Current Fishing Reports

Young anglers Blake Santos, pictured left, and Conner Jones show off their catch from last Saturday’s SkyCrest Lake Youth Fish Derby held at SkyCrest Lake in Burnt Ranch. Both Santos and Jones, who reside in McKinleyville, caught their limit of trout using bobbers and salmon eggs. Photo courtesy of Mark Santos

Ocean conditions looking good for the weekend

Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and a desire for a certain thing to happen. I think that pretty much sums up our salmon season so far, don’t ya think? The 2015 ocean salmon season has yet to pan out, but there is still plenty of time left in the season, as well as lots of hope amongst the anglers. The latest bit of news that is sure to keep the fleet going comes to us from Shelter Cove, where reportedly the commercial fleet is into the salmon big time. The sport fleet also put some fish aboard earlier in the week. So I’m expecting those salmon to turn the corner, point their heads north, fulfill our desires and turn our once promising salmon season around. At least that’s the hope…

Weekend Marine Forecast
After a week or so of pretty sloppy conditions, the ocean looks to be much improved later this week and weekend. Out 10 nautical miles, Friday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the north 5 to 15 knots with NW swells 5 feet at 7 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. Sunday looks to be the best day, with winds 5 to 10 knots and swells to 4 feet at 7 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan or check out the bar cam located at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar.

Blue Creek closure on the Klamath River
As a reminder, the no fishing closure went into effect on Monday, June 15. No fishing will be allowed through September 14 in the Klamath River from 500 feet above the mouth of Blue Creek to one-half mile downstream of the mouth of Blue Creek. Additionally, no fishing is allowed from September 15 through December 31 in the Klamath River within 500 feet of the mouths of the Salmon, Shasta and Scott rivers as well as Blue Creek.

Fish Lake Kid’s fishing derby happening June 27
The 41st annual Kid’s Fish Lake Fishing Derby is taking place on Saturday, June 27 in Orleans. Registration starts at 7 a.m., the derby starts and 9 a.m. and ends at 12 p.m. It’s open to kids from Pre-K to the 8th grade. Poles and tackle will not be provided and an adult must accompany all children. The Orleans Rod & Gun Club hosts the free event for kids.

Clam tides
The latest round of minus tides will be here through the Sunday and according to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors, a few limits were taken at Clam Beach on Monday. “The ocean had been pretty rough, but it looks like it’s calming down and the clam digging should get a lot better over the next few days,” Kelly added.

The Oceans:
Eureka
After sitting on the sidelines since last Thursday due to weather, skippers Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing and Matt Dallam of Northwind Charters were back on the water on Monday. With the weather less than ideal for a Cape run, both spent the day trolling for salmon north of the jaws. According to Sepulveda, who boated two kings, the signs still look good out there, but the fish aren’t here yet in big numbers. “There’s a few here and there, but they aren’t schooled up anywhere. The water temps and color both look good,” said Sepulveda. Dallam had a handful of scratched baits, but didn’t bring anything over the rail. On Tuesday, both skippers ran south to the Cape and fished some pretty tough conditions. They quickly limited out their clients on black rockfish and headed north towards better weather. On the way home, they dropped the salmon gear in fishy looking water, but neither landed a fish.

Trinidad
The fishing report hasn’t changed much the past few weeks according to Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters out of Trinidad. “The salmon action has been real slow, though not a lot of effort has been put in lately. Most of the focus has been on the rockfish, which continues to be wide-open. There’s also a good amount of lings around too. Before the last halibut closure, a few were caught despite the rough ocean,” Wilson added.

Crescent City
There doesn’t appear to be many salmon around at the moment reports Leonard Carter of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “The water has warmed up out front and the bait has disappeared, so conditions are tough. I’ve heard there’s colder water outside and the commercial guys were doing ok fishing real deep. The lingcod bite continues to be off the hook, and the rockfish are biting as well. We’ve got some better weather ahead, so we should see more boats getting back on the water,” Carter added.

Shelter Cove:
Captain Jared Morris of C’Mon Sport Fishing was patient on Tuesday, and they stayed true to salmon trolling for the majority of the day for 5 limits of salmon plus a crew fish with three of the salmon in excess of 20 pounds. He was fishing in the slot between the Old Man and the Hat in rough conditions. They also put in limits of rockfish and lingcod and were pulling crab pots in the late afternoon.

Captain Trent Slate of Shelter Cove Sport Fishing pulled his crab pots in the morning for 60 jumbos before putting in an hour in the same area trolling for salmon. His clients wanted action, so they put in 80 rockfish along with 18 lingcod to 15 pounds. He said, “Rockfishing was particularly good on Monday with some huge vermilion and coppers in the sacks. “ The commercial salmon fleet also did well on Monday for salmon. He added, “It should be really good right now, and I expect the salmon bite to break out since there is so much bait along the coast.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Spring salmon fishing has slowed down to the point that very few boats have been fishing up river the past couple weeks. The water has warmed up, and the reports I’m hearing are that the fish are moving in and out of mouth, but not heading upriver in big numbers.

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.

Montana resident Wyatt Sholly landed this nice lingcod on Tuesday while fishing near Cape Mendocino with Matt Dallam of Northwind Charters. Sholly was fishing with his brother Ethan as well as parents Jon and Barb .Photo courtesy of Northwind Charters

Rough seas predicted for the weekend

It’s been awhile since the North Coast has seen this slow of a start to the salmon season. The bar has been set so incredibly high based on the last few seasons that we really have nowhere to go but down. But with a million adult salmon forecasted to be swimming in the ocean this year, the fishing should be a whole lot better. For whatever reason, the fish aren’t here yet, and honestly, it’s making us all a little nervous. The action has been spotty at best, with a little bite popping up here and there, but nothing consistent. Word has it the commercial boats are doing well fishing out in deep water with their baits down 500 to 600 feet. If that’s the case, there’s hope those fish will eventually move closer to shore where the sport fleet will have a shot at them. Another sign things could be looking up is a few boats fishing out of Shelter Cove on Saturday really put the wood to the salmon. The wind is predicted to howl pretty good for the next few days, let’s hope that when the boats get back on the water, the salmon are here waiting.

