Kenny Priest

After a very wet few days that turned most of the local streams muddy, green water isn’t too far down the road. The latest round of storms are forecast to break apart starting Thursday, and we should see some sun by Friday. And with that, the North Coast rivers will be on the drop and begin to transition from brown...
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As the winter storms begin to push shoreward on the North Coast – coinciding with the calendar flipping one last time in 2023 – it’s time to transition from the late fall-kings to winter steelhead. The king season was a bust for those of us in Northern California as salmon fishing was off limits for both the Eel and Smith...
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In a press release issued Friday, Nov. 17, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is expanding the temporary recreational crab trap restriction to include the area between the California/Oregon state line and Cape Mendocino (Fishing Zone 1), on Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. All crab traps currently deployed in Fishing Zone 1 must be removed by 6:00 p.m. on Nov....
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If you didn’t get in on the Chetco fall salmon action last week, you missed some epic fishing. Following a season that saw the estuary plugged with kings, there was little doubt that if, and when, conditions lined up, the bite upriver would go completely off. And that’s exactly what happened last week. Double-digit hookups were not uncommon. And there...
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Unsavory ocean conditions out of Eureka spoiled Saturday’s sport crab opener, keeping most of the boats tied up. The few bigger boats who braved the rough water were rewarded with big crab, and plenty of them. The last few days, boats pulling pots after a couple-day soak, or less, are averaging 10 to 20 crab per pot. Those are pretty...
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We may not have a rockfish season here in the far north, but at least our sport crab season will open on time. And with pots and traps allowed! The California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife sent word Friday that our season, (40°10′ N. latitude (near Cape Mendocino) to the Oregon-California border, will open as scheduled Saturday with no restrictions....
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