Category: Reports

Tuna Time: Raw power, thrilling takedowns makes albacore tuna fishing addictive

The following story appeared in the Roseburg News-Review in August 2023, after the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet ran its first tuna trips of the season. The author fished aboard the Nauti-Lady, while the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Dash and Papa B also ventured 50 miles offshore, each returning with five to six dozen albacore on each boat.

Tuna caught aboard the Papa B in August 2023.

(By CRAIG REED) BROOKINGS, Ore. – Schools of Pacific albacore tuna have arrived in the waters off the Oregon Coast. Anglers on chartered and private boats are in pursuit of the fish that is known for its wonderful flavor. The chase started in July and usually runs into September.
Fishing for tuna is legal year-round, but their presence in warm water currents within a reasonable distance of Oregon’s shoreline limits recreational fishing to about three months. Ocean conditions are also a key factor in getting out to the fish.

Customers fishing aboard the Nauti-Lady of Brookings Fishing Charters hold some of the albacore tuna they caught in early August 2023 nearly 50 miles offshore of Brookings.


The best fishing, and hopefully catching, is in clear, dark blue water with a temperature of 60 degrees or higher. When those warm waters and the schools of tuna that inhabit them are 15 to 50 miles offshore, boats from the Oregon ports of Bandon, Brookings, Charleston, Coos Bay, Newport and Winchester Bay head out. Depending on the boat size, its power and the distance offshore, anglers should be prepared for a two- to four-hour boat ride to the hot spots before dropping lines and jigs.

Barb Hunt of White City holds tight as a tuna on the end of her line darts under the Nauti Lady. Hunt reeled the fish to the surface and put it on the boat, marking her first tuna of the day. Photo by CRAIG REED.
Barb Hunt holds here first ever albacore tuna, caught in August 2023 aboard the Nauti-Lady.

The charter companies run 12-hour trips, but anglers should be aware half of that time or more could be spent traveling out to warm water and then finding a school of fish.
Andy Martin, owner of Brookings Fishing Charters (www.brookingsfishing.com) in Brookings, and Wayne Butler, owner of Prowler Charters in Bandon, gave similar descriptions of the tuna fishing experience — it’s like trying to reel in a car going the other direction.
“When you hook up and you’ve got one fish thrashing around, the other fish go into frenzy and then you’ve got multiple hookups,” Martin said. “They have raw power and then sudden bursts of speed. There’s never a harder strike than when you’re holding the rod. Periods of chaos with multiple hookups is what makes tuna fishing so exciting.”
“It’s an absolute ball when you get into the tuna good,” Butler said. “It’s a frenzy. Getting several fish on at a time is absolute crazy fun.”

Triple Hookup! Barb Hunt, Craig Reed and Rudy Jaquez hold tuna all hooked and landed simultaneously.

Boats troll at about 8 mph with lines and jigs at different distances off the boat so lines don’t get tangled. When a line goes “zing, zing, zing,” a tuna is on. Then several seconds of patience is needed because the jigs are passing through a school of tuna and if one fish hits, by continuing to troll, others are likely to hit the other jigs.
The boat is then put in neutral, anglers grab the rods and start cranking on the reels. When hooked, the tuna go down. When reeling, the fish don’t rise to the surface and jump out of the water or zip left and right. It’s usually just a hard pull up until the fish are near the boat and then they might zip one way or the other.

The Kraken, Miss Brooke and Papa B depart the Port of Brookings, while customers board the Nauti-Lady for an August tuna trip. Tuna trips often depart at 4 am to arrive on the fishing grounds just after daylight.

The torpedo-shaped Pacific albacore tuna generally range in weight from 10 to 35 pounds.
Barb Hunt of White City and Deb Richardson of Las Vegas both recently experienced their first tuna fishing trips on the Nauti-Lady, Brookings Fishing Charters’ 42-foot boat. They each caught their first tuna and several more on the 12-hour trip that took them 45 miles out to sea.
“It was amazing, it was more than I anticipated,” Hunt said. “I didn’t know much about tuna fishing, but it was exciting to have so many fish on at a time. They fight, they pull line, yes, they’re hard to reel in.”
Hunt and Richardson each caught their first tuna on the boat’s first hookup. Of the seven lines out, five went down in a matter of seconds and then five of the seven anglers on board grabbed a rod and started reeling.
“I thought it was fantastic,” Richardson said. “I’ll definitely go back.”

