Fishing the North Coast with Kenny Priest

Bumpy ocean predicted for the holiday weekend

Chico resident Scott Brewer, along with his son Brody, landed this 51-pound halibut out of Trinidad on June 15. The Pacific halibut season, which has been closed the last two weeks of June, will re-open on Saturday July 1 and will remain open through July 15. Photo courtesy of Scott Brewer

On one of the most popular holidays for anglers looking for a little offshore adventure, it looks like the ocean may be a little lumpy for the weekend. Inland anglers who are considering making the long trek to Humboldt to enjoy our beautiful, coastal weather and to hit the ocean will want to pay close attention to the marine forecast just in case it changes for the worse. Saturday marks the re-opening of the Pacific halibut season, but conditions are looking less than ideal with seven-foot seas forecasted. And making the trip south to Cape Mendocino for some rockfish looks iffy. If you’re hellbent on halibut and rockfish, Trinidad is likely your best bet. There’s no bar crossing to worry about, and it’s a short run to the fishing grounds. Targeting California halibut within Humboldt Bay is also a good alternative if it’s too rough to get outside. The Klamath River is producing a few spring salmon, and we have three lagoons that offer a variety of trout and bass. Don’t let a little wind and rough seas spoil your long holiday weekend.

Weekend Marine Forecast
According to National Weather Service, Friday’s marine forecast is calling for winds out of the NW 5 to 15 knots and NW waves 5-feet at 6 seconds and NW 2 feet at 10 seconds. Saturday forecast is for N winds 5 to 15 knots, with waves out of the NW 7-feet at 7 seconds and W 3-feet at 11 seconds. Sunday the wind is forecasted to blow 5 to 15 knots out of the NW. Waves will be NW 7-feet at 7 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 July 1
The Pacific halibut season will re-open on Saturday, July 1 and will remain open through July 15. The remainder of the seasons open dates are: Aug. 1-15 and Sept. 1-Oct. 31, or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. To date, the CDFW has projected 7,833 net pounds have been harvested towards a quota of 34,580 pounds. For up-to-date harvest tracking information, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking

Saturday is statewide free fishing day
On Saturday July 1, people may fish California’s waters without a sport fishing license. All regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect. On Free Fishing Days, every angler must have the appropriate report card if they are fishing for abalone, steelhead, sturgeon, spiny lobster, or salmon in the Smith and Klamath-Trinity River Systems. For more information visit, https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days

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

Fort Bragg tuna
A few boats made the run out of Fort Bragg on Sunday and Monday and were rewarded with the season’s first albacore. The warm water was roughly 30 to 40 miles straight out, but was an easy ride across a flat ocean. Scores ranged from 5 to 22 with most of the fish in the 12 to 20-pound range. The wind started to blow late Monday and the weather window is closed for now. The next opportunity could come towards the middle of next week.

The Oceans:
Eureka
“Fishing remains excellent down at the Cape, with easy limits of both rockfish and lings coming on every trip,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “The lingcod fishing is fantastic, and we’re catching a wide variety of rockfish too. A few halibut were also caught and released this last weekend. The weather for the halibut opener on Saturday isn’t looking great. Seven-foot seas are predicted, which is almost too big to effectively fish for halibut. When it’s that bouncy, it’s tougher to keep your bait in the strike zone long enough for them to bite. Inside Humboldt Bay, the California halibut are still biting, with lots of undersized ones around with some nice keepers mixed in.”

Trinidad
“There’s lots of rockfish around, and the lings are biting too,” said Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “We’ve been spending most our time south of Patrick’s Point. There’s definitely some good spots out there, we’ve caught some nice lings and a pretty good variety of rockfish this week. The crab traps are still stuffed with keepers, and the customers are going home with limits every trip,” Wilson added.

Shelter Cove
“We spent the last few days targeting rockfish at Rodgers Break and Gorda,” said Captain Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “Overall the fishing was pretty slow, but the quality was really good. We had 17 vermillion on Sunday. We managed limits the first two days, but came up a few rockfish short of limits on Monday. The three black limit has been making it a bit more challenging to achieve a ten-fish limit and we really had to work for them this weekend.”

Crescent City
According to Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine, the rockfish bit really well over the weekend, but fell flat on Tuesday. “I heard good reports from the weekend, and I was out there myself and it was good. Boats fishing the Sisters, South and Big Reefs all found good action on a variety of rockfish and lings. And for whatever reason, the bite just died on Tuesday. The wind was picking up on Wednesday, but I’m hoping the ocean will be nice enough for the halibut opener this weekend,” Hegnes said.

Klamath/Trinity regulations
A reminder that spring-run regulations are still in effect on both rivers. Chinook fishing will be allowed through Aug. 14 on the Klamath downstream of the Highway 96 bridge. On the Trinity, fishing is open downstream of the Old Lewiston Bridge to the confluence of the South Fork Trinity River through August 31. The limit is two kings of any size on both rivers. After these dates, both fisheries will be closed for salmon for the remainder of the calendar year. Important Reminder: During the salmon season closure, steelhead angling will still be allowed in both the Klamath and Trinity rivers.

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
The springer action for boats anchored on the lower river has slowed down since the beginning of the week, but some fish are still being caught daily. Hopefully we’ll see a few more spurts of fish move through. Now is typically the time when boats start switching over and begin trolling the estuary. I haven’t heard of any fish caught as of yet, but it should take off soon.

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

Rockfish on the rebound

Illinois resident John Bonk, right, landed a monster lingcod on a recent trip to Cape Mendocino with Skipper Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing, pictured left. After a week of heavy winds and rough water, the weekend ocean conditions are finally looking fishable. Photo courtesy of Tony Sepulveda/Shellback Sport Fishing

There’s finally some good news coming out of the West Coast Fisheries. Two important West Coast groundfish stocks that were formerly overfished have now been rebuilt according to a news release issued this week by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC).
Bocaccio and darkblotched rockfish, which are managed by the PFMC, were under strict rebuilding plans that have constrained West Coast fisheries for more than a decade. Bocaccio was declared overfished in 1999, and darkblotched rockfish in 2000; both were rebuilt well before their original target dates.

