California Halibut Derby | Fishing the North Coast with Kenny Priest

California Halibut Derby on Humboldt Bay this Saturday, July 19

The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association (NCGASA.org) will be holding the first annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 19. The fishing event will be held within the waters of Humboldt Bay and is a Slot Size Derby. Fishing times are from 5:30am to 2:30pm. Check-ins, Weigh-ins and Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive at the East-I Lot Grass Area. Weigh-ins from 2:30-3:30pm. Must be in line with your fish by 3:30pm in order to qualify. A slot size measurement will be drawn at the Eureka Public Launching Facility (between Englund Marine and the Vista Del Mar on Eureka Waterfront Trail and posted to the event’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

Adult payouts will be $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place, and $150 for 3rd place. Youth Payouts – $100 for 1st place, $75 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd place. Youth payouts will be in the form of RMI Outdoors gift cards. All Youths registered in the Derby will receive a rod and reel combo!

Big Fish Prize: entries will be California Halibut 30” and above. ONLY ONE Big Fish can be entered per entrant. In case of a tie, winner will be determined by weight. For the big fish, adult and youth divisions will be combined. Winner to be announced at event.

Other Prizes from our Partners, Sponsors

• Fishing Trips with Sea Hawk Sportfishing, F/V Wind Rose Charters, Crescent City Fishing with Steve Huber, and Alan Borges Guide Service

• Fishing Tackle & Gear from P-Line Fishing, Pacific Outfitters, Englund Marine, RMI Outdoors, Grundman’s Sporting Goods, Reel Steel Sportfishing, Bigfoot Bait Co, B2-Squid Co and more!

• $50 and $100 Gift Certificates from Leon’s Care Care, Six Rivers Brewery, Arcata Pizza Deli, The Mill Yard and more!

Winners will be announced at event. Find details about the other prizes on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Raffle Tickets for Purchase at Check In

Win donated raffle prizes at the event by purchasing ticket strips! You can purchase raffle tickets at the check in station at the event.

$20 = 5 raffle tickets

Fill out your full name on the back of the tickets and insert tickets into a drum or bucket. Tickets will be drawn at the event.

Contact Nor-Cal Guides Board of Directors Kenny Priest for more information, how to donate products or to sponsor the event. Email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com or call or text (707) 496-8671

California Halibut Derby Rules

You must be a CURRENT NCGASA MEMBER to PARTICIPATE in this Derby PAYOUTS AND PRIZES ARE BASED ON 70 minimum ADULT ENTRANTS.

FISHING HOURS: JULY 19 from 5:30 am to 2:30 pm • WEIGH-INS from 2:30pm to 3:30pm
RAFFLE PRIZES and AWARDS START AFTER LAST WEIGH IN
WHERE: Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive East-I Lot/Grass Area
The boundaries of the 2025 California Halibut Derby are: All California halibut must be caught in the waters of Humboldt Bay

