Fishing the North Coast

from North Coast Journal 03-04-2021 Edition

NCJ Daily Online

Fewer Salmon in the Sea in 2021

By Kenny Priest

fishing@northcoastjournal.com

The news wasn’t pretty at Thursday’s annual Ocean Salmon Information meeting. Not only are the Klamath salmon stocks struggling, the Sacramento stocks took a nosedive, as well. The Klamath River fall Chinook ocean abundance forecast in 2021 is 181,500. This is slightly higher than the 2020 forecast but still well below the long-term average. California Department of Fish and Wildlife hinted there will likely be constraints to fi shing opportunities north of Point Arena this season. The real damaging news came from the Sacramento River, where only 271,000 adult fall Chinook are said to be swimming in the ocean. That’s some 200,000 fewer salmon than the 2020 forecast. “Klamath River fall Chinook abundance forecasts and spawner returns have been low over the last few years. Fisheries were limited on the northern sections of the California coast last year to reduce impacts on this stock, and that will likely be the case again this year,” said Kandice Morgenstern, an environmental scientist with the CDFW’s Ocean Salmon Project. “Furthermore, with a reduced abundance forecast for Sacramento River fall Chinook, we could be looking at reduced fi shing elsewhere along the coast, as well.” What the Pacifi c Fisheries Management Council chooses to do with these forecasts will be determined in the next couple of months. Up next, the PFMC will meet virtually March 2 through March 5 and March 8 through March 11. Final regulations will be adopted at the April 6 to April 9 and April 12 to April 15 virtual PFMC meeting. Meeting information can be found at: www.pcouncil. org/council-meetings/upcomingmeeting. To view the salmon preseason process, visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/ Regulations/Salmon/preseason.

The weather ahead

According to Kathleen Zontos of Eureka’s National Weather Service O ce, rain is in the forecast for later in the week. “The fi rst system is well defi ned and will arrive Thursday evening and continue through Saturday morning,” said Zontos. “Del Norte could see 2 to 3 inches through Sunday and here locally we can expect 1 to 2 inches. Sunday through Wednesday looks wet as well. I don’t think we’ll see substantial totals, but it will keep things wet and keep the river levels up. Another system is developing for late next week but there’s a lot of uncertainty right now.”

Tyler Bishop, of Eureka, holds a nice steelhead caught Monday on the Eel River.

Photo courtesy of Alan’s Guide Service

The Rivers:

Chetco/Rogue

“Steelhead fi shing was decent early last week on the Chetco but slowed by the weekend with mostly downers being caught,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Top boats are getting a fi sh or two per boat, with many now going fi shless. Rain this week could draw in fresh steelhead and fl ush some of the downers from higher in the system. Although steelhead fi shing is open through March on the Chetco, fi shing likely will be on the slow side for the rest of the month. Rogue River anglers are hoping this week’s rain will bring in the fi rst few spring salmon of the season. Steelhead fi shing remains fair, with boaters anchoring and running plugs having the best success. Spring salmon season peaks in late April and early May, but rains in March often bring fi shable numbers of springers into the Rogue. The Elk and Sixes are slow for steelhead.”

Smith River

The Smith is currently low and clear, holding at just under 8 feet on the Jed Smith gauge. The fi shing remains tough and not a lot of boats are still trying. Most have moved to other rivers. The storm coming later in the week could, however, breathe new life into the river. It’s predicted to reach 11 feet early Saturday morning. If there’s fi sh still waiting to come in, this jump should do it. It will also bring down the freshly spawned fi sh out of the tributaries.

Eel River (main stem)

as of Tuesday, the main Eel is in perfect shape. Boats drifting roe or beads are getting one to four fi sh per trip. There’s a mix of fresh steelhead and some downers are starting to show up. Rain is in the forecast for later this week, which is forecast to bump up the fl ows a few hundred cfs.

Eel River (South Fork)

The South Fork was in perfect shape over the weekend, and there was no shortage of boats. Scores ranged from zero to three fi sh for boats drifting from Benbow to the forks. The rain coming Friday should add some color to the river.

Van Duzen

The Van Duzen was fl owing at 375 cfs Tuesday and is in perfect condition. Reports have been hard to come by, but plenty of bank anglers are giving it a go. It’s forecast to blow out Saturday with fl ows reaching 2,100 cfs.

Mad River

According to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors, the river is in perfect shape and holding steady. “Conditions are just about perfect, but there aren’t a ton of fi sh around,” said Kelly. “They’re defi nitely scattered, with mostly fresh ones below the hatchery. There’s also a few above. It looks like the river will fi sh through Friday, then blow out on Saturday.”

● Read the complete fi shing roundup at www.northcoastjournal.com.

Kenny Priest (he/him) operates Fishing the North Coast, a fi shing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and www.fi shingthenorthcoast. com. For up-to-date fi shing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fi shingthenorthcoast.com