Marine Forecast
After a week of decent ocean conditions, the wind and seas are forecasted to pick up through the weekend. Friday’s forecast is calling for 15 to 25 knots winds out of the north and swells to 10 feet at 11 seconds. Saturday is calling for north winds 15 to 25 knots with 12-foot swells at 11 seconds. Sunday’s forecast is calling for more of the same, north winds 10 to 20 knots with swells 10 feet at 10 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.

Potential dangerous bar crossing
With minus tides beginning Saturday and lasting through next week, there could be potential early morning hazardous bar conditions due to the combination of tides and swells converging at the time when boats may be crossing the bar. 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

Youth fishing derby this Saturday
The Willow Creek Fire Safe Council will be holding their 8th annual SkyCrest Lake Youth Fish Derby and Firewise Day on Saturday, June 13. The event will be held at SkyCrest Lake on Underwood Mtn. Road in Burnt Ranch. This is a free event for any youth and their family. It is open to youths 3 to 15 years old for fishing, prizes, and a goody bag containing bait, stringers, hooks, and promotional items from sponsors. This event gives the W.C.F.S.C. an opportunity to educate the attendees on wildfire safety to make their homes, neighborhoods, and community fire safe. For more information, call (707) 499-0767 or 530-629-2770. You can also email barbaradarst@yahoo.com.

More clam tides coming
Another good set of minus tides will begin on Saturday and will run through next Sunday, June 21. The lowest tides will range from a low of -1.3 on Monday, June 15 to -1.0 on Friday June 19. The best tide will be on Tuesday, June 16 with a low of -1.5. According to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors in Eureka, the clamming was real good last week. He said, “The guys that I talked to who were out there did the best in ankle-deep water hitting the newly formed sandbars. It wasn’t as good up on the dry sand.” Ocean conditions are forecasted to be rough this weekend, which could make the digging a little tougher.

Sport Fishing Regulation Supplement now available online
CDFW’s annual California sport fishing regulations supplement is now available online at https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=100968&inline. This year, the supplement includes 2015 ocean salmon fishing regulations, updated groundfish (rockfish, lingcod, and other species) fishing regulations, updated  Pacific halibut fishing regulations, and information about upcoming changes this summer to bluefin tuna fishing regulations.

Paper copies of the supplement are expected to arrive at license sales locations and CDFW offices by mid-June. The supplement also includes freshwater salmon regulations for the anadromous waters of the Klamath River Basin and other, related sport fishing information.

Pacific Halibut closes after Monday
Per the new state and federal sport regulations for Pacific halibut, the 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.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pacifichalibut.asp.

The Oceans:
Eureka
The excellent rock fishing around Cape Mendocino remains the focus for the Eureka charter and sport fleet. The salmon fishing was tough all week, with only a handful landed. Gary Blasi of Full Throttle Sport Fishing spent the day on Tuesday trolling for kings, and came up empty. He said, “Everything is here except the fish. We’ve got the brown water, birds and bait, but there just isn’t many salmon around. The water has warmed to 56 degrees in spots, but there are areas that are colder that should be holding fish. Like everyone else, I’m hoping they’re still out deep and haven’t made their way in yet.”

With the weather just good enough to make the run to the Cape, skipper Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing has opted to stick with what’s biting. “The rockfish bite continues to be amazing. We’ve been catching some real big lings, with quite a few in the 30 to 35 pound range. The halibut have been a little more fickle. I spent all day Tuesday targeting halibut and came up empty. And I didn’t hear of any being caught by the other boats. There are a few salmon around, but they’re pretty scattered. The conditions have been ideal, but it just hasn’t lined up yet. There’s still a long way to go in the season though,” Sepulveda added.

Trinidad
The rockfish bite is still excellent, but there seems to be very few salmon around reports Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters out of Trinidad. He said, “The rockfish bite, particularly the blacks, is still wide-open, but we’ve been forced to fish out in a little deeper water lately due to the bumpy ocean. I’ve spent a few days trolling for salmon, and we’re getting a couple opportunities per trip. There are a few around, but it’s been tough. A few halibut are still being caught, with the best spot being straight out of the harbor in 250 to 300 feet of water.”

Crescent City
Rockfish and halibut have been the main focus for anglers reports Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “There hasn’t been any salmon to speak of, and not many people have been trying. After this weekend’s blow, I think we’ll see a lot more boats on the water looking. There’s lots of bait around, so they we should be able to find a few. In talking with the commercial guys, it sounds like the fish are out in deep water and are staying deep. There’s been a few halibut caught this week, including a 68-pounder,” Hegnes said.

Shelter Cove
Captain Trent Slate of Shelter Cove Sport Fishing said, “The salmon bite was on for a day, but things slowed way up with only one salmon taken out of a number of boats. I do think the bite will go off soon since there is so much bait in the area.” He reported terrific rockfish and ling cod action, and he was heading to Punta Gorda on Tuesday to take advantage of the weather. They went below the point on Monday for limits of big rockfish, lings, and Dungeness crab. He added, “When I say big rockfish, I mean we have been landing some huge vermilions, coppers, and even boccaccios.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
The spring salmon action has been real hit and miss this past week. Boats are getting a chance at one to two fish per day, and there’s been lots of zeros as well.

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.

A trio of happy anglers had themselves quite a day on Monday, scoring limits of Pacific halibut while fishing out of Eureka with Gary Blasi of Full Throttle Sport Fishing. The halibut season opened June 1 and will close again on June 15. Photo courtesy of Full Throttle Sport Fishing

Ruth Lake bass tourney this Saturday

The wide-open rockfish bite continues coast-wide, and boats from Shelter Cove to Crescent City are taking full advantage. With the salmon continuing to be somewhat scarce, limits of rockfish has been a sure bet for both sport and charter boats. “I’d compare the current lingcod bite to how the salmon bite has been the previous three years,” said Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing. “I’m not sure how it can get much better.” It looks like the only thing that could slow the fishing down is to keep the boats tied up, and that looks to be the case for the next couple of days. If the forecast holds, it may be Sunday before the ocean is back to being fishable.

Marine Forecast
The next several days don’t look too promising for saltwater anglers. Friday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the north 15 to 20 knots and waves from the NW 9 feet at 9 seconds and 2 feet at 16 seconds. Saturday is not much better, with NW winds 5 to 10 knots and waves 8 feet at 10 seconds. Sunday looks to be the better day, with NW winds 5 to 10 knots and waves 5 feet at 12 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.

