5 minute read
Fishing the North Coast
Klamath/Trinity Rivers 2022 Salmon Season Set
By Kenny Priest
fi shing@northcoastjournal.com
With the number of ocean kings destined for the Klamath River trending upwards, Klamath/Trinity river anglers will have a few more fall Chinook salmon to harvest this fall. During last month’s meeting, the California Fish and Game Commission adopted bag and possession limits for the Klamath Basin based on a quota of 2,119 fall-run adults. On the Klamath, the fall season begins Aug. 15 and closes Dec. 31. The fall season on the Trinity begins Sept. 1 and closes Dec. 31.
On the Lower Klamath, from the State Route 96 bridge at Weitchpec to the mouth, 1,060 adults will be allowed for sport harvest. The section above the State Route 96 bridge at Weitchpec to 3,500 feet downstream of the Iron Gate Dam will get 360 adults.
The Spit Area (within 100 yards of the channel through the sand spit formed at the Klamath River mouth) will close when 15 percent of the total Klamath River Basin quota is taken downstream of the U.S. Highway 101 bridge. In 2022, 318 adults can be harvested below the bridge before the closure at the mouth is implemented. The rest of the area below U.S. Highway 101 (estuary) will remain open to recreational fi shing.
On the Trinity side, the quota is set at 699 adults. The quota will be split almost evenly; 350 adults for the main stem Trinity downstream of the Old Lewiston Bridge to the State Route 299 West bridge at Cedar Flat and 349 adults for the main stem Trinity downstream of the Denny Road bridge at Hawkins Bar to the confl uence with the Klamath.
The daily bag limit will be two Chinook salmon, no more than one of which may be greater than 23 inches, and a possession limit of six, of which only three may be greater than 23 inches. Once these quotas have been met, no Chinook salmon greater than 23 inches in length may be retained (anglers may still retain a limit of Chinook salmon less than or equal to 23 inches in length).
Klamath/Trinity spring salmon fi shery
The spring Chinook salmon fi shery on the lower Klamath River (downstream of the State Route 96 bridge at Weitchpec) and Trinity River (upstream of the confl uence of the South Fork Trinity River) will open July 1 and will run through Aug. 14 on the Klamath River and through Aug. 31 on the Trinity River. The daily bag limit has been set to one Chinook salmon (no size restrictions), and the possession limit is set at two Chinook salmon.
Additional season information can be found on CDFW’s ocean salmon webpage or by calling CDFW’s ocean salmon hotline at (707) 576-3429 or the Klamath-Trinity River hotline at (800) 564-6479. All anglers on the Trinity and Klamath rivers must have Salmon Harvest cards in their possession when fi shing for salmon.
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Montana resident Sue McCormack with a fall-run Klamath salmon from a
recent season. Photo courtesy Kenny Priest/Fishing the North Coast Guide Service
The Oceans:
Eureka
Boats have been o the water since Saturday due rough water. According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, the Pacifi c halibut fi shing was good prior to the latest blow. “Boats were still working in the same 9- or 10-mile area, from the 42 to 51-line,” said Klassen. “The biggest issue remains the number of black cod that you have to deal with. There doesn’t seem to be any shortage of halibut.”
Trinidad
According to Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters, the halibut bite is still good out of Trinidad. “We had one tough day last week when we didn’t get limits, but it’s been good since,” said Wilson. “The best bite is still straight out of the harbor in 250 to 300 feet. The rockfi sh bite is red-hot, we’re catching lots of black and blue rockfi sh. The ling bite has tapered o a little. The crabbing is really good and the crabs are an excellent quality right now.”
Shelter Cove
“Rock fi shing has been really good this week, but the salmon are nowhere to be found,” said Jake Mitchell, of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “Some silvers showed up, so hopefully the kings are behind them. The Hat and Ranch House are two of the better spots for rockfi sh. When we can get north to Rogers Break, there’s plenty of halibut to be had. We were able to put in limits on Saturday. Salmon fi shing out of Fort Bragg has been wide-open since late last week.”
Crescent City
It’s been quiet the last few days due to rough ocean conditions, reports Britt Carson of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. He said, “It looks like we’ll see some calmer water the next few days. When the boats can get out, the rockfi sh bite continues to produce some good numbers. Either one of the reefs and the Sisters have been good. The big news of the week is a couple California halibut were caught o the rocks at South Beach. Hopefully we’ll start to see them show up in better numbers.”
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.
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