Capt. Andy holds a tuna landed by Rudy Jaquez aboard the Nauti-Lady.
Capt. Kirby holds a double-hookup of tuna caught by Barb Hunt and Deb Richardson.

Rachel Craven, co-owner of Yaquina Bay Charters in Newport, said her company’s two large boats have been catching tuna averaging 16 pounds a fish on their trips over the last three weeks.
“Realistically on our tuna trips, we would expect anywhere from three to eight fish per person,” Craven said. “It’s an extremely popular fishery and tuna is a fish people enjoy eating.”

“They have raw power and then sudden bursts of speed. There’s never a harder strike than when you’re holding the rod. Periods of chaos with multiple hookups is what makes tuna fishing so exciting.”


Mike Van Camp of Merlin has made several tuna fishing trips. His advice is to plan on a 30-mile trip out when told the tuna are 20 miles out.
“That water moves and changes with wind currents and tides,” he said. “There’s a lot of water out there and 90% of what you see is just water. The other 5 to 10% holds the fish so it might take a while to find the tuna.”
“It’s addictive,” he added of tuna fishing. “The action when you find them is absolutely non-stop.”
Tuna are warm blooded so it’s important after getting a fish on board to quickly bleed it and get it on ice to get its body temperature down.

A pile of tuna caught on the Nauti-Lady, ready for the fillet table back at the harbor.
Author Craig Reed with a wheelbarrow of tuna caught on his trip aboard the Nauti-Lady. He landed five fish during the charter.

Keeping the fish on ice for the duration of the trip maintains its quality.
An additional thrill for the tuna anglers is to see pods of dolphins or porpoises and possibly humpback whales on the long trips. The dolphins and porpoises love to race alongside boats for short distances.
Depending on the charter company, the size of the boat and the number of anglers per boat, the 12-hour tuna fishing trips range in price from $300 to $500. Charters have smaller boats that can take four to six anglers or larger boats that aren’t as fast in getting to fishing spots, but can take up to 12 anglers and provide them with more space and comfort and a little smoother ride over the ocean’s swells.
“The tuna fishing has been good and it’s shaping up to be very good,” Butler said of this year’s tuna season.

The Brookings Fishing Charters fleet runs tuna trips as early as late June, but most often in July and August. The best way to get on a tuna trip is to call the office, (541) 813-1082, to get on the call list. Tuna trips are put together when weather conditions flatten out and there are reports of tuna in reasonably close to shore. Ideally, tuna are 20 to 30 miles offshore, but charters will run up to 50 miles offshore. The closer the tuna, the more time spent fishing for them instead of running further out.

Capt. Kirby lifts a tuna aboard the Nauti-Lady caught by Craig Reed of Roseburg.

For more on tuna fishing on the Oregon Coast, visit this page. During tuna trips, charter boats out of Brookings will often venture north to Gold Beach or south to Crescent City, finding the perfect water with the best action. Brookings is centrally located near some of the best albacore tuna water off the West Coast in early to mid-summer.

Here are some more tuna photos from the first trips of the season in 2023 aboard the Nauti-Lady, Miss Brooke, Kraken, Papa B and Dash.

Steelhead arrive, lingcod bite between storms

BROOKINGS, Ore. (Dec. 14, 2023) – Fall salmon season is quickly coming to an end on the Southern Oregon coastal rivers, while the first steelhead of winter have shown up. Offshore fishing for lingcod and rockfish, meanwhile, remains good when weather conditions cooperate. Our saltwater captains have switched gears to steelhead, and will be running drift boat trips on the Chetco, Smith, Elk and Sixes rivers through March, but will also take customers on ocean bottom fishing charters during the winter as conditions allow.

The first winter steelhead of the season caught with Capt. Andy on Dec. 13 on the Chetco by Scott of Denver. We will be running drift boat trips through March.

