THE FISHING REPORT: The Klamath is coming

Actually the Klamath Fall season might have already begun. I
talked with my good friend and Klamath guide, Mario Arguilles,
www.fishmario.com, and he
gave me a great report. Already at 8 a.m. on Monday morning he had
two fish to 28 pounds in the box and the boat fishing right next to
him had a fish on as we ended our conversation. Mario is fishing
down in the estuary on the anchor with spinners. This isn’t his
favorite way to fish, but it is effective this time of year. He has
also been bouncing upstream and boondoggling (drift dragging) but
with less success. He expects the run to build into August with the
traditional peak being in the middle of September. The fishmongers
expect a record run to occur as a result of the strong Jack
(two-year-old fish) counted last year and the lack of commercial
fishing throughout the year. In addition, fish caught before Labor
Day will not count against the generous 30,000 sport fish limit the
DFG has allowed for this upcoming season.
More Salmon news includes the opening of a 10-day sport ocean
salmon season beginning August 29th from Horse Mtn. to Pt. St.
George, which is just above Crescent City. This promises to be an
extraordinary opportunity for sport fishermen going through a year
and a half worth of salmon fishing withdrawals. Some good ports to
focus on will be Shelter Cove where the drive is as tough as any
but the fishing grounds are right out in front. The major drawback
to Shelter Cove is that the tractor launch now will cost $60, but a
new truck will cost far more when the salt water corrosion of your
underbody requires a replacement. Trinidad is also a great spot to
try but will be very crowded. They have a good launch ramp and are
also close to the fishing. Eureka is going to be another good
option but expect plenty of company. Crescent City could be the
sleeper option because most fishermen aren’t going to want to drive
the extra miles. If you are considering Crescent City make sure you
touch base with Chris at Eungland Marine, 464-1650. He has been
there forever and will set you up with the right info. There should
be tons of salmon out there if the reports from various rock
fishermen’s and halibut fishermen’s by catch are to be believed.
One friend told me he caught and released 7 salmon to 20 pounds
while fishing for halibut down on ten mile beach. He did catch one
nice halibut.
I have a couple of great service recommendations. The first is
Shimano America Corp. I filled out the form, boxed the 4-5 year old
reels to be serviced and sent them down to Irvine, CA. To my total
surprise, they came back within a week and the reels were not only
fixed as to their specific problems but additional work I hadn’t
even mentioned was performed all for $25 a reel. They may cost a
bit more at the outset, but Shimano reels will surely outlast the
competition with warranty service like I experienced. 
Also, I had a Lowrance GPS/Fish finder for about 4 years. There
were some problems with it that I wanted fixed, and while the unit
still worked, I thought it could be repaired quite easily. When I
called Lowrance, they matter-of-factly stated that they don’t work
on that model anymore but would be happy to give me a $75 credit
towards a new model costing more than 10 times that much. So I
called Fred Fritz at Fritz Marine Electronics in Petaluma and he
helped me pick out a new Ray Marine product. Not only did he take
the time to explain all the many pluses of the product over the
Lowrance, and there were many, including it being cheaper, he
helped me install it as well as retrieve some of the personal
information I had stored on my old unit. In addition, Fred has been
around for 30 years and I am confident that if I have a problem
with this product in the next five years or more, he will be there
to help me out.
For more info or reports, please contact Hunt Conrad at
431-9715.