By Capt. Andy Martin – One of the perks of running a charter boat on the Oregon Coast is an ample supply of rockfish and lingcod fillets to enjoy with our families and try new recipes with. One of the captains who runs out of the Brookings Fishing Charters office says his favorite way to enjoy rockfish is Rockfish Puttanesca, a delicious twist to a classic Italian dish that will have you coming back for seconds.
Start by finely chopping garlic and parsley.
Pasta Puttanesca is a simple, tasty alternative to traditional spaghetti with meatballs. Adding rockfish fillets makes the dish burst with flavor and appear much more elaborate, worthy of a spot on the menu of an expensive seafood or Italian restaurant. The recipe is actually quite simple, and costs less than $15 to make a meal for the entire family.
When the captain of one of our charters described his homespun recipe for Rockfish Puttanesca I was intrigued, and after experimenting a little, came up with this version. It is worth trying, and may become one of your favorite recipes for enjoying Oregon Coast rockfish.
Rockfish Puttanesca
2 to 6 rockfish fillets. Smaller fillets work best.
1/3 cup olive oil
5-6 cloves minced garlic
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 flat anchovy fillets (2 ounces)
2 14.5-ounce cans crushed tomatoes (finely diced tomatoes will can be substituted)
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1/4 cup capers
1 bunch chopped parsley
salt, garlic salt and pepper to taste
1 package (14-16 ounces) spaghetti
Parmesan cheese
Finley chop the garlic and parsley and set aside. Rinse rockfish fillets.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook garlic for 1 minute, then add crushed red pepper and anchovy fillets. The anchovy fillets will break up. Cook for 1 more minute, and add olives, capers, parsley and crushed tomatoes. Add salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste. Bring to a boil, add rockfish fillets, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Just after adding rockfish fillets and covering, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook spaghetti for 9-10 minutes. By the time the spaghetti is cooked and drained, the sauce will be finished. Removed cooked rockfish from sauce and place on a separate dish, then combine sauce and spaghetti and mix well.
Add a rockfish fillet to each serving of the puttanesca. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.
Saute the anchovy fillets, crushed red pepper flakes and garlic.Add olives, parsley and capers.Add two cans crushed tomatoes.Stir well.After bringing sauce to a boil, add rockfish fillets. Cover, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.The rockfish fillets will cook in the sauce.Once the rockfish is cooked, remove from sauce and set aside.Toss pasta and sauce.Serve a rockfish fillet with each portion of puttanesca.
To catch a limit of rockfish to make Rockfish Puttanesca and other tasty seafood recipes, book a trip with any of the Brookings Fishing Charters charter boats. Learn more at www.brookingsfishing.com.
Smoking salmon or steelhead is one of the most popular ways of enjoying the highly prized Oregon Coast fish. While there are dozens of great recipes for smoked fish, our favorite involves a quick and simple dry cure that is both sweet and salty, but not too much of either. Brown sugar cured salmon or steelhead is a tried and true smoked fish recipe that has regained popularity in recent years.
Chetco River steelhead smoked after being cured with brown sugar and salt.
The fish is cured with a dry cure. No brine is involved. The end result is smoked fish with all of its flavor, and the perfect texture. This recipe is especially popular for steelhead and coho salmon, which have more of a mild flavor compared to king salmon, but it works great for all species of salmon, including those caught in the ocean or river.
The dry cure is simple. Four parts brown sugar (light or dark may be used) and one part non-iodized salt. For a single coho or steelhead, two cups brown sugar and a half of cup of salt work. For multiple fish, or a large king salmon, use four cups brown sugar and one cup salt. Mix the brown sugar and salt in a plastic bag.
Steelhead fillets cut into small pieces for smoking.
Cut the salmon or steelhead fillet into smaller pieces. The smaller pieces will cure more evenly, and smoke better than larger fillets. For best results, remove the rib bones, although they can be left if desired. Leave the skin on the fillets, as they will be smoked skin-side down.
Cure the fish in a large glass baking dish. A large plastic bowl also will work, or even a bucket if you have several salmon to cure and smoke.
The brown sugar cure over the steelhead fillets.
