Halibut and rockfish can take a breather because tuna is about to steal the show this week. The weather window is wide open, and the ocean will be flat for the next few days. Warm water is within reach and still pushing in, and there should be plenty of fish riding with it.

The only catch? We haven’t had a good SST shot in the last few days thanks to cloud cover. But there’s plenty of real-time intel from boats and buoys. Buoy 13, sitting off Cape Mendocino about 36 miles from Humboldt Bay, was showing 60-degree water on Wednesday, though it’s cooled a bit since—definitely worth watching.

As for the bite, it’s already happening. Since Monday, boats out of Fort Bragg have been stacking tuna, with scores running 20 to 40 fish. Shelter Cove crews are seeing the same, or even better action. In short— you can catch as many as you can handle. Up north, one Trinidad boat ran 17 miles and found a few fish, and last week a few Eureka boats made the long run and did okay.

With calm seas and great weather lined up through at least Monday, now’s the time to fuel up and make a run. The tuna are here!

Weekend marine forecast
Nearshore conditions, out 10 nautical miles, look excellent for the weekend. But since most anglers will be further offshore, we’ll post conditions out 10 to 60 nautical miles. Friday’s forecast is calling for northwest winds 5 to 10 knots and northwest waves 4 feet at six seconds and southwest 3 feet at 14 seconds. Saturday is calling for northwest winds 5 to 10 knots and northwest waves 5 feet at 9 seconds and south 2 at 14. Sunday winds will be out of the north 5 to 10 knots and northwest waves 6 feet at 10 seconds and south 2 feet at 14 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. You can also call the National Weather Service at 443-7062 or the office on Woodley Island at 443-6484.

Trinity River water release
Beginning Friday, Aug. 22, the Bureau of Reclamation will begin to increase flows to the Trinity River for the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s Ceremonial Boat Dance. Lewiston Dam releases are scheduled to gradually increase from the summer base flow of 450 cubic feet per second and are expected to reach a peak flow of 2,300 cfs on Aug. 25 before gradually returning to summer base flows later in the week.

River recreators can expect a higher volume of water and increased turbidity in the Trinity River during the ceremonial flow. As always, the public is urged to exercise caution when recreating in or around the Trinity River. For more information, contact Reclamation’s Northern California Area Office at 530-247-8500 (TTY 800-877-8339)

California Fish and Game Commission increases fishing opportunities for the 2025 recreational groundfish season
On August 14, 2025, the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) adopted emergency changes to the state’s groundfish regulations so that recreational ocean fisheries are no longer constrained by quillback rockfish.

CDFW Statement:

“Fishing opportunities in northern and central California were reduced in 2023 due to low estimated quillback rockfish abundance. A new stock assessment completed earlier this summer indicates it is no longer necessary to restrict groundfish fishing to specific depths north of Point Conception in order to avoid quillback rockfish, allowing anglers to take advantage of expansions to open fishing areas. The Commission acted to rapidly change the regulations to allow additional opportunities before summer’s end.  

Over the last few years, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) collaborated with federal partners, fishing groups, and anglers to gather data and improve scientific knowledge of quillback rockfish off California. The information was crucial in informing the new stock assessment, which indicates the stock is at a healthy level and not overfished. This finding reverses results from a 2021 stock assessment which relied on very limited data from the California stock. 

Retention of quillback rockfish, however, remains prohibited in all waters statewideuntil recommendations for sport and commercial fishery catch limits are developed for California quillback rockfish in conjunction with those for other nearshore groundfish species. 

“This action is the result of hard work by a lot of people,” said Tim Klassen, an appointed advisory member for the groundfish sport fishery and a charter boat captain in Eureka. “The Commission and CDFW moved quickly to implement these changes and worked collaboratively with fishermen to achieve a result that protects our fisheries and the people that depend on them. This is what good fishery management looks like.” 

CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham remarked, “CDFW is pleased with the new assessment, which reflects what California anglers have been seeing, and is committed to restoring fishing access as quickly as possible. We appreciate all our fishing industry partners who participated in scientific data collections that contributed to this positive outcome – it was a true collaboration.”   

With restored access to all-depth fishing for northern and central California, a sub-bag limit for canary rockfish is necessary to keep catches within the federal California recreational harvest guideline for this species. Therefore, a new two fish sub-bag limit will apply for canary rockfish, statewide. Additionally, vermilion and sunset rockfish will be managed together as a species complex, meaning that they are considered the same species for regulatory purposes (e.g., sub-bag limit) due to their nearly indistinguishable appearance. 

These changes are intended to roll back restrictions that were put into place to avoid quillback rockfish, which are very rarely seen south of Point Conception. Since fishing in the Southern Groundfish Management Area [(GMA) south of Point Conception, 34° 27’ N. Lat. to the US/Mexico border] is constrained by copper and vermilion/sunset rockfish, there are no changes to the current fishing seasons in the Southern GMA. Groundfish fishing in the Southern GMA is currently open shoreward of the 50 fathom Rockfish Conservation Area boundary until September 30. The Map Viewer application can be used to view updated GMA boundaries and the 50 fathom Rockfish Conservation Area boundary. 

The following summary details the changes adopted by the Commission: 

• Boat-Based Fishery Season Dates and Depths – North of Point Conception (34° 27’ N. Lat.; within the Northern, Mendocino, San Francisco, and Central GMAs), groundfish fishing will be authorized in all water depths through December 31, 2025.  

