Del Norte County | Fishing the North Coast with Kenny Priest

Eureka Tuna Fleet Finally Gets Its Turn!

Robert Waddell of Fortuna hold a nice albacore tuna caught Sunday out of Eureka. Eureka boats finally got in on the bite and enjoyed a weekend of wide-open tuna action. Photo courtesy of Melissa Shifflett

The Eureka fleet finally got its shot at the albacore over the weekend — and they made it count. Flat seas, warm water, and a zone known to be holding fish came together perfectly. Charters and a convoy of sport boats ran about 40 miles southwest of the jaws on Saturday and Sunday and absolutely loaded up. Scores hit as high as 50 fish per boat, with most reporting 20–30, and plenty of albies pushing 15–20 pounds. Many boats also saw bruisers topping 30 pounds coming over the rails.

After a break on Monday, a smaller fleet returned Tuesday to find good fishing still on tap. One boat heading south to Eureka stopped roughly 23 miles off Trinidad and quickly stacked 12 big tuna aboard.

Looking ahead, Saturday may be the next shot for anglers who haven’t had their fill, with many eyeing the water off Trinidad. After watching other ports enjoy wide-open albacore action, it’s finally Eureka’s turn — and the bite didn’t disappoint.

Weekend marine forecast
A long period, NW swell of 5-6 is forecast to fill in Friday morning. Combined seas may reach 7-9 feet by Friday with the combination of the swell and the wind waves. Sea conditions are expected to ease slightly Saturday afternoon through Sunday as another weather system enters the area easing marine winds.

As of Thursday, out 10 nautical miles, the Friday forecast is calling for winds out of the north 5 to 10 knots with north waves 5 feet at six seconds and northwest 2 feet at 10 seconds. Saturday is calling for winds from the west up to 5 knots and north waves 2 feet at five seconds and northwest 5 feet at 13 seconds. Sunday, the winds will be from the north 10 to 15 knots and west waves 5 feet at 11 seconds and south 1 foot at 13 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.

Low flow river closures in effect since Sept. 1
As Sept. 1, All North Coast rivers subjected to low flow fishing closures, including the Eel, Mad, Redwood Creek, Smith, and Van Duzen were closed to fishing. The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public by a telephone recorded message updated, as necessary, no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as to whether any stream will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened up at any time. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. You can also find river openings and closures online at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/Low-Flow/North-Coast.
NOTE: The main stem Eel from the South Fork to Cape Horn Dam, the Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream and the Mattole River will be closed until January 1, 2026.

Pacific halibut quota update
There hasn’t been any updates to the Pacific halibut quota in three weeks. As of August 17, California’s share of Area 2A’s quota, which includes Washington and Oregon, is at 41 percent, with just 16,176 net pounds harvested against the 39,280 net pound quota. (500 pounds are set aside for the area south of Point Arena). The Pacific halibut fishery will run through Nov. 15 or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. To view the latest catch projection information, visit wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/pacific-halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking.

CDPH Advises Consumers Not to Eat Sport-Harvested Bivalve Shellfish from Humboldt County
Statement from CDPH:
“The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is advising consumers not to eat sport-harvested mussels, clams, scallops, or oysters from Humboldt County. This warning does not apply to commercially sold mussels, clams, scallops, and oysters from approved sources.

Dangerous levels of domoic acid, also referred to as amnesic shellfish poisoning, have been detected in mussels from Humboldt County. The naturally occurring domoic acid can cause illness or death in humans. Cooking does not destroy the toxin.

This shellfish safety notification is in addition 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.

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 biotoxins.”

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.

Trinidad launch closing for the season
The launch facility will close after Saturday, Sept. 13 for the season. The floating dock and moorings will be removed starting Monday.

The Oceans:
Eureka
According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, excellent ocean conditions allowed the boats to spread out over the weekend. “Tuna, halibut, and rockfish were all available,” said Klassen. “Tuna was probably the most popular given the conditions. A few of the charters ran Saturday and did really well, with up to 50 tuna landed. And Sunday was just as good. Most of the action was southwest off Cape Mendocino. The Pacific halibut bite was good too, with the bite happening between Eureka and Trinidad. There were plenty of boats that made their way to the Cape for rockfish too. The fishing down there was excellent with lots of lingcod and a wide variety of healthy rockfish.”

Ron Circe with a 27lb Halibut caught on the sand dab rig caught over the weekend out of Trinidad.

Shelter Cove
“The rock fishing was pretty wide-open as we were able to travel out to deeper waters,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “The lingcod bite was pretty good out there as well. The tuna fishing was hit and miss this week, pretty good one day, and tough the next. We had 50 Tuesday and the trip before that (Saturday) we had 11. The fish seem to be spread out and finding out where the schools are located has been the tricky part. We’ve spent most of our time heading southwest 20-30 miles, just inside of the Knoll. It looks like we may be done for a week or so, but maybe a slight chance we get out one day this weekend.”

Crescent City
“The rockfish and lingcod bite are still going strong,” said Will Moore of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “We’re seeing some really nice lings come in now that we can fish all depths. The Pacific halibut bite remains slow, with not much in the way of effort. California halibut is slowing down, but a few are being caught by boats trolling South Beach. A couple boats ran long distance for tuna on Saturday and were skunked.”