“The rebuilding strategies used to achieve this conservation success, coupled with favorable environmental conditions for groundfish productivity, have paid huge dividends in rebuilding our overfished groundfish stocks and resurrecting West Coast groundfish fisheries,” said Council Chair Herb Pollard.

The successful rebuilding of these species reflects the support and sacrifice of West Coast ports and fishermen who recognized the difficult actions and fishing cutbacks necessary to restore the stocks. The rebuilding of bocaccio and darkblotched rockfish will lead to increased harvest opportunities beginning in 2019.

Between 1999 and 2017, ten West Coast groundfish stocks were declared overfished, as surveys documented their declining numbers. Pacific whiting, for example, was declared overfished in 2002. The Council, working with NOAA Fisheries and the fishing industry, reduced commercial harvests. Combined with strong reproduction and recruitment, the fishing cutbacks led to the rapid rebuilding of Pacific whiting by 2004. The Council and NOAA Fisheries developed rebuilding plans for the other nine overfished stocks —bocaccio, darkblotched rockfish, lingcod, canary rockfish, cowcod, Pacific ocean perch, widow rockfish, petrale sole, and yelloweye rockfish.

Lingcod was declared rebuilt in 2005, and widow rockfish in 2012. Both petrale sole and canary rockfish were declared rebuilt in 2015. Rebuilding plans remain in place for three remaining overfished species: cowcod, Pacific ocean perch, and yelloweye rockfish. New assessments for Pacific ocean perch and yelloweye rockfish will be reviewed this summer and may be adopted in September. Cowcod is expected to be rebuilt by 2019. To view the entire report, visit http://www.pcouncil.org/2017/06/48752/two-important-groundfish-stocks-rebuilt/

Minus tides could create bar crossing and boat ramp issues
With minus tides in effect through the weekend and most of 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 will be headed across the Humboldt bar. 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 www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar

The minus tides will also be problematic for bay and ocean anglers launching at Eureka’s two public boat ramps. The Eureka public boat ramp off of Waterfront and the Samoa Bridge ramp are both tough, or impossible, to navigate at minus tides. This weekend’s lowest tides fall right when most boats will be trying to launch.

Low tides — Fri. June 23 (-1.8 at 5:55 a.m.) Sat. June 24 (-2.1 at 6:44 a.m.), Sun. June 25 (-2.1 at 7:32 a.m.)

Weekend Marine forecast
Conditions will finally start to improve by the weekend, and are looking plenty fishable through early next week. From the beach out 10 nautical miles, Friday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the N 10 to 15 knots with NW waves 9 feet at 9 seconds. Saturday is looking better, with winds out of the SW up to 5 knots and NW waves 5 feet at 8 seconds and NW 2 feet at 16 seconds. Sunday looks slightly better. Winds will be out of the SW 5 to 10 knots with NW waves 4 feet at 8 seconds and W 2 feet at 15 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/. You can also call the National Weather Service at 707-443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at 707-443-6484.

Statewide free fishing day coming July 1
On Saturday July 1, people may fish California’s waters without a sport fishing license. All regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect. For more information visit, https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/fishing/free-fishing-days

Abalone season closing
Abalone season will close Friday, June 30 and will be closed for the entire month of July. It will reopen on August 1. For regulation information, visit http://www.eregulations.com/california/fishing/saltwater/invertebrate-fishing-regulations/

The Oceans:
Eureka
It’s been a little too lumpy to make the trip south to the Cape since last Friday, but that should change by the weekend. “Last week was really amazing down at the Cape,” said Captain Tony Sepulveda of Shellback Sport Fishing. “More big lingcod than I’ve ever seen and we’ve had them patterned pretty tight. Clouds of widow rockfish have moved in on a few spots and giant lings followed them in out of the deep to feed. Every day last week I had at least one over 30 pounds with countless in the mid to high twenties. As soon as the weather comes down on Saturday, I have a feeling we’ll be right back on them.”

“The halibut fishing in the bay has been pretty good,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “With the ocean being rough, we spent a couple days in the bay targeting a California halibut. There’s lots of shakers, only about 15 percent of the fish we’re catching are keeper size. Live bait is definitely a good choice if you have it, but the guys trolling anchovies behind a herring dodger have done really well. We’ve been spending most of our time in the middle channel from Englund Marine to just above the bridge. The ocean is coming back down this weekend, so we’ll be back to the Cape for rockfish.”

Trinidad
The rockfish bit pretty well earlier in the week reports Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “The ocean has been pretty rough the last couple days, but we did have some good trips early in the week with quite a few rockfish and limits of lings for the passengers. The crabs are really biting too, we’re able to get easy limits every trip,” Wilson added.

Shelter Cove
“We were able to get Sunday and Monday in before getting blown off the water,” said Captain Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “We had limits of lings and a few handfuls of snappers on Monday before getting blown off around 10:30. We also caught two halibut to about 60 pounds that were carefully released. On Sunday, we had limits of lings and 43 snappers for the five people on board. We mainly fished around the Whistle and Old Man due to rough conditions. It looks like we’ll be able to get back on the water on Saturday.

Crescent City
Not much happening this week with all the wind reports Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. He said, “A few boats tried to make it out last Sunday and thought better of it. No one’s been out since, but the weekend looks much better.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Fishing was pretty tough over the weekend with only a handful of fish being caught. It’s improved slightly this week, with boats still getting a chance at one to three springers a day. There’s plenty of zeros in the mix as well.

