Limited salmon season in '25

I'm excited to have a chance to try.

Early June is a tough time for kayak salmon in this area though. Fish tend to be far offshore, and without reports to get you started it is a big ocean.

Exactly!  I'm sure there will be scouting before hand, with super tight lips.  Early June is a crap shoot, but I bet someone here hits paydirt, and that's what it's all about!  I love Eddies post... Lots of variables, the ogs will know how to increase their chances, but the fish could be anywhere, and that's only if the weather cooperates.  But damn... I'm ready to put the hours/miles in just for the anticipation of it!  Its been a long time.   

Maybe clip 100% of the hatchery fish, and only allow clipped fish to be retained.

Not a bad idea.

With such specific windows I hope the swell and wind cooperate.  Get ready for thick foggy misty mornings with sharks everywhere.  I can’t believe I just adjusted my haircut book all the way through September 30th.  If my wife asks about what I’m thinkin’ bout, good chance “salmon” might be a common default.  How do I catch one?  I’m prolly gonna blow the whole season slow pitching or mooching when a slow troll seems to be the standard technique.  If you don’t get that chovy roll just right though you may as well watch fishing videos.😂  Hope I use the right color flasher or do I use a dodger?  How long should my leader be?  Can I gaff em’?  Do they like live bait?  Hmmmm….i better go catch some halibut so I don’t get confused.

Hey Eddie, was that you passing me on the road with the minivan, stealth and throwing up the Shaka 🤙? It was Monday in San Rafael. I was in my truck with orange Hobie kayak on top.

Yes sir! Glad to meet ya’ on the boards.  Being a kayak racist and all I had to determine if that was a fishing yak or a sea kayak in the distance before I threw up the common salty hand greeting.  See ya” on da wattah!

I'm excited to have a chance to try.

Early June is a tough time for kayak salmon in this area though. Fish tend to be far offshore, and without reports to get you started it is a big ocean.

Listen hear Mr.5 miles out 5 miles back guy…you got this. 

Maybe clip 100% of the hatchery fish, and only allow clipped fish to be retained.

Not a bad idea.

Given that Sac River fall-run Chinook (SRFC) are the constraining stock, a mark-select fishery with 100% hatchery clip rate would not work to reduce SRFC impacts in this situation. The SRFC stock index includes both hatchery- and natural-origin fall Chinook in the Sacramento River and its tributaries. This includes the Coleman (Sac), Oroville (Feather), and Nimbus (American) hatcheries. Allowing retention of a fin-clipped Coleman fish would have the same impact on the stock index as keeping an un-clipped natural origin fish from the upper Sac River, as they are classified as the same fish.

The Mokelumne fall Chinook are outside of the SRFC, being in the San Joaquin basin. A case could be made to allow retention of Moke fish via a mark-select fishery. But even if that hatchery marked 100% of its fish, it's a relatively small run compared to the SRFC index as a whole. This would result in verrry few clipped fish among a sea of unclipped fish, which then leads to handling/release mortality of unclipped fish impacting the SRFC stock (generally 20% H/R mortality rate for Chinook). It just wouldn't work unless production was dramatically increased at the Moke hatchery.

Maybe clip 100% of the hatchery fish, and only allow clipped fish to be retained.

Not a bad idea.

I think this would be a horrible idea.  Just imagine all the idiots snapping photos of non clipped fish or undersized before they release them, and I assure you there will be plenty.  Also, have you seen the general public handling fish before releasing?  Absolutely crap for the most part.

Thanks Clayman for that

Long view

Early 90s i was under the maybe mistaken impression the numbers were way down and backed off on what i took and cut my delivery list to a few close friends Reality was they were probably just hanging offshore

There have been some decent years since but nothing like the 70-80s when limits were 3 fish and maybe even 4

My impression since is it's a severely depleted situation and w the water management situation what it is what's your opinion about the season being opened?

Thanks Clayman for that

Long view

Early 90s i was under the maybe mistaken impression the numbers were way down and backed off on what i took and cut my delivery list to a few close friends Reality was they were probably just hanging offshore

There have been some decent years since but nothing like the 70-80s when limits were 3 fish and maybe even 4

My impression since is it's a severely depleted situation and w the water management situation what it is what's your opinion about the season being opened?

I think economics played a big role in them recommending a season. Even a 2-day season encourages folks to buy tackle, bait, make hotel reservations, spend money in the coastal communities that typically rely on summer tourism. If the weather is nice, the ports on June 7 and 8 will be shit-shows like people here have already suggested. But the shit-show could give those coastal ports a welcome boost in revenue after two years of total salmon closures.

Totally agree on the water management situation being the main culprit for low returns, impacting both hatchery and natural-origin fish. The sky-high stray rates of trucked hatchery smolts is another, more recent issue. Trucking results in high outmigration survival. But if the trucked Sac River fish don't actually return to the Sac as adults, then they don't count towards the escapement goal.

