wildlife

Klamath Fall Chinook Return Tops Expectations in 2025

Keira Miles of Eureka with a nice jack salmon landed last fall on the Klamath River. The Jack count on the Klamath river in 2025 came in at 18,574 compared to 7,085 in 2024. This should bode well for a strong return of adults in 2026. Photo courtesy of Alan’s Guide Service.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council released its Review of 2025 Ocean Salmon Fisheries report Wednesday, and the news was considerably better than expected for the Klamath Basin.

Based on an ocean abundance estimate of 82,672 Klamath River fall Chinook believed to be in the ocean last fall, forecasters predicted just 28,554 adults would return to the river in 2025. Instead, the run significantly exceeded expectations, with 51,277 adults returning to the basin.

Of those, 39,860 adults escaped to natural spawning areas — 205 percent above the preseason prediction of 19,417 adults and essentially on par with the 40,700 adult floor escapement goal.

Hatchery returns also improved. An estimated 7,623 hatchery adults returned in 2025, compared to 4,489 in 2024.

Jack (two-year-old) returns surged as well, with 18,574 jacks returning to the Klamath Basin, including 14,513 that escaped to natural spawning areas. In 2024, just 7,085 jacks returned.

Upper Basin tributaries see gains
Spawning escapement to upper Klamath River tributaries — the Salmon, Scott, and Shasta rivers — totaled 9,192 adults, compared to 7,317 in 2024.

  • Shasta River: 5,562 adults
  • Scott River: 2,326 adults
  • Salmon River: 1,304 adults

These tributaries were only minimally affected by hatchery strays, making them key indicators of natural production.

The strong return and escapement numbers occurred despite very limited ocean recreational salmon fishing and salmon closures on both the Klamath and Trinity rivers.

According to the report, an estimated 16 fall Chinook were illicitly harvested by recreational anglers in 2025.

Tribal harvest totaled 3,493 adults — 1,322 by the Yurok Tribe and 2,171 by the Hoopa Valley Tribe — which was 252 percent of the tribal allocation of 1,385 fish.

Dam removal opens new habitat
A major milestone highlighted in the report was the 2024 removal of four dams from the Klamath River, allowing salmon to move upstream from the former site of Iron Gate Dam for the first time in decades.

Newly accessible mainstem and tributary habitats were quickly occupied. Monitoring efforts in Oregon and California estimated that 11,722 adults and 341 jacks returned to areas above the former Iron Gate Dam site in 2025 — a promising early sign following dam removal.

Central Valley salmon update
In the Central Valley, recreational Chinook fishing was open in 2025 with a one-fish daily bag limit from July 16 through October 31 in portions of the Feather and American rivers. Upstream sections closed earlier, with closure dates ranging from September 15 to October 15.

The Feather and American river fisheries harvested an estimated 4,884 Sacramento River Fall Chinook (SRFC), including 3,294 adults and 1,590 jacks.

Recreational fishing was also open on portions of the Mokelumne River from July 16 through October 31. That fishery harvested 386 San Joaquin River Fall Chinook, including 228 adults and 158 jacks.

Under 2025 regulations, projected spawning escapement in the Sacramento River Basin was 147,733 hatchery and natural-area fall Chinook adults. Actual returns exceeded that projection.

A total of 164,763 adult hatchery and natural-area spawners and 65,369 jacks were estimated to have returned to the Sacramento Basin in 2025.

Fall Chinook returns to Sacramento River hatcheries totaled 34,331 adults and 19,465 jacks, while escapement to natural areas reached 130,432 adults and 45,904 jacks.

Next up is the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Annual Salmon Information Meeting, which will be held in person at the California Natural Resources Agency Auditorium at 715 P St. in Sacramento on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at 1 p.m., and will also be livestreamed. The meeting will feature the outlook for this year’s ocean salmon fisheries, in addition to a review of last year’s salmon fisheries and inland spawner returns.

