Month: April 2024

Lingcod action hot in Brookings as lighthouse, salmon and halibut openers near

BROOKINGS, Ore, (April 21, 2024) – Lingcod fishing is the best it has been so far this year out of the Port of Brookings, while anglers will have several more options for exciting ocean charter fishing in May, as the Pacific halibut and king salmon seasons open, along with the extremely productive Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.

A nice lingcod caught aboard the Papa B in mid-April.

The past week, the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Papa B and Dash, all six-pack charter boats with Brookings Fishing Charters, have been getting limits of nice lingcod as well as non-stop action for rockfish. The lingcod bite hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, as the winter and early spring spawn is in full swing.

During calm weather days, limits of lingcod have been common, with fish over 20 pounds being caught. The rockfish action has been fast and furious, with limits of quality fish. The best fishing has been from Bird Island north. During the long-range six-hour trips, the Brookings Fishing Charters boats have been cruising to Mack Arch, for the best lingcod fishing on the Southern Oregon Coast.

Limits of lingcod caught near Mack Arch aboard the Miss Brooke.

Pacific halibut season opens May 1, with a two-fish-per-day limit. Normally, fishing is still fairly slow in May before catch rates accelerate in late June, July and August, as halibut migrate closer to shore to feed. For the past decade, the Brookings Fishing Charters crew has produced the best catch rates for halibut out of Brookings. Several of the local captains spent years running charter boats in Alaska, and are experts and finding halibut, and fishing for them out of Brookings.

A lunker lingcod caught in mid-April with Brookings Fishing Charters.

Ocean salmon season opens May 16. For a preview of the 2024 ocean salmon season out of Brookings, click here. Anglers will be allowed two king salmon, hatchery or wild, a day. The Brookings Fishing Charters crew has a well-earned reputation for producing limits of coho and king salmon. The peak season is mid-June through July.

The Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, with fishing rivaling that of Alaska, opens May 1. This is the best area to target trophy lingcod, and a colorful variety of rockfish. It is a customer favorite. For a preview of the lighthouse season, click here. Capt. Andy of Brookings Fishing Charters attended Pacific Fishery Management Council meetings in Fresno in March, and Seattle in April to advocate for a re-opening of the lighthouse season, as well as the Oregon ocean salmon seasons.

Capt. Andy and Dave Marciano from Wicked Tuna after a charter aboard the Miss Brooke.
Deckhand Eric with a black rockfish caught by Dave Marciano of Wicked Tuna.

In March, Capt. Andy and deckhands Eric and Chris enjoyed the opportunity to fish with Dave Marciano from Wicked Tuna. Dave runs the Hard Merchandise, and was visiting the Oregon Coast after attending a sports show in California. He chose Brookings Fishing Charters for his first Oregon Coast fishing adventure.

Here are some of the lingcod caught in recent weeks with the Brookings Fishing Charters crew. Lingcod and rockfish is open year round out of Brookings.

The Brookings Fishing Charters captains also have been running spring salmon trips on the Rogue River. Here are a few catches with Capt. Rye and Capt. Mick in recent weeks.

To book an Oregon Coast charter trip, visit www.brookingsfishing.com, or call (541) 813-1082.

Lighthouse re-opens to fishing May 1

BROOKINGS, Ore. (April 21, 2024) – One of the most productive areas for saltwater fishing on the entire West Coast re-opens to fishing May 1, giving anglers access to some of the best lingcod and rockfish action outside of Alaska.

Point St. George Reef, where the historic lighthouse atop Northwest Seal Rock is located, will be open to sport fishing May 1-September. The area closed abruptly last August, but will remain open all summer in water less than 120 feet. The productive reef is a top destination for trophy lingcod, colorful vermilion and canary rockfish, and abundant black and blue rockfish. Both the lingcod and rockfish are among the highest overall weight on the entire coast, and the action is often fast and furious for sport anglers.

Limits of nice lingcod are common when fishing near the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse. The Miss Brooke is one of the Brookings Fishing Charters boats that frequents the lighthouse.

The Brookings Fishing Charters crew will begin trips May 1 with their fast six-pack charter boats, as well as the 42-foot Nauti-Lady. Located between Brookings and Crescent City just south of the California border, the lighthouse and Point St. George Reef are a customer favorite. Lingcod to 40 pounds are caught each season, along with a larger variety of rockfish, and occasionally Pacific halibut.