Brookings
“Halibut, lingcod, crab and rockfish action is good out of Brookings, with calm weather expected this weekend,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Halibut fishing is best beyond 200 feet. The best crabbing is 90 to 100 feet. Lingcod are in shallow water.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Fishing for steelhead and salmon remains solid on the lower Klamath river. There’s a mix of adult salmon around, along with plenty of jacks. A few more adult steelhead have also showed up this week. Flows were dropping as of Thursday after increasing nearly 800 cfs from the rain earlier in the week. Fishing should remain excellent through the weekend.

Craig Vallely of Redding landed a nice Chinook salmon last Saturday on the Klamath River. Photo courtesy of Kenny Priest/Fishing the North Coast Guide Service

The daily bag limit is two hatchery steelhead or hatchery trout per day on both the Klamath and Trinity rivers, with a possession limit of four. Anglers must have a Steelhead Report/Restoration Card in their possession while fishing for steelhead trout in anadromous waters. Both the Klamath and Trinity rivers are closed to the take and possession of Chinook salmon. More information, can be found here.

Chetco/Lower Rogue
According to Martin, salmon fishing has picked up in the Chetco estuary, where it’s still early in the season, but a mix of jacks and adults are being caught. “With slower fishing on the Rogue, more guides have arrived on the Chetco. The incoming tide has fished best. Morning low tides have led to grassy conditions the last few days until the tide pushes the debris upriver.

The Rogue is producing a mix of kings and coho salmon, but overall action is fair at best. Cooler weather has allowed many of the kings to blast upriver. Summer steelhead half-pounders also are moving up.”

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.

North Coast Fishing Outlook: Tuna Takes the Spotlight

Arcata resident Brandi Easter holds a 50-pound Pacific halibut caught on Labor Day out of Eureka while fishing aboard the Reel Steel with Tim Klassen. Photo courtesy of Brandi Easter

It’s a great time to be a saltwater angler on the North Coast. Right now, the options are wide open — Pacific halibut, rockfish, and tuna. And this weekend, tuna will take center stage. With flat seas and warm water within range, boats from Shelter Cove to Crescent City will be making the run offshore in hopes of loading the decks. The season has been hit-or-miss so far, but anglers are optimistic this window could finally deliver the big numbers needed to top off freezers and canning jars before fall.

Halibut fishing has been up and down, but limits are still coming in. The favorable weekend forecast should give plenty of opportunity for those chasing a few more flatties. Rockfish action has been excellent all season, particularly around Cape Mendocino, with solid catches reported coastwide. Lingcod fishing has been steady as well, with a few giants taken off Reading Rock by the Trinidad fleet, and Crescent City continuing to live up to its reputation for consistent lings.

If you haven’t scratched your saltwater itch yet, this weekend is shaping up to be your best shot.

Weekend marine forecast
Excellent tuna conditions are on tap for the next few days, although light winds will be coming out of the south starting Sunday. Out 10 to 60 nautical miles, Friday’s forecast is calling for northwest winds 5 to 10 knots and waves out of the northwest 4 feet at six seconds and northwest 2 feet at 12 seconds. Saturday is calling for southwest winds up to 5 knots and waves west 2 feet at eight seconds and south 2 feet at 13 seconds. Sunday, winds will be out of the south 5 to 10 knots and waves southwest 2 feet at seven seconds and northwest 2 feet at 12 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka or www.windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at 443-6484.

The Oceans:
Eureka
“We have some pretty good options out of Eureka for the next few days as the ocean conditions are looking excellent,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “The Pacific halibut bite continues to be decent, but there doesn’t seem to be any real concentration of fish. I think they’re moving around a lot. As it’s been all season, you do really well one day, and the next it’s belly up. The rockfish bite is still really good at the Cape. And when the weather allows you to get to the spots where the lings live, that’s been good too. The big story will be the tuna for the next several days. Boats are planning on running starting Friday. The water looks to be about 30 to 35 miles from Eureka, and even closer out of Trinidad. The water coming from the south we know has fish in it, so hopefully we’ll see some good scores.”

Shelter Cove
Rock fishing was a little hit and miss this week according to Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. He said, “One day it was really easy and the next day, we really had to work for them. Not many boats out this week due to weather, but it looks like we got some decent weather heading our way for the weekend. We should also get a shot at tuna the next few days.”

Crescent City
“We finally saw an uptick in Pacific halibut this week,” said Will Moore of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “We’ve seen seven or eight come in this week, with most coming off the reef in 250 to 350 feet of water. It sounds like they were a bit deeper than where the boats had been targeting them. The California halibut bite has slowed down along South Beach, but there’s been a couple Thresher sharks caught by guys trolling for halibut. Quite a few boats will be running for tuna this weekend as the conditions look excellent. A few boats ran last weekend roughly 50 miles and did really well. The rockfish and lingcod fishing are still producing easy limits. The all-depth regulations opened up some new water and we’re seeing some good grades of fish.”

Brookings
“Halibut fishing is peaking out of Brookings, with charters catching a fish per rod, with some two-fish limits being caught,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Pacific halibut season runs through Oct. 31. September is prime time, as the fish have migrated in close, to around 200 feet. Lingcod and rockfish action has been good, while sport crabbing is very good.”

