dungeness-crab | Fishing the North Coast with Kenny Priest

Smith and Chetco Best Bets for the Weekend

John Curry of Reno with a chrome-bright Chetco king caught Tuesday on a 5.0 MagLip with guide Andy Martin.

If you haven’t gotten in on the late fall king action on the coast, this is your weekend to do it. Not only are the river conditions lining for both the Smith and Chetco, it’s getting towards the end of the run. The rain earlier in the week shot both rivers well above projections, and by the weekend they should be in really good shape. If the projections are correct, the Smith could be clearing, but still at a very fishable height and flow. The Chetco blew out on Wednesday, but will come around by the weekend. It may start off a little high Saturday, but by Sunday it should be prime. Another small bump in flows is predicted for Sunday afternoon, which should keep both rivers humming along. Here locally, the main stem Eel could remain fishable this weekend, depending on how dirty the creeks get. It’s predicted to peak Friday at just over 1,600 cfs. That could be a good option if it doesn’t muddy up. The Mad did just that Thursday afternoon, and was still rising. It will likely be off color for the weekend.

Weather ahead
According to the US National Weather Service Eureka, rain will continue through Thursday, with up to a .25 inch predicted. Rain will taper off by Friday morning and we should remain dry through most of Saturday. Rain is forecast to return early Sunday morning and will persist through the night. Rainfall totals from Saturday through Monday morning are anticipated to be between a .5 and 1 inch in Humboldt and up to 2 inches in the Smith basin.

Weekend Marine Forecast
Ocean conditions look to be improved by Saturday, with the south wind returning by Sunday. Saturday’s forecast is calling for east winds 5 to 10 knots with north waves four feet at 5 seconds and northwest seven feet at 12 seconds. Sunday is looking a little worse, with winds out of the south 10 to 15 knots and southwest waves four feet at 5 seconds and northwest six feet at 11 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/eureka/ or www.windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at 443-6484.

Sport crab fishing update
Crabbing has been good when the boats can get offshore out of Eureka. Both sides of the entrance have been fishing well and averaging roughly 10 to 15 keepers per pot. The crabs are reportedly in really good shape, with some nice jumbos in the mix. Ocean conditions don’t look good for the weekend, and even worse early next week. Crabbing inside Humboldt Bay has been slow.

Shelter Cove update
“We had some good weather last week and took advantage by running north to Rodgers Break for some excellent rockfish and ling cod action,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “Crabbing has been excellent as well, and they’re nice and full. There’s still some albacore around and boats did fairly well on them 20 miles out last week. We even ran out Friday afternoon and landed 21. No one has been out since then due to weather, but the water still looks good though.”

Brookings update
According to Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters, ocean fishing is very good out of Brookings on calm weather days, which are few and far between right now. He said, “Lingcod are already in spawning mode, while rockfish are schooled up over shallow reefs. Big swells have kept boaters at the docks for the most part.”

The Rivers:
As of Thursday, all North Coast rivers subjected to low-flow fishing closures, including the Smith, the main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, Mad, Redwood Creek and Van Duzen are open to angling. The South Fork Eel will be closed beginning Friday according to the CDFW hotline. 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, the Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream and the Mattole River will be closed until January 1, 2025.

Mad
The Mad was still rising and starting to color up Thursday morning and was headed above projections. It should begin to drop Friday, but will likely be too dirty for the weekend. Minimum flow: 200 cfs at the gauging station at the Highway 299 bridge. cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=ARCC1

Main Eel
Forecasted to reach 1,200 cfs Friday morning. The color was good Wednesday when it opened and some salmon were caught. Minimum Flow: 350 cubic feet per second at the gauging station near Scotia.
cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=SCOC1

South Fork Eel
Flows are predicted to peak at around 485 cfs Thursday afternoon. Forecast for a quick drop and will be closed to angling Friday. Minimum flow: 340 cfs at the gauging station at Miranda. cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=MRNC1

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen was peaking just above 700 cfs Thursday afternoon and will drop quickly. Flows are predicted to stay above the threshold before the next storm hits Sunday morning. Minimum flow: 150 cfs at the gauging station near Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park.
cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=BRGC1

Smith
The Smith went well over predictions and peaked at just under 16 feet on the Jed Smith gauge Wednesday evening. With very little rain the next three days, it will drop quickly. It’s forecast to be down to 8.5 feet by Sunday morning when the rain returns. Minimum flow: 600 cfs at the Jedediah Smith State Park gauging station. cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=CREC1

Nov. 29 and 30 free fish days in Oregon
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is waiving all fishing licensing requirements on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving to encourage people to experience fishing with friends and family during the long holiday weekend. All fishing, crabbing and clamming in Oregon will be free for both Oregon residents and non-residents. No licenses, tags or endorsements are needed on those days, but all other fishing regulations apply. Visit https://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2024/11_Nov/111324.asp for more info.

Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“Heavy rain blew out the Chetco, Elk and Sixes rivers Wednesday morning,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “The Chetco was low and clear prior to the storm, with fair fishing for late-season kings. New fish should move up with the storm. The Elk and Sixes were too low for drift boats. A few boats drifted the Sixes on Tuesday with good results. Good conditions are expected on all three rivers this weekend. The Elk should have big numbers of hatchery fish, based on results of the ocean bubble season off of Port Orford.”

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.

Coastal King Season Off and Running

Smith and Chetco both kick out big kings

Haley Richards, who grew up in Crescent City but now lives in Salem, Ore., holds a salmon caught over the weekend with guide Rye Phillips of Brookings Fishing Charters.

The season’s first big storms hit North Coast over the weekend and the Smith and Chetco both kicked out good numbers of kings. Both rivers have been loaded with kings in their lower sections for quite some time, and when the rivers finally rose, they were on the move.

On Friday evening, the Smith went well over river level projections, but peaked and was on the drop Saturday morning, providing nearly perfect conditions from the forks to below the 101 Bridge. Fishing was wide-open, with most drift boats putting up double-digit scores on salmon of all sizes and colors. Fishing continued to be excellent through the weekend, but the river dropped quickly.

With the Smith dropping and clearing, the focus Sunday was squarely on the Chetco. After going over river level projections and peaking at 10,000 cfs Friday, it needed Saturday to clear up and by Sunday it was game on with wide-open fishing. By Monday the river had dropped to under 4,000 cfs and was clearing quick. Fishing has been decent all week, with most of the action on the lower end.

Both rivers are now low and clear and in need of rain. And it’s on the way. Large rises are predicted starting Monday, and both should see a push of fresh salmon.

The Rivers:
As of Thursday, the Smith River was the only river open to fishing. But that should change as the rest of the North Coast rivers subjected to low flow fishing closures, including the main stem and South Fork Eel, Mad, Redwood Creek, and Van Duzen, could open to fishing next week. 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, the Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream and the Mattole River will be closed until January 1, 2025.

Smith
Fishing slowed this week on the Smith as the river dropped and cleared quickly. Flows were down to 850 cfs by Thursday, and it could close prior to the weekend. If it does close, it will be short lived as the next storm is forecast to hit Sunday night. The river is expected to peak at 7,300 cfs Tuesday morning. Rain is in the forecast for most of the week, so conditions should be good. The daily bag limit is one Chinook salmon per day and no more than five wild Chinook salmon over 22 inches per year. Minimum flow: 600 cfs at the Jedediah Smith State Park gauging station. cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=CREC1

Mad
Forecast to reach 880 cfs by Tuesday and should have some color. Rain is in the forecast for much of next week. Minimum flow: 200 cfs at the gauging station at the Highway 299 bridge. cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=ARCC1

Main stem Eel
Flows are predicted to surpass 800 cfs Tuesday morning, and could be fishable. With more rain in the forecast next week, it could remain open to fishing all week. The Eel River is open to catch and release of salmon in 2024/25. Minimum Flow: 350 cubic feet per second at the gauging station near Scotia.
cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=SCOC1

South Fork Eel
As of Thursday, it looks like the South Fork could rise above the minimum flow requirements by mid next week. Flows are predicted to peak next Tuesday and could remain above the minimum flow threshold all week. Minimum flow: 340 cfs at the gauging station at Miranda. cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=MRNC1

Van Duzen
If the storm prediction is correct, the Van Duzen should approach 250 cfs by next Tuesday morning. It’s predicted to remain above the minimum flow threshold all week. Minimum flow: 150 cfs at the gauging station near Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park.
cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=BRGC1

Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“Salmon fishing has been decent on the Chetco, with hot fishing following last week’s rain, and plenty of fish with tougher conditions as it drops out this week,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Back-bouncing roe is accounting for most of this fish as the river becomes low and clear. Plugs worked well over the weekend. The river crested at 10,000 cfs, and was down to 3,900 cfs the next morning. It is now down to 600 cfs. More rain is expected to begin next week, which should kick the Elk and Sixes into high gear.”

Sixes River low flow angling closure lifted
Beginning Nov. 1, the Sixes River low flow angling closure was lifted according to a press release issued by the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. It states, “ODFW closed a portion of the river to angling Oct. 1 to protect wild fall chinook salmon vulnerable to snagging or poaching while staging between Crystal Creek and Hughes House Boat Ramp. With increased flows, salmon are now migrating upstream.