If we can't change the water management situation, then a more achievable goal is to reduce the stray rates of the trucked hatchery fish. There is a pilot project going on this year that involves rearing Chinook smolts in a net pen so they imprint on Sacramento River water (https://ncgasa.org/2025/02/28/bridge-group-proposed-tehama-colusa-net-pen-comes-to-fruition/). It'll be a couple of years before we see the results of the pilot project.

I heard from a ranger type at point Molate that there was a plan for smolt release in the the Pinole region of SF Bay.  Where would I locate such tasty rumors?

I heard from a ranger type at point Molate that there was a plan for smolt release in the the Pinole region of SF Bay.  Where would I locate such tasty rumors?

I remember hearing about that as well about ten years ago they had been doing that and apparently the striped bass and birds caught on and it just became a yearly feeding rather than a release.....tasty rumor or?

Given that Sac River fall-run Chinook (SRFC) are the constraining stock, a mark-select fishery with 100% hatchery clip rate would not work to reduce SRFC impacts in this situation. The SRFC stock index includes both hatchery- and natural-origin fall Chinook in the Sacramento River and its tributaries. This includes the Coleman (Sac), Oroville (Feather), and Nimbus (American) hatcheries. Allowing retention of a fin-clipped Coleman fish would have the same impact on the stock index as keeping an un-clipped natural origin fish from the upper Sac River, as they are classified as the same fish.

The Mokelumne fall Chinook are outside of the SRFC, being in the San Joaquin basin. A case could be made to allow retention of Moke fish via a mark-select fishery. But even if that hatchery marked 100% of its fish, it's a relatively small run compared to the SRFC index as a whole. This would result in verrry few clipped fish among a sea of unclipped fish, which then leads to handling/release mortality of unclipped fish impacting the SRFC stock (generally 20% H/R mortality rate for Chinook). It just wouldn't work unless production was dramatically increased at the Moke hatchery.

I appreciate this write up /explanation 👍

Given that Sac River fall-run Chinook (SRFC) are the constraining stock, a mark-select fishery with 100% hatchery clip rate would not work to reduce SRFC impacts in this situation. The SRFC stock index includes both hatchery- and natural-origin fall Chinook in the Sacramento River and its tributaries. This includes the Coleman (Sac), Oroville (Feather), and Nimbus (American) hatcheries. Allowing retention of a fin-clipped Coleman fish would have the same impact on the stock index as keeping an un-clipped natural origin fish from the upper Sac River, as they are classified as the same fish.

The Mokelumne fall Chinook are outside of the SRFC, being in the San Joaquin basin. A case could be made to allow retention of Moke fish via a mark-select fishery. But even if that hatchery marked 100% of its fish, it's a relatively small run compared to the SRFC index as a whole. This would result in verrry few clipped fish among a sea of unclipped fish, which then leads to handling/release mortality of unclipped fish impacting the SRFC stock (generally 20% H/R mortality rate for Chinook). It just wouldn't work unless production was dramatically increased at the Moke hatchery.

I appreciate this write up /explanation 👍

+1

We are very fortunate to have Chris' expertise shared on this board.

Totally agree on the water management situation being the main culprit for low returns, impacting both hatchery and natural-origin fish. The sky-high stray rates of trucked hatchery smolts is another, more recent issue. Trucking results in high outmigration survival. But if the trucked Sac River fish don't actually return to the Sac as adults, then they don't count towards the escapement goal.

If we can't change the water management situation, then a more achievable goal is to reduce the stray rates of the trucked hatchery fish. There is a pilot project going on this year that involves rearing Chinook smolts in a net pen so they imprint on Sacramento River water (https://ncgasa.org/2025/02/28/bridge-group-proposed-tehama-colusa-net-pen-comes-to-fruition/). It'll be a couple of years before we see the results of the pilot project.

Smolt monitoring

https://www.facebook.com/reel/982510913616473

With such specific windows I hope the swell and wind cooperate…Do they like live bait?  Hmmmm….i better go catch some halibut so I don’t get confused.

Last year fishing for Halibut c/r’d 2 kings very large beautiful beasts!!! Hoochie/chov slow trolling bumping the bottom out of my familiar Haunts😉  3 days apart if I remember correctly 😳

Cya OTW Eddie 😎

With such specific windows I hope the swell and wind cooperate…Do they like live bait?  Hmmmm….i better go catch some halibut so I don’t get confused.

Last year fishing for Halibut c/r’d 2 kings very large beautiful beasts!!! Hoochie/chov slow trolling bumping the bottom out of my familiar Haunts😉  3 days apart if I remember correctly 😳

Cya OTW Eddie 😎

I'll find ya'