What is ther to fish for in Arcata, CA?

Ragnar · 02-03-2004, 09:54 AM

Hey guys.
I need some help here..
I'll be going to Arcata, CA in May or June, where I'll be working for about a week.
I was hoping to do a spot of fishing during my visit.
Can anyone recommend any type of salty fishing in that area? Or know sick-o's like us that live there?
I waqs hoping for Salmon, Halibut, Lingcod, Rockfish, oh yeah and TUNA!
I could give a flippity-floppity about large mouth bass, ya know?
Thanks in advance,
Ragnar

Lemon Head · 02-03-2004, 10:29 AM

Rag,.....Lived and fished in that area, (Samoa) as a kid.....Humbolt Bay has BIG pearch, jack smelt, crab and such.....Charters out of Eureka, (just a few miles to the south) will probably be your best bet for ocean fish. The rivers in the area close to Arcata are the Mad River and again south of Eureka the Eel River which use to be the big river for salmon, haven't been down there in quite some time.....thats all I know, hope it helps, Good fishing :smile: LH

Ragnar · 02-03-2004, 12:10 PM

Thanks guys! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]
Keep it coming. This is very helpful.
Ragnar

Salty Walty · 02-03-2004, 02:08 PM

The Jumpin Jack is a great choice. Tom is a great guy. The halibut in the bay are best at lowtide you can just drift the channels or out by the CG station it saves you the trouble of going out to find them on the flats. The ocean salmon might be around but July is better for them. You can also fish off the jetties out of Samoa for rockfish and perch. If you are there for any minus tides Moonstone Beach used to have some good razor clams too. If you are in the mood for a good hot pastrami sandwich the Hole in the Wall Deli is good. If you go East on 299 to Blue Lake you can go to the Mad River Brewery for a tour or the Lost Coast in Eureka or the Humboldt Brewery in Arcata. There are some charters out of Shelter cove too. It is a bit of a drive but a really nice area. There is another option if you have the equipment. Abalone diving. If you don't dive there are still some places you can shore pick. The dive stores in Fort Bragg rent an abalone set up by the day also if you don't have your own. Hope this helps. Not all fishing related but you gotta eat too.

Onokai · 02-03-2004, 04:35 PM

Ragnar,
I live near Arcata for the past 30 years. May /June is when our salmon season starts. We will not know the exact opener dates until the pmc makes the call usually by april. The salmon bite early is best usually out of Eureka. The Rockfishing out of Trinidad is good I'm told by fellow boaters.I called a friend to ask about the rivers then and the word is forget it except for the Klamath which CAN repeat can have 1/2 pounders spoty at best.. This is to early for tuna. Early july is the soonest we get them here. Tuna is my thing, but I do fish for lings with a spear gun/ mask and scuba tank in the summer. Redding rock 5 miles offshore is best for this. Post this question again closer to your trip and I'll ask around then as to whats catchable then. Mark

ONOKAI

Onokai · 02-03-2004, 04:36 PM

Ragnar,
I live near Arcata for the past 30 years. May /June is when our salmon season starts. We will not know the exact opener dates until the pmc makes the call usually by april. The salmon bite early is best usually out of Eureka. The Rockfishing out of Trinidad is good I'm told by fellow boaters.I called a friend to ask about the rivers then and the word is forget it except for the Klamath which CAN repeat can have 1/2 pounders spoty at best.. This is to early for tuna. Early july is the soonest we get them here. Tuna is my thing, but I do fish for lings with a spear gun/ mask and scuba tank in the summer. Redding rock 5 miles offshore is best for this. Post this question again closer to your trip and I'll ask around then as to whats catchable then. Mark

ONOKAI

Nofish · 02-03-2004, 11:25 PM

Whaler Man (Onokai Mark) is from Arcata, I am sure he will weigh in on your question soon. Of course, all he cares about is tuna, so he may not be of much help.

Mark Mc · 02-03-2004, 11:30 PM

Hi Ragnar,

Lemonhead mentioned the bay already. There are also halibut and sharks in the bay. For the inside scoop on those, you might want to track down someone who goes by "Jan from Humboldt" on the Bay Area Tuna Club website, and also the Allcoast website.

Here on i-fish, find a post by 'Onokai' (another Mark). He is local down there; I'm sure he could help you out.

When I lived in Arcata, one interesting fishery was the starry flounder in the lagoons. North of Arcata there is Big Lagoon and Stone Lagoon. They are real nice places to be, even if you don't catch fish. If they have been open to the ocean, the starry flounder will be in there. We used to get on the road on the south side of Big Lagoon, and go out on the spit. That way you can move around a lot, and cast into the lagoon. Those flounder bite almost anything. Small strips of squid work great.

The salmon & steelhead will be over with in the lower rivers. However, you can go inland a ways on the Mad river, near an area called Maple Creek. Up there in the summer you get these small (3 - 5 lb) summer steelhead. The water will be clear, and those guys fight like crazy. You won't see too many people up there; it's real nice.

For the ocean thing, in addition to Eureka, there is a small charter boat that runs out of Trinidad (north of Arcata about 15 miles). A guy named Tom Lesher runs it, the boat is the 'Jumpin'Jack'. That part of the coast is real rocky, and Tom specializes in light tackle rockfishing in shallow water. That would probably be the best bet for ocean, because from Eureka they have to run 25-30 miles down to Cape Mendocino to get into rockfish, so it's more weather-dependent than Trinidad.

Good Luck.. Mark

p.s. - found the link to the Jumpin Jack:

http://members.cox.net/crab/index.html

[ 02-03-2004, 12:34 PM: Message edited by: Mark Mc ]

Ragnar · 02-04-2004, 05:12 AM

Thank you thank you thank you! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]
Jolly good.
Cup'a tea then Bruce,
Perhaps I can get some of my students there to take me out fishing for extra credit?
If they can stay away from the chronic moon-cabbage long enough.
Ragnar