Anglers are reminded the bag limit for wild adult chinook in the Sixes River is one adult chinook per day, 10 for the season. Elk River, just south of Sixes River is closed to retention of wild fall chinook this year.” For more information, check the ODFW Recreation Report.

Sport crabbing update
The sport Dungeness crab season opened Saturday, but the weather failed to cooperate. Boats didn’t make it offshore out of Eureka due to large swells. The ocean finally laid down enough Wednesday, and Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing was one of the boats setting gear for Thursday’s crab trips. With a 24-hour soak, Klassen needed just 4 pots to get 60 crabs. “The crabs were all good size, we only had a couple shorts,” said Klassen. “The crabs were really clean and looked pretty full.”

Inside Humboldt Bay, which is typically a good plan B, was reportedly slow for the handful of boats that braved the weather. Offshore conditions look decent for Friday, but a south wind is predicted for the weekend with seven to eight-foot swells.

Nicole McCain of Carson City NV., holds a nice ling cod caught this week out of Shelter Cove. Photo courtesy of Jake Mitchell, Sea Hawk Sport Fishing

Shelter Cove
According to Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing, rock fishing was pretty good over the weekend in marginal conditions. He said, “The lingcod bite was really good. Crabbing started a little on the slow side, but we managed limits and the meat quality was excellent. Conditions look good the next few days before they start to deteriorate towards the end of the weekend.”

Sport Crab Opens Saturday South of Reading Rock

Crescent City opener delayed due to domoic acid

Eureka resident Joey Sullivan holds a Dungeness crab caught a couple seasons ago aboard the *Reel Steel*. The sport Dungeness crab season will open this Saturday statewide, except for Crescent City. Photo courtesy of MackGraphics Humboldt

In a last minute twist to the Dungeness crab season opener, it was announced Wednesday the sport crab season will open statewide Nov. 2 with the exception being from the CA/OR state line (42° 0.00’ N latitude) south to the southern boundary of the Reading Rock State Marine Reserve (41° 17.6’ N latitude) in Humboldt County. State health agencies determined that Dungeness crab in the Crescent City area have unhealthy levels of domoic acid and recommended the delay.

For Trinidad, Eureka, Shelter Cove, and Fort Bragg, it’s business as usual and the use of recreational crab traps will be allowed when the season opens Saturday. The season’s first traps can legally be deployed at 12:01 a.m. Saturday morning. Anglers, weather permitting, will get their first peek into the health and weight of this season’s crop as the pre-season quality tests have not taken place or the results have yet to be made public.

Also, due to the presence of whales, ports to our south will be temporarily restricted to the recreational take of Dungeness crab using crab traps between the Sonoma/Mendocino County line and Lopez Point, Monterey County (Fishing Zones 3 and 4) when the season opens on Saturday. Recreational take of Dungeness crab by other methods, including hoop nets and crab snares, is not affected by the temporary trap restriction in these areas.Sport crabbers should also implement best practices, as described in the Best Practices Guide.

The season runs from Saturday, Nov. 2 through July 30, 2025. The minimum size is 5 ¾ inches measured by the shortest distance through the body from edge of shell to edge of shell directly in front of and excluding the points (lateral spines). The limit is 10 and a valid California sport fishing license is required along with the new annual crab trap validation ($2.98).

CDFW anticipates the next risk assessment will take place on or around Nov. 15, 2024, at which time the Director will re-evaluate risk for the Dungeness crab fisheries. That risk assessment is expected to inform the potential for a statewide commercial fishery opener on Dec. 1, 2024, and the potential to modify the recreational trap restriction.

On the commercial side, the season south of the Sonoma/Mendocino county line was scheduled to open on Nov. 15, 2024.This fishery has been delayed in zones 3, 4, 5 and 6 due to presence of high numbers of humpback whales. More information can be found here.

Top crabbing locations
With offshore conditions looking rough over the weekend, you can still find plenty of crab. One of the top spots to soak a few rings is Crab Park, located at the end of Cannibal Island Road in Loleta. There’s access to launch a kayak or canoe in the estuary of the Eel River. You can also launch your boat at Pedrazzini Park at the end of Cock Robin Island Road and make your way up the estuary towards the mouth of the Eel.

Humboldt Bay also has a few good locations to catch some crab. Out in front of the PG&E plant is a good spot as well as the flat off of the South Jetty parking lot. Another top location is either side of the channel leading into the South Bay. Up north, inside Trinidad Harbor is another popular spot among the locals. You can launch your small boat, kayak or drift boat right off the beach and head out to Prisoner Rock, where the bottom is sandy and 40 to 50-ft deep. Launching here requires a relatively calm ocean, which doesn’t look to be the case for the weekend.

