayak fishing tournament on Saturday, September 12. The tournament is open to Kayak, Canoes and SUP’s. Only 200 spots will be available and registration ends on September 5. This year awards will be given in several categories, including Biggest Fish (in each species), Handline Challenge and Barbie Pole Challenge. For more information and complete details of the tournament, visit trinidadrockfishwars.com.

Marine forecast
The ocean looks like it will be a little bumpy between now and the end of the recreational salmon season. As of Wednesday, the forecast out 10 nautical miles for Friday is calling for winds out of the N 10 to 20 knots and waves NW 7 feet at 10 seconds. Saturday is calling for N winds 10 to 20 knots and waves NW 8 feet at 8 seconds and W 3 feet at 20 seconds. Sunday doesn’t look a whole lot better with N winds 10 to 20 knots and waves NW to 8 feet at 9 seconds and SW 4 feet at 18 seconds. Labor Day is looking only slightly better, with winds out of the north 5 to 15 knots and NW waves 7 feet at 9 seconds and SW 4 feet at 18 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For up-to-date weather forecast, visit http://www.weather.gov/eureka. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan. You can verify the conditions as reported, by looking at the bar cam. You can also call the National Weather Service at 707-443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at 707-443-6484.

Live Bait available at Woodley Island
Ken Bates now has live anchovies available at Woodley Island. He’s not keeping regular hours; call 498-1904 to set-up an appointment.

The Oceans:
Eureka
As has been the case for the last couple months, the majority of the salmon action is still centered near the Pinnacles off Cape Mendocino. Rough seas has kept the charters from making their way south since Sunday, though Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing made the trek on Wednesday. “We fished a couple hours and the salmon didn’t show, so we decided to switch over to rockfish. There’s been less and less bait down there and it looks like it may be breaking up. The fish are likely starting to peel away and head towards the rivers,” Sepulveda added. The action out front and to the north has been hit and miss, with a few fish caught each day by boats fishing right on the beach. Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing took advantage of some decent offshore weather on Sunday and went looking for tuna. They found really good water about 50 southwest of the entrance, but couldn’t get any tuna up to the boat.

Trinidad
There was a decent salmon bite earlier this week, but it has since slowed reports Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “Most of action was inside Trinidad Bay just south of the whistle buoy in 30 feet of water where the birds and bait have been pretty thick. There have also been lots of Thresher sharks around this week, quite a few have been hooked and couple were landed. The rockfish bite remains steady, but there are days when they don’t come as easily,” Wilson added.

Crescent City
A few salmon were caught out front of the harbor this week according to Leonard Carter of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. He said, “A few boats have been trolling and were able to land a couple. I heard one boat hooked five. It’s a good sign there’s some fish around, but there isn’t much time left in the season. The rockfish bite is still wide-open, though the effort has lessened this past week. Hopefully the ocean will be nice this weekend so the boats can get out.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Fishing has been pretty tough the last couple days reports Mike Coopman of Mike Coopman’s Guide Service. He said, “Earlier in the week, we were working for our fish, but we usually ended up with limits. I’m seeing quite a fish roll up and down the whole river; I just don’t think they’re stopping. It’s been a few years since we’ve had these steady flows and I think the fish are moving through the system quickly.”

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and www.fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.

Phil Pritting of McKinleyville landed this nice Klamath River Chinook on Tuesday while fishing with guide Alan Borges. Klamath River salmon scored a major victory on Wednesday when a judge rejected the Central Valley irrigators bid to stop the surplus flows coming from Lewiston Dam. Photo courtesy of Alan’s Guide Service

Salmon score major victory over Central Valley irrigators

The Klamath River salmon scored a major victory over Central Valley irrigators as Judge Lawrence O’Neill of the United States District Court in Fresno rejected a bid on Wednesday by two of the biggest districts to stop emergency water releases intended to help Chinook salmon migrating up the Klamath and Trinity rivers.

O’Neill determined that any potential harm to the irrigators from an uncertain loss of added water supply was outweighed by the potentially catastrophic damage to salmon in the absence of supplemental water. He made a similar ruling last year when the bureau released water for Klamath salmon. Intense political and legal battles have gone on over dividing water between fish and farms in the Klamath Basin for decades.

