nature

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.”

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.

Fort Bragg Plugged with Albacore

Garberville resident Tim Bently holds a large albacore caught over the weekend while fishing out of Fort Bragg. Photo courtesy of Dennis Cordova

At most of the coastal ports still holding out hope for late season tuna, the fat lady has already sung. But not in Fort Bragg where the albacore bite has been wide-open when the boats are able to get out. The bite really kicked in last Tuesday, and on fishable days, boats have been catching all they can handle. And the fish are close too. Fifteen to 25 miles offshore has been the general area where the water temps are running 55 to 57 degrees. The fish have been big too, with lots of fish over 20 pounds coming over the rails. One of the local charter boats put in 88 tuna on a trip mid last week, and the sport fleet are reporting scores up to 35 fish. And they’re leaving em’ biting! Even Shelter Cove got in on the bite last Tuesday. A sport boat was heading south to Fort Bragg after hearing the reports, but instead found fish right out front of the Cove 15 miles offshore. They boated 40 fish and were surrounded by jumpers all day.
Earlier in the week, conditions were looking prime for Friday and Saturday, but the forecast has taken a turn for the worse. The updated forecast is now calling for south winds, which isn’t good and can make for a very bad trip.
No one know how much longer these fish will be around, and there’s a large number out there. So, if a weather window opens up, you’ll want to be there.

Weekend marine forecast
As of Thursday, winds are creating small craft advisory conditions in the outer waters due to wind waves. The driving force behind these winds will wane Thursday night due to an incoming warm front. This warm front is forecast to create southerly winds in our area from Friday through Saturday with the strongest forecasted in the northern outer water Friday evening. By Saturday morning, another front will send fairly steep waves into our waters through the weekend.

As of Thursday, the forecast out 10 to 60 nautical miles for Friday is calling for winds out of the south 15 to 20 knots with north waves 4 feet at six seconds and west 2 feet at 12 seconds. Saturday is calling for winds from the south 10 to 15 knots and south waves 5 feet at five seconds and west 11 feet at 12 seconds. Sunday the winds will come from the west up to 10 knots and south waves 3 feet at four seconds and west 7 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.

Dungeness crab domoic acid testing continues
Domoic acid testing in Dungeness crabs continues on the California coast. To date, samples from Half Moon Bay/San Francisco (Pidgeon and Pillar Point), four collection sites off Bodega Bay, Monterey, and Eureka have been reported. Two of the sites, the Russian River and Eureka LP site, have exceeded the action level of 30 parts per million. For more information, visit www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CEH/DFDCS/Pages/FDBPrograms/FoodSafetyProgram/DomoicAcid.aspx


Dungeness crab season could open under Fleet Advisory
Along with the emergence of domoic acid, the start to the recreational crab fishery will likely open under a fleet advisory due to the number of humpback whale sightings. Under a fleet advisory, traps are prohibited but hoop nets will still be allowed.

It is anticipated that the delay and trap prohibition for commercial and recreational fishery would be in place until at least the next Risk Assessment, which is expected to occur on or around November 15, 2024. That assessment will inform a potential commercial fishery opener on December 1, 2024, and/or a lifting of the trap restriction for the recreational fishery.

Expired marine flare collection events
In an Oct. 9 press release issued by California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC), the Make the Electronic Marine Flare Switch campaign have partnered with CalRecycle, and the California State Parks and Coastal Commission’s California Boating Clean and Green Program to collect expired marine flares and educate residents about marine flare management safety, including the advantages of reusable distress signals, to protect California communities and the local environment.
Residents and boaters berthing their boats in Alameda County, Del Norte County, Humboldt County, West Contra Costa County, Marin County, the City of Morro Bay, the Port of LA, and the Port of San Diego can take their expired marine flares to their county’s designated marine flare collection events in the fall.

A collection date for Del Norte and Humboldt County has been set for Saturday, November 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1700 State Street, Crescent City. For more information, visit www.calpsc.org/marineflareswitchcampaign

The Oceans:
Eureka
According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, there hasn’t been much activity from the Eureka fleet. “I’ve heard a few guys have been out for Pacific halibut, but it sounded slow,” said Klassen. “A couple were reportedly caught. We went out Wednesday and landed one on a short day. There hasn’t been much effort on the deep-water rockfish lately.”

