Fishing Reports
Nice weather improves lingcod, rockfish action
After two weeks of extremely windy weather, the ocean calmed down this week, giving anglers a better shot at lingcod and rockfish. Salmon fishing, meanwhile, slowed after very good fishing the first two weeks of the season.
With the calm weather, our charters made it back to Mack Arch for the first time in a few weeks. The rockfish action has been wide open, with rockfish feeding on crab spawn near the surface, while some nice lingcod also have been caught. One of our customers, Julie from Shady Cove, Ore., caught an impressive 27-pound lingcod on July 6.
The lingcod and rockfish charters also are yielding lots of color. We are catching vermilion and canary rockfish, along with lunker-size black and blue rockfish. The rockfish action has been some of the best we’ve seen so far this season.
Brookings had really good salmon fishing from the June 20 opener through the end of the month. But cooler water from strong winds and upwelling offshore pushed the schools of salmon away from the harbor. The water temperature dropped to 46 degrees. It is slowly warming this week, and bait is still thick, so we expect an improved salmon bite this weekend.
Salmon season runs through Aug. 7. The limit is two king salmon, hatchery or wild, a day, with a 24-inch minimum length. The kings are running large this year, with fish to 25 pounds or biggers.
There are reports of albacore tuna off the Oregon Coast. Several boats plan to scout the tuna grounds this weekend. If they find them within 30 miles, we will soon offer tuna trips. A few Pacific halibut also were caught this week out of Brookings.
During good weather days, we are offering afternoon bottom fishing charters, along with the normal morning charters. The afternoon trips are popular with families, or people traveling from the Rogue Valley who would rather drive over in the morning instead of the day before.
To book an ocean charter, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call our booking office, 541-813-1082.