All entrants must be entered by Friday, July 18th by midnight. Derby event date is July 19 starting at 5:30 am and closing at 5:30 pm. Sign up and register at ncgasa.org/product/california-halibut-derby/. Registration fees will cover the entry into the event including annual 2025 annual membership to NCGASA. Current members will receive $20 in raffle tickets at event check in. There is a Youth division for 13 years old and under. Entrants closest to the slot size will win. There will be three winners for adult and youth. Derby fees are listed on website.
Payouts will be as follows for CALIFORNIA HALIBUT ONLY. 1st place $500, 2nd place $300, 3rd place $150. Youth payout: 1st place $100, 2nd place $75, 3rd place $50. All adult payments will be a written check from NCGASA. Youth will receive Gift Cards. Prizes based on 70 minimum adult entrants and subject to change.
The Derby will officially draw the slot size July 19 at approx. 5:00 am LIVE on FACEBOOK. The NCGASA Board will have a qualifier of 3” over and under from the target size. Fish that fall within the slot size will be measured to the 1/16” up to 3” from target and weighed. (Example: 27” TARGET = qualifier 24” to 31”). The closest entrant to the slot size wins. Entrants can ONLY ENTER ONE FISH for the main slot category.
“Big Fish” entries will be California Halibut 30” and above. ONLY ONE “Big Fish” can be entered per entrant. In case of a tie, winner will be determined by weight. For the big fish, adult and youth divisions will be combined.
Measuring device and scale will be provided by the NCGASA Board of Directors and used for all the same fish. Upon an exact tie in length, with 2 Board of Directors confirming a tie, the winner will be decided by weight. All fish within 3” of the target length will be weighed. Biggest weight would take 1st and losing entrant takes 2nd. Upon a 3rd place tie, we will take the same direction. All disputes will be solved by NCGASA Board of Directors present at event.
A Slot Length of a fish is measured from the tip of nose, closed mouth to the CENTER of the tail. Measure your fish from the tip of nose to the center of a fanned-out tail. The tail should be fanned opened and it will be measured to its longest point in the center of the tail, not the tip of the tail.
All people on a vessel must be registered for the Derby if one is participating. For example: If there are four people in a boat, they all must be registered in the Derby. 2-3 people CANNOT fish as a team for one person. Any cheating on this will be a forfeiture of all monies paid for entrants on that vessel. Only exception is licensed guides do not have to be entered. Any licensed guide entered in the Derby must be a current member of NCGASA to avoid paying derby entry fee.
The boundaries of the 2025 California Halibut Derby are all waters within Humboldt Bay. All derby waters are off-limits at Friday, July 18 at Sunset until 5:30 am when you can launch your boat on Saturday, July 19. You are not allowed to be on the water before 5:30 am on Derby event day. If anyone sees you on the water before 5:30 am, besides getting ready to launch at the dock, you are automatically disqualified. Fishing event hours are ONLY from 5:30 am to 2:30 pm on event day.
All entrants must be in line for weigh-in before 3:30 pm. One minute late is an automatic disqualification. Weigh-in takes place at Woodley Island in Eureka at East I lot and weigh-in starts at 2:30pm and finishes by 3:30 pm. All awards and raffle will start after weigh-in is complete.
All derby monies and proceeds go to help fight to save our fisheries and wildlife in Northern, CA. NCGASA is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization, and all donations are 100% tax write off. Tax ID # 680294956
All entrants and people helping with derby understand the risks involved with fishing and boating on Humboldt Bay and are required to follow all CA Department of boating and waterways procedures and California Department of Fish and Wildlife rules. All entrants must carry all boating safety equipment on their own vessels per CDFW. All Derby fish must be taken to the Woodley Island for weigh-in and measuring location between 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. Winners will be reported to local police and investigated upon any form of foul play or cheating determined by the NCGASA Board of Directors. By registering online, all Derby participants understand and are responsible for all the risks to participate in this event.
All entrants must follow all local, state, and federal laws in this Derby. All CDFW laws are required to be followed. All fish must be caught in the mouth and landed legally by hand or net. You may use any legal technique to fish for California Halibut.
NCGASA reserves the right to deploy emergency rule changes if deemed necessary by the NCGASA Board of Directors. Please make sure that you check the NCGASA Facebook and Instagram account before the start of the derby or any changes to the rules will be announced at that time.

Questions: ncgasa530@gmail.com Kenny (707) 496-8671 or Tracy (707) 496-2948

Finally, Calm Seas Ahead

Keith Daniels, right, along with grandson Brian landed this nice Pacific halibut Wednesday while fishing out of Eureka aboard the Sea Weasel II. Photo courtesy of Gary Blasi/Full Throttle Sport Fishing

After a full week of sitting on the sidelines watching the wind blow, the Eureka fleet finally got untied Wednesday. And it looks there’s some really nice weather on the horizon too. Friday looks good, though Saturday is looking a little lumpy. Sunday and into next week are looking nice and calm. As for fishing, the few boats that went out Wednesday found some hungry Pacific halibut. I’d expect to see scores go up over the next few days. The other ports are finally getting in on the action. A few were finally caught out of Shelter Cove and Crescent City this week. Along with Pacific’s showing signs of life, both those ports also saw an uptick in the California halibut catch rate. With the nice weather, the Eureka boats will be able to get down to Cape Mendocino to enjoy some of the wide-open rockfish action that’s happening up and down the coast. The fishing is definitely looking up; all we needed was some nice weather.

Marine Forecast
After a weeklong stretch of rough seas and wind, we’re finally getting a break. As of Thursday, Friday’s forecast is calling for north winds up to 5 knots and waves north 1 foot at four seconds and northwest 5 feet at nine seconds. Saturday, the winds will increase slightly, coming from the north 10 to 15 knots with northwest waves 5 feet at nine seconds. Sunday, winds will be out of the north 5 to 10 knots with waves out of the northwest 4 feet at seven seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/ or www.windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at 443-6484.

Sport Crab season coming to a close
The 2025 sport Dungeness crab season in Humboldt, Mendocino and Del Norte counties will close July 30. The season is expected to reopen Nov. 1.

California Halibut Derby on Humboldt Bay this Saturday
The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association will be holding the first annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 19. The fishing event will be held within the waters of Humboldt Bay. Check-ins, Weigh-ins and Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive at the East-I Lot Grass Area.