North Coast river closures
All North Coast rivers subjected to low flow fishing closures, including the Eel, Mad, Redwood Creek, Smith, and Van Duzen were closed to fishing. The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public by a telephone recorded message updated, as necessary, no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as to whether any stream will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened up at any time. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. You can also find river openings and closures online at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/Low-Flow/North-Coast.

NOTE: The main stem Eel from the South Fork to Cape Horn Dam, the Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream and the Mattole River will be closed until January 1, 2026.

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
The increased flows settle down over the weekend, and the fishing really turned on. There’s salmon, and a few steelhead, scattered throughout the lower river. Supposedly there are still quite a few fish hanging out in the estuary, so fishing should remain good for the next couple weeks, or longer.

Lower Rogue/Chetco
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay had some of its best days of the season this past week, although action is still hit and miss. “Hatchery and wild coho are now showing up, along with decent numbers of kings. The bite has been off and on, with a few good days per week, and plenty of slow fishing too. Lots of boats continue to fish the bay.
The Chetco estuary has produced some nice kings and jacks, but overall fishing remains slow, as the action typically doesn’t pick up until late September. A few kings a day are being caught.”

Big Push of Salmon and Steelhead Follows Klamath Flow Increase

Eureka resident Tim Call landed a nice steelhead on a recent outing on the Klamath River. Photo courtesy of Alan Borges/Alan’s Guide Service

As soon as increased flows hit the lower Klamath, big schools of salmon and steelhead charged upriver. Fishing was excellent earlier in the week, and small pulses of fish should continue moving in over the next few weeks. Flows peaked at 4,172 cfs Wednesday and are now dropping but will remain high through the holiday weekend, around 3,100 cfs Saturday morning. Angling pressure has been light so far, but expect that to change as the holiday crowd arrives.

Yurok gill net quota reached
On Monday, the Yurok Tribe announced that their fall personal subsistence gill net quota has been reached within the Yurok Reservation. Tribal fishery employees will continue to gill net for the 300 elder’s fish quota.

Weekend marine forecast
Conditions are looking excellent the next few days for those looking to hit the tuna grounds. Out 10 to 60 nautical miles, Friday’s forecast is calling for southeast winds up to 5 knots and waves out of the northwest 2 feet at seven seconds and south 2 feet at 16 seconds. Saturday is calling for north winds 5 to 10 knots and waves north 1 foot at 6 seconds and south 3 feet at 16 seconds. Sunday, winds will be out of the south 10 to 15 knots and waves north 3 feet at 5 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 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.

Pikeminnow Fishing Derby ends Saturday
There are just a few days remaining to bring home some cash as the Eel River Pikeminnow Fishing Derby ends after Sunday, Aug. 31. Visit https://tribresearch.org/pikeminnow/ to learn more, sign up for the derby, and submit your catch to the contest before it ends.

Saturday is statewide Free Fishing Day
The last chance of the year to fish for free arrives over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Free Fishing Day is offered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Saturday, Aug. 30. While no fishing license is required on free fishing days, all fishing regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect. Every angler must have an appropriate report card if they are fishing for steelhead or sturgeon anywhere in the state or salmon in the Smith River system. For more information, visit wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days

Bay Area ocean salmon season reopens Sept. 4
The ocean sport salmon season will re-open on Sept. 4 in two Bay Area subareas.

Point Reyes to Pigeon Point (San Francisco Subarea):
- September 4-7 & 29-30; October 1-5 & 27-31 – Minimum size limit: 20 inches total length. Two salmon of any species except coho

Pigeon Point to Point Sur (Monterey Subarea)
- September 4-7 & 29-30 – Minimum size limit: 20 inches total length. Two salmon of any species except coho

Fall Harvest Guideline: 7,500 Chinook. In-season action may be taken to close remaining September – October days when the total harvest is approaching a statewide limit of 7,500 Chinook salmon. More information can be found here.

The oceans:
Eureka
Tuna anglers reported Thursday that the warm water is now at least 60 miles out of Eureka. They also reported the fishing wasn’t very good. Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, along with many others were planning on heading out Friday, but plans are likely changing for some. “The weather looks excellent for Friday and Saturday, hopefully we get a good SST shot to see where the water is,” said Klassen. The Pacific halibut bite has been good when we can get out. Quite a few limits are being caught near the 55-line. Cape Mendocino has been producing some really good rock fishing, and it should be an easy ride down there the next few days.”

Shelter Cove
“Rock fishing remains solid, with limits coming every day,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “Most of the effort this week was around the Old Man. Pacific halibut has been slow, although there were a couple caught this week. Boats will be trying for albacore the next couple days for the first time in a week. We haven’t had a good satellite shot in a week or so, we’re expecting to close to 50 miles out.”

Crescent City
According to Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine, the fishing effort has slowed. He said, “There’s been a couple boats out for tuna, but the fishing hasn’t been. Most guys are headed north to Charleston. The rockfish and lingcod bite remain excellent, no change there. The California halibut bite has slowed down as well as the effort. There have been a couple Thresher sharks caught off of South Beach last few weeks.”

Brookings
“The best halibut fishing of the season is happening right now,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Boats are focusing on 200 to 250 feet of water off of Bird Island. Combinations of squid and herring are working best. Lingcod and rockfish action also is good, while sport crabbing has improved in recent weeks.”

