Tag: Brookings

Trophy lingcod highlight great ocean fishing in 2025

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.

The Umatilla II’s hydraulic crab block will give Brookings Fishing Charters customers even more crabbing opportunities in 2026.
Another giant lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady in 2025.

Lingcod charters run daily, year-round, as the weather allows. To book a trip, call (541) 813-1082 or book online at www.brookingsfishing.com.

Here are a few more of the trophy lingcod and rockfish caught aboard our charter boats in 2025.

Crab Artichoke Dip, Crab Toast great way to enjoy Dungeness

By Capt. Andy Martin – Strolling the Seattle Waterfront and Pikes Place Market after a recent fishery meeting in Seattle, my wife Sarah and I sized up several of the seafood restaurants on a busy spring evening, settling on an uncrowded fish and chip place that had a pretty extensive menu. Sarah ordered “Crab Toast” as we enjoyed a drink and waited for the fish dinner.

Crab Toast, a delicious combination of hot crab artichoke dip and a crab melt is a great way to enjoy Oregon Coast Dungeness crab.

Although the amount of crab in the “Crab Toast” was fairly meager, the appetizer was impressively good. A homemade artichoke dip, with fresh Dungeness crab, served on a slice of broiled bread. We both agreed we had to make that with fresh Oregon Coast crab when we got home. It was the perfect combination of a crab melt, and crab artichoke dip. It has since become one of our favorite ways to enjoy local Dungeness, especially when served with a generous amount of fresh crab.

The ingredients for hot crab artichoke dip make a meal visiting guests and family will be impressed with.

Crab melts, with a heaping of crab covered in cheese broiled for a few minutes have long been a preferred way to consume crab. Crab artichoke dips also have been a favorite treat as an appetizer. Serving the crab artichoke dip instead of just crab and cheese turns crab toast into a meal, and will surely impress dinner guests or visiting family, or just make a fairly simple meal with an amazing combination of flavors.

Capt. Andy and his wife Sarah enjoying the Seattle Waterfront, where they sampled Crab Toast on a menu of a seafood restaurant near Pike’s Place Market.
Capt. Sam Stover hoists a pot full of Dungeness crab aboard the charter boat Nauti-Lady, one of five boats in the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet.

We usually make crab toast as a dinner meal, and save the leftover crab artichoke dip for a snack with crackers the next day. Visitors also love leaving with a container of crab artichoke dip to take home.

After making hot crab artichoke dip, simply cover a slice of bread (we usually use sliced French or sourdough) and broil for a few minutes. Served with a green salad or pasta dish, you have an exquisite meal that is actually a lot simpler to make than it appears. We like a combination of Monterey jack and Parmesan cheese, but white cheddar and mozzarella also work well with this recipe. Canned artichoke hearts packed in water are best for this recipe, not the marinated artichoke hearts purchased in a jar.

Chop the canned artichokes before adding them to the dip.
Artichoke hearts and fresh crab are the key ingredients for crab toast.
Crab artichoke dip before it is baked. Fresh Dungeness is considerably better than canned lump crab.
Ready for the oven. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
Hot-from-the-oven artichoke crab dip.
Crab toast ready for the broiler.
A few minutes under the broiler and crab toast is ready to enjoy.
Crab Toast!
Sarah Martin enjoying the Seattle Waterfront, where visitors can experience some of the best Northwest seafood.

Crab Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

1 cup shelled crab meat

1 block (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded, divided

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

1 can (14 oz.) quartered artichoke hearts, chopped

2 green onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves minced garlic

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

squeeze of lemon

Parsley, finely chopped for garnish

Directions

While the oven is preheating at 425 degrees, stir together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, 1 cup of the Monterey jack cheese, artichoke hearts, garlic, crabmeat, Worcestershire sauce ands green onion in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add a squeeze of lemon.

Place the mixture in a baking dish, and add the remaining 1/2 cup of Monterey jack cheese to the top. Garnish with parsely.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

The artichoke crab dip is ready to be enjoyed hot out of the oven. For crab toast, spread the dip over sliced bread, and broil for 1 to 3 minutes.

To catch local Dungeness crab, book a fishing charter with Brookings Fishing Charters. Learn more at www.brookingsfishing.com, or call (541) 813-1082.

Nauti-Lady deckhand Eric with a pot full of Dungeness crab. www.brookingsfishing.com,

Oven-poached salmon quick and delicious

Oregon Coast salmon, whether caught in the ocean, or soon after their arrival in one of the coastal rivers, are one of the most delicious bounties enjoyed by anglers. There are endless ways to prepare salmon, from grilling to smoking, but oven-poaching is one of the easiest ways to cook this great-tasting fish, with an easy cleanup, and plenty of options for unique flavors.

Oven-poached salmon is quick and easy, without a messy cleanup.

Poaching, a healthy way to prepare fish without adding fat or oil, uses moist heat to cook the fish, and is more forgiving than grilling or frying, which can leave the salmon raw in the middle and overcooked on the outer edge.

A fresh coho salmon fillet headed to the oven.
Poaching salmon in the oven keeps the fish moist and firm, and prevents the salmon from being overcooked on the outside and raw in the middle.

Capt. Andy’s favorite way of oven-poaching salmon leaves the fish moist and firm, and is topped with a delicious cucumber dill relish. The recipe is great for freshly caught salmon, but also works well with fish that has been frozen. Poaching works especially well during the winter, when weather conditions are less conducive for barbecuing outside. The fish is poached in chicken broth, with fresh or dried dill. The fish can be cut into smaller portions, cooked as a whole fillet, or steaks.

Oven-poached Salmon

1-2 salmon fillets, or steaks

1-2 cups chicken broth

1 tbs butter

2-3 sprigs fresh dill, or 1 tbs dried dill

1 sliced lemon (optional)

Cucumber Dill Relish

1 cucumber, chopped

1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped

2-3 radishes, chopped

1/4 cup white vinegar

3 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried dill, or chopped fresh dill

Broccoli Rice

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup rice

1/2 cup broccoli, chopped

Oven-poached salmon is a great alternative to barbecuing or smoking.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rub cold butter to the bottom of a shallow baking dish.

For the Broccoli Rice, bring two cups of chicken broth and one cup of rice to boil, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chopped broccoli after 10 minutes of simmering.

For the salmon, add salmon steaks or fillets to the baking dish, season with salt and pepper, add enough chicken broth (1 to 2 cups) to halfway cover the salmon fillets. Add a few sprigs of fresh dill, or sprinkle with dried dill. Add sliced lemon, if desired. Roast fish in oven for 12 to 17 minutes, until salmon is tender.

While salmon and rice is cooking, combine vinegar, salt and sugar in a bowl, add chopped cucumber, radishes and onion, and sprinkle with dill. Stir well to coat in vinegar mixture.

Remove fish from oven and transfer to a serving platter. Serve salmon topped with relish and the rice as a side.

Delicious oven-poached salmon with cucumber dill relish and a side of broccoli rice.

To catch an Oregon Coast salmon, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or www.wildriversfishing.com to learn more about our guided fish trips and ocean charters.

Capt. Andy with an ocean-fresh king salmon from the Chetco River.