Jet Stream Guide Service
Alex Fulton, Owner and Guide
Phone: 530-629-4696
Salyer California
Email: JetStreamGuide@Hotmail.com

Hello and welcome to Jetstream Guide Service. Adventure fishing in the Klamath/Trinity River Basin of Northern California is what we are all about. Over the years, Jetstream Guide Service has primarily focused on the productive salmon and ling cod fisheries in the salt waters off of Humboldt Bay, Cape Mendocino and the Trinidad areas as well as the productive steelhead drift boat fisheries of all the North Coast rivers. As of 2005 the focus has been trained squarely on the salmon and steelhead fishery of the lower Trinity River due to the ideal placement of our family riverfront ranch on the banks of the Trinity River. I offer drift boat fishing on a nearly private section of the Trinity River for salmon and steelhead from September first through March. The best months for the Trinity River fishery are September, October and November. During the summer months I run offshore trips for salmon and trophy ling cod. The open seasons in the ocean vary, but generally run from May first to the middle of September. For a magic few weeks in September, both fisheries overlap, and we can just pick the best one for the day. All trips are fully guided, with all gear provided, and typically run all day. The drift boat trips either start or finish in my back yard on a section of the Trinity River that I have the pleasure of seeing on a daily basis. The beauty of this river is its ability to produce good fishing almost any day of the year. I know it well and am eager to show you just how good it can be. As for the ocean, Humboldt Bay bar is notorious for two things: fickle weather and outstanding fishing. Salmon run thick off of Humboldt Bay bar all summer and a run south to Cape Mendocino or north of Trinidad Head can put you onto some of the most spectacular bottom fishing grounds on the west coast. I was born and raised within sight of the ocean and a short drive from the Trinity River and now live within sight of the Trinity River and a short drive from the ocean. If you are looking for a local guide to show you the best of these Northern California fisheries, give Jetstream Guide Service a try.

Have you ever seen a school of bait fish the size of a house swim under your boat, as all of your fishing lines simultaneously come tight to silver, flashing salmon. This is what I search for out in the big brine and this is what keeps me coming back for more. The desire to show others the wonders of the sea is what keeps me guiding out there. The river is small, intimate, warm and quiet. The ocean is big and cold, crashing and ferocious, providing the two opposite extremes of a salmon's life. A salmon can gently slip by you on the river without leaving a trace. In the ocean it may go streaking by your boat hell-bent to crush the flashing metal tied to the end of your line. The river asks for delicate strokes of the oars of a drift boat, the ocean demands a screaming V8 engine.

What is your style? Ocean salmon not rough enough? Try trophy ling cod. A ling will try to remove your finger if you aren't careful. They are even less gentle to a lure. May signals the beginning of a new fishing year, with giant ling cod and rockfish. Yes you can go out on a large charter vessel and catch a boatload of black snappers for a lot less money, but if you want to catch the big boys a lot more effort is required. The first thing you need is a good seaworthy boat. Not too big, not too small. And faster is better. The big ones don't live close to port. Further, getting a limit quick and going home shouldn't be the goal. Bigger is better. Trust me. A big rockfish is fun to catch, but the creature who eats the big rockfish is more fun to catch. And a fish that eats them three at a time is the most fun to catch! Those are the ones we are looking for. The last key ingredient, and the hardest to provide, is calm seas. This is the one that drives me crazy. Experience has taught me again and again that rough water is no fun, and not good for fishing either. I will do my best to get you out there on a good day, but understand that conditions change quickly and last-minute cancellations, while frustrating, are probably in your best interest. Fishing for salmon can still be good in a rough ocean, though I don't know too many people who like fishing for anything if the water is too messy. Typically our fishing days are in the two-to-five foot swell range with light winds. This is what I always hope for, and we get enough of them to keep us happy. Although there are times when the salmon seem more plentiful, the fishing is good (or not) on a daily basis. That is to say, there is no best time. Early season is usually good for big numbers of fish, and late season is best for the biggest fish. These are generalizations. Good numbers can mean over 50 salmon making it to the net (if you are a fan of catch and release), and big fish can mean king salmon over 40 pounds. Of course those numbers represent the best of times. But let me assure you that the Humboldt Bay area fishery is one of the most consistent producers in the state, and can easily rival that of famed Alaska waters. Most of this salmon fishery involves trolling with downriggers, which allow the use of very light gear. Whether you are a novice or veteran, I am happy to provide a service that will be remembered as unique and high quality. Make sure you bring your license and salmon punch card and a lunch and let's go fishing.

