SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — For the first time in four years California’s recreational Chinook salmon fishermen are gearing up for what is expected to be a normal-length season.

California Department of Fish and Game officially opens the season on Saturday, after forecasts predicted triple the amount of salmon expected to return to the Sacramento River this fall.

It was also welcome news for the state’s bait and tackle shops, boat mechanics and others who have been hard hit economically by the salmon declines.

Anglers can fish salmon legally from Cape Mendocino south to the U.S.-Mexico border. Waters north of Cape Mendocino to the Oregon border will be opened at a later, undetermined date.

The fall Sacramento River Chinook salmon run provides 80-to-90 percent of the fish caught off the California coast.

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