Following the Salmon Information Meeting, California representatives will work together to develop a range of recommended ocean fishing season alternatives at the March 4-9 Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) meeting in Sacramento, CA. Final season recommendations will be adopted at the PFMC’s April 7-12 meeting in Portland, OR.

Salmon Information Meeting details, agenda, informational materials and instructions to view the livestream will be published in advance of the event on CDFW’s Ocean Salmon web page.

The weather ahead
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service office, “showers are expected to diminish Thursday evening as northerly winds aloft bring a drier air mass across the area. This airmass will be very cold, yet how much this is felt at surface will depend on the extent of cloud coverage. Overnight low temperatures may end up warmer than expected if there are more low clouds. Either way, temperatures are forecasted to be cold enough to cause a cold weather advisory for Thursday morning and Friday morning for SW Humboldt, coastal Mendocino, the Russian River Valley, and Southern Lake County.

On Friday, a brief break of precipitation is expected to allow even colder overnight lows if clouds do not inhibit nighttime cooling.

This weekend and into early next week, the active weather pattern continues with the approach of a broad closed upper- level trough and associated frontal system. This system is expected to bring heavy rainfall, heavy mountain snow, and strong southerly winds. The ensemble means for both the GEFS and EPS show a high probability (90-100% chance) of a weak atmospheric river. While this is not particularly strong, it looks like there will be multiple impulses that may overwhelm the rivers and streams. Theres still uncertainties on exact timing of the rain pulses, which will be a big factor in the level of impacts. Strong, southerly winds are also expected with the strongest through Saturday night.”

Klamath River flows set to increase
According to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) a planned sediment flushing flow release will take place one full day at the Keno Dam on the Klamath River, on Feb. 20, at approximately 6:00 am.
“The initial release may spike without advanced warning and will continue to ramp up with increased flows by roughly 4,000 cfs within 24 hours. The BOR will decrease flows, ramping down from the upper 4,000 cfs to 700s by early March. These values are operational targets and may fluctuate with changing conditions and manual operations. Rapid stage increases could occur not only below the Keno Dam but downstream through Big Bend, Hells Corner, Beswick, K’íka·c’é·ki Valley, K’íka·c’é·ki Canyon, Iron Gate, and the Mid-Klamath boating runs, potentially as far as Seiad Valley (roughly 100 miles downstream, where BOR’s flow spikes seem to attenuate).”

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, Van Duzen, Mattole, Redwood Creek, and Smith rivers. The low-flow closure telephone hotline for North Coast rivers is no longer in service. You can now find river openings and closures online at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/Low-Flow/North-Coast. Low-flow information for all North Coast rivers is available here.

Mad
As of Thursday, the Mad was muddy, and just above 9 feet (2,500 cfs) and dropping slowly. It is forecast to drop through Saturday before the next round of storms pushes it to roughly 14 feet by early next week. It will need at least a couple of weeks of dry weather before it turns green.

Main stem Eel
The main stem Eel was running at 14,000 cfs as of Thursday and is big and muddy. And it is going to get bigger. Storms beginning this weekend are predicted to increase flows close to 90,000 cfs by mid-next week. Needles to say, it will be some time before we see green water.

South Fork Eel
The South Fork was flowing at 3,400 cfs at Miranda Thursday and rising slowly. It’s predicted to drop Friday and Saturday and get down to 2,200 cfs, which could produce some green water up higher in the watershed. It will be short-lived however, as rain coming Saturday evening will put it back on the rise and blow it back out. The 10-day ensemble prediction has the river peaking at 21,000 cfs Tuesday. If the rain stops mid-next week, it could be fishable towards the end of the first week of March.

Van Duzen
Like the South Fork Eel, the Van Duzen is on the drop following a peak of 1,400 cfs Monday near Bridgeville. As of Thursday, it was below 600 cfs but remains off color. With the rain coming Saturday evening, the river will be on a steep rise Sunday, potentially peaking at 8,000 cfs next Tuesday. Will likely need a couple weeks of dry weather before it starts to fish.