Brookings Fishing Charters runs trips to the lighthouse, utilizing light tackle to fish in shallow water. The charter captains are among the most experienced anglers in the region, with Capt. Mick and Capt. Sam both growing up in Crescent City and fishing the lighthouse area their entire life, while Capt. Andy, Capt. Travis and Capt. Kirby grew up in Brookings, and also have considerable experience at the lighthouse, and together have half a century of experience running charters in the area.

Tiger rockfish, rare along most of the coast, are more common at the productive waters near the lighthouse.

On a typical trip, customers will use light tackle to quickly catch limits of quality rockfish before switching to heavier gear and larger baits to specifically target lingcod. The Brookings Fishing Charters crew has the highest success rate in the charter fleet for catching lingcod near the lighthouse, with limits common.

Trips depart from the Port of Brookings, with most of the fishing closer to the lighthouse itself.

A triple hookup of lingcod from the Dragon Channel, near the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, aboard the Nauti-Lady.

The lighthouse is approximately 11 miles from Brookings, almost straight out from the harbor. The reef and best fishing is a little further, in what is known locally as the “Dragon Channel” a lingcod and trophy rockfish infested area of the reef. Swift currents, sudden depth changes, and an extremely rugged undersea terrain provide ideal habitat for big rockfish and lingcod. Oldtimers tell stories of lingcod between 50 and 70 pounds, and each season plenty of trophy lings are caught. 

Giant vermilion rockfish, jumbo canary rockfish and trophy copper rockfish are caught on nearly every trip. Our customers also encounter rare tiger rockfish at the lighthouse, and often catch (and release) giant yelloweye rockfish, which are protected and cannot be kept.

Limits of nice lingcod from the lighthouse area aboard the Miss Brooke.

To learn more about the lighthouse, or book a trip, visit www.brookingsfishing.com, or call (541) 813-1082.

Lemon Pepper Salmon or Rockfish Sticks

By Capt. Andy Martin – Surprisingly easy to prepare, delicious for even the most picky eater, and great with salmon or rockfish, Lemon Pepper Salmon Sticks and Lemon Pepper Rockfish Sticks are a tasty way to enjoy the bounty of the Oregon Coast, and sure to become a favorite way to serve up the catch of the day from our charter boats.

Served with a delicious Old Bay Blue Cheese sauce, these homemade fish sticks taste great with fresh rockfish or salmon, or fillets from the freezer. I first made these Lemon Pepper Salmon Sticks when the grandkids were visiting. Insisting they didn’t like fish, the grandkids couldn’t get enough of the homemade salmon fish sticks once we served up a platter for them. Also excellent with rockfish, these fish sticks cook up quickly, and are a great alternative to traditional deep fried fish.

Lemon Pepper Rockfish Sticks served with Old Bay Blue Cheese sauce.

By slicing the fillets into smaller strips, the fish cooks quickly without a soggy, oily mess sometimes associated with fried fish. Just enough oil to cover the bottom of a skillet is needed.

The Old Bay Blue Cheese sauce is a tasty alternative to tarter sauce, and may become your go-to topping for fried or baked fish. The sauce is a simple combination of crumbled blue cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice and black pepper.

Cutting salmon into thin strips allows it to quickly fry without an oily, soggy mess.

The fish sticks are coated with a simple mixture of flour, lemon pepper and salt, similar to the traditional fried whole trout that was a staple for our grandparents. Egg wash is used to bind the lemon pepper flour to the fish.

Rockfish can flake apart easily when cut into smaller pieces, so it’s key to slice the fillets lengthwise, along the natural part that divides the side of a rockfish into four distinct portions.

Rockfish have a natural part lengthwise along their fillet. Use that as a template for slicing the fish sticks. If the fillets are cut from top to bottom instead of lengthwise, they can flake apart while frying.
The fish are coated with a simple mixture of flour, lemon pepper and salt
Old Bay seasoning, crumbled blue cheese, mayonnaise and lemon juice combine to make a delicious sauce for fried or baked fish.