We fish for steelhead from drift boats, with a guide rowing two customers downriver. Light spinning rods are used to cast small clusters of roe. Steelhead are known for their non-stop fight, and pound-for-pound are one of the most prized gamefish. They also are caught on some of the most beautiful stretches of river in the country. Capt. Andy, Mick and Travis have special use permits to take customers on the Wild and Scenic Upper Chetco, while Rye, Sam and Shane fish the lower end of the river, where hatchery fish are more abundant. All of our charter boat captains are also licensed river guides. For more information on river trips, visit www.wildriversfishing.com.

Capt. Sam runs the falls on the Elk River. The coastal rivers of Southern Oregon offer great salmon and steelhead fishing, and are among the most beautiful anywhere.
A large king salmon caught on the Chetco this fall with Capt. Rye.
Capt. Mick holds a lunker fall king salmon caught by John Curry on the Upper Chetco.

Salmon season was decent this year on the Chetco, with the best fishing in late October and early November. A few kings will continue to trickle in through the end of December, but the vast majority of the run has already spawned. We saw big numbers of hatchery kings this year, and a lot of jacks, a good indication of what’s in store next year.

Nice limits of lingcod caught on the Dash in early November. Winter fishing for lingcod and rockfish is often good, as big fish move into shallow water to spawn.

While the best weather of the year for ocean charter fishing is April through September, calm weather days in the winter months often lead to wide-open fishing. Lingcod spawn in shallow water, where they can be caught on light tackle in calm, protected coves. We will be running ocean charters as conditions allow this winter. Call (541) 813-1082 to get on our call list for winter fishing.

Gift certificates make great stocking stuffers! We offer gift certificates for ocean and river trips, and our tackle shop. They can be printed and mailed with brochures, or emailed as a PDF. Call (541) 813-1082 for information.

Here are some of the photos from this past salmon season with Capt. Mick, Rye, Sam, Andy and Shane.

A 36-pound lingcod caught with Capt. Rye at Mack Arch in early November.

Here are a few late-season lingcod and rockfish photos from November.

To book a trip, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.

River salmon season off to hot start!

BROOKINGS, Ore. (Oct. 10, 2023) – Big numbers of bright king salmon have arrived in the Chetco River estuary, while halibut, lingcod and rockfish continue to be caught during ocean charters out of Brookings. The transition from summer to fall often produces some of the best fishing opportunities of the year, and that continues to be the case as anglers have plenty of options on the Southern Oregon Coast.

Some of the nice salmon caught the first weekend of October with Capt. Sam.

The Brookings Fishing Charters crew has been running ocean charters daily, as the weather allows, and also guided salmon trips on the Chetco River estuary. All of our captains are also licensed river guides, and have been enjoying great catches of big king salmon at the mouth of the river. With heavy rains this week, and rough ocean conditions, ocean charters will be running less frequently, while the crew switches to drift boats to target salmon upriver. Flows are expected to increase next week, and we plan to run our first drift boat salmon trips of the season.

An ocean-fresh salmon caught in the Chetco estuary with Capt. Shane.

Offshore, halibut fishing has been fair to good. The halibut season in Oregon runs through Oct. 31. Lingcod and rockfish season is open year round, and we will continue ocean charters as weather allows. During recent trips, limits of nice rockfish have been common, with hot action in shallow water using light tackle. Lingcod fishing is fair, but soon bigger numbers of fish will move close to shore to stage before spawning. Winter lingcod fishing can be fast and furious out of Brookings, and our six-pack charter boats are well equipped for fishing the shallow reefs where lingcod spawn.

Some nice halibut caught on the Dash with Capt. Rye.

Larger halibut are showing up in the catch, with fish to 60 pounds. Our crew has been targeting halibut in 180 to 240 feet of water. On anchor, lighter weights can be used, to make halibut fishing more enjoyable.

Salmon fishing was hot over the weekend at the mouth of the Chetco. Anglers must stay withing the jetties, but big numbers of salmon, both hatchery and wild, are holding up in the estuary before heading upriver. With the rains, drift boat fishing will be productive. Our crew will be fishing the Chetco, Elk and Sixes rivers for salmon, and the Smith River for steelhead. Capt. Andy, Mick, Sam, Rye, Travis and Shane will be running our drift boat trips this fall.