The Bureau of Reclamation ordered the emergency flows last Friday from Lewiston Reservoir due to low flows and high water temperatures, fearing another outbreak of the parasite that killed between 33,000 and 78,000 salmon in 2002. The releases are scheduled to continue through September 20 and are expected to total about 25,000 to 30,000 acre-feet.

Klamath River update
According to Sara Borok, Environmental Scientist on the Klamath River Project, a total of 689 adult Chinook have been harvested as of Tuesday. This includes 371 adult salmon that have been harvested at the spit. The lower Klamath quota for 2015 is 7,067 adults and the spit fishery will close after 2,120 have been caught. For more information on the Klamath regulations, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations

 Fall regs begin Sept. 1 on the Trinity
On September 1, the main stem of the Trinity downstream of the Lewiston Bridge to the confluence with Klamath River will open and run through December 31. The exception to this is the Burnt Ranch Gorge area, (downstream of the Highway 299 West bridge at Cedar Flat to the Denny Road Bridge at Hawkins Bar) which closes to all fishing on September 1. The quota on the Trinity is 4,663 adults and will be split evenly between the main stem downstream of the Old Lewiston Bridge to the Highway 299 West bridge at Cedar Flat and the main stem downstream of the Denny Road bridge at Hawkins Bar to the confluence with the Klamath.

The daily bag limit is 3 Chinook salmon, no more than 2 fish over 22 inches. The possession limit is 9 Chinook salmon, no more than 6 over 22 inches. If the quota adult fall Chinook is met, then the previous bag and possession limits apply to “jack” salmon less than 22 inches, i.e. 3 jacks per day and 9 jacks in possession. For more information on bag and possession limits, visit the DFG website at https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations. All anglers on the Trinity and Klamath rivers must have Salmon Harvest Cards in their possession when fishing for salmon.

Marine forecast
Ocean conditions should remain fishable through the weekend. As of Wednesday, the forecast for Friday is calling for SW winds to 10 knots and waves NW 4 feet at 14 seconds. South winds 5 to 10 knots are on tap for Saturday, along with SW waves 5 feet at 7 seconds and W 4 feet at 18 seconds. Sunday is looking a little rougher, with S winds to 10 knots and W waves 5 feet at 8 seconds and W 7 feet at 16 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.

Health warning for recreational clams and mussels
On Wednesday the California Department of Public Health advised consumers not to eat recreationally mussels or clams from Humboldt or Del Norte counties. According to the press release, dangerous levels of domoic acid have been detected in mussel and razor clam samples and may be present in the other species that have not yet been tested. This toxin, also known as Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP), can cause illness or death in humans. No cases of human poisoning from domoic acid are known to have occurred in California. The warnings do not apply to commercially sold clams, mussels, scallops or oysters from approved sources. For the more information, visit http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR15-063.aspx

The Oceans:
Eureka
The Cape is still the salmon destination for all of the charter boats, and will likely remain that way until the fish have moved on. According to Tim Klassen on the Reel Steel Sport Fishing, the fishing is still really good, though the captains all have had their good and bad days. “I wouldn’t say it’s red hot, but it’s still good fishing. Most of the boats are getting limits, or real close to it daily. The water temps and clarity aren’t ideal, but the fish are staying put. Until something closer to home turns on consistently, we’ll be making the run south. The size of fish down here is all over the place, we’re catching some that are just legal to fish over 20 pounds.”

 Trinidad
The salmon action picked up this week reports Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “The salmon bite definitely improved the last 4 to 5 days. There were a few sport boats that did really well before the rest of the fleet got dialed in. All of the action has been right on the beach from Patrick’s Point down to the Mad River. The mooch bite has been real good, and trolling has been effective too. You definitely need to move around, we’ve been following the birds and the bait balls and getting a couple fish then moving to the next. The fish haven’t been huge, ranging from barely keepers to 15 pounds with the occasional big one mixed in,” Wilson added.