Two-week halibut closure begins Friday

Eureka resident Neil Butler landed a healthy 50-pound Pacific halibut last Wednesday while fishing out of Eureka. The halibut fishing out of both Eureka and Trinidad has been excellent since the opener on May 1. The first installment of the halibut season will close after Thursday, June 15 and will re-open on July 1. Photo courtesy of Gary Blasi/Full Throttle Sport Fishing

The first of four sport Pacific halibut seasons off of California will come to a close after today, June 15. So far, the halibut fishing has been spectacular out of Eureka and Trinidad. The North Coast has always been known for its salmon, but it’s quickly becoming a halibut mecca as well. The first season, which opened on May 1, saw plenty of sport and charter boats alike haul in their limit of one fish per angler. It’s not uncommon to go out and catch a few, but to put five or six on board is pretty special. But now it’s time shift our focus over to rockfish and give the halibut a two-week breather. The season will re-open on July 1 and remain open through July 15. The remainder of the seasons open dates are: Aug. 1-15 and Sept. 1-Oct. 31, or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. CDFW has projected 6,490 net pounds of the 34,580 pound quota of Pacific Halibut has been harvested as of June 11.To view the latest catch projection information, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking

For information about the seasons and regulations, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670771-pacific-halibut-regulations

Weekend Marine Forecast
The ocean is forecasted to get a little more wind this weekend, but may remain fishable. Out 10 nautical miles north of Cape Mendocino, Friday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the W up to 5 knots with W waves 7 feet at 11 seconds. Winds will increase on Saturday, and the forecast is calling for 10 to 20 knots out of the N and W waves 7 feet at 10 seconds. On Sunday, N winds are predicted to be 10 to 20 knots, with waves N 7 feet at 9 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.

CDPH Lifts Warning About Certain Shellfish from Del Norte and Marin Counties
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) lifted health advisories on June 2 related to certain sport-harvested bivalve shellfish in Del Norte and Marin counties. For Del Norte County, the advisory is being lifted for whole scallops and clam species other than razor clams. For Marin County, the advisory is being lifted for whole scallops and all clams. The health advisories were issued due to elevated levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins. Recent tests show that PSP toxins have decreased to safe or undetectable levels. There have been no reported illnesses associated with these PSP events. The CDPH warning against eating sport-harvested razor clams from Del Norte and Humboldt counties due to dangerous levels of another toxin, domoic acid, remains in effect, as does the statewide annual quarantine on sport-harvested mussels.

North Coast Fishing Communities meeting coming June 21
The California Fish and Game Commission invites interested stakeholders to join a discussion to explore what may contribute to resiliency and long-term prosperity of fishing communities in northern California. The discussion is part of an ongoing dialogue to help clarify common concerns throughout the state, and help inform future Commission discussion or action. The meeting will be held on June 21 from 3:00 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Howonquet Hall Community Center, 101 Indian Ct., in Smith River, CA. For more information about the Commission, visit www.fgc.ca.gov

Fish Lake Kid’s fishing derby coming June 24
The 43rd annual Kid’s Fish Lake Fishing Derby is taking place on Saturday, June 24 in Orleans. The derby starts promptly at 8 a.m. and runs until noon. It’s open to kids from Pre-K to the 8th grade. Poles and tackle will not be provided and an adult must accompany all children. Hot dogs and lemonade will be provided; adults are encouraged to bring a side dish or salad to share. The Orleans Rod and Gun Club, Orleans Ranger District, Coast Central Credit Union, CA Deer Assoc., Pacific Outfitters, AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards, and Our River Community host the event. For more information, contact LeRoy Cyr at (530) 627-3262.

The Oceans:
Eureka
“Up until Tuesday, conditions on the halibut grounds were about perfect,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “Conditions definitely changed, the surface water temps went from 52 to 56 degrees, and there isn’t the sign of life that has been there since the season opened. It looks like some new water pushed in from somewhere, probably a good time for the season to close. But it’s been a great season so far. More bait is showing up in the bay, and a few more keeper California halibut are being caught. There are still lots of shorts, about a third are keeper size,” said Klassen.

With so many undersized California halibut currently in the bay, it’s a good practice not to bring the fish in the boat if you don’t have too. Releasing the fish on the side of the boat is the best option. If you do net a “shaker”, be sure and use a soft, rubberized net with the smallest mesh available to avoid splitting the tail. Tail splits, if not severe, will heal, but will make the fish susceptible to fin rot. California halibut must be a minimum of 22 inches in length and the bag and possession limit is three.

Trinidad
Halibut fishing has been pretty good this past week according to Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters out of Trinidad. He said, “There are a few boats that fish regularly that do really well. The rockfish bite, at least for black rockfish, is wide-open from Redding Rock to Patrick’s Point. We’re catching a handful of vermillion, coppers, and cabezon, but the majority have been blacks. There are also a few nice lings around, but it isn’t on fire,” Wilson said.

Crescent City
The halibut bite was pretty good on Wednesday according to Leonard Carter of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “I didn’t hear where the guys were fishing, but sounds like a few were caught. The rockfish action has been really good at all the usual spots when the boats have been able to get out. And the perch are still biting at both Kellogg and South beaches,” Carter added.

Shelter Cove:
“The rockfish bite has been awesome at both Gorda and Rogers Break,” said Captain Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “I fished Gorda on Saturday with two guys who had booked the whole boat and got limits of halibut to 46 pounds and limits of lingcod and rockfish. Locally, the rockfish bite has been a little slow. There’s been plenty of lingcod, but it’s been tough getting limits of snappers. We fished all around the Old Man on Friday and did ok. Wednesday we got a pretty decent variety at the Hat along with limits of crab.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Last weekend’s rain definitely kick-started the spring salmon run as the fishing was the best it’s been this season. The boat pressure is sporadic, but most are getting a chance at one to three fish per trip. The fishing should continue to improve through the month.

Low tides troublesome for Eureka boat ramps

Springdale, Arkansas resident Preston Stevens was all smiles after landing a pair of black rockfish while fishing out of Trinidad on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Curt Wilson /Wind Rose Charters

This weekend’s minus tides could be problematic for ocean anglers launching at Eureka’s two public boat ramps. As most boaters are aware, the Eureka public boat ramp off of Waterfront is a muddy mess at low tide. And this weekend’s minus tides fall smack dab in the middle of when the boat launching traffic is typically the heaviest. Saturday’s low of -0.8 falls at prime launching time, right around 7:15 a.m. Sunday isn’t much better, with a -0.8 right around 8 a.m. Reportedly, it will take at least a couple feet of water to get across the mud flats. Your best bet is to launch as early as possible and wait for first light, or launch later in the morning. Keep in mind the afternoon lows return around 2 p.m., but they aren’t minus tides. The mud situation at the Samoa Bride boat ramp is similar to Eureka’s public ramp, so that’s not necessarily a good alternative. The ramp at Fields Landing is your best bet, with no mud all the way to the end of the docks. The tradeoff is the ramp isn’t as steep and you may have to get your truck in the water, depending on the length of your boat.