This is a slot size derby, a measurement will be drawn in the morning before the derby and posted to the event’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Adult payouts will be $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place, and $150 for 3rd place. Youth Payouts – $100 for 1st place, $75 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd place. Youth payouts will be in the form of gift cards. All Youths registered in the Derby will receive a rod and reel combo! Raffle prizes will include fishing trips, rods and reels, fishing tackle and gear, merchandise and more.

Entry Fees for adults is $60 (comes with a $30 NCGASA Membership). Youth entry fees are $40, 13 years and under (comes with a $10 NCGASA Membership)

*If you are a current NCGASA member, you will receive $20 in raffle tickets at check-in.

You can register online at https://ncgasa.org/shop. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 18 at midnight. Derby information and rules can be found here.

The Oceans:
Eureka
It was a quiet week for the Eureka fleet, with boats tied up since the last week, reports Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “Some boats went out for halibut Wednesday and caught a few,” said Klassen. “We have some good weather coming up starting Thursday. Saturday looks a little iffy, but Sunday and next week are looking good at the moment.”

Shelter Cove
Rock fishing remains great, but the lingcod bite has gotten more inconsistent,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “The best rockfish action this week was in close right off the point. The Pacific halibut bite has started to show some signs of life as there were a few caught this week. Some California halibut are being caught as well.”

Crescent City
The California halibut bite has really picked up reports Will Moore of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “Boats trolling South Beach are doing well along with anglers fishing off the rock wall across from the launch,” said Moore. “The Pacific halibut bite is finally showing signs of life. I heard of a couple caught this week. And with better weather coming, we should see those numbers go up. The rockfish and lingcod bite are still excellent, with limits coming pretty easily The Sisters and right out front at the cans have both been very productive.”

Brookings
The ocean king season ended Tuesday, with the last few days producing surprisingly good fishing considering big swells and strong winds reports Andy Martin, of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Lots of kings were schooled up near the buoys, feeding on baitfish, said Martin. “Kings to 30 pounds were caught, with a mix of hatchery and wild salmon. Fishing remains open for hatchery coho salmon through most of August. Coho have been found in deeper water, three to five miles offshore. Halibut fishing has been fair. Lingcod fishing also is good. Sport crabbing has improved.”

Klamath River
The lower river is still really big, flowing at 4,370 cfs on the lower gauge. There are some steelhead around, including some hatchery fish. As the river drops, which is predicted, we should start to see more fish move into the system.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay is showing signs of life, with a dozen or more kings caught each day. “Fishing generally picks up considerably in August. Hot weather in the Rogue Valley has salmon held up in the bay. The incoming tide has been best. Mossy conditions have slowed the action at low tide.”

Kenny Priest operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.

Eureka Kicking Out Some Big Butts

John Lanz scored the biggest Pacific halibut of the season with this 91-pounder. It was caught on July 4th out of Trinidad fishing with Don Galusha. Photo courtesy of John Lanz

Anglers fishing out of Eureka enjoyed some of the best Pacific halibut fishing of the season this week. Not only was there a good volume of fish, there were some big ones in the mix. The leaderboard for Englund Marine’s big fish contest consists of 71, 75, and 88 pounders. Not to be outdone, Trinidad checked in with a 91-pounder over the fourth of July weekend.

Ocean conditions were excellent the last several days, and that played a big role in anglers success. Out of Eureka, boats have congregated around the 50-line in 250 to 270 feet of water. But halibut have also been caught south at the edge of the Eel River canyon and we’re starting to see more come out of Trinidad. But just as soon as we get on a roll, the wind machine fires back up. North winds are expected to reach near gale force through the weekend.

Weekend marine forecast
After a nice stretch of calm seas, the wind is forecast to pick up over the weekend. According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, “surface high pressure is forecast to re-build toward the Northwest California coast through Thursday. This will enhance the pressure gradient and once again strengthen the northerlies. Gale force winds and large steep waves are probable over the outer waters Thursday afternoon through Friday night. Gale force winds and/or very large steep waves will likely persist into at least Saturday for the northern outer waters. Closer to shore and across the inner waters, gale force gusts are probable around and downwind of Cape Mendocino and Pt St George.

As of Thursday afternoon, Friday’s forecast is calling for north winds 20 to 25 knots with gusts up to 45 knots. Waves will be from the north 9 feet at nine seconds. Saturday’s forecast is calling for north winds 15 to 20 knots with gusts up to 35 knots. North waves will be 9 feet at nine seconds and west 2 feet at 12 seconds. Winds will decrease slightly Sunday, blowing 10 to 15 knots from the northwest with waves northwest 7 feet at eight seconds and northwest 3 feet at 11 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

California Halibut Derby on Humboldt Bay coming July 19
The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association will be holding the first annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 19. The fishing event will be held within the waters of Humboldt Bay. Check-ins, Weigh-ins and Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive at the East-I Lot Grass Area.