Low Flow River Closures begin Sept. 1
North Coast rivers that are regulated by low flow closures, including the Eel, Mad, Mattole, Redwood Creek, Smith and Van Duzen begin angling restrictions on Sept. 1 and will run through April 30 2026. As a reminder, in 2022, a low-flow angling restriction was added to the section of the Eel River from the mouth to Fulmor Road (Eel estuary) at its paved junction with the south bank of the Eel River. When a low-flow closure occurs in this section of the Eel, it will be closed to hook-and-line fishing; other legal fishing methods are allowed during this timeframe.

The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public by a telephone recorded message updated, as necessary, no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as to whether any stream will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened up at any time. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. NOTE: The main stem Eel from the South Fork to Cape Horn Dam and the Mattole River will be closed until January 1, 2026.

Areas subject to low flow closures:

Mad River: The main stem Mad River from the Hammond Trail Railroad Trestle to Cowan Creek. Minimum flow: 200 cfs at the gauging station at the Highway 299 bridge. The Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream is closed until Jan. 1, 2026.

The main stem Eel River: New in 2022, a low-flow angling restriction was added to the section of the Eel River from the mouth to Fulmor Road at its paved junction with the south bank of the Eel River, Sept. 1 through April 30. The stream flow will be monitored as follows: Minimum Flow: 350 cubic feet per second at the gauging station near Scotia.

The South Fork of the Eel River: The South Fork of the Eel River downstream from Rattlesnake Creek and the Middle Fork Eel River downstream from the Bar Creek. Minimum flow: 340 cfs at the gauging station at Miranda.

Van Duzen River: The main stem Van Duzen River from its junction with the Eel River to the end of Golden Gate Drive near Bridgeville (approximately 4,000 feet upstream of Little Golden Gate Bridge. Minimum flow: 150 cfs at the gauging station near Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park.

Mattole River: The main stem of the Mattole River from the mouth to Honeydew Creek. Minimum flow: 320 cfs at the gauging station at Petrolia.

Redwood Creek: The main stem of Redwood Creek from the mouth to its confluence with Bond Creek. Minimum flow: 300 cfs at the gauging station near the Highway 101 bridge.

Smith River: The main stem Smith River from the mouth of Rowdy Creek to its confluence with Patrick Creek; the South Fork Smith River from the mouth upstream approximately 1000 ft to the County Road (George Tyron) bridge and Craigs Creek to its confluence with Jones Creek; and the North Fork Smith River from the mouth to its confluence with Stony Creek. Minimum flow: 600 cfs at the Jedediah Smith State Park gauging station.

The Rivers
Lower Rogue/Chetco
According to Martin, the first kings of the season have been caught in the Chetco estuary. “Salmon to 25 pounds have been weighed in, along with numerous jacks. Bottom fish anglers are encountering salmon along the coast of Brookings, but the ocean is now closed to both kings and coho. The Rogue Bay has been fair, with lots of boats and a few good days each week. Labor Day Weekend is peak season on the Rogue Bay.”

Eureka Tuna Action Falls Short of Expectations

Robin Brown of Benbow shows off a nice albacore caught over the weekend while fishing out of Shelter Cove with Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. Photo courtesy of Jake Mitchell/Sea Hawk Sport Fishing.

Heading into last weekend, anticipation was sky-high for a wide-open tuna bite off Eureka. With flat seas and warm water in place, conditions looked perfect for an epic run. While the action didn’t quite live up to those lofty expectations, there were still some bright spots—and plenty of lessons learned for next time.

The best water was sitting southwest of Eureka near Cape Mendocino, roughly 30 miles from the entrance to Humboldt Bay. Many boats made the run and put in serious effort, but scores were generally modest. The crews that landed the most fish found success drifting live bait immediately after hooking up on the troll—a tactic you can expect to see more of on future trips.

Looking ahead, the next shot might take a little patience. Winds are forecasted through at least Tuesday, which will likely keep the fleet on shore for a few days. The good news? The warm water appears to be holding in place offshore. If that continues, round two could shape up by the middle of next week—and with a few adjustments, the bite could turn on in a big way.

Weekend marine forecast
After some really good conditions earlier in the week, the wind will make a return, sidelining the tuna fleet through the weekend and early next week. On Friday, within 10 nautical miles, winds will be out of the northwest 5 to 10 knots. Waves will be from the northwest 6 feet at seven seconds. Saturday is calling for northwest winds up to 5 knots and waves northwest 4 feet at seven seconds. Sunday’s forecast looks a little better, with winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 knots and waves northwest 3 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.

August 30 is statewide Free Fishing Day
The last chance of the year to fish for free arrives over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Free Fishing Day is offered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Saturday, Aug. 30. While no fishing license is required on free fishing days, all fishing regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect. Every angler must have an appropriate report card if they are fishing for steelhead or sturgeon anywhere in the state or salmon in the Smith River. For more information, visit wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days

Pacific halibut quota update
As of August 17, California’s share of Area 2A’s quota, which includes Washington and Oregon, is at 41 percent, with just 16,176 net pounds harvested against the 39,280 net pound quota. (500 pounds are set aside for the area south of Point Arena). The Pacific halibut fishery will run through Nov. 15 or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. To view the latest catch projection information, visit wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/pacific-halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking.