The minus tides could also create early morning hazardous bar conditions this weekend due to the combination of tides and swells converging at the time when most boats could be headed out the mouth of the harbor. Hard charging water flowing out of the bay and running straight into large swells can be extremely dangerous and you should always error on the side of caution — even if it means waiting until the out-flowing water from the bay has slowed, which usually occurs within 30 to 45 minutes prior to the tide bottoming out. If you’re planning on hitting the bar at daylight, check the conditions first. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan or you can also verify the conditions as reported by looking at the bar cam at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar.

Marine Forecast
After the front blows through on Thursday, the ocean looks like it will be fishable at least through Saturday. Friday’s forecast is calling for S winds 5 to 10 knots and S waves 2 feet at 4 seconds and W 5 feet at 9 seconds. Saturday is calling for SW winds 5 to 10 knots with SW waves 3 feet at 5 seconds and W 5 feet at 10 seconds. Sunday’s forecast is calling for NW winds 5 to 15 knots with W waves 7 feet at 8 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

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

The Oceans:
Eureka
“After being tied up at the dock for a few days, we finally got back on the water Tuesday,” said Skipper Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “The halibut are still biting; we hooked four and landed three, so the fishing is still pretty good. There’s also lots of petrale and sand dabs around as well. Inside Humboldt Bay, a lot more bait has started to show up and the California halibut action is starting to improve. It looks like we may have some decent weather ahead. Other than Thursday, the ocean looks to be fishable through at least Saturday.”

Trinidad
From Trinidad Head to Patrick’s Point is loaded with black rockfish reports Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters out of Trinidad. He said, “I’ve only been out a few days as we’re just getting our season started. There doesn’t seem to be a lack of fish, but it’s a little tougher when you can only keep three blacks. I heard quite a few halibut were caught last week, but it’s been quiet this week, likely due to the rough ocean outside. The crabbing remains really good, we’re getting lots of keepers in 100 feet of water.”

Shelter Cove
“We finished up the first salmon season last Tuesday and Wednesday with limits both days,” said Captain Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “On Thursday we went down to the Ranch House and had limits of rockfish and lings by 11:00. We were off the water until Tuesday due to the conditions, but we picked up where we left off with early limits of both rockfish and lings near Bear Harbor. We’ve also been pulling crab pots, but it’s been slow. We’re only averaging about four keepers per pot. No halibut have been caught this week and very few so far down here this year. It’s been pretty rough, so there really hasn’t been much effort.’

Crescent City
The rockfish are biting pretty good reports Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “The hot spot this week has been the Big Reef. The fishing has been really good, and quite a few big lings are being caught as well. The halibut bit pretty well last week, though I haven’t heard of any being caught this week. The perch fishing remains red hot at South Beach,” Hegnes said.

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Springer fishing on the Lower Klamath picked up a slightly this week, with a handful of salmon reportedly caught by boats anchored on the lower river. As of Wednesday, flows were down to 17,000 cfs, but will jump back up to 21,000 by Friday afternoon due to the rain. Hopefully this bump in flows will kick-start the run and not blow out the river.

Halibut, rockfish filling the salmon void

This very hungry lingcod latched onto a 7-lb Vermillion that was being reeled in and refused to let go. The lucky angler, John Scoczylas of Bellflower, was fishing aboard the Shellback near Cape Mendocino. Photo courtesy of Tony Sepulveda/Green Water Fishing Adventures

There’s no doubt the salmon closure has left a huge void in our saltwater season that can’t be filled. There’s really nothing that compares to the thrill, taste, and the tradition of salmon fishing off of our coast. However, if the halibut and rockfish continue to chew up baits like they are now, it will certainly lessen the sting. Charter and sport boats alike have been dragging halibut over the rails at a pretty hefty pace this past week. If the ocean current was a little slower on a consistent basis, the 34,580 pound quota would be in danger of being met much earlier than the October closure. The rockfish bite has been fantastic as well. Along with Cape Mendocino, I’ve heard some really good reports coming from Trinidad as well Crescent City. Though rockfish and halibut are both delicious, it’s just seems like something is missing.

Salmon, halibut closures
The first of two sport salmon seasons came to a close on Wednesday, May 31 from Horse Mt. to Point Arena, which includes Shelter Cove and Fort Bragg. The season will open back up on Aug. 15 and remain open through November 12. The first Pacific halibut season will come to a close on June 15, and open again on July 1. This season’s open dates are May 1-June 15, July 1-15, Aug. 1-15 and Sept. 1-Oct. 31, or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. As of May 28, CDFW has projected 2,798 net pounds of the 34,580 pound quota of Pacific Halibut has been harvested. To view the latest catch projection information, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking

Marine Forecast
The next couple of days look decent, but the wind is predicted to pick up by the weekend. Friday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the N 10 to 15 knots and waves NW 5 feet at 5 seconds and W 4 feet at 10 seconds. Saturday is not looking good, with NW winds 10 to 20 knots and waves NW 8 feet at 5 seconds and W 4 feet at 11 seconds. Sunday looks a little worse, with N winds 20 to 30 knots and N waves 9 feet at 5 seconds and W 4 feet at 11 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/swan or check out the bar cam located at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar

Fish for free this weekend in Oregon
Oregon will be having a Free Fishing Weekend on June 3 and 4. On those two days, no license, tag or endorsement is required to fish, crab or clam anywhere in Oregon. This applies only to waters already open to fishing, crabbing or clamming. All other regulations, such as bag limits, still apply.