Crescent City
The rockfish bite is still wide open reports Leonard Carter of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. He said, “The bite hasn’t really slowed down all year, and it’s still wide-open. The ling bite is also still going strong. Doesn’t seem to matter which direction you head, limits are coming easily. Not much is happening with salmon, a few are being caught and released while jigging for rockfish, but no one is trolling.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
The past few days the fishing has ranged from decent to good according to Mike Coopman of Mike Coopman’s Guide Service. “I think the extra water has stabilized and the fish have settled, and in turn we’re seeing more and more adults enter the river daily. We’re also seeing a lot of jacks, which is typically the prelude to the bulk of the run. With cooler temps and possibly rain coming this weekend, fishing should only get better,” Coopman said.

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and http://www.fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.

Fall regulations go into effect on the Klamath River for fall-run Chinook salmon fishing beginning Aug. 15 and run through Dec. 31. The daily bag limit will be three Chinook, no more than two adults (greater than 22 inches) and the possession limit is nine, no more than six adults. Two hatchery steelhead or hatchery trout may also be retained, with a possession limit of four each. Spring-run Chinook salmon fishing regulations will run through Aug. 14, with a daily bag and possession limit of two salmon.

The entire 2015 quota for the Klamath River basin is 14,133 adult fall-run salmon based on 120,000 adult salmon predicted to return. On the Lower Klamath, from the mouth to the Highway 96 bridge at Weitchpec, 7,067 adults will be allowed for sport harvest. The mouth of the Klamath (spit area) will get 15 percent of the basin quota in 2015, which equals 2,120 adults. This area will be closed to all fishing after the quota has been met. New for 2015, all legally caught Chinook salmon must be retained. Once the adult (greater than 22 inches) component of the total daily bag limit has been retained, anglers must cease fishing in the spit area.

The section above the 96 bridge at Weitchpec to 3,500 feet downstream of the Iron Gate Dam will get 2,403 adults. The take of salmon is prohibited on the Klamath River from Iron Gate Dam downstream to Weitchpec from Jan. 1 through Aug. 14.

On the Trinity side, which will be open to fall-run Chinook salmon fishing Sept. 1 and run through Dec. 31, the quota is set at 4,663 adults. The quota will be split evenly, 2,331 adults from the main stem downstream of the Old Lewiston Bridge to the Highway 299 West bridge at Cedar Flat and the main stem downstream of the Denny Road bridge at Hawkins Bar to the confluence with the Klamath. The main stem downstream of the Highway 299 Bridge at Cedar Flat to the Denny Road Bridge in Hawkins Bar is closed to all fishing September 1 through Dec. 31.

Once these quotas have been met, no Chinook salmon greater than 22 inches in length may be retained (anglers may still retain a limit of Chinook salmon under 22 inches in length). For more information on bag and possession limits, visit the DFG website at https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations. All anglers on the Trinity and Klamath rivers must have Salmon Harvest Cards in their possession when fishing for salmon. The full regulation package approved by the Commission is available at http://www.fgc.ca.gov/regulations/2015/ktfregs.pdf

Lewis Richey of Fortuna, who was fishing as part of the Humboldt Veterans group, landed a nice Halibut on Monday out of Eureka. Martin Abshire, who runs the boat “Reel Time,” volunteered his time to take Richey as well as fellow veterans Steve Emmons of Fortuna, and Eric Hollenbeck of Eureka down to Cape Mendocino for a fun day of fishing.
Photo courtesy of Martin Abshire

Cape Mendo best bet for salmon

Fall regulations go into effect on the Klamath River for fall-run Chinook salmon fishing beginning Aug. 15 and run through Dec. 31. The daily bag limit will be three Chinook, no more than two adults (greater than 22 inches) and the possession limit is nine, no more than six adults. Two hatchery steelhead or hatchery trout may also be retained, with a possession limit of four each. Spring-run Chinook salmon fishing regulations will run through Aug. 14, with a daily bag and possession limit of two salmon of any size .Spring salmon regulations will run through Aug. 31 on the Trinity, with a daily bag and possession limit of two Chinook salmon. The take of salmon is prohibited from the confluence of the South Fork Trinity River downstream to the confluence of the Klamath River from Jan. 1 through Aug. 31.

