Kenny Priest

Since just before Labor Day weekend, the Klamath River has been stuffed with salmon. The number of jacks has been amazing and we’re seeing some nice adult kings in the river, as well. The bulk of the run started a little late this year, most likely due to the unusually high water temperatures. Smoke-filled skies […]

The Pacific halibut fishery reopened Sept. 3 and what a nice little shot in the arm for our local economy. You needn’t look any further than the local boat ramps as trucks and trailers were lined up as far as you could see. The charter fleet was also rejuvenated, with plenty of happy customers filling […]

Early last week, we were waiting patiently for the fall run of king salmon to begin their migration upriver. Well, the wait is over. The water temperatures cooled a couple degrees and the schools of ocean-fresh kings moved their way into the lower river. In fact, so many fish came through the mouth beginning last […]

Some of the best steelhead fishing in recent years on the Klamath has kept anglers busy as we await the arrival of the fall kings. There’s been flurries of fish moving in the estuary and below the U.S. Highway101 bridge, but not many are choosing to head upriver as of yet. The water temperatures cooled […]

And what an epic bite it was! The onslaught began last Thursday out of Crescent City and didn’t let up until Sunday, when the ocean turned sporty. Fish were caught out of Shelter Cove but the best bite was near Crescent City. Boats leaving Eureka headed northwest to the area off of the mouth of […]

Fall regulations will begin Sunday, Aug. 15 on the Klamath River, triggering the start of the fall salmon quota. The California Fish and Game Commission adopted bag and possession limits for the Klamath Basin based on a quota of 1,221 fall-run adult kings. On the Klamath, the fall season closes Dec. 31. The fall season […]

The ocean sport salmon season ended Sunday just like it began 34 days ago –quietly. Some nice kings were caught the week prior off Eureka, which led us to believe the season could potentially end on a high note. Didn’t happen. So now it’s rockfish only within the KMZ (Klamath Management Zone). However, if you’re […]

If the last couple days are any indication, we may have a strong finish to the salmon season out of Eureka. Since the opener June 29, the fishing — and subsequently the effort — have both been underwhelming. But things began to change Saturday. A couple charters and sport boats braved tough conditions and found […]

Well, it looks like the salmon season on the North Coast has a pulse after all. After the first three weeks of the season produced very little, especially out of Eureka, salmon are finally starting to show up. The hot spot has been right out front of Trinidad. “It’s been like this off and on […]

Due to extremely poor water conditions and high risks of fish disease on the Klamath River, California Department of Fish and Wildlife hatchery managers were recently forced to truck more than 1 million smolts out of Iron Gate Hatchery into two other hatcheries in the Klamath watershed. This is the first time in its 55-year […]

With an early closure of Pacific halibut and a slow start to our salmon season, the one steady fishery at the moment is rockfish. From Shelter Cove north to Crescent City, limits of quality rockfish and ling cod have been the norm. In a season with not much left to fish for, they’ve been a […]

For at least the past few weeks, there were all sorts of signs indicating salmon were plentiful off the coast of Eureka and Trinidad. But somehow those signs, and the salmon, all but vanished by the time the sport salmon season opened Tuesday. While the majority of boats opted for Pacific halibut, a group including […]