Layer the bottom of the baking dish with the small pieces of fillets, skin-side down. Place a single layer on the dish. Apply a generous amount of the brown sugar and salt mixture over the fish. Add a second layer of fish, skin-side down, over the initial layer, and then another coat of the brown sugar cure.
The second layer of salmon fillets.
Continue to add layers of salmon or steelhead, and the brown sugar cure. After just a few minutes, the dry cure will begin to pull the moisture/liquid from the salmon or steelhead fillets. Cover with a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator or a cool area (the garage) for three or four hours.
After just a few minutes, the sugar and salt will begin to become saturated with moisture from the fish.The cure dissolves as it pulls the moisture from the fish.
After an hour, the sugar and salt will be completely dissolved as it pulls the moisture and liquid from the fish. After three to four hours of curing, stir the fish by hand to ensure all the fillet pieces are covered with the cure.
Stir the fillets to make sure they are completely exposed to the cure.
Cure the fish for 12 to 24 hours. Smaller pieces will cure quicker. Larger king salmon may need the total cure time of 24 hours, or longer. The fish will take on a brighter color, and the meat will be firmer once it is cured.
When its ready to smoke, remove it from the cure, shake or wipe off the remaining cure and place on the smoke trays or screens to air dry. Do not rinse.
The fillets will be bright and firm once cured.The unrinsed fillets are allowed to air dry.
Once the fillets have air dried and are firm and tacky, season to taste with garlic powder, black pepper, dill weed and lemon pepper. Some people simply add a little black pepper and no other seasonings.
Once the fillets are tacky, season and begin to smoke.Use apple, cherry or alder chips.
Smoke the fish for 6 to 12 hours. Use three pans fulls of chips, and then simply use the heat from the smoker. Continuing to add chips/smoke after the first 1 to 2 hours can give the fish a bitter taste.
The Big Chief Smoker doing its thing.
If you like sweeter smoked fish, add a small amount of honey to each fillet halfway through the smoking process.
During the winter months, or on the coast during cool, foggy weather, sometimes it is necessary to finish the fish off in the oven. If necessary, finish cooking the salmon at a low temperate (175-200 degrees) for 20 to 30 minutes in the oven.
The finished product.King salmon caught on the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters.
Lingcod are one of the most delicious fish caught on our charters. Known for their firm, tasty fillets, lingcod are most often pan fried or deep fried. The fillets also are great when grilled. Here is a favorite grilled lingcod recipe from Capt, Andy that is incredibly simple, yet delicious. The recipe also works great for rockfish and halibut.
Grilled lingcod is simple and delicious.
Ingredients
Lingcod fillets
olive or vegetable oil
lemon pepper
salt
salted butted
fresh lemon
Preheat your grill to 350-375 degrees. To make cleanup simple, add a sheet of aluminum foil with a small amount of cooking oil to prevent lingcod from sticking to the foil.
The combination of butter and lemon pepper give the lingcod a delicious flavor.
Generously season the lingcod fillets with lemon pepper and sea salt. You may want to add a little garlic as well. Top each fillet with a slice of butter.
The melting butter keeps the fillets firm and moist.
Cook the fillets for 8 to 10 minutes without turning. Thicker fillets may take longer. The fish is done when the inside has an opaque color and the fillets easily flake apart.
The fillets are done in 8 to 10 minutes.
Serve the fillets with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Grilled lingcod or rockfish also make excellent fish tacos. Add homemade pico de gallo and a combination of shredded cabbage and crema. Serve with flour or corn tortillas.
Grilled lingcod or rockfish make great fish tacos.Homemade pico is a key ingredient.Make a Mexican crema sauce by combining mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, Sriracha and garlic powder.Combine the cabbage and crema sauce.Grilled lingcod tacos!Lingcod are fun to catch and taste great.
Our trips to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, located offshore between Brookings and Crescent City, have been a huge hit with our customers. During recent trips this fall, in between storms, we have been catching limits of nice rockfish, and a very nice grade of lingcod. Anglers often see a wide variety of rockfish during these trips, with black, blue, canary, vermilion, China, copper, quillback and even tiger rockfish.
A happy angler holds a big lingcod caught in late November 2021 aboard the Miss Brooke.