The entire 2015 quota for the Klamath River basin is 14,133 adult fall-run salmon based on 120,000 adult salmon predicted to return. On the Lower Klamath, from the mouth to the Highway 96 bridge at Weitchpec, 7,067 adults will be allowed for sport harvest. The mouth of the Klamath (spit area) will get 15 percent of the basin quota in 2015, which equals 2,120 adults. The spit area will close to all fishing after the quota has been met. New for 2015, all legally caught Chinook salmon must be retained. Once the adult (greater than 22 inches) component of the total daily bag limit has been retained, anglers must cease fishing in the spit area.

The section above the 96 bridge at Weitchpec to 3,500 feet downstream of the Iron Gate Dam will get 2,403 adults. The take of salmon is prohibited on the Klamath River from Iron Gate Dam downstream to Weitchpec from Jan. 1 through Aug. 14.

On the Trinity side, which will be open to fall-run Chinook salmon fishing Sept. 1 and run through Dec. 31, the quota is set at 4,663 adults. The quota will be split evenly, 2,331 adults from the main stem downstream of the Old Lewiston Bridge to the Highway 299 West bridge at Cedar Flat and the main stem downstream of the Denny Road bridge at Hawkins Bar to the confluence with the Klamath. The main stem downstream of the Highway 299 Bridge at Cedar Flat to the Denny Road Bridge in Hawkins Bar is closed to all fishing September 1 through Dec. 31.

Once these quotas have been met, no Chinook salmon greater than 22 inches in length may be retained (anglers may still retain a limit of Chinook salmon under 22 inches in length). For more information on bag and possession limits, visit the DFG website at https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations. All anglers on the Trinity and Klamath rivers must have Salmon Harvest Cards in their possession when fishing for salmon. The full regulation package approved by the Commission is available at http://www.fgc.ca.gov/regulations/2015/ktfregs.pdf

Weekend Marine forecast
After a few rough days, the ocean looks like it will start to lie down on Saturday. Out 10 nautical miles north of the Cape, Friday’s forecast is calling for NW winds 5 to 15 knots and waves out of the NW 8 feet at 9 seconds. Saturday is calling for N winds 5 to 10 knots and waves NW 5 feet at 9 seconds. Sunday’s conditions are looking much better, with winds out of the N 5 to 10 knots and waves 4 feet at 10 seconds. 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. You can also call the National Weather Service at 707-443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at 707-443-6484.

Ocean salmon closure reminders
Eel River mouth — No salmon may be taken during the months of August and September in ocean waters at the mouth of the Eel River within two nautical miles north and south of a line drawn due west for two nautical miles from the center of the mouth of the river.

Klamath River mouth — Salmon may not be taken during the month of August in ocean waters at the mouth of the Klamath River within six nautical miles north and south of a line drawn due west for three nautical miles from the center of the mouth of the river.

The Oceans:
Eureka
The salmon fishing is still really good near Cape Mendocino according to Gary Blasi of Full Throttle Sport Fishing. “I wouldn’t call it wide-open, but its good fishing. At any one time, you can look around and see one or two nets flying. This past week we’ve been able to limit out the customers within 45 minutes to an hour. There’s seems to be plenty of fish still concentrated in the one general area,” added Blasi. Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing has spent some time chasing salmon but mixed it up a little over the weekend. Saturday his crew wanted halibut, and that’s what they got. “We were able to land four, but none of them were big. Most of the action, per usual, took place from 250 to 350 feet of water.” Sunday he really mixed it up, running 40 miles from the entrance in search of Tuna. “We found a really nice break that went from 55.5 to 62 degree water, but we couldn’t find any large schools of fish. We landed two really nice albacore that were over 25 pounds as well as a California Yellowtail.”

Trinidad
Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters reports the rockfish bite really picked up this past week, with limits coming pretty easy. He said. “The lingcod action has turned around as well, and we’re starting to see quite a few undersized lings too. Since the opener last Saturday, the halibut bite has been wide-open. I heard the fish counter checked in over 45 halibut on Saturday alone. Guys were starting to fish shallower, with quite a few landed in 150 feet of water. Not much happening with salmon, the warm water is keeping the boats from trying.”

Shelter Cove
The hot salmon bite has cooled down in the past few days according to Captain Trent Slate of Shelter Cove Sport Fishing. He said, “You could probably put in limits, but you would have to stay on them all day long.”