Trinity River water release
Beginning Friday, Aug. 22, the Bureau of Reclamation will begin to increase flows to the Trinity River for the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s Ceremonial Boat Dance. Lewiston Dam releases are scheduled to gradually increase from the summer base flow of 450 cubic feet per second and are expected to reach a peak flow of 2,300 cfs on Aug. 25 before gradually returning to summer base flows later in the week.

River recreators can expect a higher volume of water and increased turbidity in the Trinity River during the ceremonial flow. As always, the public is urged to exercise caution when recreating in or around the Trinity River. For more information, contact Reclamation’s Northern California Area Office at 530-247-8500 (TTY 800-877-8339)

An angler aboard Eureka’s Fishy Business is all smiles after boating a couple Tuna Monday. Photo courtesy of Matt Dallam/Northwind Charters

The oceans:
Eureka
“The tuna bite never really exploded over the weekend, but there were some decent scores put up,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “If I had to rate the fishing, I’d say it was a 5 out of 10. Some boats got 4 or 5, or less, with some of the top scores in the low twenties. The best bite was southwest of the entrance about 30 to 35 miles. The water was plenty warm, but there wasn’t much bait around. That might have had something to do with the slow bite. We had our best success on live bait stops, and I think that was the case for the other boats as well. Though there weren’t big numbers of fish, they were all really good size. They averaged 15 to 25 pounds with no peanuts in the mix.

The halibut got a little bit of a reprieve with a lot of boats focusing on tuna. The boats that did target halibut did well, with most putting in limits. We ran to the Cape last Friday chasing rockfish, and the bite was really good. Not a ton of variety but we did get limits of rockfish and lingcod. There’s some really big and healthy black rockfish down there now.”

Shelter Cove
The weather laid down for a tuna run on Monday and boats did ok reports Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. He said, “Scores ranged from 5 to 30 fish for boats targeting tuna in the Gorda Valley area. Rock fishing remains solid, but the lingcod are really hit and miss lately.”

Crescent City
“The tuna fishing out of Crescent City has not taken off,” said Will Moore of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “A few commercial boats went out and didn’t find anything until they got way north. Because of that, there hasn’t been much effort from the sport guys. The California halibut bite has slowed a little, but they’re still here. The same can’t be said for the Pacific Halibut. The rockfish and lingcod fishing continues to sizzle, with easy limits coming for anglers targeting the Sisters and the cans out front. Some really big vermilion are being caught.”

Brookings
“Ocean salmon season closes Sunday on the Southern Oregon Coast,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Fishing has been slow, with a few hatchery coho still being caught and plenty of wild coho. Fishing is already closed for kings. Halibut action improved this week out of Brookings, with a few charters averaging a fish per rod, and two-fish limits some days. The best fishing has been in 250 to 300 feet. Herring and squid combinations are working best. Sport crabbing is good out of Brookings. Lingcod and rockfish also are biting well.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
The river is in good shape as flows have dropped under 2,800 cfs as of Thursday. The water being released from Lewiston is forecast to reach the lower Klamath Sunday morning, raising the cfs’s to just over 3,000. This should bring in some fish from the ocean/estuary and we should see the first real good push of salmon moving upriver. Fishing for steelhead was decent last weekend, with boats hooking 3 to 6 fish a day. The daily bag limit is two hatchery steelhead or hatchery trout per day on both the Klamath and Trinity rivers, with a possession limit of four. Anglers must have a Steelhead Fishing Report and Restoration Card in their possession while fishing for steelhead trout in anadromous waters More information can be found here.

Lower Rogue/Chetco
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay has been fair, with good catches one day and then a couple of slow days. “Large kings to 40 pounds are being caught. The crowds have arrived, with well over 100 boats a day trolling the bay.”

Pacific Halibut Bite Hit and Miss

Shellby House of Arcata holds a 46-inch Pacific halibut caught out of Brookings in late July while jigging for lingcod. Photo courtesy of Marc Hazel

Around this same time the past few years, our Pacific halibut seasons were coming to a close as red-hot fishing made quick work of the quotas. Much like last year, the same cannot be said for 2025. Though we’ve had some pretty good flurries, the bite remains fairly inconsistent. Boats have been covering a lot of ground, searching from Trinidad south to the Eel River Canyon in looking for schools, but have to yet to locate any spots that will offer consistent fishing day after day. As of the end of July, our projected catch rate stood at 16,731 net pounds harvested against the 39,280 quota. But we know we’ve caught quite a few since the catch estimate was last updated.

Now, with the tuna water in clear view, anglers will shift their focus to the longfins giving the halibut a bit of a breather. This should set the stage for halibut, rockfish, and Dungeness crab combo trips come November.

Tuna update
A handful of boats made the run west out of Eureka on Tuesday and Wednesday looking for tuna. Scored ranged from a couple to mid-teens. The water is currently sitting at roughly 38 miles straight west of Eureka. After the wind blows through this weekend, early next week could be a possibility to head offshore again.

Weekend marine forecast
Breezy conditions are in the forecast for the next few days, but things look much better starting Monday. For coastal waters out 10 nautical miles, Friday’s forecast is calling for north winds 20 to 25 knots and north waves 8 feet at seven seconds and west 3 feet at 10 seconds. Saturday is calling for north winds 10 to 15 knots and waves out of the north 7 feet at seven seconds. Sunday looks better, with winds out of the west 5 to 10 knots and waves north 6 feet at eight seconds and northwest 3 feet at 13 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/ or www.windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at 443-6484.

