BROOKINGS, Ore. (June 13, 2025) – Long-range trips to Point St. George Reef and Mack Arch have resulted in impressive catches of lingcod and lunker rockfish, while limits of rockfish are also being caught on local half-day charters, and a few hatchery coho salmon are providing variety for anglers off the coast of Brookings.
Happy anglers hold a pair of lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke at Point St. George Reef in early June.
Nearly every charter to the Point St. George Reef, often called the lighthouse, have returned with limits so far this season, with plenty of the lingcod worth bragging about. The lingcod fishing often has been wide open, with numerous fish over 20 pounds, including a few in the upper 20s and one fish over 30 pounds. Lots of colorful rockfish also are showing up in the catch, with big vermillion, canary and copper rockfish included with typical catches of big black rockfish.
An angler holds a large vermilion rockfish from a June trip to Point St. George Reef.
Coho salmon season opened June 7, with a few hatchery silvers caught. Windy weather kept the fleet in close, but boats venturing 5 to 10 miles offshore are reporting big numbers of salmon. Good weather this coming week should give salmon catches a major boost.
A nice opening day hatchery coho salmon aboard the Dash.
During windy weather days, boats fishing closer to the harbor are still getting limits of rockfish, with a few lingcod mixed in. Calmer weather and smaller swells are forecasted for the upcoming week, which will allows boats to get back to Point St. George Reef and Mack Arch. The calmer weather also will give boaters a better shot at Pacific halibut, which typically arrive in greater numbers off the coast of Brookings in late June.
Capt. Sam holds a limit of lingcod caught by an angler aboard the Nauti-Lady.Hatchery coho salmon and big rockfish from a salmon and bottom fish combo in early June.
Brookings Fishing Charters offers trips daily for lingcod and rockfish, and also runs halibut and salmon charters during calmer weather conditions. To book a trip, call (541) 813-1082, or book online at www.brookingsfishing.com.
BROOKINGS, Ore. (June 4, 2025) – Lingcod fishing at Point St. George Reef Lighthouse has lived up to its billing, with limits of big fish during the first month of the season for the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet embarking on the long-range trip to the trophy grounds. Nearly every trip this season aboard the Nauti-Lady and Miss Brooke has resulted in full limits of lingcod and large rockfish at the lighthouse. The Alaska-style fishing already has many customers who fished in May scheduled for another charter later this summer to once again experience the world-class fishing at the prolific offshore reef.
A 32-pound lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady in mid-May at Point St. George Reef.
Closer to the Port of Brookings, rockfish action has been very good, while lingcod fishing is fair. Ocean salmon season is open, and beginning June 7, anglers can keep hatchery coho salmon, which are already staging off the coast of Brookings. Pacific halibut season also is open. So far, the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet are the only charters to return to port with halibut and salmon. Catch rates improve considerably in June and July for both ocean salmon and Pacific halibut.
Frequent lighthouse customer Rod Allec of Happy Camp with a pair of nice lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady.
The highlight of May was the wide-open action at Point St. George Reef, located between Brookings and Crescent City. The rugged reef, with an extremely jagged bottom, strong currents, and frequent depth changes is home to some of the best lingcod and rockfish habitat on the planet. It’s remote location makes it a top lingcod destination, with perhaps the best fishing outside of Alaska and British Columbia for trophy lingcod, and a wide variety of rockfish. Giant vermilion, canary, tiger, copper, black, China, blue, yellowtail and widow rockfish are often caught during the same trip, along with quillback and yelloweye rockfish, which are protected and must be released. The Brookings Fishing Charters fleet fishes shallow reefs for the rockfish so rockfish can be safely released without damage to the fish. The biggest lingcod also tend to be located in the rugged, jagged pinnacles of the shallow reefs, where they hide in crevices and ambush their main prey, rockfish, octopus and small flatfish.
Nice limits of lingcod from a long-range trip aboard the Nauti-Lady.
So far this season, the biggest lingcod landed on the Nauti-Lady was a 32-pounder. Lots of fish in the upper 20s have been caught on both the Nauti-Lady and Miss Brooke. During the wide-open bite near the lighthouse, up to a dozen legal-size lingcod have been released during a trip as the customers finish up their rockfish limits.
A nice king caught aboard the Miss Brooke in May. Ocean coho season opens June 7!
Ocean salmon season started out slow in May, which is typically the case. Mid-June through mid-July is the peak season for salmon out of Brookings. A number of coho salmon were released in May while the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet fished for king salmon. Coho season opens June 7. The ocean abundance forecast for coho salmon is more than half a million hatchery fish, which return to hatcheries on the Columbia and Snake rivers. Those fish spend the ocean portion of their life off the Southern Oregon Coast, and slowly migrate back to the rivers during the summer. Peak numbers of coho, also known as silver salmon, are feeding near Brookings early in the season, in June and the first half of July.
Capt. Chris holds a 65-pound halibut caught aboard the Miss Brooke in May 2025.
Halibut season opened May 1, with a few fish caught out of Brookings. The best fishing is later in June, July and August, as more halibut migrate in from deeper water. Halibut spawn in the Gulf of Alaska during the winter months, and then migrate closer to shore during the summer to feed on baitfish. Catch rates increase throughout the summer, as this fish move in from 1,000 feet of water during the spring to depths as shallow as 150 feet in mid summer.
A nice variety of rockfish are being caught this season near the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.
With decades of Alaska fishing experience, the Brookings Fishing Charters crew is best chance for success for halibut out of Brookings, as the captains have developed custom rigs while fishing at anchor to maximize the odds of catch halibut off the Southern Oregon Coast.
Sport crabbing has been slow out of Brookings, which is normally the case in late spring and the start of summer. By mid-summer, crabbing improves, and remains an option during fishing charters.
To book an trip to the lighthouse, or a local rockfish, halibut or salmon charters, visit www.brookingsfishing.com, or call (541) 813-1082.
Here are some more catches from May with the Brookings Fishing Charters crew.