Here are just a few of the salmon catches from the last two weeks at the mouth of the Chetco.

Here is a sampling of the catches from recent ocean charters. We will continue to run our six-pack charter boats into the winter as the weather allows.

To book an ocean charter or guided river trip, call (541) 813-1082. More in river fishing can be found at www.wildriversfishing.com. For ocean trips, visit www.brookingsfishing.com.

Check out our latest recipe, Chipotle Rockfish, Shrimp and Bacon tacos.

Chipotle Rockfish, Shrimp and Bacon Tacos

By Capt. Andy Martin – We get to enjoy Taco Night a few times a week at my house, and typically we try a different version of rockfish tacos. Running a charter boat business, we get plenty of fresh rockfish and lingcod fillets to take home and try new variations of tacos. Recently we tried a spicier fish taco recipe, that was not only loaded with flavor and surprisingly easy to make, but was also unique to any other fish taco recipe we have tried. Chipotle Rockfish, Shrimp and Bacon tacos are insanely delicious, and sure to become a favorite way to prepare rockfish, halibut, cod or surfperch.

Rockfish, shrimp and bacon, ready to serve with your favorite taco ingredients.

This recipe took quite a bit of tinkering to perfect. It is best prepared broiled in the oven. Everyone who has tried it agrees it is their new favorite fish taco recipe.

Served with homemade salsa and crema sauce, and garnished with avocado, cucumber, cabbage and mango, these tacos are sure to make Taco Night a hit.

It’s hard to beat rockfish, shrimp and bacon broiled with chipotle peppers.
Key ingredients include chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and jalapeno peppers.
Fish, shrimp and slightly cooked bacon.
Mix the fish with mayonnaise, chipotle peppers, Jugo sauce, softened butter and onions and peppers.

Place ingredients on a screen over a baking sheet.
Broil on screen over a baking dish.
Ready to make insanely delicious rockfish, shrimp and bacon tacos.
Chipotle Rockfish, Shrimp and Bacon Tacos.

Chipotle Rockfish, Shrimp and Bacon Tacos

1-2 pounds rockfish (or surfperch, lingcod, halibut or surfperch), cut into smaller chunks

1 pound peeled medium or large shrimp

1 can (7 oz.) Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

4-6 slices bacon

1 cube butter

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup Maggi Jugo sauce (can be substituted with 3 tbs soy sauce and 3 tbs Worcestershire sauce)

1 tbs garlic power

salt and pepper to taste

4-6 green onions

2 jalapeno peppers, sliced

2 Anaheim peppers, sliced

Crema sauce

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup sour cream

1 tbs sriracha sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

Juice from one lemon

Garnish

Salsa, avocado, cabbage or cole slaw mix, sliced cucumber, sliced mango (optional)

Slightly crisp bacon, and set aside to cool. (Don’t overcook bacon, as it will finish cooking under broiler).

Combine pieces of fish, raw shrimp and pieces of bacon in a bowl. Add mayonnaise, Jugo (or soy/Worcestershire sauce), softened butter, chipotle peppers (break into smaller pieces) and adobo sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix together (easier done with your hands than a spoon). Add green onions and sliced jalapeno and Anaheim peppers, and mix together.

Place fish mixture on an elevated baking screen over a baking sheet. The liquid from the mixture will settle below screen (browning bacon first reduces the amount of liquid that ends up on baking dish).

Broil for 5-10 minutes, or until fish is done.

Serve on warm tortillas (we like flour tortillas, but also is great with corn tortillas) with cabbage, salsa, crema sauce, avocado and cucumber. For an extra treat, try adding sliced mango.

To catch a limit of rockfish to make your own Chipotle Rockfish, Shrimp and Bacon tacos, visit www.brookingsfishing.com.

Albacore tuna, Pacific halibut, lingcod action heats up

BROOKINGS, Ore. (Aug. 6, 2023) – Two weeks of mostly nice ocean conditions resulted in some of the best fishing of the entire year to end July and begin August, as the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet enjoyed excellent catches of lingcod and rockfish at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse. The first albacore tuna of the season also were caught last week, and offshore halibut action heated up.