Ruth Lake Bass tournament this Saturday
Fortuna Fire Department CO-2’s will be holding the annual “Paul Jadro Memorial Bass Tournament” this Saturday, June 3. Blast off will be at 5:45 a.m. The one day tournament event offers a first prize award of up to $1,000 with payout to 1 in 3 in addition to door prizes, and sponsor products. The entry fee is $120 per team with a big fish buy in option of $10. The tournament is catch and release and all competitors must fish from boats that are required to have operational live-wells on board. Life jackets are required. Check in at the Marina on Friday June 2 at 4:30-7 p.m. or Saturday 4-5 a.m. For more information, contact Lon Winburn at 725-5021 or 725-7880.

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

Freshwater Lagoon trout plants
Freshwater Lagoon near Orick has been planted with trout on a monthly schedule since April. The last plant was on Sunday and the next one is scheduled for Sunday, June 4. The limit is five trout per day, 10 in possession.

The Oceans:
Eureka
“The rockfish bite at Cape Mendocino has been absolutely amazing,” said Skipper Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “Even with the three black rockfish limit, we’re still finding enough variety to get everyone their 10 fish. The lings are really biting too; the extra depth has really been nice. We’ve been able to stay on some of the structure where in years past we’ve only been able to fish part of it. The Pacific halibut — when the current was good — bit really well this week. On Saturday we had limits for the whole crew by 9:30 a.m. We went back out on Monday and the current was ripping and we didn’t land a fish. That’s the way it’s been all year.” said Klassen.

Shelter Cove
The salmon bite has been pretty wide-open all week,” said Captain Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “On Sunday I had a light load and we got a late start due to the tide. By the time we got to where the salmon bite was that morning, it had completely died. So after trolling with no luck for a few hours, we took a gamble and ran 12 miles the other direction. It paid off and we got our limits in just a couple hours. On Tuesday, I only had three clients and we had our limits of salmon by 9:30. We also released over 15 silvers. The last few days we’ve been getting them up in the canyon. Prior to that, we were getting them at the lower end of the Banks below the Hat. The rockfish action has also been excellent. On Friday and Saturday we ran north and had limits of lings and blacks by noon. We also boated a 66-pound halibut on Saturday. We’ve been catching the rockfish just outside the whistle and on the Old Man.”

Crescent City
The ocean has been pretty nice the past few days, and boats were able to get out to the halibut grounds reports Leonard Carter of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. He said, “There were boats fishing for halibut on Wednesday, but I didn’t hear how they did. Boats targeting rockfish were able to get out to the Big Reef and further south as well. It sounds like the rockfish and lings were biting, most of the guys I talked to had easy limits. The perch bite is still good at South Beach, and I heard there was a striper caught there earlier in the week.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Springer fishing on the Lower Klamath over the holiday weekend was extremely slow. There wasn’t a ton of effort, and very few fish were caught. The river is still big, running at nearly 25,000 cfs. The beginning of June is typically when the season takes off.

Shelter Cove salmon starting to show

A group of Southern Humboldt anglers had a nice day salmon fishing on Tuesday out of Shelter Cove with Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. The salmon action finally started to pick up this week, and ocean conditions are looking good for the three-day holiday weekend. Photo courtesy of Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing

The Shelter Cove salmon bite is finally starting to show signs of life. On Monday, a private boater landed four kings just outside the Hat in roughly 150 feet of water. The kings were caught close to the surface and were loaded with krill. On Tuesday, Captain Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing boated his first four kings of the season. He said, “There’s a lot of krill showing up and all the fish were plugged with it. If all the bait sticks around, the fishing should only get better.” If you want to get in on the action, you’ll need to make it quick. Sport salmon fishing will close next Wednesday, May 31 from Horse Mt. to Point Arena, which includes Shelter Cove and Fort Bragg. The season will open back up on Aug. 15 and remain open through November 12.

Weekend marine forecast
After a couple days of gale warnings, the ocean is forecasted to lie down late Thursday. Friday’s forecast is calling for SW winds to 5 knots and NW waves 6 feet at 8 seconds. Saturday’ forecast is similar, with W winds to 5 knots and NW waves 6 feet at 9 seconds. Sunday is calling for NW winds 5 to 10 knots and NW waves 3 feet at 6 seconds and 4 feet at 11 seconds. The Memorial Day forecast doesn’t look too bad, with winds out of the NW 10 to 15 knots and waves NW 4 feet at 6 seconds and NW 2 feet at 14 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

Pacific Halibut quota update
The CDFW has projected 895 net pounds of the 34,580 pound quota of Pacific Halibut has been harvested through May 21. This season’s open dates are May 1-June 15, July 1-15, Aug. 1-15 and Sept. 1-Oct. 31, or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. To view the latest catch projection information, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking

The Oceans:
Eureka
“The lingcod bite at the Cape has been fantastic,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “We made the trip down on Monday and Tuesday, and we had limits for everyone both days. It was pretty rough on Tuesday, so we couldn’t quite finish up our rockfish limit. We did get some nice blacks and a Canary for everyone, but it was a little too sloppy to go looking around. The Pacific halibut bite out of Eureka has been decent, but there were some skunks this week. The Petrale bite has been really good however. I fished Humboldt Bay on Sunday, and it looks like we may have another good year on the California Halibut. There’s quite a few around, but there isn’t much bait in the bay as of yet.”

Shelter Cove
Captain Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing reports the rockfish and lingcod bite is excellent right now. He said, “Went to Rodgers Break on Monday for some great rock fishing with lings up to 25 pounds.” As mentioned above, a few salmon are finally starting to show up.

Crescent City
There hasn’t been much activity this week due to sloppy ocean conditions reports Leonard Carter of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “A few guys have been fishing out front near the buoys for rockfish, but they haven’t been able to get out much further. There hasn’t been any halibut effort either, also due to the rough water and heavy currents. The perch fishing is still really good when the ocean has been calm. South and Kellogg Beaches have been a couple of the hot spots. I’ve also heard quite a few trout are being caught in Lake Earl,” Carter said.