Smith River
The big rains never did reach the Smith, and it’s remained low and clear this week. Despite the lack of water, the fishing has been good for the few boats drifting. But conditions should change starting Saturday night. A big rise is forecast for Sunday, with flows reaching 25,000 cfs (16.4 feet) at the Jed Smith gauge Tuesday. Conditions should be excellent by mid-next week if the forecast holds.

Southern Oregon rivers
Steelhead fishing has been fair on the Chetco, but slower than expected, with drift boats getting one to three fish per day reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Major rain is expected this weekend, with the river likely to be blown out all of next week, especially with melting snow after the rain,” said Martin. “The smaller rivers in Southern Oregon are fishing well for steelhead.
Expect the first springers of the season after the Rogue drops following next week’s blowout. Steelhead fishing is slow on the Rogue, but march generally has decent fishing before anglers transition to salmon.”

Brookings ocean update
According to Martin, rough ocean conditions have limited fishing out of Brookings. “A brief window Friday morning is followed by a storm warning with winds to 50 knots.”

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

Rising rivers reset coastal steelhead conditions

Mark Parrish holds a hefty Chetco River steelhead that hit a roe and Corky combination while fishing with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing on New Year’s Eve.

The Smith and Chetco have been in great shape this week, and green water was finally on the horizon for some of the other coastal rivers. Unfortunately, that’s all about to change — again. Mother Nature is again hitting the reset button, putting rivers back on the rise and erasing about a week and a half of progress toward fishable conditions. And we all know what comes next.

The Smith will be the first river to drop back into shape and looks driftable early next week. The Chetco will likely be a few days behind, becoming fishable later in the week.

As for the rest of the coast, it’s back to square one when it comes to fishable conditions. Looking at the 10-day forecast, it appears the Smith and Chetco will be the only options for the first couple weeks of the new year.

Weather ahead
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, “the first in a series of storm systems is now moving through northwest California producing light to moderate rainfall throughout the region. Up to 0.75″ has been recorded in parts of Mendocino and Lake counties with much less rain off to the north in northern Humboldt and Del Norte.

A more potent front will approach the region on Friday, first bringing increasing southerly winds across the entire region. Ridgetop winds could reach advisory levels by late Friday morning across Humboldt and Del Norte counties, expanding inland through the day. The front will then rapidly move through the region during the evening or overnight hours Friday night with a narrow band of potentially very strong winds which could mix down to the coastal plain. Wind advisories have been issued for all coastal areas and coastal ridge tops.

There may be a quick hit of stronger winds to warning levels on the ridgetops near Cape Mendocino and a high wind watch is in effect for that area. Behind this front a secondary low will approach the northwest California coast within a more unstable, mixed atmosphere. It is highly likely that this low will bring another round of strong southerlies on Saturday, especially in Humboldt and Del Norte counties, and the winds could mix better down to the coastal plain and again bring strong winds to the ridgetops.

In addition to the wind from these two systems, heavy rain is also expected. Guidance is now in very good agreement on a band of rain with heavy rain rates rapidly moving through the region in advance of the front. Total rainfall is not expected to be exceptionally heavy, around 1-3 inches across the region, but this rain should allow for many small streams to begin to rise. Quickly behind this front the rain will re-enhance as the secondary low approaches and an atmospheric river may aim toward Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino, and Lake counties. Guidance continues to increase the rainfall potential and Saturday into Sunday. Overall rainfall during the Thursday through Monday could range from 3-6 inches across the region with locally higher amounts up to 8 inches. This heavy rain could easily result in small stream flooding and even main stem rivers reaching critical flood levels. Thus, a flood watch has been issued for all of Humboldt, Mendocino, and Lake counties. If these trends continue it will be highly likely that flood advisories and/or warnings will be needed this weekend into Monday.”

