FISHING THE NORTH COAST
Sizzling Pacific Halibut Bite off Eureka, Trinidad By Kenny Priest
fishing@northcoastjournal.com
T
he weather isn’t the only thing heating up right now. The Pacific halibut bite on the North Coast is sizzling! With salmon season still a couple weeks away, offshore anglers have homed in on the halibut, and they are coming over the rails at a record pace. Eureka and Trinidad have both experienced some exceptional fishing. And we’re not talking about a couple halibut per boat, we’re talking full limits by early morning. It’s some of the best fishing we’ve seen,” said Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing. “I think the water clarity has a lot to do with it. Last week the water was really dirty, and the bite slowed. There’s seems to be fish from north of the entrance all the way to Trinidad in 260 to 300 feet of water. We’re starting to see some bigger fish too. They’re running anywhere from 15 to 45 pounds, but we’re seeing more in the 30-to-40-pound class,” added Klassen. The only thing that could cool the bite would be the wind. And that’s exactly what’s headed our way, and plenty of it.
Weekend marine forecast Northerly winds will ramp up starting Wednesday and will persist through the rest of the work week and through the weekend. Friday’s forecast is calling for 10 to 20 knot winds out of the north and waves north at 10 feet at 10 seconds. Saturday looks similar, with north winds at 10 to 20 knots and waves north at 11 feet at 10 seconds. On Sunday, winds will be out of the north at 10 to 20 knots with north waves of 9 feet at nine 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. To monitor the latest Humboldt bar conditions, visit www.wrh. noaa.gov/eka/swan. You can also call the National Weather Service at 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at 443-6484.
The Oceans: Eureka
Not only are the Pacific halibut snapping, the rockfish bite at Cape Mendocino is also going strong. A few boats have made their way south Mark Nelson of Chester landed this nice Pacific halibut this week and reported easy Saturday while fishing out of Eureka aboard the limits of both rockfish and Seaweasel II. Photo courtesy of Gary Blasi/Full Throttle Sport Fishing lingcod. The California halibut bite is starting to turn on of salmon around last few days.” Ocean as well. Quite a few were caught by the recreational salmon season opens June 29 boats working the middle and third chanand continues through Oct. 31. nels over the weekend. Shore anglers are also picking up a few at Fairhaven Beach Crescent City tossing swimbaits. Just about any direction you take, the Trinidad rockfish and lingcod action are outstandThe Pacific halibut bite slowed slightly ing reports Britt Carson of Crescent City’s over the weekend, but picked right back Englund Marine. “The weather was a little up on Tuesday. Curt Wilson of Wind Rose better this week, so the boats were able Charters, who boated limits on Tuesday, to spend a little more time on the water,” reports the best bite is south of Trinidad said Carson. “Just about everyone were Head in 250 to 300 feet of water. “The reporting limits of both rockfish and rockfish action between the Head and lingcod. The redtail perch bite really took Patrick’s Point is still really good too,” said off this week; anglers were scoring easy Wilson. “We’re catching mostly blacks, limits along Kellogg Beach. The minus with limits coming pretty easily. We’re also tides brought out the clammers, and there catching a few lings, but not a wide variety were plenty of clams to be had. Lots of of rockfish right now.” Crabbing is still limits reported for medium-sized razors. good and the charter captains are sending The next set of minus tides begin June 21. their clients home with limits of fresh A couple Pacific halibut were caught last Dungeness. week, so hopefully that fishery is starting to heat up. Still no California halibut to Shelter Cove speak of, and the effort remains low.” Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing Read the complete fishing roundup at took advantage of some nicer weather www.northcoastjournal.com. and made the trip north for Pacific halibut ● and rockfish combos. “The halibut bite Kenny Priest (he/him) operates was scratchy at best and we averaged only Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide one per day,” said Mitchell. “The rockfish service out of Humboldt specializing and lingcod bite on the other hand was in salmon and steelhead. Find it on fantastic and we had quality and quick Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and limits each day. We spent a couple days www.fishingthenorthcoast.com. For last week fishing rockfish close to home up-to-date fishing reports and North around the Hat and had pretty good Coast river information, email kenny@ results as well. We’ve been seeing a lot fishingthenorthcoast.com
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northcoastjournal.com • Thursday, June 17, 2021 • NORTH COAST JOURNAL
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