Ruth Lake Bass tournament coming June 3
Fortuna Fire Department CO-2’s will be holding the annual “Paul Jadro Memorial Bass Tournament” on Saturday, June 3. Blast off will be at 5:45 a.m. The one day tournament event offers a first prize award of up to $1,000 with payout to 1 in 3 in addition to door prizes, and sponsor products. The entry fee is $120 per team with a big fish buy in option of $10. The tournament is catch and release and all competitors must fish from boats that are required to have operational live-wells on board. Life jackets are required. Check in at the Marina on Friday June 2 at 4:30-7 p.m. or Saturday 4-5 a.m. For more information, contact Lon Winburn at 725-5021 or 725-7880.

River openings
Sections of the main Eel (South Fork to Cape Horn Dam), South Fork Eel (South Fork Eel River from mouth to Rattlesnake Creek) Van Duzen, Mad, Mattole and Smith will re-open on Saturday, May 27th. 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/Fishing/Inland/2017-Regulations

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

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

Weather permitting, halibut and rockfish on the bite

When the weather has cooperated, both the halibut and rockfish bite out of Eureka has been pretty darn good. Marc Schmidt of Coastline Charters on Tuesday ran out to 300 feet and was able to put three keeper halibut on board before 9 a.m. Conditions weren’t great, but the fish were right where he left them the last trip and they still were in the biting mood. The same can be said for the rockfish and lingcod down at Cape Mendocino. Since the season opened on May 1, only a small handful of boats have made the trip south, and the ones who have were rewarded with wide-open action and easy limits of both. As ocean conditions appear to be settling down for the next few days, we should see our saltwater season finally start to take off.

Humboldt County residents Steve Throssel (left), Val Castellano, and Mike Moon fished through some pretty miserable conditions on Tuesday and were rewarded with some nice Pacific Halibut. The anglers were fishing west of Eureka in roughly 300 feet of water with Marc Schmidt of Coastline Charters. Photo courtesy of Marc Schmidt/Coastline Charters

Important reminder:
When fishing for halibut, rockfish and salmon (Shelter Cove), 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 180 feet when fishing for other species.

Pacific Halibut quota update
The CDFW has projected 560 net pounds of Pacific Halibut has been harvested through May 7. The 2017 Pacific halibut quota for the California subarea is 34,580 pounds – about 5,000 pounds more than the 2016 quota. This season’s open dates are May 1-June 15, July 1-15, Aug. 1-15 and Sept. 1-Oct. 31, or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. To view the latest catch projection information, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking

Weekend marine forecast
For coastal water from Pt. St. George to Cape Mendocino out 10 nautical miles, the marine forecast is looking pretty good through the weekend, and even better for the early part of next week. For Friday, the forecast is calling for winds out of the N 5 to 15 knots with waves N 5 feet at 7 seconds. The swells are a little bigger and the wind will increase slightly beginning on Saturday. Winds will be out of the N 10 to 20 knots and waves will be out of the N 8 feet at 11 seconds. Sunday is looking a little better, with N winds 10 to 15 knots and N waves 6 feet at 11 seconds. These conditions can and will change. 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 www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar

Crescent City
Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine reports the rockfish action really picked up on Tuesday and Wednesday. “The South Reef sounded like the place to be. I heard it was a little slower for the boats that headed south towards the Sisters, but the afternoon minus tides could have had something to do with the slow bite. The redtail perch bite is still wide-open at all the beaches, while I have yet to hear of a halibut being caught since the season opened,” Hegnes added.

Shelter Cove
“I ran north Friday and Saturday to Rodgers Break for rockfish and the fishing was fantastic,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “We limited out in 3 drifts the first day. We had what looks to be a big algae bloom in the Cove and near shore, which I believe it’s a result of all the strong winds we’ve had creating upwelling. I am also starting to see a little more bait around and they were catching salmon in decent numbers on Tuesday, so I think things are looking up.” Saturday is the 11th Annual Gimme Shelter Kayakfishing Tournament at the Cove, so the launch area could be a little congested.

Shelter Cove salmon temporarily closing
The first of two sport salmon seasons will close on May 31 from Horse Mt. to Point Arena, which includes Shelter Cove and Fort Bragg. The season will open back up on Aug. 15 and remain open through November 12 with a 20-inch minimum size limit for the season and a daily bag limit of two salmon per day of any species except Coho. For more information, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Salmon

Commercial Rock Crab Fishery Closure extended in Northern California
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has extended the emergency commercial rock crab fishery closure that was due to expire on May 16. Due to public health hazard, the state health agencies determined last fall that rock crabs north of Pigeon Point (37° 11’ N. lat.) to the Oregon border had unhealthy levels of domoic acid and recommended a commercial fishery closure. Subsequently, Director Charlton H. Bonham submitted an emergency rulemaking to close the commercial rock crab fishery north of Pigeon Point.

The recreational fishery for rock crab remained open statewide with a warning from the California Department of Public Health to recreational anglers to avoid consuming the viscera of rock crab caught in the closure area. For more information, visit https://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2017/05/16/fish-and-wildlife-director-extends-commercial-rock-crab-fishery-closure-in-northern-california-due-to-public-health-hazard/

Main Stem Eel update
“The main stem Eel looks as good as it’s looked all year,” said Paul Grundman of Rio Dell’s Grundmans Sporting Goods. “It doesn’t look like the rain changed the water level or color at all; the river is in great shape.” As of Wednesday, flows were hovering around 3,600 cfs on the Scotia gauge.

Weather window puts boats back on the water

Eve Phelan of Grants Pass, Ore., holds one of the lingcod she caught April 30 while fishing with Capt. Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. The ling hit a diamond jig near March Arch north of Brookings.

