Anglers are holding on to hope a fall salmon run will appear after a spotty summer of ocean salmon angling. Last year’s ocean salmon season was best after August. The same may hold this year.

Any signs of a start would be welcome.

Warm water temperatures outside the Golden Gate may be a factor in the up-and-down salmon bite. This week, water temperature in Bodega Bay was 61 degrees, 63 degrees off the Marin County Coast and 65 degrees in Half Moon Bay.

Party boats have done best off the Marin County Coast, but salmon don’t seem to be evident inside the Bay and through the Central Valley system.

Keith Fraser at Loch Lomond Marina in San Rafael reports “four or five salmon per week” are being caught at California City, just north of the Raccoon Straits near Tiburon. To be fair, not a lot of anglers are dedicated time at Cal City.

Further along the salmon trail, there is some life in Benicia where shoreline anglers last week began catching salmon from the shoreline at Benicia State Park in fair numbers. Benicia Bait reports a half-dozen salmon per day are being landed, but an equal number get lost each day.

Between Benicia and Red Bluff it’s been bleak.

Sources in Rio Vista and Freeport said zero salmon have been reported in the last week. There are rumors of a few salmon being hooked in Colusa and Chico and after that, there’s some salmon being caught from the Barge Hole outside the Coleman Hatchery at Red Bluff.
It’s apparent the fish that are entering the system are bolting through and wasting little time in the warm water of the Sacramento River.

Prospects are more encouraging on the Klamath River. The surge of water released from Trinity Lake has drawn jack salmon into the system, usually a precursor to the run of adults. There are reports the commercial netters have been catching good numbers of fish this week.