Humboldt County sport Dungeness crab fishery opens
In a press release issued by CDFW very late Tuesday, sport crab anglers learned the season in Humboldt had opened earlier in the day. According to CDFW, “state health agencies determined that Dungeness crab in waters from the southern boundary of the Reading Rock Marine Protected Areas to Cape Mendocino can open. While the area is open to fishing, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a health advisory to not eat crab viscera (also known as guts) and to clean crab prior to cooking.

Due to the potential for whales in this area to become entangled in trap buoy lines, Dungeness crab may currently only be taken with hoop nets, crab snares, or by hand in accordance with the declared trap prohibition in RAMP Fishing Zone 1. Effective 8:01 a.m., Jan. 2, 2026, crab trap restrictions in this area will be lifted and all recreational gear types may be used statewide.”

Commercial crab fishery in Northern Management Area to open Jan. 15
The Dungeness crab season in the Northern Management Area (California/Oregon border to the Sonoma/Mendocino County line) remains delayed because of the inability to conduct meat quality testing due to elevated levels of domoic acid. Pending results of ongoing domoic acid testing, the season will open on Jan. 15, 2026, at 12:01 a.m., under a 15% trap reduction.

After being delayed due to entanglement risk, the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in the Central Management Area (Sonoma/Mendocino County line (38°46.125’ N. latitude) to Point Conception (34°27’ N. latitude)) will open on Jan. 5, 2026, at 12:01 a.m., under a 40% trap reduction. 

Boat-based rockfish season comes to a close
The rockfish and lingcod season is now closed as of Dec. 31, 2025, for boat-based anglers in the Northern and Central Management Areas. The season is open year-round for Shore-based anglers that fish from beaches, banks, piers, jetties, breakwaters, docks, and other manmade structures connected to the shore and spear fishermen entering the water either from the shore or from a boat or other floating object.

The Rivers:
As of Thursday, all rivers subject to low flow fishing closures are open. This includes the main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, Mad, Van Duzen, Redwood Creek, and Smith. The low-flow closure telephone hotline for North Coast rivers is no longer in service. You can now find river openings and closures online at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/Low-Flow/North-Coast. Low-flow information for all North Coast rivers is available here.

NOTE: The main stem Eel from the South Fork to Cape Horn Dam and the Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream are now open to fishing. More information can be found here.

Mattole River opened to fishing Jan. 1
The Mattole River opened to fishing Jan. 1 from 200 yards upstream of its mouth to the confluence with Stanberry Creek. Only artificial lures may be used, and barbless hooks are required. The Mattole is also regulated by low-flow closures, with a minimum flow of 320 cfs at the Petrolia gauging station.

Mad
The Mad is still high and dirty and is about to get another big rise. The next round of storms is forecast to push levels past the monitor stage (over 15 feet) Sunday evening. It will need a couple weeks of dry weather before we see some green water.

Main stem Eel
The Eel dipped below 13,000 cfs at Scotia Thursday, but another big rise is on the way. Flows are expected to surpass 85,000 cfs Sunday night. Will need at least a couple weeks of dry weather once it starts to drop before it comes down to a fishable height.

South Fork Eel
The South Fork was green above the East Fork Wednesday and needed just a few more dry days before it became fishable to the forks. All that is out the window now as the next round of storms approach. It was on a slow rise Thursday but will pick up steam over the weekend. It’s predicted to peak at over 19,000 cfs Sunday afternoon. It will likely need up to 10 days of dry weather before the color and height align. It will typically fish a few days earlier above Benbow.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen is back on the rise after getting down to 800 cfs Wednesday. Flows are predicted to reach 11,700 cfs Sunday morning before it goes back on the drop. If the 10-day forecast is correct, it likely won’t fish the first couple weeks of January.

Smith 
The river dropped into shape last weekend and has been fishable since. A few fish were caught each day by the plunkers as well as the boats drifting from the forks down. It was just starting to rise slowly Thursday, and it’s predicted to peak at 10.6 feet on the Jed Smith gauge early Friday. With a break in the rain, it should be driftable by mid-day Friday. By Saturday its forecast for a much steeper rise, reaching 14.5 feet Sunday afternoon. Monday looks like a good day for plunking, and by Tuesday it should be in great shape to drift. The 10-day forecast has the river hovering between 11 and 12 feet from Tuesday through next weekend.

