Anglers are hopeful for successful salmon run
Anglers are hopeful for successful salmon run
By Joshua Corbelli, Contributing writer
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Fishing guide Dave Jacobs finds himself in rough water this year.
The fall run of the salmon season on the Sacramento River usually accounts for more than 80 percent of Jacobs' business. But the salmon-fishing season didn't open until Nov. 1, and anglers are limited to one fish per day under this year's regulations.
"It's been devastating, there's no doubt about it. It's devastating that we haven't been able to fish, and it's devastating that our clients look forward to making the trip up here each year," said Jacobs, who lives in Redding. "And a lot of customers don't want to spend money to come up and catch just one salmon."
But he's doing what he can and is hoping for a strong late fall run.
"The fishing started out fairly decent and should improve in the next few weeks. But I gotta be honest, I've seen a lot of fish out there," Jacobs said.
Jacobs is also a licensed guide for the Trinity and Smith rivers, but he said this year that "Trinity was a bust."
The economic impact of the delay has forced guides like Jacobs to rethink their business strategies. He's worried about losing clients not only this season but also in future seasons. "You just gotta think positively, tighten the belt and hope for the best," he said.
And he's not alone.
"It's never collapsed like this. And I don't see a reason for it to get a whole bunch better," said Mike Bogue, owner of Mike Bogue's Guide Service in Redding. "Guides are taking a hit, tackle shops are certainly getting hit hard . . . it's affected everybody."
Bogue only has a couple guided trips booked for the late season. Without the fall run, this year his business took the worst hit in 16 years.
He hasn't been out on the water much, but his mood is buoyant. Bogue said the season is still early and historically gets better about the middle of the month.
If the fall season is closed next year, Bogue plans to focus more on trout and steelhead tours.
But the state Department of Fish and Game isn't ready to make assumptions.
"People say, 'Oh, it's gonna be closed next year.' Well, we don't know that," said DFG spokesman Harry Morse. "It's not red-hot fishing, but guys are catching fish."
The decision to reopen or keep closed next fall's season won't be made until early 2009, after the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the California Fish and Game Commission collect and analyze the late fall data. The goal for a 2009 open fall season is 122,000 returning adult spawning salmon.
Despite elevated numbers in the late fall season of 2007 (21,701 returning adult salmon, up from 17,035 in 2005), Morse said this year's data is at one of the lowest points since 1990. Currently, there isn't enough data to give an estimate, but "it's not a high count," he said. The chinook activity has been cyclical in the past and may continue to be so, he said.
Kirk Portocarrero of Outdoor Adventures Sportsfishing in Redding has seen some catches in the late season. One client Sunday caught a 35-pounder. The weather for the first couple days of the season kept many anglers off the water. Portocarrero, who had clients from Arkansas book a three-day trip, said he saw "very few people, very few fish."
But he's confident in a strong late fall turnout.
"I think we're gonna have a lot of big fish to catch. I'm thankful it hasn't been shut down completely. You have to take advantage; you might never have the opportunity to catch a salmon again. You never know what the future entails," Portocarrero said.
Scott Hamelburg of Coleman National Fish Hatchery said the number of jack salmon (males that mature faster) is up from last year, which could mean a higher number of fish in the river next year.