More clam tides coming
The current set of minus tides will last through Monday, June 8, with the next round beginning on Saturday, June 13. The lowest tides will be June 16 and 17, with tides ranging from -1.4 to -1.5. The clamming has been excellent the last few days according to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors in Eureka. “The majority of the clams have been coming in the water, very few are being found in the dry sand,” added Kelly.

Ruth Lake Bass tourney this Saturday
Fortuna Fire Department CO-2’s will be holding the 2nd annual “Paul Jadro Memorial Bass Tournament” this Saturday, June 6. 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. Children under 16 years of age can compete in the youth angler awards. The tournament is catch and release and all competitors must fish from boats that are required to have operational live-wells on board. Check in at the Marina on Friday June 5 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 / 725-78804.

The Oceans:
Eureka
A red-hot bite and favorable ocean conditions has made Cape Mendocino the focus of attention for most of the boats fishing out of Eureka. Much like the salmon the last few years, it’s about as close to a guarantee as you can get. Gary Blasi of Full Throttle Sport Fishing made a few runs south and reports a wide-open ling bite. He said, “Anytime you can make one drift and catch 15 lings, that’s pretty good fishing.” Blasi also ventured to the halibut grounds on the opener and landed three nice halibut to 40-pounds. And to keep the variety going, while running home from the Cape on Tuesday, he found some fishy water near the mouth of the Eel and quickly boated 4 salmon ranging from 12 to 20-pounds. “It’s all about variety at the moment.” Skippers Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing and Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing have both filled most of their days down at the Cape. “The weather has been decent enough to get down there and the fishing is lights out. It’s tough to pass up,” said Klassen. “We did run a halibut trip on Tuesday, but we had a tough time finding any biters. It’s tough when the season closes every two weeks; you’re forced to start over trying to find out where they are.” As for the salmon fishing, Sepulveda is optimistic. “The signs have been building the last few days. There have been some good patches of birds and bait that have produced fish and it’s starting to look better every day. With what’s going on with the rockfish, no one is really putting in full days fishing for salmon. There was a decent bite to the north on Monday in 140 feet of water and yesterday we saw a little flurry near the Eel River in 50 feet of water. I don’t think there’s a huge volume of fish around, but things are looking better,” Sepulveda added.

Trinidad
There’s been a few small salmon caught out in the deep water, but overall the bite is still pretty slow reports Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters out of Trinidad. He said, “The water has cleared up some, but I’ve seen some very large schools of bait out there, mostly herring. But we just haven’t seen the salmon amongst these big bait balls yet. The rockfish bite is still wide-open with limits coming easily. When targeted, the lingcod bite has been red hot as well. There were three halibut caught on the June 1 opener, and I’ve heard of a couple being caught daily.”

Crescent City
A few salmon are being caught, but the bite is definitely scattered reports Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “I haven’t heard any specific locations where the salmon fishing is better than others, the fish seem to be spread out. A few halibut were caught on Tuesday, with most coming outside of the South Reef. I think most of the halibut were small, around 25 lbs. The rockfish bite has been solid and the lingcod is absolutely on fire right now,” Hegnes said.

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
The spring salmon bite improved this week, possibly due to the rain showers and cooler temperatures. The river is in good shape, and boats are getting anywhere from 1 to 3 hookups per day.

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.

Jake Martin of Eureka landed this 15-lb. lingcod on Wednesday while fishing near Cape Mendocino with Reel Steel Sport Fishing. The rockfish action has been wide-open from Shelter Cove to Crescent City, but the salmon bite has been hit and miss. Photo courtesy of Reel Steel Sport Fishing

Halibut season re-opens June 1

The good news is the Eureka area is once again the hot spot for salmon up and down the coast of California. The bad news is the bar has been set so low by the rest of the state; it didn’t take much for the light to shine squarely upon Eureka. And our fishing has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride at best. One day you find a bunch of fish and you’re thinking maybe the fish have finally shown up and things will get back to normal. The next day, you’re right back to the exact location and it looks like a desert. That pretty much sums up the season so far, as well as the last few days. If there’s a million adult salmon swimming off our coast, they’re sure doing a heck of a job staying out of sight. The only place where boats have been able to put some fish aboard has been down around the Eel River Canyon. Gary Blasi of Full Throttle Sport Fishing found limits of kings there on Saturday and that’s where the majority of the salmon have been taken since. Boats did well on Tuesday fishing amongst the krill and pods of whales, but didn’t fair quite as well on Wednesday. Hopefully this ride will come to an end soon.

Weekend marine forecast
The ocean looks to be much improved heading into the weekend. Saturday’s forecast is calling for NW winds 5 to 10 knots and swells to 5 feet at 11 seconds. Sunday’s prediction is W winds 5 to 10 knots and swells 4 feet at 7 seconds. Monday is looking real good, with winds coming out of the NW up to 5 knots and W waves 4 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. 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.

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, a projected amount of 310 net pounds were harvested towards a quota of 25,000 pounds. For up-to-date harvest tracking information, visit http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pacifichalibut.asp#tracking.

More clam tides coming
Another round of minus tides will begin on Sunday and last through June 8. Lowest tides will be next Thursday and Friday, both with a low of -1.3. With the ocean forecasted to lie down nicely on Monday, conditions should be ideal.

The Oceans:
Eureka
With the salmon bite unpredictable at best, Capt. Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing has spent most of his days jigging up rockfish at Cape Mendocino. “The lingcod bite is wide-open, and as good as I’ve seen it in years with fish to 35 pounds devouring anything that you drop in the water,” Sepulveda said. “On Friday we kept our limit of 18 in the first hour so we took all the lingcod gear off and switched everything over to shrimp flies to keep them off and get the rockfish we needed. We still landed another 20 plus lings. It really doesn’t get any better. The salmon have been a little harder to come by, though we did manage to put together a good day on Tuesday boating nine fish for six passengers. The best bite has been at the southern edge of the Eel River canyon. There’s tons of krill down there along with lots of whales.” Gary Blasi of Full Throttle Sport Fishing has been after salmon since the opener, and has had more success than most. His best days have also come down off of the Eel River Canyon, which is where he scored limits for his 6 clients on Saturday. He was back down that way on Tuesday with the rest of the fleet, and put in seven salmon for his crew of four fishing deep at 200-feet on the wire. He said, “The ocean conditions have been changing every day, there is no real pattern yet. Our best days have come fishing around all the krill and whales. We’ve caught a few fishing out front of Eureka, but they don’t seem to be there in any big numbers yet. We did see a bunch of bait around the entrance on Tuesday afternoon, so things could be changing.”

