JUNE 29, 2017 FISHING REPORT

Summer has arrived on the Oregon Coast and we are at our peak season for rockfish and lingcod. The rockcod have moved in shallow as giant schools of anchovies move close to the beach. We are seeing daily limits of nice rockfish on light tackle. Aside from plenty of black snapper, we also are seeing some very nice vermillion rockfish (such as the trophy fish picture below) and canary rockfish. The limit on rockfish remains 7 fish a day in Oregon, with up to 6 black snapper. We also can keep canary rockfish, vermillions, China rockcod, copper rockfish and blue rockfish, so limits are very common right now. The lingcod are running 8 to 10 pounds, with a few fish over 20 pounds. Our biggest recently is a 26-pounder. We have plenty of seats open in July and August. Call (541) 813-1082 to book a trip.

March 22, 2017 Fishing Report

We have entered the peak season for spring lingcod, with limits common when the ocean conditions cooperate. So far we've seen stormy weather for half of March, but also some nice days where we've enjoyed fast action for lingcod and a variety of rockfish. With the new rockfish regulations for 2017 on the Oregon Coast, we can now keep more canary rockfish, as well as coppers, Chinas and quillbacks. The grade of black and blue rockfish has been nice, the prefect size for fish and chips. Crabbing was good to start the month, but slowed with the large amounts of freshwater running into the ocean from the Chetco River. We expect the lingcod fishing to remain strong through April and into May. The ocean conditions also will continue to improve. Yesterday we saw the most whales we've seen so far this year, with half a dozen spotted between the Brookings jetties and the red buoy. To book a trip. call our office at (541) 813-1082 or Capt. Andy's cell at (206) 388-8988.

Nice limits of lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters in early March 2017 (top), and a young angler with her first ever lingcod, caught with Brookings Fishing Charters.

Lingcod season off to good start

Although ocean conditions have been rough for most of the winter, the days between storms when boats have been able to get out of the Port of Brookings have resulted in good fishing for lingcod. rockfish and crab. Capt. Andy took the Miss Brooke out for the first charter of the season in February. and found limits of lings and rockfish in the Bird Island area. The lings are running 5 to 15 pounds, with a few bigger. The fish are spawning in shallow water, making them easier to target during the bigger winter swells. Crab season has been good for recreational crabbers so far this year. Ocean conditions generally improve as we get into March, so we will be on the water more often. To book a trip, call (541) 813-1082 or email Capt. Andy at wildriversfishing@yahoo.com.

Capt. Andy Martin holds the first lingcod of the 2017 season caught aboard the Miss Brooke in late February.

 Ocean fishing regulations set

Oregon ocean anglers will continue to be allowed to keep seven rockfish and two lingcod per day, and the season will remain open year round, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission decided recently. The commission adopted the 2017 ocean rockfish and lingcod regulations at its Dec. 2 meeting. The rockfish limit remains seven fish a day. New for 2017, anglers will be allowed to keep quillback, copper and China rockfish. The sub-limit for canary rockfish has increased from one to seven. The sub-limit for blues has increased from three to four. This four-fish sub-limit also includes the coppers, quillbacks and Chinas. This is all good news and will allow anglers to keep some of the fish they were required to release during previous seasons. The commission also lowered the black rockfish sub-limit from seven to six. While black rockfish make up most of our catch, anglers will still be able to keep seven rockfish total, with several fish that were off limits previously. The lingcod limit remains the same, two a day at least 22 inches. In California, anglers are not as fortunate. The black rockfish limit in California has been reduced from five blacks to three blacks, and the lingcod limits have been reduced from three to two. The Oregon Coast will be your best bet for plentiful limits of rockfish, and now you will be allowed to have a lot more "color" in your catch. We begin our ocean charters in March.

 Anglers fishing out of Brookings will now be allowed to keep more canary rockfish as part of their seven-fish rockfish limits. The lingcod limit remains two fish a day.

OCTOBER 29, 2016, BROOKINGS FISHING REPORT

Rough weather has kept all the charter boats off the ocean for the past few weeks, so Brookings Fishing captain Andy Martin has been focusing on the Chetco and Smith rivers for fall king salmon. Fishing has been good, thanks in part to lots of early rain on the Oregon Coast. Capt. Andy and the other guides of www.wildriversfishing.com have boated several limits in the last few days, with a few fish over 40 pounds. The fall salmon season runs through November. We will then switch to steelhead before turning our attention to ocean charters again in March.

A 40-pound king salmon caught in late October 2016 with guide Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters and Wild Rivers Fishing.

 JUNE 25, 2016, BROOKINGS FISHING REPORT

Salmon fishing is slowly improving out of the Port of Brookings Harbor, with a lot of coho, or silver salmon, showing up in the catch. Before the coho season opened on June 25, we were releasing coho, including fin-clipped hatchery fish that we can now keep. While overall kings fishing remains slow, it has been decent when the weather cooperates. We got a nice king on Thursday trolling a plug-cut herring with a Fish Flash flasher. Lingcod fishing continues to get better after a slow start to June, while fishing for rockfish has been very good with a really nice grade of fish. Salmon season remains open through Aug. 7, and July is typically the best time out of Brookings.

Ralph Trigo of Grants Pass with a nice king caught aboard the Miss Brooke with Brookings Fishing Charters on June 23, 2016.

Capt. Andy Martin holds a hatchery silver caught by Ron Jones aboard the Miss Brooke.

One of several nice lingcod caught in late June out of Brookings with Brookings Fishing Charters.

 June 6, 2016, Brookings Fishing Report

Calmer weather has arrived on the Southern Oregon Coast as fog has replaced the strong northwest winds that made fishing somewhat tough throughout May. We have enjoyed a rebound in the lingcod fishing, although full limits of lings are still not easy to come by. Fishing for big rockfish has been good, with a nice mix of vermillion, canary and large black rockfish. Michelle Greb of Eagle Point is the winner of our first annual Ladies and Lings tournament, She caught a 13-pounder on May 29 off of Bird Island. Salmon season has opened and there are good reports of kings moving north from Eureka and Crescent City. We should see those salmon around mid-June. Halibut fishing is fair in the deeper water off of Brookings. Right now the best bets are lingcod and rockfish. With nice weather this weekend, we expect to be fishing the Mack Arch area. 

 A nice catch of lings from May 29 aboard the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters.

Capt. Andy Martin and Michelle Greb of Eagle Point hold the winner of the first annual Brookings Fishing Charters Ladies and Lings tournment.

June 1, 2016, Brookings Ocean Fishing Report

After a rough couple of weeks weatherwise with strong northwest winds, it looks like the ocean is going to lay down for the first part of June. Salmon season opened over the Memorial Day weekend, but windy weather made the fishing tough. With calmer water we expect catch rates to pick up. The salmon opener out of Eureka went really well, and typically when the fishing is hot there we see good fishing for kings out of Brookings a couple of weeks later. Fishing has been good for lingcod and rockfish when the weather cooperates. Pictures is Carla with a giant vermillion rockfish she caught on one of our charters to Mack Arch. The fishing at Mack Reef is usually some of the best on the entire Oregon Coast. Few private boaters or other charters venture that far, but when conditions are good we thrive at making the run up there, as the light tackle lingcod and rockfish action is unmatched. We are now in out busy season, but still have openings throughout June and July for ocean salmon, lingcod and rockfish or the full salmon/rockfish combo. Call (541) 813-1082 to book a trip.

Carla with her trophy vermillion rockfish caught on a charter with Brookings Fishing Charters.

Carl with a nice lingcod caught off the coast of Brookings in May aboard the Miss Brooke.