After being off the water since late last week due to gale force winds, boats were back at it on Wednesday. The small weather window, which looks like it may close by Friday, had boats on the halibut grounds and a few made their way down to Cape Mendocino. I didn’t catch any reports from the Cape, but I’d be willing to bet it was phenomenal seeing how those rockfish and lings haven’t been tempted with a bait since October. A few halibut were reportedly caught out of Eureka, and at least one keeper was landed in Trinidad. If it wasn’t for the weather, we’d be off and running to a pretty decent start to the saltwater season. And that’s just what we need to take the sting out of a season with no salmon.

Weekend marine forecast
The weekend forecast is looking a little iffy as of Wednesday. For Friday, the forecast is calling for winds out of the SW 5 to 15 knots with waves W 3 feet at 7 seconds and 11 feet at 12 seconds. The swells will start to come down a little by Saturday, with winds out of the NW 5 to 10 knots. Waves will be out of the W 10 feet at 11 seconds and NW 2 feet at 7 seconds. Sunday is looking like the best day with NW winds 5 to 15 knots and NW waves 6 feet at 8 seconds. These conditions can and will change. 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 www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/barCam/?cam=humboldtBayBar

Dredger on the way to Humboldt Bay
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company’s 315 foot dredger “Terrapin Island” is making its way to Humboldt and will be arriving around May 19 to begin dredging operations in the bar and entrance channels of Humboldt Bay. Mariners are advised to use caution when transiting near the dredge. The dredge will be restricted in their ability to move and the prop wash may be extreme. The dredge will be operating on VHF channel 13 and 16. For more information, contact the Suzie Howser at the Harbor District office at 707-443-0801.

Crescent City
Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine reports the wind pretty much put the saltwater action on hold. He said, “The ocean has been too rough since last Thursday due to the wind. I know a few boats got back on the water on Wednesday, but I didn’t hear how they did. I haven’t heard of any halibut being caught yet, but there hasn’t been much effort either. The redtail perch bite has been off the charts the last few weeks,” Hegnes added.

Shelter Cove
Like everywhere else, the wind curtailed a lot of fishing plans last weekend at the Cove. “I haven’t been out since last Thursday due to the wind, I ended up cancelling all of my weekend trips,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “Last Thursday we had limits of lings and rockfish. The ocean looks to finally be settling down a bit and I plan on being on the water through the weekend. Hopefully this wind got the upwelling going and maybe we’ll find some salmon when we get back out.”

Main Stem Eel update
“The main stem Eel is looking better every day,” said Paul Grundman of Rio Dell’s Grundmans Sporting Goods. “The water level has dropped considerably this week, and it should be fishable by the weekend. I wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t some downrunners around and you may even run into some fresh ones as well.” As of Wednesday, flows were hovering around 5,000 cfs on the Scotia gauge.

Send in your fish photos
Land a big salmon, trout or perch lately? Or maybe your friend or relative has reeled in their first fish. Email your fishing photo to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com and I’ll run them with the “Fishing the North Coast” weekly column and also post them on fishingthenorthcoast.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.

Halibut opener slowed by heavy currents

Despite some pretty tough fishing conditions, a good number of halibut were landed out of Eureka earlier this week. On Monday, only a couple boats made it across a very nasty bar. Gary Blasi of Full Throttle Sport Fishing and Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing each stuck it out and landed two and three halibut respectively. A few more boats made it out on Tuesday, and most of them landed at least one halibut. “Conditions are definitely challenging right now — the current is absolutely ripping which makes it difficult to keep your baits in the strike zone,” said Klassen. “The fact that this many fish were caught despite the conditions tells me there’s quite a few fish around. Unfortunately, the ocean is looking to get really rough beginning Friday, but Thursday is looking fishable.

Weekend marine forecast
As of Wednesday, the weekend forecast for coastal waters out 10 nautical miles is looking pretty ugly for halibut and rockfish anglers. Saturday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the north 20 to 30 knots and waves N 11 feet at 8 seconds. Sunday’s forecast is looking slightly worse, with winds out of the north 20 to 30 knots and waves N 12 feet at 10 seconds. These conditions can and will change. 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 or check out the bar cam located at http://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.

Trinidad
The rockfish opener was reportedly on the slow side for the kayakers, but picked up on Tuesday. Most of the action was around Flatiron Rock, and it sounded like a few lingcod were caught and there were lots of black rockfish willing to bite.

Shelter Cove
Despite the wind, the Shelter Cove boats had a pretty successful rockfish opener. “It was a little rough, so we stuck to just rockfish,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “The lings bit like crazy, but we had to work for the rockfish. We were blown off the water around 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, but we’re able to get limits for our clients.” Mitchell also reported that no halibut were caught over the weekend but one salmon was caught on Tuesday.

Crescent City
Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine reports the rockfish season got off to a slow start, but it picked up on Wednesday. He said, “One of the local charter boats went out to Big Reef and did really well on lingcod. They caught a few over 20 lbs, and had three limits of nice fish within an hour. I didn’t hear of any halibut being caught as of yet,” Hegnes added.

Redtails bite is wide-open
The redtail bite has been wide-open all up and down the North Coast. I’ve been hearing reports of limits coming from the usual spots: Samoa, Centerville, Dry and Stone Lagoons, Gold Bluff, and the south spit. Inside Humboldt Bay at the mouth of the Elk River (Stinky Beach) and King Salmon have also been giving up plenty of fish. Redtail Perch have a minimum size limit of 10.5 inches and a daily bag and possession limit of 10.

Sisters Isabelle, left, and Michaela Ellsmore of Ferndale caught these nice redtail perch last weekend. According to their father Scott, they caught these and quite a few more. Photo courtesy of Scott Ellsmore

Sport-Harvested Mussels quarantined
In a press release issued on April 28, The California Department of Public Health announced the annual quarantine of sport-harvested mussels gathered along the California coast. The quarantine begins May 1 and applies to all species of mussels that are recreationally harvested along the California coast, including all bays and estuaries. The quarantine is in place to protect the public against poisoning that can lead to serious illness, including coma and death.