Lemon Pepper Fish Sticks

1 lb. salmon or rockfish fillets, bones and skin removed

1 cup all purpose flour

2 Tbs lemon pepper seasoning

1 tsp salt

2-3 eggs, beaten

Peanut, cottonseed or canola oil

Old Bay Blue Cheese sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1 Tbs lemon juice

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1/4 tsp black pepper

Frying the fish

Cut the salmon or rockfish fillets into long, thin strips, similar to fish sticks.

Heat oil to medium high. Use enough oil to cover the bottom of the skillet, but not more than an inch high.

In a large bowl or shallow baking dish, combine the lemon pepper, flour and salt.

Dip the rockfish strips or salmon strips, one at a time, into the beaten eggs, making sure all sides are coated.

Once the fish has been dipped in the egg wash, roll each stick in the lemon pepper and flour mixture.

Fry the fish sticks, in batches, for 2 minutes and then carefully flip and fry to 2 more minutes.

Allow the fish sticks to drain on a plate covered with a paper towel.

For the sauce, combine the mayonnaise, blue cheese, pepper and lemon juice. Add a little more Old Bay and blue cheese if you prefer a bolder sauce.

Salmon Sticks cooked to perfection and served with homemade coleslaw.
Lemon Pepper Rockfish Sticks are delicious and easy to make.
The fillets from just are couple of rockfish are all that’s needed to prepare a delicious meal of Lemon Pepper Rockfish Sticks.

To catch a limit or rockfish or an ocean-bright king or coho salmon to enjoy this recipe, contact Brookings Fishing Charters at (541) 813-1082 or visit www.brookingsfishing.com.

Lengthy ocean salmon season approved for Brookings, 2-fish day limits May 16-Aug. 31

BROOKINGS, Ore. (April 10, 2024) – Sport anglers fishing out of the Port of Brookings will enjoy one of the longest ocean salmon seasons in recent memory, with a 108-day fishery for kings, along with a lengthy opportunity for hatchery coho. The May 16-Aug. 31 season includes a two-fish-per day limit, with wild or hatchery king salmon allowed. Hatchery coho salmon, also known as silvers, can be included in the daily salmon limit from June 15-Aug. 4.

An angler holds a hefty king salmon caught in the ocean off of Brookings during a previous season aboard the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters.

Federal fishery managers gave final approval to the season today during the Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Seattle. Representatives from Oregon, California, and Washington met to set West Coast ocean salmon seasons for sport and commercial fishermen. Brookings and the rest of the Oregon Coast fared well in the season-setting process, following last year’s ocean king salmon closure in Oregon and California. Ocean fishing for salmon will once again be closed in California this year. Capt. Andy of Brookings Fishing Charters was among the sport fishing representatives who attended the PFMC meetings in Seattle to advocate for the ocean seasons. Port of Brookings commissioner Richard Heap also attended, along with Capt. Mike of the charter boat Miss Raven in Newport.

Anglers fishing out of Brookings can keep hatchery coho beginning June 15. Mid June is prime time, as illustrated in this photo from a few seasons ago on the Miss Brooke.

While the ocean salmon seasons open in May, the best fishing out of Brookings is generally mid-June through July. Anglers fishing out of Brookings generally catch king salmon headed back to the Sacramento, Klamath, Rogue, Trinity, American, Feather, Chetco and Smith rivers. This year’s ocean abundance estimates include 215,000 adult salmon from the Sacramento River, 180,00 from the Klamath River and 200,000 from the Rogue River swimming off the Southern Oregon and Northern California coasts. That is in addition to 1 million coho salmon, including an estimated 400,000 hatchery coho bound for the Columbia River. That abundant mix of salmon usually leads to good fishing out of Brookings in June and July.

June and July are the best times to catch king salmon out of Brookings. These salmon were caught during a previous June aboard the Miss Brooke.

The Brookings Fishing Charters captains have a well-earned reputation for producing the best ocean salmon catch rates out of Brookings. Each captain is a year-round fishing guide, running ocean charters in the spring and summer, and drift boat salmon and steelhead trips during the fall and winter on the Chetco, Rogue and Smith rivers. Anglers catch kings trolling herring or anchovies with the use of downriggers or divers on our fast, comfortable six-pack charter boats, which were designed with ocean salmon fishing in mind. Salmon charters are offered aboard the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Papa B and Dash.

To book an ocean salmon charter, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.