Trinidad
Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters reports the salmon bite continues to be slow out of Trinidad, with a couple salmon being caught straight out each day. He said, “The conditions are decent, the water has some good color and there’s scattered bait, but the salmon aren’t around in big numbers as of yet. There have been just a handful of boats out each day. The rockfish bite has been a different story. The bite has been wide-open, with easy limits of rockfish as well as lings. We’re also finding a few keeper crabs in our pots.”

Shelter Cove
Commercial fish buyer Pat O’ Shea reports a solid salmon bite between Delgada and the Hat, with commercial boats bringing in 30 to 40 fish per day. The sport boats have been doing well on the rockfish, but salmon reports have been hard to come by.

Crescent City
There were a few salmon caught this past weekend reports Leonard Carter of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “I heard about eight to 10 fish were caught, but not in any one area. Guys were fishing both north and south, and a few were caught in each direction. It’s good to see a few more starting to show up. The rockfish bite remains excellent; boats working around the Sisters and the south reef were doing well. All the usual spots have been producing plenty of fish,” Carter 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

Arcata resident Jenna Kennedy landed a nice pair of kings on Sunday while fishing out of Eureka aboard the Shellback with Capt. Tony Sepulveda. The salmon bite is heating up and the ocean should be plenty fishable for the Memorial holiday weekend. Photo courtesy of Green Water Fishing Adventures

Ruth Lake bass tournament coming June 6

For anglers across the North Coast, Memorial Day weekend provides an excellent opportunity to get out of the house and do a little fishing. With a multitude of choices on the table, the biggest decision might not be if you want to go — but where. Here are a few of the options that will hopefully make your decision a little easier this holiday weekend:

• Razor Clam dig – The tail end of the minus tides will be here through Saturday, and Sunday’s tide should be low enough to dig. When the conditions have allowed, the clamming has been excellent this year. Even though the ocean might be a little rough this weekend, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding enough clams to wet your appetite. According to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors, plenty of limits were taken this past week during some of the lowest tides of the spring. Friday’s tide will be -0.7 at 7:42 a.m. and Saturday’s low will be -0.2 at 10:29 a.m. Fishing hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. The limit is 20 and the first 20 clams dug must be retained regardless of size or broken condition. In Humboldt, clamming is allowed between Strawberry Creek and Moonstone Beach. In Crescent City, clamming is open North of Battery Point.
• Freshwater Lagoon trout – Planted regularly in April and May with catchable-sized trout, there should be ample opportunities for shore-based anglers as well as boat fishermen. An easy rig to fish is a Berkley PowerBait with an egg sinker.
• Ruth Lake trout and bass – Nice weather and a family-friendly atmosphere make this a great spot for the weekend. The lake has plenty of water and the trout and bass fishing is usually in full swing this time of the year.
• Redtail perch –If it’s perch you’re after and the ocean is too rough, Elk River Beach is a great spot to target redtails. Two hours prior to high tide and an hour after typically are the optimal times. Shrimp, clams, and sand crabs all work. If the ocean is fishable, all the local beaches are loaded with redtails. Centerville, Table Bluff, and Gold Bluff Beach are always reliable spots.
• Trinidad Harbor rockfish – A great option for rockfish, especially if the ocean is rough. Launching a small boat or kayak from the beach is fairly easy. You’ll want to get an early start before the afternoon wind kicks in.
• Abalone – Memorial weekend is historically one the most popular times to try for Abs, with Mendocino and the Fort Bragg areas the most popular locations. If the ocean is rough, there are plenty of coves and inlets to get away from the heavy surf.

Weekend marine forecast
The ocean looks like it will remain fishable through the holiday weekend, at least for the salmon trollers. It may be a little bumpy for those wanting to run to the Cape for rockfish. Saturday’s forecast is calling for N winds 5 to 15 knots and swells to 5 feet at 8 seconds and NW 3 feet at 15 seconds. Sunday’s prediction is NW winds 5 to 10 knots and swells 5 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.

Ruth Lake Bass tournament
Fortuna Fire Department CO-2’s will be holding the 22nd annual “Paul Jadro Memorial Bass Tournament” on Saturday, June 6. 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. Children under 16 years of age can compete in the youth angler awards. The tournament is catch and release and all competitors must fish from boats that are required to have operational live-wells on board. Check in at the Marina on Friday June 5 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 / 725-78804.

River openings
Sections of the Eel (South Fork to Cape Horn Dam), Van Duzen, Mad, Mattole and Smith will re-open on Saturday, May 23rd. 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

The Oceans:
Eureka
Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing reports the salmon bite had been good this past weekend, but has tapered off the past couple days. He said, “Most of the fish have been coming from the east edge of the Eel River canyon, about five to six miles offshore on the 38-line. The area was loaded with whales, krill and herring, and that’s where we found most of the salmon. It was really good fishing on Sunday, with most of the boats limiting out. The fish have been coming in three different size classes; we’re seeing quite a few shakers 20 to 23 inches as well as fish from seven to 10 pounds. There’s also been a few caught in the 15 to 20 lb. class. The rockfish bite at the Cape has been excellent so far. Catching a limit of three lings and five black rockfish has been easy, but filling out those last five with other species has been a little tougher.

Trinidad
Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters reports the salmon bite has been a little slow out of Trinidad, with just a handful being caught daily. He said, “The water was 47 degrees on Wednesday, which is probably not helping the bite. I did see more life along with more bait the last couple days, so things could be turning around. The rockfish bite has been wide-open, but the lings have been a little tougher to come by at the spots where we’ve found them in the past. Reading Rock is probably the best option for lings at the moment.”

Crescent City
The rockfish have been biting since it opened last Friday according to Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “Most of the boats are getting limits, but the minus tides we’ve had this week has made the bite a little sporadic. It’s been really good during the high afternoon tides. The salmon action has been slow, with not many boats trying yet. It’s been one’s and two’s for the most part,” Hegnes 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.