Some of the albacore tuna caught last week aboard the Kraken out of Brookings.

Mid-summer is a premier time to fish out of Brookings, as good weather often results in good fishing. Limits of big rockfish and limits or near limits of lingcod have been common at the lighthouse. A few lingcod close to 30 pounds were caught in recent weeks, while plenty of 10- to 15-pounders and several over 20 pounds were brought in by Brookings Fishing Charters customers. Fishing at the lighthouse will continue through mid-October.

Capt. Andy holds an albacore tuna caught aboard the Nauti-Lady last week.
Some of the nice tuna caught aboard the Miss Brooke last week.

With calm ocean conditions, Brookings Fishing Charters sent its entire fleet out for albacore tuna last week. The office quickly put trips together based on the tuna call list (call 541-813-1082 to get on it), and nearly 30 customers were able to get out on the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Nauti-Lady, Papa B and Dash. It took a few hours to find the fish, then the action was wide open, with a 50-fish-per-boat average. Trolling tuna clones with rod and reel produced the best action, as the captains found 62-degree water offshore of Pistol River. The action was non-stop until the boats ran out of ice and cooler space for the tuna.

A few tuna from the Nauti-Lady last week.
Happy customers with their tuna catch from the Papa B last week.

More tuna trips are expected this week of weather conditions calm down as expected Wednesday and Thursday. Tuna charters are a 10- to 12-hour trip.

Limits of halibut caught in early August aboard the Dash.

Halibut action also improved again last week after a lull in mid-July. The Dash ran a trip over the weekend with full two-fish-per-person limits of Pacific halibut, with fish to 50 pounds caught. Calm weather this week is allow charters to get back offshore for halibut.

Oregon is now the only option for halibut fishing, as the Pacific halibut quota has been reached in California waters. Halibut season runs through October out of Brookings.

Trophy-size vermillion rockfish caught last week aboard the Miss Brooke.
A 29-pound lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady at Mack Arch.
Limits of lingcod caught at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.

On local half-day bottom fishing charters, limits of rockfish are being caught, with fair action on lingcod. A 29-pound lingcod was caught last week aboard the Nauti-Lady at Mack Arch.

Fishing charters may be booked online at www.brookingsfishing.com, or by calling (541) 813-1082.

Here are a few more catch photos from the end of July and beginning of August.

Lighthouse best bet for big lingcod, rockfish biting close to harbor

BROOKINGS, Ore. (July 18, 2023) – Big lingcod are being caught on our long-range trips to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, while Pacific halibut are biting closer to the harbor on calm weather days. Limits of rockfish have been common on local half-day , with plenty of fish on the nearshore reefs.

Whopper-size canary and vermillion rockfish caught at the Point St. George Lighthouse aboard the Papa B.

Calm weather last week allowed our charter boats to make several trips to the lighthouse, where big lingcod and a nice variety of rockfish were caught. The lighthouse, halfway between Brookings, Oregon, and Crescent City, California, is known for producing some of the best bottom fishing action outside of Alaska. The productive reef is home to giant schools of rockfish, including canary, vermillion, copper, black, blue, tiger, China, quillback and yellowtail rockfish, and trophy-size lingcod. The daily jackpot winner at the lighthouse is often a lingcod pushing 20 pounds, while fish to 40 pounds or more are caught each season.

Limits of Pacific halibut caught in 200 feet of water off of Brookings last week.

Brookings Fishing Charters makes the long run to the lighthouse on its six-pack charters boats – the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Papa B and Dash – as well as the 42-foot Nauti-Lady. Limits of rockfish typically come fast at the lighthouse, giving anglers plenty of time to focus on catching big lingcod and even Pacific halibut.

During calm weather days, the Papa B and Dash have been running halibut trips closer to Brookings. Halibut are generally caught in 200 to 250 feet of water. Our charter boats anchor, a technique that has been highly effective in Alaska for decades, to create a scent trail to bring the halibut to them. This year, the limit is two fish a person, and our boats got customers into numerous limits last week.

Nice canary rockfish.
Let’s see your lingcod face!