Nathan Teasley of Rio Del with a monster California Halibut caught Tuesday out of Humboldt Bay. The big fish measured 43 inches.

Entry Fees for adults is $60 (comes with a $30 NCGASA Membership). Youth entry fees are $40, 13 years and under (comes with a $10 NCGASA Membership)

*If you are a current NCGASA member, you will receive $20 in raffle tickets at check-in.

You can register online at https://ncgasa.org/shop. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 18 at midnight. Derby information and rules can be found here.

Eel River Pikeminnow Fishing Derby now underway
After a successful Eel River Pikeminnow derby in 2024, CalTrout is back with another derby that started July 1 and will run through Aug. 31. The derby, which is put on with the help of CDFW, will offer $2,500 worth of prizes for:

Most pikeminnow greater than six inches
Most pikeminnow greater than 12 inches
Biggest fish (length)
Drawing for kids (under 18) that entered a pikeminnow in the contest.

Rules:
Contestants will follow all CDFW fishing regulations, including no bait, barbless artificial lures only.
Prohibited actions: Throwing fish on the bank or into the river, any blatant waste of fish.

All waters open to angling on the South Fork Eel River downstream of the Humboldt County line to the confluence with the mainstem. The mainstem Eel from Dos Rios to the mouth of the Van Duzen. The Van Duzen from Grizzly Creek to the mouth of the Van Duzen.

Submit entries online using one email address. All entries for the “most pikeminnow” will be tallied by participant name. Photos from poor angles or of bad quality are subject to disqualification.
Mail in forms must be postmarked on or before September 3. Send a copy of your photo(s), minimum size 3”x5” each, along with completed entry form to: CalTrout 1380 9th St. Arcata, CA 95521
Individual contestants can win no more than one prize category. In the case of multiple wins, the largest prize amount will be awarded.
Cheating or falsification of entries will result in automatic disqualification.

For more information, visit https://tribresearch.org/pikeminnow/

Warning against consumption of Sport-Harvested Bivalve Shellfish from Del Norte County
In a press release issued July 3rd, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is advising consumers not to eat sport-harvested mussels, clams, scallops, or oysters from Del Norte County.

Statement:
“Dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins have been detected in mussels from Del Norte County. The naturally occurring PSP toxins can cause illness or death in humans. Cooking does not destroy the toxin.

This shellfish safety notification is in addition to the warnings against eating sport-harvested bivalve shellfish in Marin, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, and Orange counties due to marine biotoxins, and to the annual mussel quarantine. The annual quarantine prohibits the sport-harvest of mussels for human consumption and applies to all species of mussels harvested for human consumption along the California coast, as well as all bays and estuaries, and will continue through at least October 31. Additionally, there are razor clam advisories for Del Norte and Humboldt counties due to domoic acid.

This warning does not apply to commercially sold mussels, clams, scallops, and oysters from approved sources. State law permits only state-certified commercial shellfish harvesters or dealers to sell these products. Shellfish sold by certified harvesters and dealers are subject to frequent mandatory testing to monitor for toxins.”

You can get the most current information on shellfish advisories and quarantines by calling CDPH’s toll-free Shellfish Information Line at (800) 553-4133 or viewing the recreational bivalve shellfish advisory interactive map. For additional information, please visit the CDPH Marine Biotoxin Monitoring web page.

The Oceans:
Eureka
“There is a little bit of a Pacific halibut bite going on right now,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “It’s not wide-open, but there are limits to be had. It’s about being at the right place at the right time. The tide change has been the key, with most of the bites coming just prior to high tide. Most of the action is coming just a little north of the entrance in 270 feet of water. But I’m sure there are fish in other places as well. Herring has been the bait of choice. The fish are ranging from 20 to 50-pounds, with the occasional bigger one. The wind is coming back up starting Thursday and looks to stick around through the weekend.”

Shelter Cove
“The rock fishing and lingcod got a little tougher this last week with the increased pressure over the holiday weekend,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “We still got limits every day, but really had to work for them. We fished all over from the whistle down to the Ranch House. We still have not caught a halibut, but there are a few California halibut being caught.”

Crescent City
“Both the rockfish and lingcod bite have been over the top, with limits coming easily,” said Chris Hegnes, of Crescent City’s Englund Marine.” The reefs along with the Sisters have been productive. The California halibut bite has improved, with five landed off the rock wall on Tuesday. The Pacific halibut bite remains non-existent; I haven’t heard of one caught yet. There hasn’t been much effort.”

