Sports salmon season reopens in CA, bringing big catches and new hope to North Bay fishermen

Sports salmon season has reopened on California’s North Bay coast, bringing improved conditions and a return to daily catch limits for anglers. On Friday at Bodega Bay, the charter boat Surf Scooter returned with coolers full of king salmon after nearly three years of closure, according to the report. The article says that on that trip, every passenger aboard the Surf Scooter caught the two-fish daily limit allowed under state regulations. Captain Rick Powers of Bodega Bay Sport Fishing described conditions as “exceptional,” noting big king salmon and that his phone had been ringing constantly. The season’s reopening follows closures of both commercial and recreational salmon fishing after populations fell to critically low levels, leaving operators facing severe economic hardship. It adds that in Sausalito, Salty Lady Sportfishing reported salmon averaging about 20 pounds, and that the season duration depends on reaching a regulatory harvest quota of 34,900 fish. Golden State Salmon Association policy director John McManus said fisheries would shut when the quota is hit.