Shelter Cove - victim of regs...

I was talking with a local at the Cove the other day who told me that he thinks rockfish doesn't open there until July.  I went back to DFG, downloaded their POS Adobe regs (couldn't do it from my dinosaur-dial up at home...) and found that rockfish opens there June 1st.  So sorry to those who I've enticed with "we can keep rockfish in May".  I was wrong, but at least it's not July...  Sounds like June will be a great time for a NCKA get together for rockfish, abs, and hopefully salmon if they'll cooperate.  Until then - have fun out there!   

Abking,

You can always travel south to join us for RCG down here some time after May 1.

Abking,
That's a real bummer!  RCG is open in May for the Northern Management Region, unfortunately the line in 40 degrees 10 minutes which is north of Shelter Cove!  I was planning on a May trip to Shelter Cove for a Rockfish Salmon combo and now I'm really depressed.  

North of somewhere around the middle of the Lost Coast it'll open May 1st, so thanks, Etienne, for the offer, but I'll hit a flat day at the Cape in May.  Sorry, Windrider!  Come up in June and we'll have a good ol' time!   

Abking,
Thanks for the "heads up".  It's better to find out now, then drive all the way up there to discover the season is closed!

Dang! Gonna havta go check the regs again...was planning a trip to The Cove in early May to try for the 5 Star---salmon, rockfish, abalone, halibut, and crab!

So we can still catch RF in May if we launch from Petrolia area? Or Eureka?
Thats still cool. Probably similar drive time, right....and similar opportunities...just minus the wild remoteness and majestic beauty of The Cove.

PK

Oh no Brothers, The beauty of the coast just north of the Humboldt Bay is unrivaled in all of California. Shelter Cove is big and freindly but Trinidad is just as easy with better rockfishing. The closer you get to the Klamath the thicker the Salmon The campgrounds at Clam beach and Patricks pt will blow you away for verdant beauty and wilderness. If you've only made it to Shelter Cove you aint seen nothing yet.

swellrider,
Can't argue with anything you said, it's just so far!  But, I will keep it in mind.
 

Abking,
Where are you planning to go for the Rockfish opener?

Activate secret decoder...     Windrider:  I'll hope to go out to the Cape Mendocino area, but it's only possible to launch out there if the wind is less than 10 knots and the swell is very low.  Sometimes the forecast is winds 5 knots and it's still blown-out over there...  Generally, I will wait for the perfect forecast to go over there, and even then it's a crapshoot.  Trinidad offers a protected launch and fishing opportunities even when the wind is up and the swell isn't ideal, so I may go up there.  The rockfishing is so off the hook over near the Cape that I'm usually not too interested in scouting around Trinidad Harbor - I'll probably wait for the conditions to allow a Cape trip.  I know Swellrider does trips out of Trinidad though, and I'd like to hook up with Hawk again, so you never know!     I am looking very forward to having the option to go rockfishing - that's for sure! 

Sure would like to meet you guys and rockfish out of Trinidad and/or Shelter Cove when it opens up. Will watch your posts and try to hook up.

Abking,
I have my decoder ring on and thanks for the feedback!  How far off 101 is your Cape Mendocino launch site?  If it is too rough there I could always go up and give Trinidad a try.  That launch site in swellrider's picture does look very inviting. 

It's an hour or more from 101, Windrider.  In the past 10 years I've probably done a dozen trips over there where I didn't even get out of the truck due to wind...  If you're making the trip up we can head out there together if the forecast is right or we can go up to Trinidad if not.  This is cool - we're talking 17 more days!   

BobN - where are you located?

Abking,
It would be great to hookup with you and fish those areas.  At the moment, I'm focusing on May 12 & 13.  I don't work Friday's, so I could drive up then find a motel and be rested for Saturday fishing.

Sounds good, Windrider.  As we get close to the date we can watch the forecast and the current salmon intel for different destinations (opens out of Humboldt Bay and Trinidad on 5/5 I believe) and decide on best destinations.  I'd offer to provide you with accomodations, but I don't sport a spare room or a wife that would want me to have friends stay overnight!  I will however get you good info on hotels and camping options.  Is that Mother's Day weekend you're talking about?  If the salmon bite is happening out of Trinidad and they're not too deep then a nice combo day could be had:  Dungeness, Chinook, Lingcod, Cabezon, Rockfish, Abalone!