Rockfish action has been good on local half-day bottom fishing trips. With windy weather over the weekend, our boats were forced to fish close to the harbor. Rockfish action was steady, with a mix of black, blue and canary rockfish, and a few lingcod and cabezon mixed in. Nicer weather is expected later this week!

Ocean coho action remains slow out of Brookings. No king salmon can be kept until October, when there is expected to be a four-day season in the ocean at the mouth of the Chetco. Salmon fishing has improved in the Rogue Bay, where we are offering trips aboard our jet sled.

Deckhand Eric holds an octopus caught aboard the Miss Brooke.

Offshore water temperatures have reached 60 degrees, warm enough for albacore tuna. We are keeping a close eye on the forecast in hopes of offering tuna trips as soon as the wind lets up and conditions are safe to venture 20 to 40 miles offshore. Be sure to add your name to our call list if you want a chance to catch tuna – (541) 813-1082.

To book a bottom fishing trip, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.

Here are some more photos from the past week on our charter boats.

Lingcod biting at lighthouse, Mack Arch; local halibut action heats up

BROOKINGS, Ore. (July 11, 2023) – Long-range trips to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse and Mack Arch are living up to their billing, with limits of jumbo rockfish and plenty of lunker lingcod. Halibut action also has improved off the coast of Brookings, with some of our charter customers getting their two-fish limits.

A nice halibut catch aboard the Dash in early July, with seven keeper halibut and one of several petrale sole also caught on the charter.

Nice ocean conditions have allowed the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet to get back to the lighthouse area, where anglers get a chance to enjoy some of the best lingcod and rockfish action outside of Alaska. Lingcod to 25 pounds have been caught on our charter boats in the past week, along with a nice variety of rockfish, including vermilion, tiger, canary, copper, China, black and blue rockfish, and whopper-size cabezon. The lighthouse is halfway between Brookings and Crescent City, California. Because of its distance from the harbors, as well as being situated on an extremely productive reef, the size and quantity of fish is unmatched in the region.

Nice double-hookup of lingcod at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse aboard the Nauti-Lady.

The local charter fleet also has been heading to Mack Arch and Mack Reef, 15 miles north of Brookings, another lingcod hotspot. The variety of rockfish at Mack Arch is similar to that at the lighthouse.

Halibut season opened May 1 out of Brookings and remains open through Oct. 31. The first month and a half of the season was slow, as is typical. In the past week, catch rates have accelerated, with most customers getting at least one Pacific halibut and many getting their two-fish limits. Most of the halibut are around 20 pounds, but fish to 50 pounds are being caught.

Lingcod action aboard the Miss Brooke in early July at the lighthouse.

All of the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet – including the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Nauti-Lady, Papa B and Dash – have made trips in the past week to the lighthouse and Mack Arch. The rockfish action is typically fast and furious, with easy limits and a chance to release smaller rockfish to focus on a nice grade. Several spectacular tiger rockfish were caught over the weekend at the lighthouse, along with trophy-size vermilion rockfish. Large black and blue rockfish round out the limits.

A daily jackpot winner aboard the Nauti-Lady at Mack Arch in early July.

On the halibut grounds, our boats have been anchoring in 200 to 250 feet of water. On anchor, we can use lighter weights, from 12 to 20 ounces. Once the scent trail is established, the halibut bite picks up as feeding fish come from far distances and key on the large bait combos used by our experienced halibut captains. The Brookings Fishing Charters crew, with years of experience running charters in Oregon and Alaska, are among the few captains who anchor for halibut on the Oregon Coast.

Some of the action from a local half-day trip aboard the Kraken.

Albacore tuna are still well offshore, but the first fish of the season have been caught by charters in Tillamook Bay and Westport, Wash. We are keeping a close eye on offshore temperatures, and expect to begin tuna charters before the end of July. Call (541) 813-1082 to get on the tuna call list.

Our recipe blog has numerous ways to prepare the fish caught on our charters.

Don’t forget our blog also has a large selection of seafood recipes. Check them out here.

To book a charter to the lighthouse or Mack Arch, or a halibut charter, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.

Here are some more catches from the past week at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse and Mack Arch.