Brookings
“Salmon fishing has shown signs of busting open out of Brookings, but every time there is a day or two of good fishing, strong winds return,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Wednesday was the best day so far this season, with numerous boats returning with multiple kings and hatchery coho. The best fishing has been in 140 to 300 feet of water. The fish are close to the surface. Windy weather returns for the weekend. Halibut fishing has been decent out of Brookings, while lingcod and rockfish action has been good. Surfperch continue to bite at beaches around Brookings.”

Michael Cowan with a hatchery king salmon caught Wednesday with Capt. Rye Phillips of Brookings Fishing Charters.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay has been slow, but typically improves by mid-July. “A handful of fish a day are being caught.”

Catch Limit Met – Salmon Season Won’t Reopen on the North Coast

David Gould, of St. Helena, with a nice Shelter Cove Chinook salmon landed during the June 7-8 season. CDFW determined the 7,000 quota has been met, which closes the remaining July and August dates for the North Coast. Photo courtesy of Jake Mitchell/Sea Hawk Sport Fishing

I think we all saw this coming. All you had to do was open up any social media platform and take a gander at the huge numbers of salmon flying over the rails or laying on the docks. From Bodega Bay all the way to San Luis Obispo, anglers experienced some of the best salmon fishing in recent memory. And it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that our season wasn’t going to last beyond the initial two-day season of June 7-8.

And on Monday, California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) made it official. Citing excellent ocean conditions up and down the coast, along with over 10,000 anglers, it’s easy to see why the 7,000 quota was gobbled up so quickly. The official estimate from CDFW was 9,165 Chinook salmon were harvested statewide. What this means for the North Coast is the remaining summer dates of July 5-6, July 31-August 3, and August 25-31 are canceled.

What’s next: The recreational ocean salmon fishery is set to reopen September 4-7 under a separate fall harvest guideline of 7,500 Chinook in waters between Point Reyes and Point Sur. If the harvest guideline isn’t reached, the season will continue September 29-30. If any fish remain after this date, the fishery will continue in waters between Pt. Reyes to Pigeon Point on October 1-5 and October 27-31.

Weekend marine forecast
Northerly winds will increase again and spread north on Friday and through the weekend. As of Thursday afternoon, Friday’s forecast is calling for north winds at 10 to 15 knots and waves northwest 4 feet at five seconds and west 3 feet at nine seconds. Saturday forecast is calling for north winds at 15 to 20 knots and waves north 5 feet at six seconds and south 2 feet at 10 seconds. Winds will be out of the north Sunday 10 to 15 knots with north waves 6 feet at seven seconds and northwest 2 feet at 10 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

July 5 is statewide free fishing day
On Saturday, July 5, 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 steelhead, sturgeon, spiny lobster, or salmon in the Smith and Klamath-Trinity river systems. For more information visit, wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days

Eel River Pikeminnow Fishing Derby starts July 1
After a successful Eel River Pikeminnow derby in 2024, CalTrout is back with another derby that starts July 1. The derby, which is put on with the help of CDFW, will offer $2,500 worth of prizes for:

Most pikeminnow greater than six inches. (1st-$250, 2nd-$150, 3rd-$100)
Most pikeminnow greater than 12 inches. MUST include tape measure in photo. (1st-$500, 2nd-$350, 3rd-$250)
Biggest fish (length). MUST include tape measure in photo. (1st-$250, 2nd-$150, 3rd-$100)
Drawing for kids (under 18) that entered a pikeminnow in the contest. (8 winners – $50/each)

Submit entries online using one email address. All entries for the “most pikeminnow” will be tallied by participant name. Photos from poor angles or of bad quality are subject to disqualification.
Mail in forms must be postmarked on or before September 3. Send a copy of your photo(s), minimum size 3”x5” each, along with completed entry form to: CalTrout 1380 9th St. Arcata, CA 95521
Individual contestants can win no more than one prize category. In the case of multiple wins, the largest prize amount will be awarded.
Cheating or falsification of entries will result in automatic disqualification.

For more information, visit https://tribresearch.org/pikeminnow/

Eel River fish counts
As of May 18, 2025, the final counts for salmonids are: 361 steelhead (163 female, 117 male, 81 unknown adults, 42 subadults). 893 Chinook (320 female, 309 male, 94 unknown adults, 170 jacks). These counts don’t reflect the entire population; only the fish who travel over 150 miles to the fish ladder at Cape Horn Dam. Historic fish count numbers can be found here.