Chetco/Elk
“The Chetco dropped into shape over the weekend for plunkers and on Monday for drift boats,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Rain is expected to push the Chetco above 5,000 cfs on Friday and blow it out Saturday and Sunday. Plunkers did well on the lower river early in the week, while guides reported a mix of half pounders and larger adults, with a few fish pushing 15-plus pounds. Overall action has been fair. The Elk produced a mix of late salmon and early steelhead before it closed for the season Wednesday night. It remains open for steelhead.”

Brookings ocean update
According to Martin, sport crabbing has slowed out of Brookings since the commercial opener, but pots soaking in 100 feet of water are still getting half a dozen or more keepers per trap, with most barely legal and few jumbos. “Lingcod and rockfish action remains very good, although stormy weather is expected for the 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.

Salmon Season Fades — Now It’s Time to Chase Steelhead

Point Reyes resident Anastacia Gonzalez shows off an Eel River Steelhead from a couple of seasons ago. It’s getting to be steelhead time on the coast, but we’ll need some rain to kick things off. Photo courtesy of Kenny Priest/Fishing the North Coast Guide Service.

With the late-fall king salmon season all but wrapped up on the North Coast, anglers are already shifting their attention to winter steelhead. Unfortunately, flows are running low across all the coastal rivers, and significant rain doesn’t appear likely until at least late next weekend — and even that remains uncertain. Despite the dry spell, a smattering of early steelhead has been reported from most rivers, a promising sign that fish are staged and ready for better conditions.

The salmon season itself delivered flashes of excellent fishing mixed with long stretches of low water. Both the Smith and Eel rivers saw solid returns of fall kings. At the Eel River fishway at Cape Horn Dam, salmon counts through the end of November were the highest recorded since the 2012-13 season. The Chetco also posted strong numbers of returning kings, helping round out a generally positive year for coastal fall salmon runs.

But with December now on the calendar and rain beginning to show up—however faintly—in the extended forecast, anglers are eager for the first real rise of the season. Once the rivers get a much-needed shot of water, winter steelhead season should finally get rolling.

Weather ahead
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, Thursday night into Friday morning a shortwave coming over the ridge is expected to start bringing more cloudiness to the area. “This will likely keep temperatures warmer. It is possible this could bring some drizzle to the northern coastal areas, but confidence is low on this. Friday afternoon looks like the first chance for some light rain and this may continue through the weekend. The big question is how far south this rain will come. The current forecast keeps most of it in Del Norte County with less than a quarter of an inch in northern Humboldt County. Del Norte count may see over a half inch. However, this is a small system and a slight shift farther north or south could really change the rainfall totals. The 25th percentile for Crescent City shows 0.2 inches while the 75th percentile shows 1.1 inches. In Eureka and much of Humboldt and Trinity counties those amounts range from 0.00 to 0.5 inches. Farther south and east in southern Trinity, Mendocino and Lake counties even the high ends amounts are less than a quarter inch. Even if the heavier amounts make it farther south, there aren`t expected to be many impacts.”

Shelter Cove update
“We had some really good ocean conditions last week and we made a few trips up to Gorda,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing.“The fishing was fantastic, with a great grade of lingcod and rockfish. We were able to put limits onboard pretty quickly.”

Brookings update
According to Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters, sport crabbing was good out of Brookings during the Dec. 1 opener, while lingcod and rockfish action also has been good. “Calm weather is expected through the end of the week,” said Martin. The best crabbing was in 100 feet of water near the whistle buoy.”