Shelter Cove
According to Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing, rock fishing has been good with easy limits in the deep water. He said, “Most of the effort has been outside of the Hat. There hasn’t been any tuna action since last Sunday when boats went southwest 15 to 30 miles. Scores tanged from zero to 12, with only a couple boats landing over 10. Some boats will likely try again Friday.”

Brookings
Halibut continue to be caught on calm-weather days out of Brookings, although catch rates have dropped reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Plenty of nice fish were brought in over the weekend,” said Martin. “Rockfish action has been very good, while lingcod fishing has been slow to fair. Sport crabbing is now closed. There is a weather window Thursday and Friday before stormy weather is expected on Saturday.”

North Coast river closures
Currently, all North Coast rivers subjected to low flow fishing closures, including the Eel, Mad, Redwood Creek, Smith and Van Duzen are closed. Sections of rivers that are open include the main stem Smith River from its mouth to the mouth of Rowdy Creek.

The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as to whether any river 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.

The Rivers:
Main Eel
Over three-quarters of an inch of rain is predicted between Saturday night and Monday. Flows are predicted to peak at 575 cfs early Tuesday morning at Scotia. Could potentially open up to fishing. Minimum flows are 350 cfs to lift angling restrictions.

South Fork Eel
Currently closed to fishing as flows were just above 25 cfs. If the forecast holds, not enough rain will fall to open it up to fishing. Predicted to reach 278 cfs Monday. Minimum flows are 340 cfs to lift angling restrictions.

Smith River
The Smith was running at 275 cfs as of Thursday and closed to fishing above Rowdy Creek, but rain is on the way. Nearly 2 inches is in the forecast starting Saturday. Flows are predicted to peak at 700 cfs, which could open it to fishing. Minimum flows to lift angling restrictions are 600 cfs at the Jedediah Smith State Park gauging station.

Eliot Gavin of Eureka landed his first-ever salmon while drifting the Trinity River with guide Damon Albright. The salmon was safely released after a quick photo.

Lower Klamath/Trinity
Water conditions on the lower Klamath have improved, but the season is pretty much done for the fall. On the Trinity, the steelhead fishing has reportedly been excellent throughout the river. There’s plenty of half-pounders in the mix and some nice adults.

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. The recreational fall salmon fishery is closed to the take of Chinook. More information, can be found here.

Chetco/Lower Rogue
According to Martin, salmon are spread throughout the Chetco, but low water has limited opportunities for drift boaters. “Ambitious bank anglers are catching fish just above the tidewater. There is a mix of dark and bright adults and jacks. The Chetco estuary is still producing good numbers of fish. Around 30 kings were landed Tuesday, with a few fish in the upper 40s. Rain is coming, but the river could still be low next week.”

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.

Low-Flow River Information for the North Coast – 2024/2025


Low Flow River Closures begin Sept. 1 and run through April 30, 2025.
North Coast rivers that are regulated by low flow closures, including the Eel River, Mad River, Mattole River, Redwood Creek, Smith River and Van Duzen River will begin angling restrictions on September 1st, and run through April 30th 2025. . 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 anytime. Rivers will not automatically open to fishing once minimum flows are reached. 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, 2025.

Section of river that is open to fishing is the main stem Smith River from the mouth of Rowdy Creek to its mouth.

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, 2025.

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.

North Coast Rivers Likely to Remain Closed

Incoming Storm Won’t Pack Enough Punch To Open Rivers

The Chetco estuary continues to be the hot spot for kings, with plenty of big ones being landed daily. Pictured above is Capt. Rye Phillips, right, of Brookings Fishing Charters holding a client’s salmon. Photo courtesy of Brookings Fishing Charters

The good news is we’re about to see a weather pattern shift, bringing with it the first rainstorm of the season. Unfortunately, it looks like it will fall well short of what we need to open up the rivers to fishing. The bulk of the rain is forecast to fall south of the Mad River. The main stem Eel could see up to a half inch on Saturday while the South Fork Eel may see up to three-quarters of an inch. While this will help, the parched rivers will need inches of rain along with consistent storms to open them up. Hopefully this is just the beginning and the storm door has been pushed open. In the meantime, the Chetco continues to be the bright spot on the coast for kings. If you’re looking for big fish, you’ll want to get there before the rains come and they all make their way upriver.