Asheena Santos of Garberville landed this nice Chinook salmon during the opening weekend of salmon season out of Eureka. Santos was fishing aboard the charter boat Reel Steel. Photo courtesy of Reel Steel Sport Fishing

Good tides on the way for clammers

The handful of boats that fished the opening few days of the sport salmon season out of Eureka were limited to fishing close to home due to the strong north winds and sloppy conditions. Most of the sport fleet thought better of it, choosing to sit out the first week knowing better days lie ahead. Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing was one of a handful of boats that ventured out, along with a few of the other Woodley Island charter boats including the Shellback, Full Throttle, and Northwind Charters. The action over the weekend was a little slow, with boats landing between two and four fish per trip. According to Klassen, the ocean conditions aren’t bad and appear typical for this time of the year. He said, “With all the wind we’ve had, the upwelling has really cooled the water temperatures. There was quite a bit of bait around along with some nice edges. The fish we caught were full of squid and day fish, but I’m not sure if that’s what we were seeing on the meter. When the oceans rough like it’s been, it makes it tough to run and look for fish so we’re all fishing in fairly close proximity. There’s a chance the fish could be further offshore, but we won’t know until we get some better days where the fleet can get out and explore.”

Marine forecast
After a windy start to the ocean season, the wind is finally predicted to subside slightly this weekend. Saturday’s forecast is calling for NW winds 5 to 10 knots and swells to 5 feet at 8 seconds and W 3 feet at 14 seconds. Sunday’s prediction is NW winds 5 to 15 knots and swells 6 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.

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

Crescent City
Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine reports the weather kept most of the boats tied up for the salmon opener. He said, “The wind was blowing pretty good, so there wasn’t much effort on salmon. I did hear that the water is pretty cold out front, which may make for a tougher bite. I think once we get some decent weather and some more boats on the water, we should be able to find some fish.” Hegnes also reports that the Redtail perch bite has been over the top at all the beaches. “We saw some big fish caught this past week.”

Clam tides
The current round of minus tides, in which none are lower than a foot, will last through the weekend. However, it’s the next set of tides, which are the lowest of the summer that has the clammers excited. They’ll begin next Friday, May 15 and go through Saturday, May 23. The lowest tides will be Sunday through Thursday, with tides ranging from -1.1 to -1.6 feet. In 2015, Little River Beach is open to razor clamming between Strawberry Creek and Moonstone Beach. In Del Norte County, the beach north of Battery Point is open to clamming. The limit is 20 clams and you must keep the first 20 dug regardless of size or broken condition. For tide information, visit http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/californiasites.html#humboldt

Rockfish opener May 15
The 2015 rockfish season will open next Friday 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 and bocaccio are allowed per person. Cabezon have a minimum 15-inch size limit. There is no size limit for Boccaccio.

New regulations announced in March include:

• A sub-bag limit of five black rockfish within the 10-fish rockfish, Cabazon, greenling (RCG) complex bag limit
• An increase in the lingcod bag limit from two to three fish, 22-inch minimum.
• Statewide closure of the California scorpionfish fishery from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31.

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.

Trinity/Klamath Rivers
Water releases from Lewiston Dam into the Trinity River reached their peak flow of 8,500 cfs on Wednesday and will be reduced beginning Thursday. Release rates will be reduced to 2,000 cfs over a period of 11 days. As the flows recede, several days of flows at 2,000, 1,200, and 700 cfs will follow for monitoring purposes. The summer base-flow rate of 450 cfs will begin on June 30.
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 sometime next week.

Send in your fish photos
Land a big halibut or perch lately? Or maybe your friend or relative has reeled in their first salmon. 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.

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.

Eureka, Trinidad, Crescent City ports may sit out opener due to wind

This Friday marks day one of our sport ocean season on the North Coast as both salmon and halibut seasons will commence, bringing with it tons of excitement and loads of optimism. Anglers will take to the ocean — weather and conditions permitting – with hopes of another year of fantastic fishing. However, ocean conditions for Friday are looking a little on the blistery side. North winds have been howling all week and are forecasted to continue through the weekend. If the wind miraculously lies down, it will be game on. If not, expect to see some long faces hanging around the docks.

Though we may never again see the salmon abundance similar to 2012 and 2013, this year’s forecast is certainly nothing to sneeze at. Over a million adult salmon, which includes 652,000 Sacramento and another 423,000 Klamath River salmon, are thought to be swimming off our coast. This year’s forecast is slightly above last year (933,000), and we all know how last season turned out — phenomenal! With the drought entering its 3rd year and no relief in sight, there’s talk of this season being the last big one before we start to feel the effects of poor river conditions that may have stifled juvenile salmon working their way back to the ocean. But we’ll cross that bridge next year.

With salmon season opening prior to the rockfish and at the same time as halibut, the sport boats haven’t had any time on the ocean to scout the conditions. Tim Klassen, who runs Reel Steel Sport Fishing out of Eureka’s Woodley Island, is confident we’re in for another good year. “Between the good reports coming from down south and the forecasted abundance, I think that we should have another good year. A couple of weeks ago I had heard the water was clear and on the warm side, but since then the north winds have picked up and kick started the upwelling. Everything is lining up for a good season and this early wind will make for better conditions later. Typically we find the fish further offshore early in the season, but you never know. I’ve heard there’s been some bird activity close to the beach.” Klassen added.

Crescent City salmon outlook
Leonard Carter of Crescent City’s Englund Marine has heard some good reports of birds and bait in close to the beaches. “Both South and Pebble beach has seen some bird activity, so there’s probably some fish around. The wind could be a factor for the opener and the weekend, but you may be able to get out early before the wind kicks up the swells,” Carter added.

Weekend Marine forecast
The north winds could be a problem for boats heading out for the salmon and halibut openers. As of Wednesday afternoon, Friday’s forecast from Cape Mendocino to Pt. St. George out 10 nautical miles is calling for north winds 5 to 15 knots with waves out of the NW 10 feet at 10 seconds. Saturday’s forecast is similar, with winds out of the north 10 to 20 knots and NW waves 10 feet at 11 seconds. Sunday is looking slightly better with north winds 5 to 15 knots and NW waves 9 feet at 13 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.

Weekend tides
The tidal exchanges will be moderate this weekend with the tides flooding in the morning, making for an easier bar crossing. If you’re planning on hitting the bar at daylight, always check the conditions first. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan or check out the bar cam located at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar

Fri. May1 (High: 11:14 a.m. and 11:11 p.m.) (Low: 5:04 a.m. and 4:55 p.m.)
Sat. May 2 (High: 11:58 a.m. and 11:42 p.m.) (Low: 5:41 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.)
Sun. May 3 (High: 12:41 p.m.) (Low: 6:17 a.m. and 6:05 p.m.)