Crescent City
The lingcod action is still over the top reports Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “It’s amazing how consistently good the lingcod bite has been all season, and it shows no signs of slowing down. The halibut have been biting too, I’m hearing one to two per boat since last Saturday’s opener. The only salmon to speak of is coming from those jigging for rockfish near the sisters. Like most of the coast, the water here is too warm to hold fish,” Hegnes added

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Cloudy, cooler conditions have really helped the river conditions reports Alan Borges of Alan’s Guide Service. He said, “The water temps have cooled down to the low 70s and the mouth, which had been sanding over, has opened up allowing more fish to enter. There’s definitely some steelhead around as well as a few salmon.”

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and http://www.fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.

10 -year old Austin Scilacci had his hands full landing his first-ever tuna while fishing near Crescent City last Friday. Austin , along with his father Bryan, were fishing with Marc Schmidt of Coastline Charters. Photo courtesy of Bryan Scilacci

Abalone, halibut re-open August 1

In what could be the beginning of a lethal migration for Klamath and Trinity River salmon, Tribal researchers discovered evidence of a deadly parasite at the mouth of the Klamath River that could potentially harm the fall salmon run according to a news release issued by Yurok Tribe last week. The parasite known as Ich (pronounced “ick”) was discovered by Yurok fisheries crews conducting routine fish disease monitoring in the Klamath River. If allowed to spread, Ich has the capabilities to cause large-scale fish-kills, much like 2002, when more than 35,000 adult Chinook salmon and steelhead died. “Last year, an outbreak of Ich reached high levels, stopping just short of causing a catastrophic fish kill,” the release said. This evidence of an Ich outbreak is occurring one month earlier than last year, according to Craig Tucker, a spokesman for the Karuk Tribe. Low flows and warm water temperatures, both of which are currently present in the lower Klamath and Trinity Rivers, exacerbate fish diseases, such as Ich. According to Tucker, crews from the Yurok Tribe will continue surveying salmon for the parasite. The Yurok Tribe will work closely with federal, state and tribal partners to determine what management actions are necessary to protect the main portion of the fall Chinook salmon run, which has yet to enter the river.

Weekend Marine Forecast
After some pretty rough seas earlier in the week, the ocean is shaping up nicely for the weekend. Out 10 nautical miles north of the Cape, Friday’s forecast is calling for W winds up to 5 knots and seas out of the NW 4-feet at 8 seconds and SW 2-feet at 15 seconds. Saturday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the W up to 5 knots and W swells 4-feet at 8 seconds and SW 2-feet at 14 seconds. Sunday is calling for winds out of the NW up to 5 knots with NW swells 4-feet at 8 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.

Halibut season re-opens August 1
The Pacific halibut season will re-open August 1 and will remain open through August 15. As of July 15, the projected catch is 13,545 lbs with the quota set at 25,220 lbs. For up-to-date harvest tracking information, visit http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pacifichalibut.asp#tracking

Abalone season part 2
Abalone season re-opens August 1 along the North Coast from the San Francisco Bay north. After being closed for the month of July, the season will remain open through November. Diving is legal from 8 a.m. to 30 minutes after sunset. For more information, visit www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/invertebrate/abalone.asp

Tuna update
Tuna conditions are shaping up nicely for the coming weekend from Fort Bragg to Brookings, with the best opportunity possibly being Shelter Cove. There was a pretty decent bite out of Crescent City and Brookings last week, with scores ranging from 10 to 30 albacore per boat. The warm blue water was sitting roughly 20 northwest of Crescent City. There’s also a patch of warm water still sitting 25 miles off of Punta Gorda that has a few Eureka boats interested.

The Oceans:
Eureka
The story remains the same for the salmon boats fishing out of Eureka ‑— the bite is just about exclusive to Cape Mendocino. The fleet was off the water on Monday and Tuesday due to high seas, but last weekend saw limits for all the charter boats and quite a few sport boats caught fish as well. “Not much has changed, the salmon are still glued to the pinnacles” said Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing. The bite was wide-open and the sizes are all over the place. We’re seeing fish from 22 inches to 30 pounds, with most ranging from 8 to 12 pounds.” Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing had his clients limited early in the morning on both Saturday and Sunday. He said, “It’s only taking a couple of hours to land quality limits as there’s quite a few fish still in the area. Most of the fish are coming in 90-feet of water, but you really need to be careful as there are plenty of high spots to hang your gear on. The water temps are still much cooler down there, 53 degrees compared to 58 to 59 everywhere else.”