The Oceans:
Eureka
According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, the Pacific halibut bite is still decent, but not red hot. “You really need to grind on them,” said Klassen. “There are some limits coming, but it’s not every day. If you land on a good spot, you’ll do well. Boats have mostly been fishing between the 51 and 55-lines. The rockfish bite at the Cape wasn’t great the last couple days, mostly due to the wonky current. We caught lots of black rockfish, but the lings and other varieties were tougher to come by. The fish are there, just need better conditions. The tuna water is sitting about 41 miles off of Eureka, so we may get an opportunity early next week when the ocean lays down.”

Shelter Cove
Not much has changed at the Cove reports Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. He said, “Rock fishing remains solid with the lingcod being hit and miss. The weather hasn’t allowed to get back to the halibut grounds this week. Most rock fishing effort was around the whistle buoy. It’s looking like we may get a shot at tuna Monday and Tuesday.”

Crescent City
The California halibut bite really turned on this week reports Will Moore of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “I’ve seen close to 20 caught myself,” said Moore. “Boats trolling South Beach are doing well along with anglers fishing off the rock wall across from the launch. The Pacific halibut bite is not really happening. The rockfish and lingcod bite are still on fire, with limits coming pretty easily The Sisters and right out front at the cans have both been very productive. One boat went out for tuna on Wednesday and got one at 30 miles. We should get some better opportunities in the coming week.”

Brookings
“Fishing remains open for hatchery coho salmon, but action has been slow, as the bulk of the run has migrated north, headed back to the Columbia River,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Fishing for coho has picked up considerably out of Coos Bay, Winchester Bay and Newport as the run moves north. King fishing is closed, but they are around in good numbers, and anglers continue to encounter them while bottom fishing. Halibut action is good at times out of Brookings, but large numbers of small black cod have made soaking baits difficult. Lingcod and rockfish action is good, along with sport crabbing.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Steelhead fishing is hit and miss on the Lower Klamath. The fish seem to be trickling in, offering decent fishing one day and very slow the next. Fishing should only get better as we head into the first few weeks of August. The daily bag limit is two hatchery steelhead or hatchery trout per day on both the Klamath and Trinity rivers, with a possession limit of four. Anglers must have a Steelhead Fishing Report and Restoration Card in their possession while fishing for steelhead trout in anadromous waters. More information can be found here.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay has improved, but is fair at best. “Some boats are catching a few fish a day, while many are returning without fish. New kings are arriving daily, and can be seen splashing and rolling along the jetties.”

Ken Wood of the Bay Area holds a king salmon caught trolling the Rogue Bay with guide Rye Phillips of Brookings Fishing Charters.

Halibut Anglers Have Plenty of Quota to Fill

Dave Brazil, along with buddies Jim Collins and Larry Kryla, landed this monster halibut while fishing out of Eureka on July 9. The big halibut is currently sitting atop the leader board at Englund Marine big halibut contest. Photo courtesy of Larry Kryla

Though we’ve had some spectacular ocean conditions the last several days, it’s been a fairly breezy summer. Which is by no means out of the ordinary. The one upside of a summer full of windy, non-fishable weather – a Pacific halibut quota that still has plenty of poundage left to fill. Maybe the catch-rates have been too low that CDFW didn’t feel the need to update the in-season tracking “Thermometer.” Whatever the reason, CDFW finally posted last week the first catch estimate since the season started back on May 1. As of July 31, California’s share of Area 2A’s quota, which includes Washington and Oregon, is at 26 percent, with only 10,122 net pounds harvested against the 39,280 quota. (500 pounds are set aside for the area south of Point Arena). There’s a real good chance the quota will last through the summer and into fall, especially if the warm tuna water comes within reach.

The Pacific halibut season will be open until Nov. 15 or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. To monitor the in-season tracking, visit https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking. The daily bag and possession limit for Pacific halibut is one fish. There is no minimum size limit.
When angling, no more than one line with two hooks attached may be used. A harpoon, gaff, or net may be used to assist in taking a Pacific halibut that has been legally caught by angling.

Weekend Marine Forecast
After a pretty good stretch of calm seas, the breeze is returning to the North Coast. Although the winds won’t be strong, it will make for some choppy seas. Out 10 nautical miles, Friday’s forecast is calling for north winds 5 to 10 knots and waves north 4 feet at five seconds. Saturday, the winds will be from the northwest 5 to 10 knots with north waves 3 feet at five seconds. Sunday’s forecast looks to be a repeat of Saturday. 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.

Razor Clam fishery opens back up in Del Norte
In a press release issued Wednesday, July 30, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has re-opened the recreational razor clam fishery in Del Norte County following a recommendation from state health agencies that domoic acid no longer poses a significant threat.

Statement from CDFW:

“The razor clam fishery was closed in Del Norte County due to elevated levels of domoic acid in November 2023. State health agencies have continued to monitor domoic acid levels in razor clams since the closure, but test results consistently showed elevated levels, exceeding the federal action level (≥20 parts per million (ppm)). Clams collected in June and July 2025 from Crescent Beach, Del Norte County all had domoic acid concentrations lower than the federal action level, allowing the fishery to reopen.