Halibut show up, tuna on horizon

BROOKINGS, Ore. (July 4, 2023) – Lingcod and lunker rockfish have been biting at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse – when the weather is calm enough to get there – while Pacific halibut action is heating up closer to the Port of Brookings. Albacore tuna, meanwhile, are almost within range of the sport fleet, with a pocket of warm water inching closer to the Oregon Coast.

The Brookings Fishing Charters fleet has been fishing daily, with good success on rockfish and lingcod when the ocean cooperates. Windy weather made fishing challenging the first week of July, but better ocean conditions are expected this coming weekend. Just before the windy weather, halibut catch rates improved. Coho salmon season also is open, but catches on the Southern Oregon Coast have been few and far between.

Limits of lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke in June near the lighthouse.

The best bet in recent weeks has been the Point St. George Reef near the historic lighthouse. The productive reef is halfway between Brookings and Crescent City. The best lingcod areas are closer to the lighthouse, where the Brookings charter fleet often returns with limits of both lingcod and lunker rockfish. The Crescent City charter fleet often focuses on South Reef, where rockfish are abundant, but lingcod have been less common this season.

Halibut caught aboard the Dash in late June in 180 feet of water off Brookings.

Halibut action started off slow out of Brookings when the season opened May 1, but catches have improved steadily. Charters in Brookings were averaging a fish per rod at the end of June. Halibut season continues through October. July, August and early September produce the best catch rates out of Brookings. Halibut are caught in 200 to 250 feet of water, 3 to 5 miles offshore. Unlike other areas of the coast, fairly light weights are used while fishing aboard charter boats in Brookings, with 12 ounces to 16 ounces usually enough lead to stay on the bottom.

Deckhand Chris holds a lingcod caught in late June aboard the Nauti-Lady.
Capt. Mick with a young angler’s first halibut.

During local half-day bottom fishing trips, the action has been fair, as windy weather and choppy seas have kept boats from more productive areas. With nice weather expected after the Fourth of July holiday, catch rates will improve for lingcod and rockfish as boaters can once again reach the Bird Island, House Rock and Mack Arch areas.

Albacore tuna water is a little more than 50 miles offshore, but as offshore winds subside, surface temperatures will increase and the bubble of warm water will move closer to shore. Tuna could be within 30 miles by mid-July. Brookings Fishing Charters operates off of a call list for tuna. When the forecast shows good weather conditions, the booking office will put trips together. Call (541) 813-1082 to be added to the call list.

Capt. Kirby holds a tiger rockfish caught aboard the Miss Brooke at the lighthouse.

To book a fishing charter, call (541) 813-1082, or visit www.brookingsfishing.com.

Here are some catches from recent trips aboard the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Dash, Papa B and Nauti-Lady.

Calm weather expected after mostly windy spring

BROOKINGS, Ore. (June 5, 2023) – After a mostly windy spring, with big swells, choppy seas and mostly hard-to-fish conditions, the forecast improves this week, with ideal weather for long-range trips to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse or Mack Arch from Wednesday through Saturday. Light winds and calm seas generally lead to good fishing, and our crew can’t wait. The weather also is good for halibut!

A nice lingcod from a windy weather day aboard the Nauti-Lady last week.

Between gale warnings, which have been common so far this spring, fishing has been good. We have been getting limits when our boats can get to the lighthouse and fish for several hours. On near-shore trips the past two weeks, we have been getting limits of rockfish with some lingcod mixed in.

Capt. Kirby holds a nice lingcod from the lighthouse caught in late May aboard the Nauti-Lady.

The marine forecast for Wednesday through Saturday this week shows winds less than 5 mph and swells down to 2 feet, with no wind chop. That will allow our six-pack boats and the Nauti-Lady to make it to the lighthouse or the halibut grounds. Salmon season, meanwhile, opens June 17. We have been releasing salmon while bottom fishing, and are seeing lots of birds and bait. Lots of pelicans mean the anchovies are here, and where there are baitfish, there also are salmon. This year we can keep two hatchery coho per day, from June 17-Aug. 31. The rivers seasons on the Rogue and Chetco also will go on as normal this year.

Salmon season opens June 17. Here is a nice hatchery coho from last summer aboard the Dash.

