FISHING THE NORTH COAST
Pacific Halibut Season Closes, Boats Turn to Tuna By Kenny Priest
fishing@northcoastjournal.com
O
ne of the better Pacific halibut seasons came to a close Sunday with boats catching some nice fish right up until the final buzzer. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Sunday’s closure late last week with the expectation that quota would be exceeded if the season remained open. And I don’t think they were wrong. But as we say goodbye to halibut, we welcome albacore tuna to our decks. The warm water that tuna seek is just a few miles offshore but most boats are looking out in deeper water in hopes of finding large schools. As of Monday, the scores weren’t off the charts but the fish being caught are big. Not many peanuts are being caught — most are in the 20-pound class and quite a few 30-plus-pound tuna are being caught. Boats will have a couple more days to search for tuna with windy conditions predicted to return later in the week.
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According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, the tuna water is within 20 miles of the entrance. “Sunday and Monday, we found fish roughly 18 miles offshore,” said Klassen. “The fish are really scattered, no real big concentrations of fish. Scores were slightly better 35 miles out Monday but still not red-hot. However, the fish being caught are a really good grade with most of the fish being over 20-pounds. The wind is forecast to return Thursday. With all the warm water close to shore, the salmon bite hasn’t been great. Most of the fish are being caught right on the bottom. North of the entrance off the stacks in 100 feet of water has produced some quality keepers.”
Trinidad
“The halibut season ended with a
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NORTH COAST JOURNAL • Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022 • northcoastjournal.com
bang; the fishing was really good Sunday,” said Curt Wilson of Wind Rose Charters. “The black rockfish bite has Cooper Sharp, of Lewiston (left), landed a monster 97.5-pound Pacific slowed the last halibut Sunday while fishing out of Eureka with Eric Justesen (right). few days. We’re Photo courtesy of Eric Justesen/707 Sport Fishing still catching nice ones and getting “That may change now that halibut season limits but it has slowed a little. Not sure is closed. Currently, there isn’t much in the what role the ocean conditions are having way of tuna water near Crescent City. One on the bite; the water is really clear and boat did run quite a ways south Monday calm. The lingcod bite is still good if you and boated six.” put in the effort. There are some nice ones around, too, up to 25-pounds. The salmon Lower Klamath bite has been slow. A few were caught The entire river blew out Monday due on the beach and out deep right on the to heavy rain near last year’s fires, sending bottom. A couple have also been caught mud and debris from Happy Camp all out near Redding Rock.” the way to the mouth. (Read about the Shelter Cove devastating impact of the McKinney Fire It continues to be a pretty dismal year on fish in the Klamath River on page 9.) out of Shelter Cove, reports Jake Mitchell, While upriver of the estuary is dirty, boats of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “Rock fishing trolling for salmon did quite well Monday. has been pretty good but that’s been Your best bet will be to fish the incomabout the only consistent fishery we’ve ing when the tidal influences push back had. Salmon fishing has gone from bad to the dirty water. It’s hard to know when worse and until the water cools off — it the river will be fishable again — it could probably won’t get any better. We had a easily be a week. Spring-run regulations decent albacore bite last week, but that are in effect through Aug. 14, with a daily has petered out and boats are only getting bag and possession limit of one salmon one to three fish over the last several days. of any size. The fall quota will begin next The warm water is only 10 miles out and Monday, Aug. 15. it’s in every direction. I think we need a Read the complete fishing roundup at good blow for a few days to reshuffle the www.northcoastjournal.com. l cards. There was a decent halibut bite Sunday up at Gorda for the last day.” Kenny Priest (he/him) operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide Crescent City service out of Humboldt specializing According to Britt Carson of Crescent in salmon and steelhead. Find it on City’s Englund Marine, the Sisters and the Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and South Reef continue to provide limits of www.fishingthenorthcoast.com. For quality rockfish and lingcod. “The salmon up-to-date fishing reports and North action continues to be slow but we aren’t Coast river information, email kenny@ seeing a whole lot of effort,” said Carson. fishingthenorthcoast.com.