California halibut update
The CA halibut bite has been slow, but we’re starting to see an uptick according to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors. He said, “The wind and water clarity have been an issue. There is a lot of bait around, which is good. Most of the fish are being caught in the third channel.”

The California halibut bag and total possession limit is two in California waters north of Point Sur, Monterey County. The minimum size limit is 22 inches total length.

Entry Fees for adults is $60 (comes with a $30 NCGASA Membership). Youth entry fees are $40, 13 years and under (comes with a $10 NCGASA Membership)

*If you are a current NCGASA member, you will receive $20 in raffle tickets at check-in.

You can register online at https://ncgasa.org/shop. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 18 at midnight. Derby information and rules can be found here.

The Oceans:
Eureka
Conditions were up and down this week. According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, when the boats were able to make it out to the halibut grounds, the fishing has been really good. “There were quite a few limits reported,” said Klassen. “Most of the action has been straight out in 250 to 300 feet of water. Looks like the wind may keep the boats off the water this weekend.”

Shelter Cove
“It was pretty windy this week, but we made it out a few days and luckily we were able to get limits before the wind really kicked up,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “The rock fishing and lingcod fishing has been really good around the Old Man. We’re still getting boat limits of crab every day as well.”

Crescent City
“Not much has changed up here, the rockfish bite is still really good,” said Kevin Hooper of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “The Pacific halibut bite, however, is still non-existent. I haven’t heard of any caught so far this season. The California halibut has also been slow the last couple weeks. The redtail bite remains steady at Kellogg and South Beach.”

Brookings
Ocean salmon remains slow out of Brookings, with a few hatchery coho and plenty of wild silvers reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “There are good numbers of kings close to the harbor, which must be released, but chinook may be kept the first two weeks of July,” said Martin. “A few halibut are being caught, but effort has been light. Lingcod and rockfish action has been good, with sport crabbing also picking up. Surfperch action has been very good.”

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, salmon fishing has slowed to very few fish being caught in the Rogue Bay, and a few late springers upriver. “Expect action to improve with the next heat wave inland.”

Eureka’s Pacific Halibut Bite Heating Up

Eureka resident Richard Moody landed this dandy halibut Tuesday while fishing aboard the Sea Weasel II out of Eureka. Photo courtesy of Gary Blasi/Full Throttle Sport Fishing

With the two-day salmon season now in the rearview, Eureka anglers have again set their sites on Pacific halibut. And that looks to be a good call. While the rest of the North Coast has been void of halibut catches, the Eureka fleet has had a pretty good run the last couple weeks. They aren’t flying over the rails quite yet like a couple years ago, but the catch rates have definitely improved over the last few weeks. After a pretty rough go for us on the salmon, it’s nice to have a go-to fishery that’s producing some solid action. It looks like the only obstacle to putting up some really good numbers is the weather. It’s been marginal at best, and that looks to continue through the weekend.

Weekend marine forecast
Ocean conditions look iffy for the upcoming weekend. As of Thursday afternoon, Friday’s forecast is calling for northwest winds 5 to 10 knots and waves northwest 6 feet at 11 seconds, along with a chance of rain. Saturday’s forecast is calling for northwest winds 5 to 10 knots and waves northwest 6 feet at nine seconds. The winds will be out of the north Sunday 10 to 15 knots, with northwest waves 6 feet at nine seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

July 5 is statewide free fishing day
On Saturday, July 5, 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 steelhead, sturgeon, spiny lobster, or salmon in the Smith and Klamath-Trinity river systems. For more information visit, wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days

Freshwater Lagoon/Fish Lake trout plants
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website, Freshwater Lagoon was last planted with trout the week of June 1. Fish Lake also received a fresh batch of trout during the week of June 8. Both are open to fishing year-round and the limit is 5 trout per day and 10 in possession. For more information, visit https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FishPlants/Default.aspx?county=Humboldt&time or call (530) 225-2146.

Entry Fees for adults is $60 (comes with a $30 NCGASA Membership). Youth entry fees are $40, 13 years and under (comes with a $10 NCGASA Membership)

*If you are a current NCGASA member, you will receive $20 in raffle tickets at check-in.

You can register online at https://ncgasa.org/shop. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 18 at midnight. Derby information and rules can be found here.

The Oceans:
Eureka
The wind continues to keep the Eureka fleet tied up on most days. Conditions were good Tuesday, and there were lots of boats on the halibut grounds and quite a few went south to the Cape. Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing made the left turn and reported some good rockfish action at Cape Mendocino. “The fishing was good, but not great,” said Klassen. “We caught limits of rockfish, but it wasn’t wide-open. The lings were a little tougher to get, we ended up with just half limits. There’s definitely a lot of feed down there right now, which could be slowing down the bite. I haven’t been halibut fishing in a while, but it sounds like the bite is pretty good for a few boats and quite a few limits were reported.”

