January 2026 - Brookings Fishing Reports

BROOKINGS, Ore,. (Jan. 3, 2026) – Winter steelhead season is off and running on the coastal rivers of Southern Oregon and Northern California, with above-average-size fish showing up in early catches. The Brookings Fishing Charters team of guides and deckhands are also drift boat river guides during the fall and winter, and have been getting customers into nice-size steelhead so far this season on the Chetco and Smith rivers. The guides also fish for steelhead on the Elk, Sixes and Rogue rivers.

**A large steelhead caught with Capt. Andy on the Chetco River to begin the 2026 steelhead season.**

**Customers fishing with Capt. Sam hold a nice Smith River steelhead.**

Steelhead season began in December, but peak season is January and February. The season runs through March. December catches were better than expected, and by the beginning of January, large steelhead were being caught daily. A big storm arrived on Jan. 3, blowing the rivers out, but peak season is expected to begin the end of next week, as the Chetco and Smith drop back into shape. Flows below 4,000 cfs are ideal on the Chetco, while flows below 8,000 cfs at Jed Smith are ideal on the Smith River.

**Capt. Andy holds a large hatchery steelhead caught by a customer on the Chetco River on New Year’s Eve.**

Steelhead are caught while drifting the rivers in a drift boat. The two anglers in the front of the boat cast while the guide rows and maneuvers the boat downstream with oars. It’s a unique fishing experience, drifting through the Wild and Scenic Chetco River, or through Redwood National Park on the Smith River.

**Fishing aboard a drift boat is a unique fishing experience.**

Small pieces of roe are used to catch steelhead, as well as small plugs. Steelhead are remarkably hard fighters, and one of the most prized fish caught anywhere. The Chetco and Smith are two of the most productive steelhead rivers in the world.

**A tiny cluster of roe, size 2 hook and a small Corky are used to catch steelhead. Anglers cast with light spinning rods.**

**Customers fishing with Capt. Sam hold a Chetco River steelhead from New Year’s Day.**

To book a winter steelhead trip, call (541) 813-1082, or visit www.wildriversfishing.com for more information.

BROOKINGS, Ore. (Jan. 1, 2026) – Giant lingcod, surprise halibut, lots of colorful vermillion rockfish and the best sport crabbing in recent memory highlighted the 2025 ocean fishing seasons off of Brookings. The impressive lingcod action, with numerous fish over 40 pounds caught on our charter boats this season, coincides with a growing lingcod population that has prompted the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to increase the daily limit to three lings in 2026.

**Nauti-Lady deckhand Eric holds a trophy lingcod caught at Point St. George Reef during the 2025 season.**

**A 40-plus pound lingcod caught at Mack Arch aboard the Miss Brooke with Capt. Chris and deckhand Eric. It was one of more than a dozen 40-plus-pounders caught in 2025 from our charter boats.**

Lingcod action started off great last year, and was steady the entire season. The Nauti-Lady, Kraken, Miss Brooke and Dash returned from charters with numerous lingcod over 30 pounds and the most over 40 pounds we’ve seen in one season. The best lingcod fishing was at Point St. George Reef, but big lings were also common at Mack Arch, and plenty of big fish were caught closer to the harbor between Bird Island and House Rock.

The lighthouse area also yielded several surprise Pacific halibut for our charter boats in 2025 while customers were jigging for lingcod and rockfish.

**Frequent Brookings Fishing Charters customer Barb with her personal best lingcod caught in 2025 aboard the Miss Brooke.**

**Capt. Andy holds a trophy vermillion rockfish caught near House Rock aboard the Nauti-Lady, one of numerous trophy vermillion caught in 2025 on our charter boats.**

Lingcod fishing ended the year on a high note, and expectations are high for continued above-average lingcod fishing in 2026. Winter is a good time to catch lingcod, as they move into shallow water to spawn. Big numerous of aggressive males, and the larger females stage in 20 to 60 feet of water from December through April to spawn, making winter and early spring the best time to catch lings in shallow water. Unlike rockfish, lingcod grow quickly, reaching maturity in just a couple of years. The prolific species is thriving off the Oregon Coast, with high populations to fuel a sustainable sport fishery.

Brookings Fishing Charters captains and deckhands are among the best lingcod guides on the entire West Coast, using techniques perfected in Alaska for targeting lingcod and incorporating them to our local fisheries. Capt. Andy and Capt. Rye both spent a decade apiece running charters for halibut and lingcod in Alaska before focusing their full-time, year-round efforts to the Oregon Coast.

**A large lingcod and a surprise halibut caught aboard the Nauti-Lady at Point St. George Reef.**

Sport crabbing was good throughout the year, with the best fishing in mid-summer and fall, as the commercial season ended, and again in December. We will be running more crabbing charters in 2026, with the arrival of the Umatilla II, which is equipped with a hydraulic crab block and has dozens of commercial-size pots for charter use.