FISHING
NOW SERVING UP BOTTOMFISH BUFFETS NORTH COAST HALIBUT, LINGCOD, ROCKFISH BITES SHOULD STAY HOT THIS SUMMER By Chris Cocoles
L
ike so many professions, fishing guides like Tony Sepulveda had their own pratfalls and issues stemming from the COVID-19 shutdown. Eureka-area guide Sepulveda lost the five weeks he usually spends guiding striped bass trips in the Central Valley’s Sacramento River system. But the state’s loosening of restrictions in recent weeks has included allowing charter boat captains to begin booking trips again. Good timing for Sepulveda, who operates Green Water Fishing Adventures (707845-9588; greenwaterguides.com). The fishing action off the North Coast has been strong and should get even better through July and into August. “It’s been great. We’re fishing lingcod and halibut, which have been the mainstay here,” Sepulveda says. “Salmon has been a little slow, but everything has been clicking really well.”
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS TAKEN The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t hit the North Coast as hard it has more populated regions of California, but there are still cases in and around Humboldt County, so like most business owners Sepulveda is doing what he can to ensure the safety of anglers who fish aboard his six-pack boat, the Shellback. Face coverings and hand washing
Many of the halibut being landed off the Northern California coast are in the 10- to 20-pound range, but as this lucky angler experienced with a 58-pounder, there are also some big fish to be had. (GREEN WATER FISHING ADVENTURES)
calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2020 California Sportsman
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