Trinidad boat launch
The Trinidad launch should be open on Friday, but it will depend on the ocean conditions if they’ll be launching. Best to call ahead at 707-677-3625. Salty’s Supply Co. in Trinidad is also a great resource and can be reached at 707-677-0300 or online at www.saltystrinidad.com.

General sport salmon regulations:
Our 2015 ocean sport salmon season runs from May 1 through September 7 and is open from Humbug Mountain, OR south to Horse Mountain, CA. The daily bag limit is 2 salmon of any species except Coho, with a minimum size limit of 20 inches. 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 http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/oceansalmon.asp 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.

Halibut opener
Friday will also mark the opening of the Pacific Halibut season, which runs from May 1 through October 31 (see below for closures). There are, however, several new regulations for 2015:

• The quota for landings into ports south of the Oregon/California Border and along the California coast is 25,220 lb.
• The fishing season will be open from May 1-15, June 1-15, July 1-15, August 1-15, and September 1 thru October 31, or until the subarea quota is estimated to have been taken and the season is closed by the Commission, or October 31, whichever is earlier. NMFS will announce any closure by the Commission on the NMFS hotline (206) 526-6667 or (800) 662-9825.
• The daily bag limit is one halibut of any size per day per person.

For the full details on the new regulations, visit https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/04/01/2015-07329/pacific-halibut-fisheries-catch-sharing-plan or call the Recreational Groundfish Regulations Hotline (831) 649-2801.

Important reminder:
When fishing for halibut, rockfish (opens May 15), and salmon, or any combination of the three, the more restrictive gear and depth restrictions apply. When targeting salmon, or once salmon are aboard and in possession, anglers are limited to using barbless hooks (barbless circle hooks if fishing south of Horse Mountain) when fishing for other species.

When targeting rockfish, cabezon, greenling and lingcod, or once any of these species are aboard and in possession, anglers are limited to fishing in waters shallower than 120 feet when fishing for other species.

Big salmon and halibut contests
Eureka’s Englund Marine is once again holding its annual Big Salmon and halibut contests. The salmon event runs from May 1 to September 7 and the halibut contest runs from May 1 through the end of the halibut season. All fish must be gilled and gutted prior to weigh-in and there is no entry fee or pre-registration required. There will be prizes for the top three fish in each category. For all the rules and regulations, visit Englund Marine at 2 Commercial St., or call (707) 444-9266.

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.

Shelter Cove salmon bite remains slow

The new 2015 Klamath River regulations were approved on Friday, and a couple of them are likely to cause quite a stir amongst anglers. First the good news; we’re looking at a pretty decent return of adult salmon this year, and that’s reflected in the quota, which is roughly a 250 percent increase from 2014. It’s estimated that roughly 120,000 adult salmon will return this fall, which ranks slightly above the average. The Klamath basin sport quota for adult fall-run Chinook will be 14,133 fish. The daily bag limit will be three fish, no more than two adults (greater than 22 inches) and the possession limit is nine, no more than six adults. The 2015 sport fishing season will run from Aug. 15 to Dec. 31 on the Klamath and Sept. 1 through Dec. 31 on the Trinity.

The Klamath fall-run Chinook quota is subdivided into sub quota areas within the basin. The lower Klamath River (mouth to Weitchpec) will receive 50 percent (7,067 fish) of the quota, the upper Klamath River (upstream of Weitchpec) will receive 17 percent (2,403 fish) of the quota and the remaining 33 percent (4,663 fish) is allocated to the Trinity River, split between the lower (Trinity confluence to Cedar Flat) and upper Trinity (upstream of Cedar Flat). The mouth of the Klamath River (spit area) will receive an allocation of 2,120 adult fall-run Chinook, which is inclusive of the lower Klamath River sub area quota.

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 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.

Now the news not everyone wants to hear. The new spit-area restriction limits anglers to “catch and keep” for all legally caught Chinook salmon. What that means is once you’ve kept your two adult Chinooks greater than 22 inches, you must cease fishing in the spit area. You can no longer “catch and release” adults while trying to fill your bag limit with a jack. Anglers can leave the spit area to fill their jack component of their daily bag. The spit area is located within 100 yards of the channel through the sand spit formed at the mouth of the river.

The other change will affect the Blue Creek fishery. The Fish and Game Commission reviewed two proposals for Blue Creek. The first was the CDFW’s, which requested a joint focused study to determine hook and release mortality in the Blue Creek area. The second proposal was from the Yurok Tribe to implement a conservation closure. The Commission selected the Yurok Tribe proposal to close all non-tribal sports fishing in the Blue Creek area from June 15 through Sept. 14 from one half mile below to 500 feet above the confluence of Blue Creek and the Klamath River. From Sept. 15 through Dec. 31 the closure is 500 feet above and below Blue Creek. The Commission adopted the proposal as a conservation measure.

Trinity River restoration program water releases
The official water year designation for the Trinity River in 2015 is “Dry” according to the Trinity River Restoration Program. With that, the Bureau of Reclamation announced on Tuesday releases from Lewiston Dam into the Trinity River would increase to a peak flow of 8,500 cfs as part of the Trinity River Restoration Program. Releases from Lewiston Dam will increase on April 22 and reach the peak of 8,500 cfs over the two-day period of May 5 and 6. Release rates will then be reduced to 2,000 cfs over a period of 11 days. As the flows recede, several days of flows at 2,000, 1,200, and 700 cfs follow for monitoring purposes. The summer base-flow rate of 450 cfs will begin on June 30.
The public should take appropriate safety precautions whenever using the river, rivers are naturally hazardous at any flow. A daily schedule of flow releases is available at www.trrp.net/restore/flows/current. The flow release schedule is posted at the Trinity River Restoration Program office, located at 1313 South Main Street, Weaverville, CA.

For additional information, please call 530-623-1800 or email info@trrp.net

Weekend marine forecast
The wind is predicted to lie down slightly, but the ocean will still be rough through the weekend. Friday’s forecast is calling for winds 10 to 20 knots with NW swells 10 feet at 15 seconds. On Saturday, the wind is forecasted out of the NW 5 to 15 knots. Swells are predicted at 9 feet at 13 seconds. Sunday is looking a little better, with winds coming out of the NW at 5 to 15 knots. Waves will be 6 feet at 10 seconds, coming out of the west. These conditions can and will change. For an up-to-date forecast, visit http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-124.39273&lat=40.26662.