Trinidad
Rockfish and lingcod remain the main attraction to the few boats fishing out of Trinidad reports Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “We’ve been fishing some pretty sloppy conditions the last few days and it’s made the bite a little tougher. There’s still plenty of rockfish around, but it’s slowed down slightly. When you find a school of them, you want to stay on them. Same goes for the lingcod. Not very much effort on the salmon as of late, but I did hear of a few caught last weekend off of Mad River in 120 feet of water. That might be a good place to start if you’re targeting salmon,” Wilson added.

Shelter Cove
The salmon bite is outstanding with Captain Trent Slate of Shelter Cove Sport Fishing posting limits of big fish on a daily basis with salmon to 33 pounds on Monday despite the high winds and back again with limits by 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday. They are jigging P-Line Laser Minnows or mooching anchovies near the Hat.

Crescent City
The ocean has been rough and not many boats have been out the last few days reports Leonard Carter of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. He said, “The rockfish and lingcod bite are still going strong, weather permitting. I can’t ever remember this many lingcod being caught; it’s been an incredible season. The salmon effort is almost zero due to the warm water and lack of sign. Halibut season opens back up on Saturday, and it was pretty good prior to its closing last month. A few boats ran for tuna last weekend, and they did pretty well. The warm water is still sitting between Crescent City and Brookings roughly 30 miles offshore.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
There aren’t very many salmon in the river at the moment, but it’s still early reports Alan Borges of Alan’s Guide Service. He said, “The mouth has been sanded over off and on since Saturday, so that’s not helping us. There are a few bright steelhead in the lower river, you just have to hunt around for them. They seem to be in small bunches, where you find one you’ll find a few.”

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and http://www.fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.

Ron Wallace, right, of Sebastopol needed a little help in holding the large salmon he landed on Tuesday out of Eureka. Wallace was fishing aboard the Reel Steel, skippered by Tim Klassen, pictured left. The big fish weighed 29-pounds gutted and gilled and is the current leader in Englund Marine’s Salmon Derby. Photo courtesy of Reel Steel Sport Fishing

Sport Dungeness season closes July 30

This has been one abnormal salmon season for Eureka. The north wind that blew in late last week should have been our saving grace, bringing with it the much-needed cold water salmon love. Such wishful thinking on our parts. The water temps did drop a few degrees, but not nearly enough to entice the salmon to pick up stakes and come running closer to shore. On the other hand, the big pod of fish that have been sitting off of Cape Mendocino in 52-degree water didn’t budge. When the weather laid down on Sunday, the fleet ran full steam to the pinnacles, and the salmon were there waiting. The boats that made the 20-mile run south limited quickly, and it was more of the same for Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, the ocean lumped up and kept the boats from making their way back south. Looking ahead, the forecasted weather looks decent for Thursday and much-improved on Friday and Saturday. My guess is the fish are still down off the Cape, but if they weren’t, I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s been that kind of season.

Marine Forecast
Following Wednesday’s crummy weather, it looks like the rest of the week and weekend should remain fishable. Out 10 nautical miles from Pt. St. George to Cape Mendocino, Friday’s forecast is calling for 5 to 10 knot winds out of the north and waves to 4 feet at 11 seconds. Saturday is calling for north winds 5 to 15 knots and waves out of the northwest 5 feet at 13 seconds. Sunday’s forecast is roughly the same, with winds out of the north 10 to 15 knots and waves 6 feet at 12 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.

Boating Safety Class
The US Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering a one-day Boating Safety class on Saturday, August 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The class will be held at the Woodley Island Marina Conference Room. For more information, contact Thom O’Connor at 707-954-4481 to pre-register. The cost is $20 per person.