DFW reminds clammers that the daily bag limit for razor clams is 20 and the first 20 clams dug must be retained regardless of size or condition. The fishery in odd-numbered years is open north of Battery Point, Crescent City in Del Norte County. Each person is required to keep a separate container for their clams and is not allowed to commingle their take with another person when digging and transporting clams to shore.”

Sport Crab season comes to a close
The 2025 sport Dungeness crab season in Humboldt, Mendocino and Del Norte counties is closed as of Wednesday, July 30. The season is expected to reopen Nov. 1.

Junior Angler fishing program coming this Sunday
The Redwood National and State Parks, along with California Fish and Wildlife experts will be hosting a Junior Angler Fishing Program this Sunday, Aug. 3. The event, which runs from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. will be held at Freshwater Beach with anglers meeting at the Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center. Address is 119441 Highway 101 N. in Orick. This is a free event and fishing equipment will be provided. Participants 16 years and older are required to have a fishing license. For more information, call 707-951-5388.

The Oceans:
Eureka
We’ve had a good stretch of weather, but the Pacific halibut bite hasn’t been red hot out of Eureka reports Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “There’s been days where some boats limited out, but it wasn’t every day,” said Klassen. “There’s been an early morning bite, then it’s been really slow until the afternoon. I don’t think there’s big concentrations of fish. You’ll fish a spot and do really well one day and the next day it’s dried up. They’ve been caught from Trinidad all the way to Blunt’s reef, so they seem really spread out. We’re also starting to see some fish caught in closer now, around 240 feet. So, they may be moving in. The rockfish bite at the Cape has been really good. The variety of fish has been excellent with lots of blacks, and blues in shallow and plenty of canaries and vermillion out deeper. Looks like we’re going to be dealing with choppy conditions the next few days, which isn’t good for the chance at tuna. The water has been sitting about 46 miles out for a few days now.”

Shelter Cove
“Rock fishing remains very good and were still getting limits of ling cod most days as well,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “The Pacific halibut bite slowed down a little this week, but the weather wasn’t that great. Most rock fishing effort was in tight right out front.”

Crescent City
The rockfish bite is still wide-open reports Chris Hegnes of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “Boats going down to the Sisters or north to the lighthouse are finding easy limits of rockfish,” said Hegnes. “The lingcod bite has been really good too. A half-dozen Pacific halibut were caught this week, including a 65-pounder. The California halibut bite has slowed down.”

Brookings
Ocean coho fishing has been slow out of Brookings, but a few hatchery silvers are being caught reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “The bulk of the coho have now migrated north off of Coos Bay and Winchester Bay,” said Martin. “A few keepers are being caught near Mack Arch in 300 feet of water, near the surface. Halibut fishing has been good at times off of Brookings, but large schools of small black cod have slowed catch rates, and made it difficult to fish baits without getting hooks picked clean soon after reaching the bottom. Lingcod and rockfish action has been good, while sport crabbing also is good out of Brookings.”

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, the Rogue Bay slowed in recent days, with fish seen splashing and rolling, but overall catch rates slow for late July. “Hot weather inland has kept salmon schooled up in the bay. Anglers are now awaiting a fresh wave of fish.”

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.

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.

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.

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.”

Slow Salmon Fishing for North Coast Anglers

Two-day season provides a nice boost to local economy

Logan Floyd of Fortuna with a nice king salmon caught Sunday while fishing out of Eureka aboard the Warf Rat II. Photo courtesy of Eric Justesen/707 Sport Fishing

The weekend’s two-day salmon season came and went, and the fishing reports weren’t great from our neck of the woods. I’d best define it as inconsistent. Some limits of kings were reported, but there were plenty of low scores and skunks to go around. There weren’t any real hot spots that produced fish over the two days. Some boats landed on the fish, and did really well. And some trolled for two days with nothing to show for it. The same can be said for Shelter Cove, Trinidad, and Crescent City. The one constant was the number of coho salmon in the area. Just about every boat out reported catching quite a few, and unfortunately, not all were released, per the law.

While we sloshed around for two days hoping to get lucky, the Bay Area, from Bodega Bay south, experienced some of the best salmon fishing seen in many, many years. Or maybe ever. Party and private boats alike put a whooping on the kings out of every port all the way to San Luis Obispo. And there were some big fish in the mix. Plenty of 30-pounders were flying over the rails.

While our fishing may not have panned out like we had hoped, it sure was a nice shot in the arm for our local economy. Gear, bait, ice and fuel were all consumed at a ferocious pace. Not to mention the hotels and restaurants saw a nice uptick in business.

Whether or not this will be our only opportunity of the summer is in the hands of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. They will process the harvest data over the next two weeks to determine whether the statewide, 7,000 Chinook salmon summer harvest quota has been met. If it hasn’t been met, we’ll do this all over again July 5-6.

Weekend marine forecast
Rough seas are predicted for the weekend, but should improve by the first of next week. Saturday’s forecast is calling for north winds 15 to 20 knots and north waves 7 feet at seven seconds. The winds will decrease slightly Sunday, with waves from the north 6 feet at seven 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 bite remains slow
The California halibut bite hasn’t been great according to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors. He said, “The tides haven’t been great and the bay water temperatures are low. The good news is there is a lot of bait in the bay, so fishing should start to get better.”

Cal Poly Humboldt Fishery Dept. looking for tagged perch
If you catch a Silver Surfperch with a tag, Cal Poly Humboldt Fishery Dept. wants your data. Please report your catch to nsg27@humboldt.edu or call 707-826-3951 and collect your reward.