The Rivers:
As of Thursday, the main stem Eel and Smith were open to fishing. The Mad, South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, and Redwood Creek remained closed due to low flows. The low-flow closure telephone hotline for North Coast rivers is no longer in service. You can now find river openings and closures online at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/Low-Flow/North-Coast. Low-flow information for all North Coast rivers is available here.
NOTE: The main stem Eel from the South Fork to Cape Horn Dam, the Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream and the Mattole River will be closed until January 1, 2026.

Mad
The Mad was closed as of last week and looks to remain closed throughout the weekend and into early next week. Prior to closing, fresh kings were making their way into the lower river. With the next rise, we should see the first push of winter steelhead. Minimum flow: 200 cfs at the gauging station at the Highway 299 bridge.

Main Eel
The main Eel remains open, but is getting low and clear. There are still a few kings around, along with quite a few coho. Winter steelhead should begin to show on the next rise. Over 1,200 Chinook have been counted as of Nov. 23 at the Van Arsdale fishery station, the most since 2012. Minimum Flow: 350 cubic feet per second at the gauging station near Scotia.

South Fork Eel
The South Fork Eel was closed as of last week and looks to remain closed throughout the weekend and next week. Prior to closing, there were quite a few coho moving through. We should see a few winter steelhead show up on the next rise. Minimum flow: 340 cfs at the gauging station at Miranda.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen has been closed since last week and will likely remain closed through next week. Most of the kings have moved through, expect to see some winter steelhead on the next rise. Minimum flow: 150 cfs at the gauging station near Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park.

Smith
The Smith remains open, but is low and clear with very little fishing pressure. As of Thursday, flows were 650 cfs at Jed Smith Park and it looks to remain open through the weekend. A slight bump in flows is forecast for Saturday, but it won’t last long. If the predictions are correct, it could close early next week. The next rise should bring in the last of the kings as well as some bright winter steelhead. Minimum flow: 600 cfs at the Jedediah Smith State Park gauging station.

Chetco/Elk/Sixes
Low, clear water has stalled late-season salmon fishing on the Elk, Sixes and Chetco, as well as the start of steelhead fishing, but rain over the weekend could give just enough of a boost to make side-drifting worthwhile reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Steelhead season opened Dec. 1, as well as the upper section of the Chetco above Nook Creek,” said Martin. “Salmon fishing has been slow the past week. Flows are expected to jump from 500 cfs to 1,500 cfs or more next week, if the forecast materializes. King tides this week could draw in late kings on the Elk and Sixes.”

Eel River Chinook salmon returns
For the week of November 17 – 23, 305 Chinook salmon (female 109, male 87, unknown 25, jack 84) were observed moving upstream through the fishway at Cape Horn Dam. The season total for upstream migrating Chinook salmon now stands at 1,274 (female 424, male 393, unknown 115, jack 342), through Sunday, November 23. This is the highest number since the 2012/13 season. For more information, visit https://eelriver.org/the-eel-river/#fishcount.

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.

Smith and Chetco Only Green Water on the Coast

Brody and his father Jeremy from Monterey County with a nice Smith River steelhead caught Wednesday with guide JD Richey. Photo courtesy of JD Richey Sportfishing.

While the rest of the North Coast rivers were nearing monitor or even flood stage this week, the Smith and Chetco remained green and fishable. And were actually on the drop. You can chock that up to the frigid temperatures up north that turned rain to snow. These two rivers should remain in good shape, though they will start to clear, until the rain returns by mid-next week. The local rivers won’t be fishable anytime soon and next weeks rain will set them back a few more days. Hopefully we’ll be able to get back on these rivers before the end of the month, but I’m not holding my breath.

Weather ahead
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service office, showers will gradually dissipate into the weekend. “A period of dry weather is then expected this weekend into early next week. Dry conditions, clear skies, and gentle offshore flow will all help contribute to unusually cool temperatures each night. Even along the coast, highs are expected to drop below freezing with lows in the teens for much of the interior. There is high model confidence that moist weather will return around mid-next week, but few ensemble members show a proper atmospheric river or anything more than light rain. Only as far out as February 17th do around 50% of ensemble members show another, stronger rain system.”

