Fishing lures are now carried in the store with fishing
bait and ice.
Fishing along the Mendocino coast is pretty well
limited to boat fishing. That is because the coast is mostly rock with
steep inclines and either none or very small beaches. Accessible beaches
are usually only found where rivers and streams merge with the ocean
or are in wind prone areas. Places for fishing from the shore are therefore
minimal and fishing from rock outcroppings can be dangerous in our surge
prone ocean. So bring your camping gear and boat to Albion for a holiday
of hassle free fishing and boating. Learn how a little salmon can inflict
so much damage on your nice new fishing gear. If you don't have a boat,
charter fishing boats are available in Fort Bragg, Calif, 16 miles north.
King Salmon fishing is closed for this year.
King Salmon is the major producer pelagic sports fish
that runs along the Mendocino coast. They are found close in for most
of the spring and summer along with Silver Salmon (Coho). Learn the difference
between the king and silver because the silver is forbidden fruit. Another
pelagic is albacore which run off of our shore in the warm water currents
of summer.
King Salmon is usually taken by trolling near shore
with  anchovy
or herring on rotaries and hoochies. The best fishing location over the
seasons has been in the neighborhood of the horn buoy just outside Albion
Bay and out to water depths of 350 feet depending on inshore water temperature.
When they are still schooled up, they can be anywhere out there. Trolling
speed is between 2 and 2.5 miles per hour (per your GPS). If you are
catching silvers, you are going to fast. Fishing depth is 35 pulls with
a No. 2 Deep-Six or two pound ball. You can fine tune it from there or
ask your neighbor. Most of us will share that information. Fish depth
and location is dependent on water temperature. The usual catch size
is around 10 to 20 pounds with the latest record at 41.11 pounds for
2007.
A new wave of fishing fever invades the campground
in August as the outer water temperature increases. Monitoring the water
temperature off the coast, using the internet, becomes a serious business.
Water temperatures above 57 degrees are normally far offshore during
the summer. When they whip in near shore and spend a day or two, the
rush is on. The change is ususally in last August or September. With
a tackle box full of plugs, usually cedar or similar, everyone heads
toward weather buoy 14 about 10 miles out and the fight is on. Trolling
speed is between 10 and 20 miles per hour. If you are lucky, the ocean
is flat and fish are jumping. Don't forget to get the horn buoy, channel
light and weather buoy coordinates on your GPS on the way out. It is
always nice to have the return coordinates to the campground in case
of fog. On a clear day you can see the mountains from out at the weather
buoy but shoreline features are a little dim.
Bottom fish run a close second to the salmon in popularity
for catching but first for eating. Bottom fish include the lingcod, greenling,
and the many species of rockfish, some of which are also forbidden fruit.
Learn to identify the different fish identification. Tickets for illegal
catches are getting extremely expensive. Blue rockfish seem to be the
most abundant with some blacks and vermilion. They are usually taken
on jigs, feather lures, and cut bait in rocky areas near the bottom.
Hungry blues have been known to school near the surface during the summer.
Fish are still found in quantity at depths less than 120 feet.
Bottom fishing out of Albion
River Campground includes the waters from Mendocino Headlands to
the islands off of Elk. The most productive area is between Navarro
River and Elk but you need a larger boat to work that location. Maybe
that is why it still contains more and larger bottom fish. Most of
us still fish from Navarro river north to Van Damne Bay. Just stay
inside of the 120 foot depth line. Shrimp flies with bait and jigs
are still productive. One of the feather lures (P-line or Black Belt)
with 5/0 hooks and with or without bait attract their share of all
types of bottom fish when they are biting. You can expect a visit from Fish
and Game while out there. |
