Kenny Priest

The one upside of a summer full of windy, non-fishable weather – a Pacific halibut quota that still has plenty of poundage left to fill. The catch-rates have been so few that CDFW finally last week posted the first catch estimate since the season started back on May 1. As of July 14, California’s share of Area 2A’s quota, which...
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With the Oregon salmon season starting to heat up and California anglers making plans to get in on the action, here’s a reminder for CA anglers who plan to fish and harvest salmon in Oregon and bring them home to CA. Back in May, CDFW issued a press release reminding California anglers of important rules relating to transport of ocean...
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hat’s the best way to shake off the doldrums of another salmon-less summer? How about a red-hot tuna bite? That’s just what we needed, and just what happened. The games began last Friday, with fish being caught out of Fort Bragg, Shelter Cove, and Eureka. For the Eureka fleet, the action started down off of Cape Mendocino where a lone...
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Ocean conditions can make all the difference when it comes to catching – or not. And favorable conditions have been few and far between this season. But when the stars align like they did Wednesday, good things happen. The Eureka fleet took full advantage and boats made their way to the halibut grounds while some pointed south to Cape Mendocino....
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The Pacific halibut bite continues to be slow along the North Coast, but it is showing signs of life. As conditions improved mid-week, boats out of Trinidad and Crescent City both saw an uptick in fish coming back to port. The same cannot be said for Eureka. Persistent wind and sloppy conditions have kept boats mostly tied to the dock....
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Gale-force north winds in May and June are historically common along the North Coast. But this year seems to be bordering on excessive. The Eureka fleet is having to pay the heaviest toll following another week of rough seas, managing to only get offshore once since last week. Shelter Cove, Trinidad, and Crescent City, with much shorter runs to the...
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