Mendocino Village, CA Fishing: Astonishing Coast

Along the coast of California is Mendocino Village, the place to be where you can enjoy a scenic stroll and visit art galleries and boutiques. With its Pacific Ocean coastline, visitors can explore the beautiful trails and complete ocean view. This seaside village is known for its romantic Victorian houses turned into bed and breakfast inns surrounded by beaches, restaurants, and shops, making it perfect for weddings.

Filled with goods from China, the Frolic accidentally discovered Mendocino by a shipwreck at the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse that stands today. The Frolics could go to the Big River beach safely with two lifeboats. In the 1800s, Mendocino village became a logging community, but in the early 1900s, the place was abandoned. In the 1970s, the Mendocino Arts Center was opened, and the area eventually became a home for artists, farmers, and entrepreneurs. The National Register of Historic Places recognized Mendocino Village for its well-preserved surroundings and Victorian architecture.

Mendocino village hosts several festivals, such as Mendocino Film Festival in June and a music festival in July, celebrating the county’s great products such as Dungeness crab, craft beers, salmon, wild mushrooms, and regional wine. Truly, Mendocino Village is the gift that keeps on giving. And for anglers, Mendocino Village's gift is its waters brimming with life and marine biodiversity.

Mendocino Village Fishing

With Mendocino Village being a coastal hamlet surrounded by steel-blue sea and inland waterways, it is only natural for it to be an excellent destination for anglers in search of both scenic views and a variety of choices when it comes to fishing.

Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area encompasses 1,012 parklands with two miles of river frontage. Considered the "gateway to the world-famous redwood belt,” the area has camping facilities, picnicking, hiking, and fishing on the South Fork of the Eel River. Here, anglers can catch salmon and steelhead trout from September through February through drift fishing. Note that anglers aged 16 and over must carry a valid California fishing license.

Located in the northwestern part of the state at Calpella, Lake Mendocino is a 1,920-acre reservoir teeming with many warm-water fish species. It is a popular fishing destination with boating access at the North Ramp by Kyen Campground off Highway 20 and at the South Ramp off Lake Mendocino Drive. The primary fish species that made a home in Lake Mendocino are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, white catfish, black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, and striped bass.

October through November are the best months for bass fishing through fly-lining a bait. In addition, bass are attracted to artificial bait and live bait, such as minnows, crayfish, nightcrawlers, jigs, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits.

Channel catfish and white catfish, on the other hand, are at their peak numbers in June, July, and August. Some techniques used to target catfish are using a floater above the weight on a slip sinker rig, drifting afloat to cover water from the bank, and jig heads tipped with bait.

March, April, May, September, October, and November see the most crappie in Mendocino Village waters. They are often found around cover in shallow water and can be caught using the spider-rigging method, which can be done with many popular baits, such as minnows, worms, and insects. As for the redear sunfish, the best time to target them is around March or April by sending red worms to the bottom of the waters or bottom fishing.

Navarro Beach Campground is an excellent fishing destination for steelhead fishing. The park, located along Highway 128, spans over 660 acres of land along a 14-mile contiguous river corridor. Here, anglers can catch steelhead, lingcod, Gafftopsail sea catfish, and cabezon. Generally, steelhead are abundant from December through February; meanwhile, September, October, and November are the best months for lingcod fishing. Cabezon may be caught year-round.

Steelhead are usually caught using a  bobber/jig fishing technique wherein a brightly colored jig is dangled beneath a float and cast upriver, then allowed to drift through an area holding fish. Lingcod are caught on both lures and live or dead bait. Cabezon are fished from the bottom of the waters using lead-head jigs and hard baits.

Abalone lovers would not want to miss the Van Damme State Park. This park offers a scenic beach and a lush fern-filled forest and features a protected cove from which visitors can launch a kayak or fish for abalone. However, due to specific environmental conditions, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that the abalone season will remain closed until 2026.

In Caspar State Beach, visitors can have a picnic and relax as there are picnic tables scattered around the area overlooking the gorgeous ocean views. In addition, there is also a trail that leads out to the sandy beaches where anglers can fish. Those who are 16 years old or older must have a valid California fishing license before proceeding with any fishing activity.

The Mendocino National Forest is the home of an extensive trout fishery and houses other anadromous and warm-water fisheries for trout-fishing enthusiasts. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is currently regulating this area to maintain a healthy marine ecosystem in all of the rivers and streams that flow through it. Rainbow trout can be found in prolific numbers, especially in March, April, and May. They are caught using lures, such as spinners, spoons, plugs, and jigs with a size range of the 1″-3″.

The Eel River is a major river that passes throughout northwestern California. Anglers can catch steelhead, Chinook salmon, and white sucker in this river. Salmon fishing usually happens from June through August and August through November, while for white suckers, the best period is from early May to early June.

Mendocino village’s other popular fishing destinations are Pudding Creek and Mendocino Grove.

Top 10 Fish Species in Mendocino Village, CA

The top ten fish species found in Mendocino, CA are rainbow trout, salmon, largemouth bass, steelhead trout, lingcod, albacore, crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, and striped bass.

Seasonal Fishing

Because of the various fish species in the waters of the Mendocino Village, anglers can come here year-round. However, the best months to visit for those who prefer bass and trout are from October through November. People see a great yield of crappie and lingcod in these same months.

Book Your Next Trip to Mendocino Village

1. Book a Fish Charter

Let Mendocino VIllage's naturally ocean blue views completely take your breath away by not having to worry about navigating its waters and operating a boat yourself. Licensed guides will assist you and ensure that you have a great time fishing or just enjoying the crystal clear waters.

2. Visit the Mendocino Art Center

For creatives and art enthusiasts, Mendocino Art Center is the place to be. It is located on a hilltop that overlooks the awe-inspiring Pacific ocean blues. Aside from the art exhibits, visitors and artists can enjoy several workshops on various specialties, such as drawing, pottery, painting, mental arts, fiber arts, and jewelry-making.

3. Indulge Your Curiosity with the Skunk Trail Railbikes

Indeed, Skunk Trail Railbikes' distinctive name has already intrigued you. A portion of this trail used to be a part of the Skunk Train Station in Fort Bragg back in the 1880s, which was mainly utilized to transport timber. These days, instead of railroad tracks, visitors will now be treated with the view of the forest and inhale the pure air by taking a ride on the Skunk Train’s unique railbikes. Towering redwoods surround the trail, and friendly guides will be there to help you out.