During the most recent all-day trips to the Point St. George Lighthouse, our boats caught limits of jumbo rockfish and a pile of big lingcod. But windy weather has kept the fleet closer to the harbor for most of the last two weeks. With the improved forecast, we expect good fishing at the lighthouse, and also will be focusing on Pacific halibut. Halibut season runs May 1-Oct. 31 out of Brookings. The best fishing is usually late June through August. Beginning June 12, the limit increases to two halibut per day!

We’ve released a lot of nice cabezon the past two weeks. We can keep them beginning July 1.
Parmesan baked rockfish is a tasty, and healthy, alternative to deep fried fish.

We’ve added a couple of new recipes to our fishing report blog. Be sure to check them out. The Parmesan baked rockfish is great. Check it our here.

We have open seats this week. To book, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.

Here are just a few of the catches from the last two weeks on the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Dash, Papa B and Nauti-Lady.

Long-rang lighthouse trips yield lunker lings

BROOKINGS, Ore. (May 19, 2023) – The highly anticipated lingcod and rockfish season opener at the Point St. Geoge Reef and lighthouse lived up to its expectations, with easy limits of lunker rockfish and steady action on big lingcod. Halibut fishing also is off to a good start near the lighthouse, and has improved off of Brookings.

Aside from local half-day bottom fishing trips out of Brookings, and all-day long-range trips to the lighthouse, anglers fishing out of the Port of Brookings also have an ocean salmon season to look forward to. The coho salmon season off the Oregon Coast begins June 17, and Brookings is often ground zero for the best action in late June and early July.

A pair of nice lingcod caught near the Point St. George Reef lighthouse in mid May.

The lighthouse area is a highly popular trip because of the Alaska-style fishing often found in the productive waters of Point St. George Reef. Aside from big lingcod and halibut, the thriving reef is home to massive schools of blue, black, canary and yellowtail rockfish. Tiger, vermilion, China, copper and quillback rockfish also are caught near the lighthouse, located halfway between Brookings, Oregon, and Crescent City, California. Few boats venture to the far side of the lighthouse, where the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet has a large number of tried-and-true hotspots for lingcod and rockfish.

Chris, a frequent Brookings Fishing Charters customer, fights a lingcod near the lighthouse on May 16.
Chris holds a limit of lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady in May.

Each season, lingcod topping 40 pounds are caught near the lighthouse. Charter boats fish shallow pinnacles, catching lingcod in was as shallow as 30 feet, and deeper water up to 250 feet. The lighthouse area often has more consistent fishing for lingcod compared to reefs closer to Brookings or Crescent City.

An angler fights a salmon that hit a bottom fishing rig in May. The salmon was released without being removed from the water.

Brookings Fishing Charters has been running trips daily. Half-day local trips are offered for lingcod and rockfish, along with a longer-range 6-plus-hour targeted lingcod trip. The lighthouse trips run 8 hours. All-day halibut trips also are available. Halibut season runs through Oct. 31 out of Brookings, with the best fishing in later June, July and August.

A pair of 20-pound lingcod caught May 19 aboard the Nauti-Lady.

Salmon fishing is closed in all of California this summer, but will open out of Brookings June 17. Two hatchery coho, also known as silver salmon, may be kept each day. River fishing for salmon also will open as normal on the Chetco and Rogue rivers this fall. River fishing for salmon is closed in California this year.

During a charter in mid-May to the lighthouse, a large king salmon was released on the Nauti-Lady. Several salmon also have been released by anglers fishing out of Brookings. Plentiful boat is a good indication of healthy ocean conditions, which generally lead to good silver salmon fishing. The action is often fast and furious, with double and triple hookups common during coho season.

Fishing in California waters opened May 15, and the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet spent much of the first week of the season at the lighthouse. The Nauti-Lady and Miss Brooke ran several trips to the lighthouse during the opening week, with limits of big rockfish daily, and boat loads of big lingcod.

For more information on the lighthouse, visit www.brookingsfishing.com, or call (541) 813-1082.

Capt. Kirby holds a 22-pound lingcod caught in May aboard the Nauti-Lady.