In addition to this annual quarantine, consumers are urged not to eat recreationally harvested razor clams from Humboldt and Del Norte counties due to continued high levels of domoic acid. To read the entire press release, visit https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR17-041.aspx

Ruth Lake Bass tourney this Saturday
The Southern Trinity Volunteer Fire Department is hosting its 11th annual Ruth Lake Bass Tournament on Saturday, May 6. 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 4:15-5:30 p.m. or Saturday 4:45 a.m. at the Marina parking lot. For more info call Todd Perras at (707) 273-9621.

Main Stem Eel update
“The main stem Eel is still big, but the color is finally starting to come around,” said Paul Grundman of Rio Dell’s Grundmans Sporting Goods. If the rain doesn’t fall as they predict and the snowmelt slows, it should be fishable by next weekend. When the water’s big like it is now, the fish will be hanging on the edges and back eddy’s out of the current.” As of Wednesday, flows were hovering around 8,300 cfs on the Scotia gauge.

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

Minus salmon — coastal saltwater season set to take off

Dylan Jimenez of Eureka landed this nice Largemouth Bass last Friday while fishing with his dad Robert at Freshwater Lagoon. Photo courtesy of Robert Jimenez

For North Coast saltwater anglers, the first of May couldn’t get here soon enough. Since the beginning of the year, it’s been nothing but doom and gloom for the fishing community. Our ocean salmon season out of Eureka, Trinidad and Crescent City has been shut down, Klamath salmon numbers are at an historic low, razor clam season remains closed due to domoic acid, and the abalone season was pushed back one month and shortened by two. With multiple fisheries finally set to open on May 1, it’s time to put all the bad news behind us and get back to doing what we do best — fish.

May 1 openers:
Pacific Halibut: One of the bright spots to our saltwater season as our quota was increased by 4,940 pounds over the 2016 quota, allowing us 34,580 pounds in 2017. The season will run from May 1 to June 15, July 1-15, Aug. 1-15 and Sept. 1-Oct. 31, or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. The limit remains at one, with no size restrictions. No more than one line with two hooks attached can be used.

Rockfish: Numerous changes were made within the Northern Management Area, which runs from the Oregon border to Cape Mendocino. The season for boat-based anglers will now run from May 1 through Oct. 31 within 180 feet and Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 with no depth restrictions. For the first time in more than a decade, anglers will be allowed to retain canary rockfish beginning in 2017.

Additional changes include: A new sub-bag limit of one canary rockfish within the 10-fish Rockfish, Cabezon and Greenling Complex bag limit; a decrease in the sub-bag limit of black rockfish from five to three within the 10-fish RCG Complex bag limit; elimination of the sub-bag limit of bocaccio within the 10-fish RCG Complex bag limit; a decrease in the lingcod bag limit from three to two fish; allowance of petrale sole and starry flounder to be retained year- round at all depths. For more information about recreational groundfish regulations, please call the hotline at 831-649-2801 or visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/groundfish

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.

Abalone: Abalone season will open on Monday, May 1 along the North Coast from the San Francisco Bay north. The season runs from May 1st through October, excluding the month of July. Fishing for abalone will be allowed from 8 a.m. to one half-hour after sunset. What you’ll need:
1) Fishing license (not required for 15 years old and younger)
2) Abalone report card (must be in your possession while diving. Also required for those 15 years or younger)
3) Fixed caliper measuring device

Limit and size restrictions: Three per day, three in possession and no more than 12 per calendar year. Must be seven inches or larger. As in the past, no more than nine abalone may be taken south of the boundary between Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

The complete list of ocean sport regulations can be found at https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Sport-Fishing

Big Halibut Contest
Don’t forget, Eureka’s Englund Marine will be holding its BIG FISH Halibut Contest this again year. The annual event runs from May 1 to October 31, 2017. There is no entry fee and you can enter as many fish as you’d like. Fish do not need to be gutted and gilled. Prizes will be awarded to the top three fish. A complete list of rules and regulations are available at Englund Marine, 2 Commercial St., Eureka, 707-444-9266.

Weekend marine forecast
For the coastal waters from Crescent City to Mendocino out zero to 10 nautical miles, Saturday’s forecast is calling for north winds 5 to 15 knots with waves out of the N 6 feet at 8 seconds. On Sunday, winds will be out of the north 10 to 15 knots with waves N 5 feet at 6 seconds and NW 4 feet at 10 seconds. For Monday’s halibut and rockfish openers, the winds will be increasing, blowing from the north 10 to 20 knots. Waves will be N 4 feet at 6 seconds and NW 4 feet at 10 seconds. These conditions can and will change. For an up-to-date marine forecast, visit http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/eka/

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

Monday May 1 (High: 3:48 a.m. (6.9 ft.) and 5:41 p.m. (5.5 ft.) (Low: 10:45 a.m. (-1.0) and 10:53 p.m. (2.7 ft.)

Trinidad Harbor information
The Trinidad launch should be open on Monday, but it will depend on the ocean conditions if they’ll be launching. The Gift and Tackle shop will be open beginning on Saturday, April 29. Best to call ahead at 707-677-3625 if you’re planning on launching on Monday.

Shelter Cove update:
According to Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing, the salmon has been belly up for the few people who’ve been trying. “There hasn’t been a whole lot of sign around lately, which isn’t very encouraging. The rockfish opener is looking fishable at this point, but it doesn’t look like it will be real nice. Fishing will likely be tougher as we probably won’t be able to hit all the good spots. We’ll just have to wait and see.” Mitchell added.

Humboldt Bay dredging meeting
A public meeting will be held on Wednesday May 3 regarding the Humboldt Bay maintenance dredging and disposal options. The meeting will run from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Wharfinger Building, 1 Marina way in Eureka. For more information, email districtplanner@humboldtbay.org or call 707-443-0801

Lower Rogue
A real good push of fish moved into the lower river earlier this week reports guide Steve Huber of Steve Huber’s Guide Service. “Quite a few fish were caught this week, but the majority of the fish were wild and had to be released. Fishing was a little better on the lower river, and boats were averaging about a fish per trip. The pressure hasn’t been real heavy yet, probably due to the weather. Once the river starts to drop from the rain, fishing should really improve.” Huber said.