CA Fish and Game Commission meeting coming to Fortuna
The upcoming California Fish and Game Commission meeting will be held at the River Lodge in Fortuna on August 4-5. A public forum will be held each morning beginning at 8:30 a.m. where the public can address the Commission regarding the implementation of its policies or any other matter within the jurisdiction of the Commission. Issues to be discussed should not be related to any current agenda items. On Monday, August 3 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., Commission staff will host office hours at the River Lodge to answer questions about Commission meetings, the rulemaking process, and how the public may participate in both. The meeting will be live streamed at www.cal-span.org. To view the complete agenda, visit http://www.fgc.ca.gov/meetings/2015/Aug/08040515agd.pdf

Crabs close/Abalone opens
The 2015 sport Dungeness crab season in Humboldt, Mendocino, and Del Norte counties will come to a close on Thursday July 30. Recreational abalone season will re-open on August 1, following a July closure. For more information, visit www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/invertebrate/abalone.asp

The Oceans:
Eureka
The lone salmon holding water remains near Cape Mendocino, roughly 20 miles south from the entrance. Boats working the “pinnacles” since Sunday have enjoyed really good fishing, with most boats able to score limits by noon. And the fish have been a real good grade too, averaging between 12 and 25-pounds with a few toads being landed as well. According to Capt. Matt Dallam of Northwind Charters, these fish have been there consistently for at least three weeks. He said, “It’s really the only place that’s holding any cold water for us, and the fish are there and they want to bite. And there’s lots of real fish there too, with most in the high teens and quite a few well over 20 pounds.” The wind didn’t really help cool the inshore water temps reports Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “It’s still roughly 57 degrees out front, which is why very few fish are being caught, and fewer boats are even trying. All the action has been south, where the water is 52 to 53 degrees – much more salmon friendly. And there seems to be plenty of feed down there, the salmon are full of juvenile rockfish,” Klassen added.

Trinidad
A few salmon were caught earlier in the week reports Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “I heard about a dozen were caught on Monday between four or five boats. Most were working south in 140 feet of water. Since that little bite we had, it’s been quiet due to the rough ocean. The rockfish bite is still steady, but it was a little tougher on Wednesday having to fight the rough water. Limits are still the rule when the conditions are good,” Wilson added.

Crescent City
On Monday, the warm water moved within range and the tuna started hitting the decks. Marc Schmidt of Coastline Charters in Eureka trailered his boat north and put in 14 albacore fishing 30 miles offshore. Inshore, a few salmon were caught over the weekend according to Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “I heard a half dozen were caught on Sunday and another four or five on Monday. Most of the fish were caught around the Big Reef by anglers targeting rockfish, so there must be some cold water there. The rockfish and ling action remains steady, the only thing slowing it down is the lumpy ocean,” Hegnes said.

Shelter Cove:
It’s still wide open for salmon in Shelter Cove with Captain Trent Slate of Shelter Cove Sport Fishing saying, “There have only been two days since July 2nd when they didn’t bite, and we are putting in limits of quality salmon on a daily basis.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
There’s been a few summer steelhead caught upriver, but most of the action remains in the estuary where boats are picking up between one to four fish per trip trolling Kastmasters and spinners.

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and http://www.fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.

Petaluma resident Stevan Fontana landed a nice 71-pound Pacific halibut on Sunday off of Eureka while fishing with Capt. Matt Dallams of Northwind Charters. The Pacific halibut season closed on Wednesday, but is scheduled to re-open on Aug. 1. Photo courtesy of Northwind Charters

Boating safety class slated for August 1

The arrival of the wind on Tuesday is likely a blessing as well as a curse. Coming down from the north, it will definitely cool the ocean waters, which had reached 61 degrees just offshore of Eureka. According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, water temperatures at buoy 14 off of Point Arena have already dropped from 61 to 54 degrees in the last 36 hours. With the cold water infusion, the hope is the salmon will move inshore all along the North Coast from Eureka north to Brookings. Although the wind is needed, the timing could have been a little better. A pretty good salmon bite was discovered on Sunday near Cape Mendocino, with a couple boats scoring limits of quality salmon. On Monday, the fleet made a beeline for the same spot, and it was limit-style fishing for all. On Tuesday, most of the boats remained tied to the dock on account of the nasty forecast. A few did head south, but eventually thought better of it and turned around. Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing was the lone boat that stuck with it, making it as far as the Cape to get his clients into quick limits of rockfish before being chased back north by the wind. So now it looks like the wind will once again shuffle the deck, and where the salmon will be once the boats get back on the water is anyone’s guess.

