Fishing Articles

December Rains Usher in First Runs of Chetco Steelhead
Southern Oregon
by Larry Ellis, DECEMBER 23, 2017
Chetco River

I always tell anglers that the first rains around the Christmas holiday signals the first major runs of winter steelhead to head up the Chetco River. But low, gin-clear water conditions have been the plague of Oregon south coast rivers this year. I was beginning to worry that the old Christmas adage was not going to come true this year. Not...
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Northern California Commercial Dungeness Crab Season Opener Delayed Again Due to Quality Testing
by CDFW, DECEMBER 22, 2017

The Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has announced a final 15-day delay for the northern California commercial Dungeness crab season. Crab condition improved from the last round of pre-season quality testing conducted on Dec. 19. However, crab had not reached the minimum meat recovery criteria as established by the Tri-State Dungeness Crab Committee testing protocol. The...
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Oregon commercial crab fishery to open January 15
by ODFW, DECEMBER 22, 2017

The commercial Dungeness crab fishery will open on most of Oregon’s coast on Jan. 15, 2018. Dungeness crab will be ready to be harvested from Cape Blanco to the Columbia River, and north into Washington. While the commercial season can open as early as Dec. 1, the opening can be delayed to ensure a high quality product for consumers by allowing crabs...
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Rain should jump start winter steelhead run
Kenny Priest
by Kenny Priest, DECEMBER 21, 2017
Humboldt County Coast

It wasn’t much, but it was a start. Tuesday’s storms brought just enough rain to bump up the river flows, and hopefully light a fire under the winter steelhead. Most of the rain fell from Eureka north, with the Smith and Chetco each jumping a couple feet. The Smith was dropping quickly and will likely be clear by Saturday, but...
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Another section of Oregon coast reopened to recreational crabbing
by ODFW, DECEMBER 21, 2017

The Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announce that recreational crabbing is now open from Cape Blanco, north of Port Orford, to the Columbia River. Crab samples taken from the area indicate that levels of the marine biotoxin domoic acid have dropped below the alert level. This reopening of the recreational season applies to crab...
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Drought’s Toll on Forests Continues
by Water Deeply, DECEMBER 18, 2017

California’s drought may have officially been declared over in the spring, but the effects of the five-year drought are still taking a toll on the state’s forests, new information shows. Last November, the number of trees that died in California forests since 2010 was estimated by the U.S. Forest Service at 102 million, with 62 million dying in 2016 alone. The latest aerial survey shows that tree mortality...
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