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In the first few weeks after the salmon season opened off Fort Bragg on February 17, fishing on the Mendocino County coast was tough, as it normally is this time of year. However, the fishing dramatically improved on the weekend of March 9-10, after recent cold fronts pushed larger numbers of king salmon into the vicinity of Fort Bragg. On March 9, the 7 anglers fishing aboard Rumblefish with Captain Tom Johnson landed 13 salmon to 17 pounds, while the 4 anglers fishing with Randy Thornton on the Telstar brought in 8 salmon. Anglers experienced the top action while trolling hoochies behind flashers, although moochers fishing at 30 to 50 feet deep also boated some chinooks. "This is typical spring time salmon fishing," reported Rick Thornton of Anchor Charters. "With all of the dramatic weather changes that we have this time of year, the fishing bounces around day to day. It's very difficult to predict the fishing day to day because the fish can be located in one stretch of water one day and will be gone the following day." "Most of the salmon that are being caught have been decent-sized, averaging around 10 pounds, but several larger fish have been landed aboard private boats since the opener," revealed Thornton. Steve Hattula from Fort Bragg topped the catches to date with a 31 pound chinook caught taken on a private vessel during opening week. |
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Although salmon fishing can be unpredictable, crabbing along the coast near Ten Mile Beach has been consistent in producing 6 to 8 crabs per angler. "With the closure of bottom fishing, we are limited to salmon fishing and crabbing until the closure is lifted on May 1 for shallow water rockfishing," said Thornton. Anglers fishing shallow water for rockfish when the season reopens will also be allowed to possess a limit of lingcod along with their limit of rockfish. According to Brandon Van Dine aboard Lady Irma II, fishing along the coast for king salmon is on the upswing. "The salmon fishing has been great these last few days," explained Van Dine, "a welcome change from the first few weeks of the season, when many boats didn't catch any fish. Also, crabbing along Ten Mile Beach has been very good, with several days yielding limits of dungeness crab averaging 1.5 to 2 pounds." "This salmon season so far has been fantastic," confirmed Don Akin of North Coast Fishing Adventures. "We are getting a good response from the salmon while trolling purple hoochies with 2 pound weights at about 45 to 55 pulls down. Anglers fishing aboard both private boats and charter vessels are coming back with an average of one fish per rod on average, while some are catching limits. We are locating the main concentration of fish just west of the harbor." Although Fort Bragg and Shelter Cove are the only ports where anglers are allowed to fish for chinooks now, the salmon season from Pigeon Point to the U.S.-Mexico border will open on March 30. The stretch of coast from Point Arena to Pigeon Point will open to salmon fishing on April 13. Make sure that you review a copy of the Department of Fish and Game's ocean sport fishing regulations booklet before going salmon fishing to check on area closures and hook restrictions. Also, check on the latest weather conditions immediately before going to Fort Bragg, since the weather changes dramatically on a daily basis this time of year. For more information regarding fishing conditions and booking a salmon/crab trip out of Fort Bragg, contact Anchor Charters at (707)964-4550; North Coast Fishing Adventures at (707) 964-3000 or Telstar Charters at (707)964-8770, gooceanfishing.com. |
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