6 minute read
Fishing the North Coast
Kings Make a Strong Showing on The Klamath
By Kenny Priest
fishing@northcoastjournal.com
Early last week we were waiting patiently for the fall run of king salmon to begin their migration upriver. Well, the waiting is over. The water temperatures cooled a couple degrees and the schools of ocean-fresh kings moved their way into the lower river. In fact, so many fi sh came through the mouth beginning last Tuesday that the spit area quota was fi lled in only a few days. And the fi shing was phenomenal further upriver as well all through the weekend. There were plenty of jacks to be had and some nice adults as well. All of the fi sh are dime-bright and moving through the river quickly. “As of Tuesday morning, very preliminary estimates indicate only 32 adults have been added to the quota since last week’s count leaving well over half of the 611 fi sh quota left for harvest,” said Dan Troxel, an environmental scientist on the Klamath River Project. “No expansion estimates have been factored in at this point. Unless the adult catch-rate really takes o , we should be open to keeping adult salmon through the holiday weekend.”
As a reminder, the spit area, within 100 yards of the channel through the sand spit formed at the Klamath River mouth, is closed to fi shing the remainder of the year. Fishing is open from the estuary upriver to the State Route 96 bridge at Weitchpec. Once the quota have is met, no Chinook salmon greater than 23 inches in length may be retained (anglers may still retain a limit of Chinook salmon under 23 inches in length).
Anglers may keep track of the Klamath and Trinity river quotas by calling (800) 5646479. For Klamath and Trinity fi shing regulations, visit www.nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler. ashx?DocumentID=169262&inline
Trinity River water release
Beginning Thursday, Sept. 2, the Bureau of Reclamation will begin to increase fl ows to the Trinity River for the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s Ceremonial Boat Dance. Releases will begin to increase above the base summer fl ow of 450 cubic feet per second at 10 a.m. on Sept. 2, and reach a peak fl ow of 2,650 cfs between 12 a.m. and noon on Sept. 4. The releases will then gradually decrease back to the base summer fl ow, reaching 450 cfs at approximately 11 p.m. on Sept. 10. Colder water temperatures and increased turbidity levels are to be expected.
Weekend marine forecast
Ocean conditions will begin to improve on Thursday. Out 10 nautical miles north of the cape, Friday’s forecast is calling for north winds 5 to 10 knots and waves out of the northwest 4 feet at seven seconds. Saturday is calling for north winds 5 to 10 knots and waves north 4 feet at four seconds. Sunday, winds will be out of the north 5 to 15 knots and waves north 7 feet at six 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 o ce on Woodley Island at 443-6484.
Saturday is statewide free fishing day
The last chance of the year to fi sh for free arrives over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Free Fishing Day is being o ered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) on Saturday, Sept. 4. While no fi shing license is required on free fi shing days, all fi shing regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fi shing hours and stream closures remain in e ect. Every angler must have an appropriate report card if they are fi shing for steelhead or sturgeon anywhere in the state or salmon in the Smith and Klamath-Trinity river systems. For more information, visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/ Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days.
The Oceans: Eureka
Klamath resident
Kathy DeVol Cunningham landed a nice limit of king salmon on
Saturday on the Klamath River. Photo courtesy of
Mike Coopman’s
Guide Service
Shelter Cove
According to Jake Mitchell, the salmon bite was pretty solid until about Friday and has slowed considerably since then. “There’s still lots of bait but I think the bigger fi sh might be moving on and heading towards their home rivers,” he said. “The majority of the salmon the past couple days have been smaller, but I did see a 36-pounder caught on Sunday. Rock fi shing was easy limits as usual and we’ve even had limits of lingcod the last three days. We’ve spent most of our time o the Ranch House and the Old Man.”
Crescent City
The tuna water is sitting about 30 miles o of Crescent City reports Britt Carson of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. He said, “There’s a few boats going out this weekend, hopefully the fi sh are still there. It’s been really windy this week, but a few boats are getting out early and getting limits of rockfi sh and lingcod. The California halibut bite has really died o .”
Not much going on this week out of Eureka due to rough ocean conditions. According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, the seas look good for the upcoming weekend. He said, “The warm tuna water is still sitting o our coast and it looks like it’s sliding south, which is good for us. Right now, it’s about 30 miles o of Crescent City and 50 miles from Eureka. I’m hoping for a window mid next week.”
Trinidad The Rivers: Lower Klamath
The salmon bite was pretty spectacular over the weekend, with most boats getting limits of adults and jacks. The fi sh are spread throughout the river now, and more are moving in every day from the ocean. The steelhead bite has slowed as they’ve made their way further upriver, but there are still a few around.
Read the complete fi shing roundup at www.northcoastjournal.com.●
Curt Wilson, of Wind Rose Charters, was on the water Sunday, but the rough water has forced him to the dock for a few days this week. “As it’s been all season, the black rockfi sh action is excellent,” said Wilson. “It’s pretty easy to go out between the head and Patrick’s Point and catch a limit of 10 fi sh per person. We’re not seeing much variety right now. The weather looks to improve by the weekend, which should allow us to make it out to Reading Rock.”
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.