Perch’n on the Peninsula results

Brothers Oliver, left, and Sammy Luna of McKinleyville show off their catches after last Saturday’s Perch n’ on the Pennnsula tournament. Eight-year old Sammy took home first place honors in the Junior category while younger brother Oliver, age 5, took second. Photo courtesy of the Samoa Peninsula Fire District

According to even coordinator Charlie Holthaus, 59 participants braved the fog and 8 to 10-foot swells in search of giant perch in this year’s Perch’n on the Peninsula tournament. Below are the results.
In the adult category, Casey Allen landed the largest Redtail, which measured 15.4 inches. There was a tie for the second between Tyronne Bachus and Thomas Jones, each returning with a 15.02-inch perch. By virtue of tiebreaker, Bachus took home second place.
Brothers Sammy (8) and Oliver Luna (5) of McKinleyville took it to the competition this year, taking first and second place in the junior’s category. The brothers fished with their father at Stone Lagoon. Sammy’s perch measured 14.7 inches while Oliver’s came in at 14.3 inches. Abbey Ziesak (12) from Eureka took the third place prize in the junior’s category with her 13.8 inch Redtail Surfperch.

The Ocean:
Shelter Cover Salmon
Strong winds are in the forecast for the next few days, but Captain Jared Morris of C’Mon Sport Fishing Salmon was able to get out last weekend and found the salmon fishing slow, scratching out one or two per trip. The big swell and wind will make the Shelter Cove waters out of commission for the next several days and possibly into next week.

The Beaches:
Even with the less than ideal conditions, the Redtail perch action was decent this past weekend, with quite a few anglers finding success while participating in the Perch’n on the Peninsula derby. Most of the fish were caught early in the morning when the tide was low, as the bite definitely got tougher when the tide started coming in. The clamming wasn’t great over the weekend due to rough seas. From the reports I’ve heard, the clamming was better out into the surf than it was up on the beach.

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.

The lower Rogue River produced Culver, OR resident Kari Nelson’s first-ever salmon on Tuesday. The springer was caught on an anchovy. Photo courtesy of Steve Huber’s Guide Service

Opener slated for May 1

The most anticipated opener of the year for ocean anglers is a lot closer than we had thought. On Wednesday morning, the Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted the most generous of the three alternatives for ocean recreational salmon season for Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, giving anglers a whopping 130-day season. The season will run from May 1 through September 7 from the CA/OR border south to Horse Mountain. It will be open seven days per week for all salmon except Coho, two fish per day and a minimum size limit of 20 inches total length for Chinook. The area from Horse Mountain south to Point Arena, which includes Shelter Cove and Fort Bragg, opened April 4 and will run through November 8.

Hopes are once again high on the North Coast and Southern Oregon as strong returns are expected for both the Sacramento and Klamath rivers. Over 650,000 Sacramento and another 423,000 salmon are said to be swimming off our shores. The lengthy season will also be a nice shot in the arm for our local economies. Motels, tackle shops, restaurants, and all the businesses that have a hand in the fishing and tourism industry are likely to see additional money funnel through both Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

For a complete list of the 2015 salmon regulations, visit http://www.pcouncil.org/2015/04/36482/draft-council-adopted-salmon-management-measures2015/

Weekend marine forecast
If the forecasts are correct, it may be a little breezy this weekend. Friday’s forecast is calling for winds 5 to 10 knots with NW swells 10 feet at 15 seconds. The wind is predicted to pick up on Saturday, blowing out of the NW 5 to 15 knots. Swells are predicted at 8 feet at 10 seconds. Sunday is looking better, with winds coming out of the west up to 5 knots. Waves will be 7 feet at 10 seconds coming out of the NW and SW 3 feet at 15 seconds. These conditions can and will change. For an up-to-date forecast, visit http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-124.39273&lat=40.26662.

Weekend tides good for razor clammers
The upcoming set of minus tides will run from Friday April 17 through April 24, with the lowest tides being Sunday through Tuesday, ranging from -1.2 to -1.3. You’ll want to pay close attention to the surf forecasts and be on the beach one to two hours prior to low tide.

Perch’n on the Peninsula this Saturday
The Samoa Peninsula Fire District will be hosting their 6th Annual Perch’n on the Peninsula Surfperch Fishing Tournament and Fish Fry Fundraiser on April 18, 2015.

The fishing tournament begins at sunrise with the check-in deadline at 2:00 p.m.; prize presentations will begin at 2:30 p.m. with the fish fry beginning at High Noon. The fish fry fundraiser is open to the public and admission is only $10.00 for Adults and $5.00 for juniors. Children 6 and under get in free. Adult fishing tournament entry is $20.00 and junior entry (under 16) is $10.00. Your fishing tournament entry includes admission to the fish fry fundraiser and one door prize entry.

Tournament day registration is available at the Peninsula Elementary School in Samoa beginning at 6 a.m. or you can pre-register at Mad River Bait, Tackle in Arcata, Pacific Outfitters, Englund Marine, or RMI Outdoors in Eureka.

Fishing tournament prizes include guided fishing trips and gear donated by Sweet Trinity Guide Service, Northwind Charters, Patrick’s Point Charters, Wind Rose Charters, Steve Huber Guide Service, Coastline Charters, Pacific Outfitters and RMI Outdoors. For more information, contact Dom at (707) 273-1087.

HASA dinner coming up
The 7th annual HASA fundraiser dinner will be held Saturday April 25 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Redwood Acres Fair grounds in Eureka. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. Dinner, auction, and raffle tickets are available from any HASA board member or from the following merchants: Englund Marine, RMI Outdoors Mad River Bait and Tackle, Bucksport Sporting Goods, and W&W RV & Sporting Goods.

Free vessel examinations
The Coast Guard auxiliary is coordinating with Humboldt Area Saltwater Anglers (HASA) to perform free vessel inspections. The two dates for free safety checks completed on your vessel are Sunday April 26 at the Eureka Marina (front of Wharfinger) and Sunday May 3 at Woodley Island Eureka in Lot I. Times for both dates have yet to be determined. If you’re interested, call (707) 445-2401 or email mcherbelin@sbcglobal.net or hasa6191@gmail.com.

