This is why I’m a river guy…
Ocean Salmon off Northern California opens Saturday!
After years of total closures and limited seasons, the ocean off of much of Northern California re-opens Saturday to what looks to be like a “normal” full season of Salmon Fishing!
While everybody’s all fired up, the weather may prove to be a major damper to opening day. To get an in-depth look at what to expect this weekend, I talked to some local experts. For specific details click here: San Francisco/Golden Gate or Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay
Santa Cruz anglers get salmon on opener
Anglers fishing the salmon opener along the California coast were generally met with some tough conditions — wind and a big swell — and a scratch bite. However, there were some fish caught out of Bodega and San Francisco…but the best bite was down south in Santa Cruz (just like I predicted).
The fish were all pretty deep (100+ feet down) and were typical early season 6 to 12 pounders, though a few kings to 25 pounds were taken. For the breakdown in Santa Cruz, check out Bayside Marine.
Steelhead in the Saltwater: The Purple Unicorn
What the heck happens to steelhead in the ocean? Where do they go? While ocean anglers catch tens of thousands of salmon every season off the West Coast, steelhead are encountered about as often as purple unicorns.
Well, here’s maybe a hint: A couple buddies of mine were trolling big plugs at 8 mph for albacore 20 miles off the Northern California coast when something strange happened…they caught a steelhead.
When the 8-pound hatchery hen hit, it started going bananas, jumping all over the place behind the boat. The thought that it was steelhead never entered their minds. At first the guys figured they had a dorado on. Then they thought it might be a yellowtail. As it got closer, the steelie looked like a coho.
But when they got her boatside, the fish was obviously a steelhead — and a gorgeous one at that.
After a few quick photos, they let her go, knowing that they had just seen something that few anglers ever witness — a steelhead in saltwater.
A small sample size, to be sure, but perhaps this sheds a bit of light on the ocean migration patterns of sea-run rainbows. Could it be that they like a bit warmer water than do their salmon cousins — and thus live much furthers offshore? If steelies spent most of their salt time well off the coast, that would explain why so few are caught by salmon trollers.
I donna…just taking a guess here!