California fishermen waited for three years since 2022 for an opportunity to catch Chinook salmon, aka king salmon. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife cited the need to let the population rebound before opening the fishery in 2025 to a limited recreational fishing window in June. CDFW opened the recreational fishery again for up to 7,500 salmon for a four-day window, from Thursday-Sunday, Sept. 4-7, while keeping the commercial fishery closed.
It’s too soon for CDFW officials to know how they did numbers-wise and whether they will reopen the fishery again for a short time later this year, with possible additional open dates of Sept. 29-30. But anecdotal data from local fishermen shows mixed results.
Chris Arcoleo of Chris’ Fishing, a charter boat operator on Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, describes the September opening with one word: “terrible.”
Boats sell out quickly – “people want to go,” he says” – but day one yielded just one salmon per boat, two per boat on day two and then zero.
It was better for Brad Rice, a winegrape grower who keeps a 37-foot sportscraft fishing boat at Monterey Harbor. He says it was easy hitting limits on the first two days, before a mechanical issue kept him off the water on Saturday. He was back on day four, when he says the fishing was OK – but he rates the overall experience high. “The weather was outstanding, Mother Nature was good to us,” he says, referring to low swell and light winds.
“Being out on the water is a success,” Rice says. “Catching fish is a bonus.” This time around, the bonus means he’s already been able to feast on slow-cooked salmon collars.