California’s salmon season, which would have opened on April 1, is closed and will remain closed through May 15, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

As a result of the multi-year drought and other factors, the West coast region’s Chinook salmon population has been devastated.

It is intended to “assure long-term survival of our salmon runs and support our struggling fishing communities” for the future by banning fishing for the season, Charlton H. Bonham, Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, stated in a press release.

“The forecasts for Chinook salmon returning to California rivers this year are near record lows,” said Marc Gorelnik, chair of the Pacific Fishery Management Council. He said a yearlong drought in California has led to poor conditions in freshwater environments. Others, however, claim that mismanagement of water dispersal by the state and federal governments is causing salmon ecosystems to be destroyed.

Only 60,000 of the 196,000 adult salmon expected to spawn in the Sacramento River returned. Fishery managers have determined there are not enough salmon in the ocean right now to comfortably allow adult salmon to return in 2023, according to John McManus, president of the Golden State Salmon Association.

The PFMC recommended that all marine waters off California and most of Oregon be closed to recreational and commercial salmon fishing. According to the AP, southern Oregon will allow recreational salmon fishing in the fall while California remains closed.

In terms of inland river fishing in California, the Department of Fish and Wildlife is expected to make an announcement by May 17 regarding the Sacramento, Feather, American, and Mokelumne Rivers. However, it is very likely that inland salmon fishing will be the next to be temporarily shut down.

Despite the disappointment for anglers who hoped to catch Chinnok in California, we appreciate a focus on supporting salmon habitats. While salmon fishing on the West Coast is in limbo, anglers across the country have plenty of other options to target salmon.

Where To Fish For Salmon

Alaska

Our top alternative recommendation is salmon fishing in Alaska. The Last Frontier has many top-notch salmon fishing options, but the Kenai River is the undisputed king.

Chinook salmon caught in the Kenai weighed 97 pounds, four ounces, the world record.

In the Kenai, Chinook salmon are so large that the local government has established a different scale for measuring trophy size.

In most of Alaska, a Chinook salmon that weighs more than 50 pounds is considered a trophy fish, but in the Kenai the fish must weigh at least 75 pounds.

New York

The Salmon River, Lake Ontario, and Niagara River are among the salmon fishing hotspots in New York.

The Salmon River in New York has one of the best salmon runs in the country. It is heavily stocked with chinook salmon, coho salmon and Atlantic salmon every year by the state’s Department of Conservation.

There is also the Niagara River, a waterway that connects Lake Ontario with Lake Erie and another great place to catch salmon in New York. When chinook and coho return to the place where they hatched in the fall, the Lower Niagara River provides 15 miles of prime salmon fishing.

Sources: Wideopenspaces