Month: February 2024

Lingcod, rockfish biting between storms

BROOKINGS, Ore. (Feb. 17, 2024) – While 2024 has been off to a rainy, stormy start, when the ocean settles down and swells subside, fishing has been good for rockfish and lingcod. The Brookings Fishing Charters crew ran several bottom fishing charters last week, and returned with limits of rockfish and several lingcod. Some trips have resulted in limits of lingcod, although the lingcod bite is slower when swells and choppy seas prevent the boats from fishing near the inshore rocky reefs. However, the Miss Brooke has returned with lingcod every trip so far this year, along with full limits of rockfish.

A nice lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke with Capt. Andy in February 2024.

When the weather has been calm, with minimal swell, lingcod fishing has been very good, with limits or near limits for each angler. The House Rock and Mack Arch area have fished best, as high water in the Chetco has made fishing tough closer to the harbor because of the muddy flows from the river.

A happy angler holds a limit of lingcod from a February trip aboard the Miss Brooke.

A break in the weather is expected the second half of this week, which should allow charter boats to get out this coming weekend. So far this year, Brookings Fishing Charters is the only charter company in Brookings to run ocean trips. The Miss Brooke has been out several times, along with the Papa B.

Some of the nice rockfish caught in early February aboard the Miss Brooke.
A customer with a nice lingcod from late January 2024 aboard the Miss Brooke.

Lingcod fishing is often good during the winter months, between storms, as the fish move into shallow water to spawn. Large numbers of male lingcod, between 20 and 26 inches, move shallow to stage for spawning, followed by the larger females, which can top 20 or even 30 pounds. Smaller males outnumber of females by a large margin, and are extremely aggressive during the spawning season. They eagerly bite jigs or baits. Calm weather produces better fishing, as the lingcod are in 20 to 50 feet of water. Large swells can make fishing shallower water, near wash rocks, more difficult, so the best success occurs when the ocean is flat.

A nice lingcod aboard the Miss Brooke.

Lingcod and rockfish seasons are open year round in Oregon. Salmon seasons are set by the federal government and will be announced in April. Halibut season opens May 1 and runs through October. The Point St. George Reef Lighthouse usually opens to fishing in May. California ocean seasons will be announced in April, although a general season option will be revealed in March.

The Brookings Fishing Charters crew fishes year round out of the Port of Brookings. The Nauti-Lady, Miss Brooke, Kraken, Dash and Papa B comprise the fleet. Each captain also is a river guide, and the crew runs drift boat salmon and steelhead trips in the fall and winter when the ocean is too rough to fish.

Happy anglers with a nice steelhead caught with Capt. Andy in February on the Chetco River.

Spring Break is approaching and is generally a good time to fish for lingcod and rockfish. To book an ocean charter, visit www.brookingsfishing.com, or call (541) 813-1082. For information on river trips, visit www.wildriversfishing.com.

Charter boat captain publishes Oregon Coast seafood recipe book

BROOKINGS, Ore, (Feb. 16, 2024) – Drawing from two decades experience as a full-time ocean charter boat captain and river guide, Capt. Andy Martin has published a recipe book featuring his favorite ways to prepare Oregon Coast seafood.

Order Online Now! $12.50 includes free shipping.

Captain’s Choice: Recipes from Brookings Fishing Charters is now available for purchase online or at Brookings Bait and Tackle at the Port of Brookings.

Captain’s Choice: Recipes From Brookings Fishing Charters is now available for purchase online and at the Brookings Fishing Charters office at the port of Brookings. The spiral-bound, full color recipe book features two dozen of Capt. Andy’s favorite seafood dishes, including Rockfish Chowder, Parmesan Rockfish, Rockfish Puttanesca, Teriyaki Grilled Albacore, Creamy Lingcod and Shrimp Pasta, Brown Sugar Cured Smoked Salmon, Salmon Chowder and Beer Battered Lingcod.

Capt. Andy Martin, owner of Brookings Fishing Charters, is the author of the new Oregon Coast seafood recipe book.

Almost daily on his fishing charters, customers would ask Capt. Andy about the best way to prepare their catch of the day. He’d email recipes from the Brookings Fishing Charters web site, or jot down basic chowder and fish taco recipes. The cookbook is a collection of several of his favorite rockfish, lingcod, salmon and halibut recipes.

The recipe book is spiral bound and includes nearly two dozen Oregon Coast seafood recipes.
Each recipe includes color photos, ingredients, and cooking instructions.

Early in his Alaska river guide career, Capt. Andy would use the first salmon of the day to prepare salmon chowder with a propane stove on the bow of his boat. He and other charter boat captains often spent evenings after trips creating dishes with halibut or salmon. Capt. Andy also spent the early part of his career working at world-class fishing lodges in Alaska, and had the chance to sample some of the best seafood dishes, and add his own twist to them.

Each recipe includes color photos, ingredients, cooking instructions, and description of the recipe. Most recipes can be made with the fillets of just a couple of rockfish, or a single lingcod fillet. With tighter catch limits in Alaska, Oregon and California, the recipe book allows anglers to make several meals from a daily limit of rockfish, lingcod or halibut. All of the recipes can be cooked up using fresh or frozen fish fillets.

The contents of Captain’s Choice: Recipes from Brookings Fishing Charters.

To order a recipe book online, visit Home | Brookings Fishing Charters LLC (square.site). The cost includes free shipping. Recipes books can also be purchased at the Brookings Fishing Charters and Brookings Bait and Tackle office at 16399 Lower Harbor Road at the Port of Brookings.

The Brookings Fishing Charters crew is working on a second recipe book, featuring favorite smoked fish recipes from each captain, and favorite wild game jerky recipes.