Weekend marine forecast
South winds, albeit slight, are in the forecast for Friday and Saturday. As of Thursday afternoon, out 10 nautical miles, Friday’s forecast is calling for winds out of the south 5 to 10 knots with northwest waves 4 feet at 11 seconds and southwest 2 feet at 14 seconds. Saturday, winds will be out of the southeast 10 to 15 knots with south waves 4 feet at five seconds and west 6 feet at 11 seconds. Sunday, winds will be up to 5 knots out of the northwest with west waves 6 feet at 11 seconds and south 2 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 https://www.windy.com. You can also call the National Weather Service at (707) 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at (707) 443-6484.

Expired marine flare collection events
In an Oct. 9 press release issued by California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC), the Make the Electronic Marine Flare Switch campaign have partnered with CalRecycle, and the California State Parks and Coastal Commission’s California Boating Clean and Green Program to collect expired marine flares and educate residents about marine flare management safety, including the advantages of reusable distress signals, to protect California communities and the local environment.
Residents and boaters berthing their boats in Alameda County, Del Norte County, Humboldt County, West Contra Costa County, Marin County, the City of Morro Bay, the Port of LA, and the Port of San Diego can take their expired marine flares to their county’s designated marine flare collection events in the fall.

A collection date for Del Norte and Humboldt County has been set for  Saturday, November 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1700 State Street, Crescent City. For more information, visit www.calpsc.org/marineflareswitchcampaign

Warnings lifted for some shellfish in Humboldt County
According to a press release issued by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), shellfish safety notifications have been lifted for sport-harvested mussels, scallops, and most types of clams from Humboldt County. A warning against eating sport-harvested razor clams from Humboldt County remains in effect as razor clams are a high risk for long-term elevated levels of domoic acid. Razor clams are known to retain domoic acid toxin in their meat and tissues much longer than other species of bivalve shellfish. More information can be found here.

Dungeness crab testing continues
Domoic acid testing in Dungeness crabs continues on the California coast. To date, samples from Half Moon Bay/San Francisco (Pidgeon and Pillar Point) and four collection sites off Bodega Bay have been reported. Only the Russian River site exceeded the action level of 30 parts per million. For more information, visit www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CEH/DFDCS/Pages/FDBPrograms/FoodSafetyProgram/DomoicAcid.aspx

The Oceans:
Eureka
“Excellent ocean conditions last weekend allowed boats to venture out to the deep water for rockfish where the fishing was excellent,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “The Pacific halibut bite was slow over the weekend, but there wasn’t much effort. “Ocean conditions are looking good again this weekend.”

Shelter Cove
According to Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing, the deep water rock fishing was really good over the weekend with easy limits, but only a lingcod per rod. “Looks like we have some decent weather coming up this weekend again,” said Mitchell. “Most of the effort was along the edge of the canyon.”

Brookings
Halibut fishing remains decent out of Brookings, while lingcod and rockfish action has been good reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Sport crabbing also is good,” said Martin. “The forecast looks promising this weekend.”

North Coast river closures
Currently, all North Coast rivers subjected to low flow fishing closures, including the Eel, Mad, Redwood Creek, Smith and Van Duzen are closed. Sections of rivers that are open include the main stem Smith River from its mouth to the mouth of Rowdy Creek.

The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as to whether any river 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.

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Water conditions on the lower Klamath remain off color and unfishable. Conditions should begin to improve soon as dam removal work has finished and water clarity is improving upriver. It’s not likely conditions will improve enough for steelhead fishing before the rains come.

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. The recreational fall salmon fishery is closed to the take of Chinook. More information, can be found here.

Chetco/Rogue
According to Martin, lots of big salmon are being caught in the Chetco estuary, while a few salmon also have moved into the tidewater. “The good fishing has attracted big crowds, with more than 30 boats crammed into the small area between the jetties. Fish to 40 pounds are being caught daily. With no major rain in the forecast, the estuary fishing is expected to last for another few weeks. Salmon fishing has slowed in the Rogue Bay, but kings and coho are still moving through.”

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.