Shelter Cove
Not much to report out of the Cove this week. Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing was only able to get out a few times due to the weather. “The rock fishing remains solid along with a very good lingcod bite,” said Mitchell. “Most of the action has been around the Old Man. The Pacific halibut bite remains slow.”

Crescent City
“We’ve had some really windy weather this week, so not a lot of boats have been getting out,” said Kevin Hooper of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “When they can get out, boats are finding a good rockfish bite. I haven’t heard of any Pacific or California halibut caught in the last week and a half. The redtail perch bite is really good at South and Kellogg Beach when the wind isn’t blowing.”

Brookings
Fishing for coho salmon has been fair out of Brookings, with large numbers of wild silvers and some hatchery fish being caught close to the surface in 220 to 300 feet of water,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Windy weather has limited the offshore opportunity, but nicer conditions are expected this weekend. Anglers trolling closer to shore are finding plenty of salmon, but they are nearly all kings, which cannot be kept until June 30. Fishing for halibut is fair on calm weather days. Lingcod and rockfish action has been good. Surfperch are still biting at most beaches around Brookings and Gold Beach. Commercial trollers have been switching gear to albacore, with several boats about to depart to search for tuna.”

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, salmon fishing is already picking up in the Rogue Bay, with a handful of kings caught every day this past week. “A mix of adults and jacks has anglers excited about the end of June and early July, when fishing begins to rapidly improve.”

With Much Excitement – Salmon season Opens Saturday

Following a two-year closure, salmon season will open Saturday for two days. Anglers are hoping for a couple salmon like the one pictured with Calvin Wagner of Boulder City, Nevada, who boated this nice king back when the season was open in 2022. Wagner was fishing out of Shelter Cove with Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. Photo courtesy of Jake Mitchell/Sea Hawk Sport Fishing.

After a two-year hiatus, the recreational ocean salmon fishery will open statewide for two days on June 7-8, 2025. Even though the ocean abundance of Sacramento and Klamath Chinook are well below average, there’s still a good chance to catch a king based on good return numbers of other Chinook stocks last fall. Taking into account the low Chinook abundance, CDFW will implement a statewide quota of 7,000 Chinook salmon for a series of potential short seasons scheduled between June and August. If the quota isn’t reached in the June 7-8 opening weekend, the summer season will reopen statewide July 5-6, July 31-August 3, and August 25-31, or until the harvest guideline is reached.

CDFW has hired field staff to monitor vessels returning to launch and dock sites to collect catch and effort information and coded wire tag data that is essential to managing California’s salmon fisheries. CDFW will be collecting heads from hatchery salmon, which contain coded wire tags that have information about the salmon’s hatchery of origin, release strategy, brood year, and run type. Anglers are required by law to relinquish the head of any adipose fin-clipped salmon upon request by a CDFW representative.

Here on the North Coast, expect every boat ramp to be plugged, and boats loaded with smiling anglers headed out Saturday morning. What will they find? No one really knows as the windy conditions have kept boats tied up and unable to do any advanced scouting. But no one really cares. After two consecutive years of salmon closures, we’re all just looking forward at the chance to catch and keep a salmon.

Important reminder:
When fishing for halibut, rockfish 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 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.

General sport salmon regulations:
The minimum size limit is 20 inches total length. The daily bag limit is two Chinook salmon per day. No more than two daily bag limits may be possessed when on land. On a vessel in ocean waters, no person shall possess or bring ashore more than one daily bag limit. All salmon must be brought ashore prior to the end of any open season. Retention of coho (silver salmon) is prohibited in all ocean fisheries off California; information on how to distinguish coho from Chinook salmon can be found here. While salmon fishing north of Point Conception, anglers are required to use barbless hooks, and once salmon are aboard, barbed hooks may not be used to target other species. Anglers are encouraged to visit the Ocean Salmon Project’s webpage for details and complete regulatory information, or call the Ocean Salmon Regulations Hotline at 800-662-9825.

Weekend Marine Forecast
Gale force winds have turned the ocean upside down, but that all looks to change Saturday for the salmon opener. Saturday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the west up to 5 knots and waves northwest 5 feet at 8 seconds. The forecast is a little better on Sunday, with winds coming out of the NW up to 5 knots and northwest waves 3 feet at eight seconds and 4 feet at 11 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

Humboldt Bay weekend tides
The tidal exchanges when boats will be headed out in the morning should be relatively low, which should make for safe bar conditions. Recreational anglers can provide bar reports on VHF channel 68 while the Coast Guard emergency channel is 16 on the VHF.

