Fishing the North Coast

09/17/2026

BIG ALBACORE OFF EUREKA!

After several tough days, the tuna stars finally aligned for Eureka anglers over the weekend. The majority of the albacore were 25 pounds or better, with some fish pushing 40 pounds!

Saturday saw everything from single hookups to boats with eight fish on at once. Sunday was good too, with boats loading coolers with all the big tuna they could hold. When a 20-pounder is the smallest fish in the box, you know it was a special day!

Gabe Gibbs of Montana made his first trip on the ocean a success by landing his first-ever Albacore. Gibbs is a current CR student and baseball player who was fishing on Steller Sunrise with Capt. …

09/11/2026

The adult fishery on the Lower Klamath will be coming to a close after Sunday the 13th. Please see link to CDFW Press Release below:

https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/lower-klamath-river-quota-met

As of Tuesday of this week, we saw a major upswing in angler effort and harvest above Highway 101 bridge. As I’m sure many of you well know, the fishing has been extremely good over the past few days, with boats getting their limits often within 2-3 hours of fishing, and some lucky shore anglers getting their adult limit within 2-3 casts!

Adult Chinook salmon fishing on the Lower Klamath River will close on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 11:59 p.m. as the area quota has been met.

09/10/2026

THE WAIT IS OVER — THE KINGS ARE HERE!

The fall king salmon run has finally arrived on the Klamath, and the fishing has been nothing short of spectacular! Dime-bright ocean-fresh kings are spread from the Glen to well above Blue Creek, with plenty of jacks and some quality adults in the mix.

🔥 But don’t wait too long — just 665 adults remained on the 1,624-fish quota as of last Thursday, and the quota could be met after this weekend.

Anglers Craig Vallely, left, and Steve Cowles with a nice Chinook salmon caught on the Lower Klamath river last Friday. Photo courtesy of Fishing the North Coast Guide Service Over the Labor Day ho…

09/08/2026

The weir, located on the Hoopa Valley Reservation, will further scientific goals and monitoring of salmon and steelhead populations while supporting cultural practices and allowing for limited Tribal harvest

09/05/2026

From Dan Troxel:

To summarize:
The fishery at the mouth and in the estuary was very productive last week and weekend, prompting the hard closure of the spit area for the remainder of the season as of Thursday, September 3. We did exceed the sub-area allocation below highway 101 bridge by about 33% (651 estimated vs. the 487 allocation).

Additionally, harvest and effort above highway 101 bridge is headed towards the usual pattern of increasing once the spit closure goes into effect.

09/03/2026

Cooler water, recent rain, and excellent conditions have the fall-run kings pushing upriver, while the estuary is still producing some good fishing too.

With the Labor Day crowd hitting the water, expect the Klamath salmon run to really heat up!

Read the latest report for the full scoop.

Eureka resident Michael Marcelli with a nice king salmon taken earlier this week on the lower Klamath. Water conditions, as well as fishing, should be good through the holiday weekend. Photo courte…

09/03/2026

Effective 9/3/2026 at 6:30 AM, Smith River is OPEN to fishing. The Smith River will be CLOSED 9/4/2026. All other rivers are CLOSED to fishing.

North Coast Low Flow Updates 09/03/2026 6:30 AM This bulletin was sent at 09/03/2026 06:58 AM PDT View as a web page / share 9/3/26 Effective 9/3/2026 at 6:30 AM, Smith River is OPEN to fishing. The Smith River will be CLOSED 9/4/2026. All other rivers are CLOSED to fishing. The following North Coas...

09/01/2026

For those wondering what was the plan with the old Praire Creek fish hatchery.

08/31/2026

The razor clam fishery was closed on July 31 in Del Norte County due to elevated levels of domoic acid. Clams sampled in July and August 2026 from Crescent Beach, Del Norte County, all had domoic acid concentrations lower than the federal action level, allowing the fishery to reopen.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Meghan Hertel has opened the recreational razor clam fishery in Del Norte County following a recommendation from state health agencies that domoic acid no longer poses a significant threat to human health if consumed.

08/31/2026

Here's the weekly Klamath River sport quota update through the week ending August 26.