Weekend Marine Forecast
Ocean conditions don’t look good for Saturday’s crab opener. As of Thursday, north winds and six to nine-foot swells are in the weekend forecast. Saturday’s forecast is calling for north winds 5 to 10 knots with northwest waves 9 feet at 11 seconds with a chance of showers. Winds will increase Sunday, coming out of the north 10 to 15 knots with north waves 5 feet at six seconds and northwest 6 feet at 10 seconds. These conditions can and will change by the weekend. For an up-to-date weather forecast, visit weather.gov/eureka or windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

Weekend Tides – Humboldt Bay
• Sat., Nov. 2: high: 1:41 a.m. and 12:37 p.m.; low: 7:59 a.m. and 8:56 p.m.

Standard time begins at 2:00 a.m. Sunday
• Sun., Nov. 3: high: 2:23 a.m. and 1:03 p.m.; low: 8:29 a.m. and 9:33 p.m.

Mussel quarantine lifted for most of the California coast
In a press release issued by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Wednesday, the statewide annual quarantine on mussels taken for human consumption by sport-harvesters from California’s ocean waters ends at midnight Thursday, October 31, 2024, for all coastal counties except Del Norte, Marin, and Monterey.

CDPH statement
“CDPH warns against eating sport-harvested bivalve shellfish (including mussels, clams, and scallops) from Del Norte, Marin, and Monterey counties, due to elevated levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins detected in mussels from these counties and/or absence of recent data to lift the advisories. The naturally occurring PSP toxins can cause illness or death in humans. Unfortunately, cooking does not destroy the toxins.

The annual quarantine on sport-harvested mussels for human consumption, which typically runs May 1 through October 31, is intended to protect the public from shellfish poisoning caused by marine biotoxins. There have been no reports of shellfish related poisonings in California during this quarantine period.” More information can be found here.

The Rivers:
As of Thursday, the Smith River was the only river open to fishing. But that should change as the rest of the North Coast rivers subjected to low flow fishing closures, including the main stem and South Fork Eel, Mad, Redwood Creek, and Van Duzen, could open to fishing prior to the weekend. 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, the Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream and the Mattole River will be closed until January 1, 2025.

Smith
The Smith opened to fishing last Sunday afternoon after topping out at 1,130 cfs on the Jed Smith gauge. There was a good push of fish moving above Rowdy Creek on the rise. By Monday, conditions were stable and the fishing was excellent with fish stacked in the holes from the forks down. There were lots of jacks being caught, along with some nice adults. Some bright fish were in the mix as well. Flows were on the drop Tuesday and the bite slowed. The river closed to fishing Wednesday, but that was short lived. Rain began to fall Wednesday afternoon, and the river opened back up Thursday. With a couple days of good rain, the Smith is forecast to peak at 7,300 cfs (10.3 feet) on the Jed Smith gauge late Saturday morning. Conditions should be prime for Saturday and Sunday. The daily bag limit is one Chinook salmon per day and no more than five wild Chinook salmon over 22 inches per year. Minimum flow: 600 cfs at the Jedediah Smith State Park gauging station. www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=CREC1

Carrie McNeill landed her first-ever Smith River salmon on Saturday. The king weighed in at 16 pounds. Photo courtesy of Jesse McNeill,

Mad
Forecast to reach 335 cfs by Saturday afternoon and may have some color. Minimum flow: 200 cfs at the gauging station at the Highway 299 bridge. www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=ARCC1

Main stem Eel
Flows are predicted to hit 700 cfs Sunday morning, and could be fishable. The Eel River is open to catch and release of salmon in 2024/25. Minimum Flow: 350 cubic feet per second at the gauging station near Scotia.
www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=SCOC1

South Fork Eel
As of Thursday, it looks like the South Fork could open to fishing by Saturday, but flows are expected to fall under the minimum by Sunday. There’s a good chance it will stay closed. Minimum flow: 340 cfs at the gauging station at Miranda. www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=MRNC1

Van Duzen
If the storm prediction is correct, the Van Duzen won’t reach the flow threshold in order to open to fishing. It’s forecast to peak at 115 cfs Saturday afternoon. Minimum flow: 150 cfs at the gauging station near Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park.
www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=BRGC1

Chetco
“Big numbers of jacks were caught on the Chetco Sunday and Monday before fishing slowed dramatically Tuesday as river levels dropped,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Lower river holes were plugged full of salmon before the weekend rains, and by Tuesday the fish appeared to have shot upriver. Fresh schools of kings moved into the tidewater on Tuesday evening. Heavy rain this week should result in prime conditions the beginning of next week. Ice Box is expected to open after the big rains. Launch permits are available at the Chetco Outdoor Store.”