The Jetstream is a one of a kind fishing dream machine. She is a ridged aluminum-hulled jet boat with extremely durable raft tubes made by Wing Inflatables. The main engine is a hot Chevy 350 tied to a Kodiak two stage white water jet pump. The boat is built to tackle the most challenging water the Pacific Northwest has to offer and to my knowledge is the only one of its kind to ever be rigged for fishing. These boats are typically used for search and rescue, law enforcement, and military applications. I have a 15 horse Honda four stroke auxiliary engine for trolling and three cannon mag 15 downriggers for precise depth control of the fishing lines. I run a top notch Lowrance GPS/sonar unit, and carry double the required safety equipment. I also keep an EPIRB locator beacon on board should a serious emergency ever occur. An additional benefit is the fact that I have owned and operated Jetstream full time since 2001 and have done all my own engine work with the expert help of Andrew Peterson. It is a fast boat which comes in handy on those long runs to the ling cod reefs, not to mention REAL FUN!

The lower Trinity River drift boat season begins in late August, but to ensure good numbers of fish, trips start on September first. Most of September is summer steelhead time. Every year is different, but September is usually a month that sees good numbers of extremely aggressive summer steelhead holding in our section of river. The water is very clear and quite warm, which requires a very stealthy approach that is more similar to trout fishing than steelhead. Most days provide some kind of action and some days can produce a fish from every place we wet a line. Twenty hookups in a day, while not common, is not entirely unusual either. The other unique element of the early fall fishery is the white water. One of the two runs I do has a pretty high excitement factor and is one of the quietest, most remote feeling runs on the river. This trip is truly one of a kind. Good fishing, exciting rapids and eagles are far more common than people.

October is high time on the Trinity River. When the salmon arrive there is no question about it. They jump and splash and generally do their part to distract you from the task at hand…. catching them! Although the numbers of fish can be staggering at times, this can be a difficult time to catch fish. More is required of the angler, as bait fishing is the method of choice. A steady hand and attention to detail are required, but if anglers and guide work well as a team and the fish feel like cooperating, the experience can be world class.

November is back to steelhead, though the feel of the river is becoming much more wintery and less like fall, winter steelhead that is… and some of the biggest and of the season. As the season progresses into winter, the rains make the water conditions more variable and harder to predict. This is the time for the ghosts of the river, the native winter steelhead. Like people, every one is different. Some are chrome silver and some rainbow colored. Some are big, some small. But all put on a tremendous fight as the river conditions let them show their best. After December first, the river conditions and the fish movements become very hard to predict. This time of year is for a certain type of hardy fisherman who understands the obsessive addiction that is winter steelhead fishing. Great effort expended in harsh conditions for a wild fish or two that will be released back into the river. By late February, spring is in the air and a solid stream of wild steelhead is making its way back down to the sea after spawning. They mix with the late returning fish going upstream, making for an interesting day of fishing for fresh and downstream fish. The fresh ones are picky, but fight hard and jump high, while the more numerous downstream fish eat everything in sight. These conditions carry on until the end of the season on April first. There are many wonderful rivers in Northern California, and before 2005 I tried to fish them all, but since relocating to the one I consider the best year round fishery in the state, I have chosen to fish just one: the one in my backyard, the Trinity River.

Simple is often better in the river. This can apply to technique, gear used, and the boat we float in. No engine necessary. I have a custom built guide special Willie Boats McKenzie style drift boat. It is made for whitewater, and the runs I use it for put it to the test. It is aluminum and for good reason: rocks are hard and we hit them fairly regularly. Aside from that, she is a fishing machine, complete with everything necessary for a productive and comfortable day on the water. And for those brave winter steelhead fishers there is a propane heater with a blower fan. All Trinity River fishing is done by oar-powered drift boat, as it is the stealthiest way to present bait and lure to spooky salmon and steelhead.