Marine Forecast
After a beautiful weekend, ocean conditions along the North Coast deteriorated quickly on Tuesday. Heavy winds and seas are expected through Friday, with conditions slowly improving beginning on Saturday. Out 10 nautical miles from Pt. St. George to Cape Mendocino, Friday’s forecast is calling for 10 to 20 knot winds out of the north and waves to 10 feet at 10 seconds. Saturday is calling for southwest winds 5 to 10 knots and waves out of the northwest 8 feet at 10 seconds. Sunday’s forecast is looking better, with winds out of the northwest up to 5 knots and waves 6 feet at 13 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.

Pacific halibut closure
Per the new state and federal sport regulations for Pacific halibut, the season closed again on Wednesday, July 15. The season will open back up on August 1. According to the CDFW, the projected catch in net pounds through July is 13,028. The quota is set at 25,220. For more info on the in-season quota tracking, visit https://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pacifichalibut.asp#tracking

Boat Safety Class
The US Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering a one-day Boating Safety class on Saturday, August 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The class will be held at the Woodley Island Marina Conference Room. For more information, contact Thom O’Connor at 707-954-4481 to pre-register. The cost is $20 per person.

Big Fish Competition
Pacific Outfitters of Eureka is hosting the 2015 Big Fish Competition for salmon, halibut & lingcod during the entire season of each species. Each entry gets a ticket towards a GoPro 4 Silver Edition ($399.99). Prizes include a $200 Gift Card for largest salmon; $200 Gift Card for largest Pacific halibut; and a $200 Gift Card for largest lingcod. All fish must be “Gilled & Gutted” before they are weighed in. If there is a tie within a species, the winners will split the gift certificate. All entries will be required to have their photo taken with their fish. If you choose not to have your photo taken, you are choosing not to participate in the competition. For more information, visit http://www.pacificoutfitters.com/2015/05/20/2015-big-fish/

The Oceans:
Eureka
Rough ocean conditions will keep most of the boats tied up until possibly Saturday, when the ocean will begin to come down. Skipper Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing, along with the rest of the fleet, were onto a real good salmon bite at the Pinnacles near Cape Mendocino on Monday. He said, “It was really good fishing, we boated 13 salmon in less than two hours, it was definitely the best bite we’ve seen in a while. And I think those fish have been there for awhile, but it’s such a long way down there, we haven’t had the time to check it out thoroughly. There was definitely some colder water there. Once the wind dies down, it will be interesting to see if those fish will still be there or if they’ve moved north.” He added, “The rockfish bite is still good and the ling action is incredible, we boated a monster on Monday weighing 44-pounds.” The halibut bite really turned on late last week according to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “They bit real well on Friday and Saturday, a lot of the boats had multiple hookups. It slowed a little on Monday and Tuesday, but we were still able to land two each day. Most of the action was from the 44 to 54-line in 250 to 350 feet of water,” Klassen added.

Trinidad
The halibut bite has been wide-open the last 10 days reports Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “The bite really turned on, with most of the action coming straight out in 300 feet of water. I heard lots of doubles and triples announced on the radio. The black rockfish action is still going, with easy limits coming over the rails. The lings are biting as well, but it’s taking a knot of drift to really get them on the bite. Salmon fishing isn’t happening yet, very few guys are fishing and not many are being caught. The crab pots have been loaded this past week, which is real encouraging for the upcoming commercial season,” Wilson added.

Crescent City
The rockfish, and especially the lingcod, are still biting anything you throw at them reports Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “I can’t ever remember this many lingcod around. It’s just unbelievable right now. The halibut bit pretty well this past week too, with one boat landing three on Monday. The salmon remain a no-show, hopefully the wind that’s here now will cool down the water and bring them closer to shore,” Hegnes said.

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Rain fell last weekend along some of the freshly burnt slopes upriver and filled the creeks with mud, with the dirty water finding its way to the lower river on Sunday. Supposedly the river started to clear on Tuesday and should be back to fishing shape by Thursday, or Friday at the latest.

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and http://www.fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.