Upcoming salmon information meetings
The California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will hold the annual Salmon Information on Wednesday, February 26 starting at 10 a.m. The meeting will be via webinar only and covers 2024 spawner abundances returning to the Central Valley and Klamath Basins, 2025 abundance forecasts, and management context guiding the development and implementation of 2025 ocean salmon fisheries. The public are invited to learn about pertinent data and management context shaping the upcoming ocean salmon season. The meeting link, agenda and other materials will be posted here as they become available.

The Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) will hold its Ocean Salmon Industry Group Meeting on Friday, February 28. This meeting will provide a review of the 2024 seasons, take a first look at the 2025 salmon forecasts, and begin the development of Oregon preferred recreational and commercial ocean salmon season concepts via public input to take forward through the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) regulation setting process. The meeting will be held both in person and virtually this year. This meeting is open to all ocean sport fishing anglers and charter operators, commercial salmon troll fishers, and any others interested in participating in the development of the 2025 ocean salmon seasons. For those attending in person, the meeting will be held in Newport, Oregon.
Links to the agenda and briefing materials for the meeting will be posted on the ODFW Ocean Salmon Management website as they become available.

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. More information can be found here.

Low-flow open and closed river regulations now online
Rivers subjected to low flow fishing closures and whether they are open or closed to fishing can now be found online. The site includes three districts, North Coast, Central Coast, and South Central Coast. All rivers, creeks, and streams subjected to low flow fishing closures are listed along with their respective minimum flows. Questions can be sent via email to LowFlows@wildlife.ca.gov.

Mad
The Mad peaked at 21.4 feet (30,500 cfs) Monday evening, and is big and muddy. It’s predicted to drop through the weekend, but another rise is expected early next week. With Ruth spilling over muddy water, it will be some time before the river turns green again.

Main stem Eel
The main stem was flowing at roughly 55,000 cfs at Scotia Thursday after peaking at over 156,000. It’s predicted to drop through early next week before the next round of storms hit. Will need a couple weeks of dry weather before it’s green. It will start to fish once it gets below 5,000 cfs.

South Fork Eel
The South Fork peaked at over 35,000 cfs at Miranda Tuesday morning. After a small rise Friday, it’s predicted to drop through mid-next week before the next storm hits. It will need a solid week of dry weather to get it close to fishable, and that doesn’t look likely any time soon.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen peaked at nearly 21,000 cfs Monday evening and is back on the drop. Flows are predicted to drop through mid-next week and will be under 1,000 cfs when the next round of rain is predicted to hit. It will need at least a week of dry weather before it’s fishable.

Smith River
The Smith continues to be the lone fishable river on the North Coast. While the rest of the coastal rivers headed towards flood stage, the Smith was holding steady, or even dropping. You can chalk that up to the cold temperatures, which turned the rain to snow in the hills. As of Thursday, it was right around 9 feet at the Jed Smith gauge. A very small rise is predicted for Friday, but after that it will be dropping through mid-next week. Rain is predicted to return next Wednesday, and it remains to be seen if it will blow out for a day or two. Boat traffic has been light, as most have moved to the Chetco. A few fish are being caught daily.

Chetco/Elk/Sixes
The Chetco dropped into prime shape for steelhead this week, but cold weather, and water temperatures close to 40 degrees, made fishing tough reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Plunkers did well over the weekend, but drift boaters reported slow fishing Tuesday and Wednesday, after a good bite on Monday,” said Martin. “The river should be in good shape through most of next week, before more heavy rain returns. The Elk and Sixes have been slow, also because of cold water. The Rogue is dropping into prime shape for the weekend.”

Brookings ocean report
According to Martin, lingcod and rockfish are biting out of Brookings, with limits for charter boats heading north of Twin Rocks. “Crabbing has been decent, with big numbers of females and some keeper males. There is a weather window Friday and Saturday. Surfperch have arrived at beaches close to Brookings.”

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.