Saturday June 7: Low 4:36 a.m. (.31 ft.) and High: 11:19 a.m. (4.6 ft)
Low: 3:50 p.m. (2.8 ft.) and High 10:20 p.m. (7.1 ft.)

Sunday June 8: Low 5:15 a.m. (.18 ft.) and High: 12:12 p.m. (4.8 ft)
Low: 4:32 p.m. (3.1 ft.), High 10:54 p.m. (7.2 ft.)

Fish for free this weekend in Oregon
Oregon will be having a Free Fishing Weekend June 7 and 8. 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. More information can be found here.

California Halibut Derby on Humboldt Bay coming July 19
The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association will be holding the first annual California Halibut Derby on Saturday, July 19. The fishing event will be held within the waters of Humboldt Bay. Check-ins, Weigh-ins and Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive at the East-I Lot Grass Area.
This is a slot size derby, a measurement will be drawn in the morning before the derby and posted to the event’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Adult payouts will be $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd place, and $150 for 3rd place. Youth Payouts – $100 for 1st place, $75 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd place. Youth payouts will be in the form of gift cards. All Youths registered in the Derby will receive a rod and reel combo! Raffle prizes will include fishing trips, rods and reels, fishing tackle and gear, merchandise and more.

Entry Fees for adults is $60 (comes with a $30 NCGASA Membership). Youth entry fees are $40, 13 years and under (comes with a $10 NCGASA Membership)

*If you are a current NCGASA member, you will receive $20 in raffle tickets at check-in.

You can register online at https://ncgasa.org/shop. Entrants will need to be signed up and paid for by July 18 at midnight. Derby information and rules can be found here.

The Oceans:
Eureka
Like every other port on the North Coast, there hasn’t been much activity out of Eureka because of the wind. “The Eureka fleet hasn’t been offshore all week,” said Skipper Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “The wind has been blowing and it’s just been too rough. Looking ahead to salmon, it looks like the wind will die down for the weekend. The last time we were on the water, the salmon signs looked pretty good. We were marking all kinds of bait, seeing some nice edges with birds, and seen salmon swimming on the surface. But all of that may be gone due to the wind. The good news is there’s lots of upwelling keeping the water temps cold. We’ll probably head straight out to 180 feet and see if there’s any fish. If not, we’ll head south to the canyon where there’s usually all kinds of life.”

Trinidad
We haven’t fished since last Sunday due to weather reports Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. He said, “The rockfish bite is really good, way better than last year. Same with the lingcod. And we’re not having to travel very far. There’s a lot of unknowns with the salmon opener Saturday. There was a lot of life out there before the last round of wind, but that could have changed. I imagine the water will be dirty, so I’d be looking for some cleaner water out in 30 to 40 fathoms,” added Wilson.

The Trinidad Harbor boat launch is offering a “Salmon Season Mooring Special” for $135. You can launch your boat on Friday and pick it up on Monday. There are limited spots available. To reserve your mooring, call or message 707-677-3625.

Shelter Cove
Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing reports he was only able to get out a couple days this week and they stayed pretty close to the buoys, but still managed to get limits of rockfish and lings pretty quickly. “The weather looks pretty good this weekend for the salmon opener,” said Mitchell. “So far, I haven’t seen hardly any salmon sign, but we did have some dirty water show up a couple days ago so hopefully something will show up. There will be lots of boats out trying so we should be able to find something.”

Crescent City
“It’s been windy all week, and nobody has really been out,” said Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “All signs are pointing to a good salmon opener. The water temps are good, and there’s lots of bait around. There are anchovies right on the beach. And a few salmon have been incidentally caught rock fishing. A good place to start would be between the Sisters and the South Reef in 30 fathoms. There’s been a few California halibut caught off the rocks at South Beach by guys tossing swimbaits.”

Brookings
Coho season opens Saturday out of Brookings reports Andy Martin, of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Fishing for kings has been slow, with anglers encountering coho while targeting chinook salmon,” said Martin. “Coho have also been seen by halibut anglers fishing deeper water the past two weeks. Coho season runs through late August. Two hatchery coho a day may be kept.
Halibut fishing is fair out of Brookings, with a few fish a day being caught when the weather is calm. Best action has been in 200 to 250 feet of water along the border, with combinations of herring and squid working best. Lingcod and rockfish action has been good.”

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue is now open to wild kings, but windy weather kept anglers off the water. “Expect a few boats trolling the bay this weekend with light winds expected. Late springers are being caught at first light upriver by plunkers, but low, clear water has made for slow fishing the rest of the day.

Kenny Priest (he/him) operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com