• Species Retention – Nearshore, shelf, and slope rockfishes, lingcod, cabezon, and greenlings may be retained during the all-depth fishery.
  • Canary rockfish will have a new two fish sub-bag limit statewide. 
  • Quillback rockfish will remain prohibited (no retention) statewide. 
  • Vermilion and sunset rockfish in combination are limited to two fish south of 40° 10’ N. Lat. (near Cape Mendocino), and four fish between the OR/CA border and 40° 10’ N. Lat 
• Management Line at Lopez Point Removed – The Central GMA will revert to a single management area. The split at Lopez Point (36° N. Lat.) between the Central – North and Central – South GMA is no longer needed. The Central GMA remains at the same northern and southern borders from 37° 11’ N. Lat. (Pigeon Point) to 34° 27’ N. Lat. (Point Conception). 

With all-depth fishing opportunity, anglers will experience greater flexibility on fishing trips when targeting species in addition to groundfish. Combination trips are no longer limited by depth constraints when targeting additional species or transiting between GMAs that do not have depth constraints. Note when transiting between GMAs it is still unlawful to exceed the bag limit of a GMA even if the fish are caught in another GMA (§27.20(b)(1)(A)(1). Meaning, anglers cannot catch four vermilion/sunset rockfish in the Northern GMA, then possess or land them in the Mendocino or another GMA with a two fish vermilion/sunset sub-bag limit. Similarly, anglers cannot take nearshore rockfish, cabezon, or greenling north of Point Conception and land them in the Southern GMA October through December when inshore fishing is closed.  

CDFW will notify the public when the new regulations take effect through the Marine Management News blog; please subscribe to receive the notification or check back regularly for the announcement confirming the new regulations are in effect. Anglers should review the Summary of Recreational Groundfish Regulations page for the most up-to-date information before going fishing. If anglers encounter a quillback rockfish, CDFW strongly encourages using a descending device to return it to depth. When fishing in ocean waters from a vessel a landing net is always required, and when fishing for or possessing groundfish, a descending device is required to be carried aboard. Questions? Contact Ask Marine.”

Oregon Coast rockfish bag limits may be reduced
“Beginning Monday, August 18, 2025, the General Marine Species bag limit will return to a 4-fish bag limit pending approval by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission (OFWC) on Friday, August 15. The 1-fish sub-bag limit for cabezon and the 1-fish sub-bag limit for canary rockfish will remain in place, and retention of quillback and yelloweye rockfishes remains prohibited.

Harvest limits for both black rockfish and canary rockfish are projected to be exceeded if the bag limit remains at five fish. A bag limit reduction from five to four during the month of August decreases the risk of an early season closure or a three-fish bag limit.

Additional information on the recreational rock fish fishery can be found on the ODFW sport rockfish webpage.

The General Marine Species group is made up of all rockfish species, greenlings, cabezon, skates, and other marine species not listed on page 81 of the 2025 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations Book. Sablefish have been pulled out of the General Marine Species group and have a species-specific bag limit of 10 fish per angler.”

The Oceans:
Eureka
According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, the weather looks good for tuna starting Friday. “We haven’t got a real good SST shot, but it did look like the water was moving north towards us,” said Klassen. “Once we get a shot, we’ll be able to put together a plan. The rockfish bite at the Cape has been good, but the lingcod remain a little harder to come by. We’re still seeing a good variety of rockfish. The Pacific halibut bite is much improved, though effort has gone down. Most of the effort is near the 55 line.”

Shelter Cove
The rock fishing was a little bit tougher this week reports Jake Mitchell, of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “We had some heavy current, which I think shut down the bite a little bit,” said Mitchell. “We still managed to limit both days, but really had to work for them. The Pacific halibut was also pretty dead. A few boats ran out for tuna outside Gorda Valley and did pretty well with scores up to 70 fish.”

Crescent City
According to Will Moore of Crescent City’s Englund Marine, the California halibut bite is getting better each week. “Last week was really good, but this week we saw even more caught than last week,” said Moore. The Pacific halibut bite however, remains dead. The rockfish and lingcod bite are still excellent, with easy limits of both. And we’re seeing some big lings too. The redtail perch bite has been good at both Kellogg and Enderts Beach.

Brookings
Salmon fishing has been slow out of Brookings, where hatchery coho may be kept reports Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Kings must be released, and along with wild coho, have made up most of the salmon catch,” said Martin. “Hatchery coho are few and far between, as the bulk of the run is closing in on the Columbia River, where coho fishing is nearly wide open. 

Lingcod and rockfish action, along with sport crabbing, is good out of Brookings. With over weather expected this weekend, some boats may head offshore for tuna. Albacore fishing was a bust last week. A handful of boats headed out, and returned with just a couple of fish total, with most boats failing to find any tuna.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Steelhead fishing remains spotty on the Lower Klamath. The fish are still trickling in, with some days better than others. Fishing should only get better as we head into the first few weeks of August. The daily bag limit is two hatchery steelhead or hatchery trout per day on both the Klamath and Trinity rivers, with a possession limit of four. Anglers must have a Steelhead Fishing Report and Restoration Card in their possession while fishing for steelhead trout in anadromous waters. More information can be found here.

Lower Rogue
According to Martin, salmon fishing is now good on the Rogue Bay, with a fish per rod or better for most guide boats. “The bay is crowded. With better fishing, expect even more boats. Guides are getting fish with 360 flashers fished ahead of anchovies or small herring.”

Kenny Priest operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and www.fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.