Del Norte County | Fishing the North Coast with Kenny Priest

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.”

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’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.

Winter Steelhead Season Knocking on the Door

Fresh kings still coming into the Chetco, Smith likey done for the year

McKinleyville resident Alyssa Brooke Cardoza landed this hefty king salmon over the weekend while fishing the Chetco River. Photo courtesy of Curtis Wilson.

With the late-fall king season all but wrapped up on the coastal rivers, it’s time to turn our attention to winter steelhead, likely the most popular fishery on the North Coast. With the last storm providing plenty of water to all of the rivers, anglers are primed and ready to do battle with the gray ghosts. There’s been a smattering of steelhead caught on most coastal rivers already, but few more good rain events should get the season underway.

With regards to the salmon season, it was definitely one to remember. Or to put it another way, it was much like the old days. The Smith and Eel rivers both saw good returns of kings. There’s also a good number of returning coho to the Eel basin. The Chetco also saw numbers they haven’t seen in some time. And they’re still coming. Schools of big, fresh kings have been moving through the lower river all week. And more and more steelhead are being seen and caught.

But now with more rain in the forecast next week and the calendar saying December – it’s time to get our steelhead on!

Weekend marine forecast
The next couple of days look good before the wind picks up on Saturday evening. As of Thursday, Friday’s forecast is calling for north winds 5 to 10 knots with west waves 6 feet at 12 seconds. Saturday is looking similar, with winds coming out of the north 5 to 10 knots with northwest waves 6 feet at 14 seconds. Winds will strengthen beginning Sunday, coming out of the north 15 to 20 knots with north waves 6 feet at seven seconds and west 9 feet at 14 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.

Weather ahead
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, the high pressure ridge will build back behind the front that moved through on Thursday and will keep Humboldt mostly dry through the weekend, Northern Humboldt and Del Norte counties could see some light rain this weekend, but it won’t add up to much. A more active weather pattern is developing for later next week that could bring higher rain totals.

Eureka/Trinidad sport crabbing
Sport crabbing continues to be excellent out of Eureka. Boats fishing either side of the entrance in roughly 100 feet of water were averaging 10 to 15 keepers on an overnight soak. Conditions look good through the Saturday before the wind and seas pick up on Sunday. Up in Trinidad, the crabbing has slowed down. Anglers are having to go a little further outside the harbor area to get their limits.

Shelter Cove update
We had a really good week of weather at reports Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. He said, “We spent the last few days of the nearshore rockfish season up around Rodgers Break for quick limits each day. Once it switched back to deep water, we fished outside the Hat, where the fishing was pretty decent as well. Crabbing is still going strong. It’s slowed down a little since the start, but still getting easy limits.”

Young deckhand Mason Mitchell holds a nice yellowtail rockfish caught out of Shelter Cove while fishing with his dad Jake. Photo courtesy of Jake Mitchell/Sea Hawk Sport Fishing

Mad River Steelhead Reward Program Returns for 2024-25
For the Mad River steelhead fishery in the upcoming 2024-25 season, the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will once again attach reward tags to a small subset of hatchery-origin (i.e., adipose-clipped) adult steelhead upon their return to freshwater. This is in effort to estimate the steelhead harvest on the Mad River. According to John Deibner-Hanson, a Northern Region Environmental Scientist for CDFW, a number of fish will be captured in the lower river using tangle nets and affixed with spaghetti tags worth $20, $50 or $100 rewards. Once the tags are applied on their backs behind the dorsal fin, the fish will be released.

Upon capturing a reward tag, anglers will need to follow one of the methods outlined below to answer a series of questions about how the tag was acquired (e.g., caught on fish, found on dead fish, found on bank). Anglers will have until April 15, 2025 to report tags and claim rewards, after which reward tags from this season will expire. To attain accurate harvest estimates, we must assume 100% tag return rates on harvested steelhead, so getting the word out for our tagging program will be vital to its success.

There are three ways an angler may report their tag for reward:

Scan the QR code posted on message boards and signage around the river or carried by CDFW creelers
Visit: https://forms.office.com/g/jjWnw9t7Ss
Return the tag to CDFW at: 50 Ericson Ct., Arcata, CA

Using options 1 and 2 above, anglers will not submit the physical tag, only needing to provide the unique tag number and answering the accompanying questions online. For this reason, anglers are strongly urged to retain the tag after submittal until all rewards have been claimed, as only one reward will be paid for each uniquely numbered tag. For questions, please email MadRiverRewards@wildlife.ca.gov.

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 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 will be closed until January 1, 2025. More information can be found here.

Mad
The Mad was just above 700 cfs Thursday and dropping slowly. The water is turning green with about a foot of visibility. Should be in excellent shape by the weekend. Current river conditions: cdec.water.ca.gov/river/madStages.html

Main stem Eel
Flows were just under 5,000 cfs Thursday morning as it continues to drop. If it continues to drop as predicted, it will be plenty fishable by the weekend. Flows will be a little high, but the color should be good. Current river conditions: cdec.water.ca.gov/river/eelStages.html

South Fork Eel
The South Fork is in perfect shape, running at 1,750 cfs at Sylvandale Thursday. It’s dropping slowly, and will be in prime shape this weekend. It’s a little early for big numbers of steelhead, but there could be some late-arriving kings and coho around. Current river conditions: cdec.water.ca.gov/river/eelStages.html

Van Duzen
Like the Sf Eel, the Van Duzen is fishable, but it’s starting to get low. As of Thursday, flows were just above 200 cfs. With no rain in the immediate forecast, it could close after the weekend. Current river conditions: cdec.water.ca.gov/river/eelStages.html

Smith
The Smith is low and clear, registering 7.5 feet at the Jed Smith gauge Thursday morning. The salmon season is all but wrapped up, and some rain is needed to bring in the steelhead. A few were caught last week. Current river conditions: cdec.water.ca.gov/river/smithStages.html

Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“The Chetco had a surprising number of bright kings on Thanksgiving weekend, with several fish over 40 pounds caught, along with a 52-pounder,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Plug fishing has been good on the lower river. A handful of steelhead also have been caught, both by plunkers and boaters side-drifting. While rivers to the north are low and clear, the Chetco still had plenty of flow and color on Tuesday.”

Brookings rockfish update
According to Martin, the lingcod and rockfish action has been good out of the Port of Brookings. “Recreational crabbing opened back up Wednesday after two consecutive tests indicated levels of domoic acid were below the safety threshold. Calm conditions are expected through the week, but choppy seas are possible this weekend.”