Over the Labor Day holiday weekend, we were patiently waiting for the fall run of king salmon to begin their migration upriver. Well, the wait is over. Water temperatures cooled significantly thanks to dam releases and rain, and schools of ocean-fresh kings finally made their way into the lower river in big numbers beginning with Monday’s outgoing tide.

This week, the fishing has been nothing short of spectacular from the Glen to well above Blue Creek. There are plenty of jacks to be had, and some really nice adults have shown up as well. The fish are dime-bright, with plenty still sporting seal lice, and they’re spread throughout the river. Most anglers have been able to quickly catch their limits and get off the water before the afternoon temperatures soar.

As of last Thursday, 665 adults remained to be harvested from the 1,624-fish quota. With this week’s catch rate, the quota could be met after this weekend.

Reminder: The spit area, within 100 yards of the channel through the sand spit formed at the Klamath River mouth, is closed to fishing for the remainder of the year. Fishing is open from the estuary upriver to the State Route 96 bridge at Weitchpec. Once the quota 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 can keep track of the Klamath and Trinity river quotas by calling (800) 564-6479. Klamath and Trinity fishing regulations can be found here.

Weekend marine forecast
According to the Eureka’s National Weather Service, “the winds will ease Friday and Saturday as a weak front moves through the area. Strong northerlies return Sunday. Along with wind driven seas, a long period south swell from Hurricane Marie at around 2 to 3 feet continues through the waters.”
As of Thursday, out 10 nautical miles, the Friday forecast is calling for winds out of the northwest 10 to 15 knots with northwest waves 6 feet at eight seconds and south 2 feet at 10 seconds. Saturday is calling for winds from the south up to 5 knots and south waves 1 foot at eight seconds and northwest 4 feet at 11 seconds. Sunday, the winds will be from the north 5 to 10 knots and northwest waves 4 feet at 10 seconds and southwest 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.

Pacific halibut quota update
As of Sept. 6, California’s share of Area 2A’s quota, which includes Washington and Oregon, is at 21 percent, with just 8,505 net pounds harvested against the 40,040 net pound quota. (500 pounds are set aside for the area south of Point Arena). The Pacific halibut fishery will run through Nov. 15 or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. To view the latest catch projection information, visit https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Pacific-Halibut#31670772-in-season-tracking

Trinidad launch closing for the season
The launch facility and water taxi service will close after Sunday, Sept. 13 for the season. The floating dock and moorings will be removed starting Monday.

The Oceans:
Eureka
According to Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing, there’s been some tuna caught off of False Cape since Sunday. “One of the charters landed 20 last Sunday, and there’s been reports of a few other boats catching a few. We went and looked at the water off the cape Wednesday, and there wasn’t much life out there and no fish. Conditions are shaping up for another run Saturday, with most boats likely going south again. The rockfish bite at the Cape has been wide-open, especially for big blacks. The ling cod has been a little tougher, we’re getting about one per rod on most days. The Pacific halibut bite has been hit and miss, and the effort has definitely dwindled.”

Shelter Cove
Rock fishing is still lights out, reports Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “We made it out a couple days for tuna last week and averaged 50 fish per trip and the grade was really nice,” said Mitchell. Probably a 23-25-pound average.  We were fishing straight out about 30 miles. Boats went offshore again Wednesday and had about a 30 fish average per boat. There were also three Bigeye tuna caught on Wednesday. The warm water looks to be sticking around, but the forecast doesn’t look good for us for a while.”

Crescent City
“Rockfish and lingcod are all that’s going on right now,” said Will Moore of Crescent City’s Englund Marine. “The fishing is still really good, with the Sisters and the South Reef consistently the two top spots. Saturday’s ocean conditions look good, and some boats are gearing up for a tuna run.”

Brookings
“Lingcod, rockfish and crab action have been good out of Brookings, while halibut is still slow,” said Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters. “Boats found tuna within 30 miles Labor Day weekend. The grade of fish made up for lighter numbers. Some boats are prepping for trips this weekend.”

The Rivers:
Lower Klamath
Fishing for salmon busted open this week on the lower Klamath. There’s a mix of adult salmon around, along with plenty of jacks. Flows are dropping slowly after peaking at over 4,000 cfs with the dam releases and rain. As of Thursday, flows were down to 3,300 cfs, and the river is in perfect shape. Fishing should remain excellent through the weekend.

Regulations for the fall fishery include a two-fish daily bag limit, though anglers may retain only one adult salmon ≥ 23 inches per day. The possession limit is six Chinook total, with no more than three adults ≥ 23 inches.

Once individual sub-quotas are met in each section, retention will shift to jack salmon under 23 inches total length only.

Chetco/Lower Rogue
According to Martin, salmon action has started on the Chetco estuary, with jacks, small adults and a few larger kings being caught. “The estuary is already crowded. Trolling anchovies behind flashers has accounted for most of the fish. The Rogue Bay continues to fish well, as the peak season has arrived. The bay is still crowded. Fish are also being caught upriver near Agness.”

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.