Born and raised in the Humboldt Bay watershed, with a large backyard in the Klamath/Trinity Rivers watershed. The country known as the North Coast of California has been my home since I was born in 1977, and though I have visited many other areas in my lifetime nowhere else has inspired me with such awe and a deeper understanding of the natural world as this one place. Most local kids can't wait to grow up and leave for the big city. Some, however just want to know this place as best they can. I am one of those. While some kids rode their bikes to the arcade; I rode mine to the Mad River fish hatchery. In high school, while my buddies were partying recklessly, I was knee deep in the river trying my best to catch that elusive steelhead. When it came time to get my first car, I opted for a boat. When I finally did get a car (and the boat) I spent many days exploring the land and water of this vast region. I made it a point to do my best to personally know every last mountain and drainage of the Klamath and Trinity rivers as well as most of the coastal river basins from the Eel River to the south to the Smith River in the north. Many days were spent hiking the wilderness areas sometimes for weeks at a time. In the company of some close friends, I have been one of the lucky few to have boated most all of the rivers of this area, whitewater to flat water. Backcountry backpacking, rafting, and jet boating are some of my other passions that go together well with my love of fishing and the study of this unique area. In 2001 my adventures took a new turn with the purchase of my jet boat “Jetstream” as now the ocean was wide open to me and long distance runs were now within reach. The entire Lower Klamath and Trinity rivers were also now accessible in a whole new way. After a few years of intense play sprinkled with some drift boat guiding I decided to create Jetstream Guide Service to show others the wonders of this place, and to keep my self and my boat on the water as much as possible. In 2003 I acquired my U.S. Coast Guard near shore waters license and all other necessary permits and the guide service was born. My goal was to make ALL the fisheries of the North Coast available to my guests, but as life tends to do once and awhile; things changed. In 2005 my dream property came up for sale, and while I didn't have to cut off any arms or legs to get it, it did require some pretty extreme contortions to make the dream a reality. It was worth it. I and my guests now have as close a thing to private water as exists in the Klamath/Trinity River basin. I no longer fish the coastal rivers or the Lower Klamath River, but the trade-off is quite possibly the most unique guided fishing experience available. Send me an email or give me a call and we'll see if I can create the dream trip you have been looking for.

My goal is to get you out on the water for an experience that was memorable because it was really good. I will always give you an honest appraisal of the weather and fishing conditions and would rather cancel a trip than take you out on a bad day. There are no bad days to go fishing, but some can have rough weather or no fish and I don't want to take you out on those days. In return I only ask that you show up on time (river trips especially start EARLY) and bring your spirit of adventure on our quest for fish.

I will provide:

• A ship shape boat and the experience to use it in a safe manner to catch lots of fish and see beautiful places.
• An eight hour or longer day of fishing unless bad weather blows us off the water, you have had enough or all the limits have been filled.
• All necessary licenses and permits except personal fishing licenses and punch cards.
• G-Loomis rods.
• Abu Garcia and Shimono reels with fresh maxima fishing line.
• All bait and tackle.
• Snacks and drinks.
• High quality safety equipment.
• A camera if you don't have one.
• Sunscreen.
• Fresh drinking water.

You need to bring:

• A California fishing license, a salmon punch card and a steelhead punch card.
• Rain gear and warm clothes.
• A lunch.
• A pair of sunglasses.
• A plan to get up early to make the most of the day (fish bite best at dawn).
• 4 seats $150.00 per person for ocean fishing trips- $300.00 minimum
• 2 seats $175.00 per person for river drift boat trips- $250.00 for 1
• A fifty percent deposit is required to hold dates. Deposits will be refunded in full due to cancellations on my end. Deposits will be refunded for cancellations more than two weeks from the trip date, or can be used to hold future dates.
• Jet Stream Guide Service is an equal opportunity provider and I am always happy to accommodate people with special needs.

To get in touch with me or book a trip e-mail at JetStreamGuide@Hotmail.comor call Alex Fulton at 530-629-4696. I look forward to hearing from you.