Additionally, the Humboldt Yacht Club is having a flare demonstration on May 2, at 11:00 a.m. and you can bring your expired flares to this event and shoot them off or dispose of them. Coast Guard personnel will be doing the demonstration.

The Rivers:
Main Stem Eel
The main stem Eel was in good shape this past weekend, with some nice color added from the last week’s rain. There’s very little fishing pressure, but there are quite a few fish around. The water is dropping slowly and clearing, fishing the deeper holes that have current is your best bet.

Smith River
The Smith is in great shape, though the lack of anglers means no fishing reports according to guide Mike Coopman of Mike Coopman’s Guide Service. “The river looks great, but there isn’t anyone fishing it, including myself. I haven’t heard any reports in the past week,” Coopman said.

Lower Rogue
Boats are having to work hard on the Lower Rogue for their fish reports Steve Huber of Steve Huber’s Guide Service. He said, “The springer action has been up and down each day. Boats are seeing anywhere from zero to two fish per day, with most boats in the zero to one range. The water temps had been cold, running around 51 degrees. On Wednesday it rose up to 53 degrees, which should help the bite. Spinner blades and anchovies have been the most consistent producers. The boat pressure has been heavy at times, with everyone looking for a hatchery springer, which is all you can keep until June1.”

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.

Loleta resident Eric Stockwell, left, and Domenic Belli of Grizzly Bluff picked up a pair of opening-day kings while fishing from their kayaks at Shelter Cove on Saturday. Photo courtesy of Eric Stockwell

New Pacific halibut regulations announced

Turns out the recreational salmon opener at Shelter Cove wasn’t half bad, though if you followed the ocean forecasts all week you probably would have waited for a better day. Saturday’s forecast was calling for lots of wind and big swells, but it turned out to be much nicer day than predicted. The boats and kayakers who rolled the dice and showed up anyway were rewarded with the North Coast first salmon of the year. At least one of the boats found limits, and it sounded like just about everyone caught at least one fish. Most of the fish were in the 10 to 12-pound range, with the biggest fish coming in at 15-pounds. Saturday’s scores had everyone excited for what Sunday would bring. And what Sunday brought was a nasty, unfishable ocean. It had been forecasted to be much nicer, with swells to seven feet and light winds. Not the case. The wind howled out of the south, keeping the boats safely on the beach and the anglers wondering what the heck happened to the forecast.

Weekend marine forecast
The ocean forecast is looking good through Saturday at Shelter Cove, and should be plenty fishable. Friday’s forecast is calling for winds 5 to 10 knots with NW swells 5 feet at 12 seconds. Saturday is looking similar, with winds to 15 knot and NW swells 7 feet at 10 seconds. The wind will pick up on Sunday, coming out of the north at 10 to 20 knots. Waves will be 3 feet out of the north at 5 seconds and NW 9 feet at 12 seconds. These conditions can and will change. For an up-to-date forecast, visit http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-124.39273&lat=40.26662

New Pacific halibut regulations
The 2015 Federal Regulations for recreational Pacific halibut fishing in California are as follows:

• The quota for landings into ports south of the Oregon/California Border and along the California coast is 25,220 lb.
• The fishing season will be open from May 1-15, June 1-15, July 1-15, August 1-15, and September 1 thru October 31, or until the subarea quota is estimated to have been taken and the season is closed by the Commission, or October 31, whichever is earlier. NMFS will announce any closure by the Commission on the NMFS hotline (206) 526-6667 or (800) 662-9825.
• The daily bag limit is one halibut of any size per day per person.

For the full details on the new regulations, visit https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/04/01/2015-07329/pacific-halibut-fisheries-catch-sharing-plan or call the Recreational Groundfish Regulations Hotline (831) 649-2801, send an email to AskMarine@wildlife.ca.gov or call your nearest CDFW office for the latest regulatory information.

Ruth Lake Bass tourney
The Southern Trinity Volunteer Fire Department is hosting its 9th annual Ruth Lake Bass Tournament on Saturday, May 2. Blast off begins at 6:00 a.m. Entry fees are due May 1. Entries are $150 per team (includes Big Fish). First Place is $1,500 and second place is $1,000. Big Fish will win $100. One in five payback based on full slate of 40 boats. This is a catch and release tournament, live wells and life jackets are required. Check in is Friday at Journey’s End at 4:30-6:00 p.m. or Saturday 4:45 a.m. at the Marina parking lot. For more info call Cliff Brown at (707) 574-6601.

The Beaches
When the ocean’s been calm, the redtail perch action has been excellent along the beaches. There are some spots that are typically better than others, but you can catch them just about anywhere. Conditions are forecasted to be nice the next few days, with swells in the 3 to 5-foot range.
The lowest morning tides to date will begin next Friday, April 17 and run through Friday, April 24. The lowest tides will be Sunday through Tuesday, ranging from -1.2 to -1.3. The clamming at Clam Beach was reportedly pretty good during the last round of minus tides in March.

Proposed closure to part of the Sacramento River
The CDFW held a public meeting on Tuesday evening in Redding regarding the proposed temporary closure of part of the Sacramento River due to the drought. The ban would stretch from 5.5 miles from the Keswick Dam south to the Highway 44 bridge in Redding. The closure is expected to last from April 27 to July 31. The need for the closure, according to state officials, is to protect the endangered winter-run Chinook salmon. Roughly 98 percent of the spawning takes place in this stretch of the river. Other alternatives were brought forward at the meeting, including gear restrictions and moving the southern line of the restricted area to north of the Sundial Bridge. The next step is a public teleconference meeting to be held April 17 at the Caltrans offices in Redding.

The Rivers:
Main Stem Eel
The main stem Eel muddied up with all the rain this week, but is starting to turn reports Paul Grundman of Rio Dell’s Grundmans Sporting Goods. “It should be fishable by the weekend, but it’s likely to be a little off-color,” Grundman added. Flows jumped from 1,260 cfs and topped out at 4,550 cfs on Tuesday night. As of Wednesday morning, it was back down to 3,500 cfs and dropping.

Smith River
The Smith is in great shape right now and there should be plenty of downers around reports guide Mike Coopman of Mike Coopman’s Guide Service. “I fished it over the weekend and the bite was pretty good. I’d expect with this last rise, we’ll see more fish start to make their way down. ,” Coopman said.

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