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 salmon fishing over the weekend was spotty,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “If you landed on em’ you got em’. We spent the two days mostly fishing straight out and south towards the canyon. There were a lot of silvers around and we only managed one king Saturday. The guys who were at the canyon caught a few, so we headed straight there Sunday. There weren’t many coho around and we managed three nice salmon. The halibut bite was good earlier in the week, some of the charters were catching limits.”

Trinidad
“The rockfish bite is still really good,” said Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “We’re having to move around a little, but we’re finding a pretty good variety along some nice blacks and blues. The Pacific halibut bite has been a grind. There’s been a few caught here and there, but overall, not much effort. The weather hasn’t been very good either. The crabbing is on the slow side, but we’re sending the customers home with a few each day.”

Shelter Cove
According to Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing, the salmon opener was very busy, but the fishing was very slow. “I’d guess there were under 50 fish caught each day between 70-80 boats,” said Mitchell. “The rock fishing remains really good. We got to fish Rodgers Break for a few days and it was quick limits for the most part. Pacific halibut bite has still been very slow.”

Crescent City
According to Kevin Hooper of Crescent City’s Englund Marine, salmon fishing over the weekend was mediocre at best. He said, “Some guys got em’, but there were a lot of skunks too. There wasn’t any real hot spot, the fish were kind of scattered. The rockfish bite has been really good around the Sisters and Pt. St. George Lighthouse area, but the ling bite has been a little slower. There’s been a few California Halibut caught off the rock wall at South Beach. The redtails are biting too, with Kellogg and South beach being the best spots.”

Brookings
“Hatchery coho salmon season opened over the weekend out of Brookings,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Large numbers of wild coho with a few hatchery fish mixed in were caught five to 10 miles out from the harbor. Plenty of kings also were caught, but they must be released until June 30. Halibut catches remain sparse, with a few fish a week coming in. Lingcod and rockfish action has been good.”

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, half a dozen salmon were caught in the Rogue Bay on Tuesday, with just a few boats fishing. “Hot weather inland has warmed river temperatures, forcing salmon to hold up in the bay instead of continuing upstream. Wild kings may now be kept in the Rogue Bay.”

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

Plenty of River Options for the Week Ahead

A couple of happy anglers with a nice South Fork Eel River steelhead caught last weekend. Photo courtesy of Blake Manning/Redwood Fishing Adventures

It’s been a solid couple of weeks since we’ve had any measurable precipitation, and most of the coastal rivers are now feeling the effects. Some good, others not so much. First the good. The Mattole, South Fork Eel, and Van Duzen are all in great shape at the moment and should be through the weekend and into next week. However, it won’t be long before they’ll need a shot of rain. The main stem Eel and the Mad River are just on the cusp of dropping into prime shape. By the end of next week, both should be emerald green. The Smith and Chetco, which are the quickest to clear, could use a few inches of rain as both are now getting low and clear. Reportedly, dry weather is predicted to persist through the end of the month. However, some ensemble forecasts are showing some potential river rises next weekend. I for one am hoping for some rain sooner rather than later.

The Rivers:
As of Thursday, all North Coast rivers subjected to low-flow fishing closures were open to fishing. This includes the Mad, main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, Redwood Creek, Van Duzen, Mattole and Smith rivers. The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public by a telephone recorded message updated, as necessary, no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as to whether any stream will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened at any time. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. NOTE: The main stem Eel from the South Fork to Cape Horn Dam, the Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream and the Mattole River are all now open to fishing. More information can be found here.

Mad
The Mad is starting to come around, both in color and height. As of Thursday, it’s dipped below 1,000 cfs (8.15 feet) and should be in decent shape by the weekend with a couple feet of visibility. It may still be a little on the pushy side. Steelhead returning to the hatchery slowed this week, but anglers have been catching a few.

Main stem Eel
The main stem is still big, but starting to turn green as of Thursday, flowing at just above 6,000 cfs at Scotia and dropping. It should be down to a fishable height, though still big, by next week. It’s forecast to be under 5,000 cfs by late in the weekend. With no rain in sight, will be a good option for the next couple weeks.

South Fork Eel
The South Fork is green, and was holding right around 1,500 cfs at Miranda Thursday. It dropped into shape over the weekend, but boat traffic wasn’t too bad. Not a wide-open bite by any means, but there were some nice fish caught.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen was down to 325 cfs as of Thursday and has been fishable since last week. It should be a good option for the weekend, especially for bank anglers. Flows are predicted to be just above 280 cfs by Saturday morning.

Smith River
The Smith is getting low and clearing, sitting at just below 8 feet at the Jed Smith gauge as of Thursday. There are fish to be had, but you’ll need to be stealthy with these conditions. Most anglers have moved north to the Chetco where conditions are a little better. Predicted to be 7.6 feet on the Jed Smith gauge by Saturday morning.

Chetco/Lower Rogue
Steelhead are spread throughout the Chetco, but catch rates have been best on the lower half reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Fishing is fair, with most guide boats getting one to three fish a day, and plunkers getting fish at Social Security Bar,” said Martin. “The river is dropping fast, but still had good color. No rain is in sight. The lower Rogue has yet to take off for steelhead. Plunkers have caught a few fish, but overall fishing has been slow.”

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.