During a period of nice weather in late November, we were able to run several trips to the lighthouse area aboard our six pack boats, including the Miss Brooke and Bout Time. During the fall months, lingcod fishing is often wide open at the lighthouse, and aside from limits, large numbers of keeper-size lingcod are also released.
We target the big lingcod with large jigs. As is often the case when hunting trophy-size fish, the bigger the bait, the bigger the fish.
An angler holds a tiger rockfish caught near the lighthouse.
One of the main draws of the lighthouse is the fast action, and wide variety. With each fish that comes up, anglers don’t know if it will be a cabezon, large rockfish, lingcod or even a halibut. The massive schools of fish at the Point St. George Reef are unmatched and rival the quality fishing in remote parts of Alaska.
Limits of rockfish caught at the Point St. George Reef while fishing aboard the Miss Brooke.
The lighthouse itself is located 11 miles south of the Chetco River jetties. Our charter boats fish near the lighthouse, or travel further south to fish near the Dragon Channel, Great Break, East Break and other productive parts of the reef.
Similar to our other charters, we start out with light spinning tackle to catch rockfish, usually fishing as shallow water as possible. It is easer to release rockfish in shallow water. If they are caught in deeper water, we will use a descending device to get the rockfish safely back to the bottom, deceasing release mortality of these prized fish.
An angler holds a trophy vermilion rockfish and a keeper-size lingcod from a recent lighthouse trip.
To fish the lighthouse area, the Brookings Fishing Charters boats are licensed in Oregon and California. We depart the Port of Brookings, in Oregon, but fish in California waters. Our boats have a California Commercial Passenger Vessel License and each angler must have a California sport fishing license. One-day licenses are available for $17. The fish are landed in Oregon, so an Oregon license also is required. The extraordinary fishing near the lighthouse makes the extra charter licenses, and angler licenses worthwhile, with unmatched fishing and the potential for trophy size fish.
The historic Point St. George Reef Lighthouse is home to some of the best lingcod and rockfish action on the entire West Coast.
The lighthouse area is open May-December. The rest of the year, we focus on other hot spots, such as Mack Arch, House Rock and the productive reefs close to the Port of Brookings Harbor.
Our charter boat captains have extensive experience fishing near the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse. Capt. Mick and Capt. Sam both grew up in Crescent City, and have been fishing the lighthouse area their entire life. Mick used to fish commercially near the Point St. George Reef, but now works year round, full time as a charter boat captain and fishing guide. Capt. Andy and Capt. Travis grew up in Brookings, and also have decades of experience fishing local waters, including the lighthouse area. Capt. Rye, Capt. Rich and Capt. Michael also have extensive experience fishing the lighthouse. Each captain has their own “hot spots,” and our charter crew is in constant communication with each other to make sure each boat is on the bite.
An average-size lingcod from the lighthouse area.
New for 2022, we will be offering combination lighthouse and ocean salmon trips during the month of June. We also offer halibut and lighthouse trip combos in June and September. Depth restrictions limit the halibut combos other times of the year.
The Point St. George Reef and lighthouse are a fascinating part of local history. The lighthouse was built in 1892 after several tragic shipwrecks in the Point St. George Reef. Towering 146 feet above the ocean, the lighthouse can be seen from Brookings and Crescent City. The reef is part of what was named “Dragon Rocks” by Sir Francis Drake. On July 30, 1865, during a gale, the 220-foot Brother Jonathan, carrying 244 passengers, struck the reef and sank. Only 19 people survived. A fortune in gold went down with the ship. Most of the gold is said to still be at the bottom of the ocean near the lighthouse, although a fisherman claimed to have caught 22 pounds of gold bars in his net in the 1930s. The sinking of the Brother Jonathan played a key role in the decision to build the lighthouse on Northwest Seal Rock.
The lighthouse cost $752,000 to construct in 1892, equivalent to $22 million today, making it the most expensive lighthouse ever built in the United States. The lighthouse was major construction feat. Several people died during construction and more were killed while serving at lightkeepers.
The Nauti-Lady, the 42-foot party boat usually used for half-day bottom fishing trips for Brookings Fishing Charters, has been getting customers into nice lingcod as of late. In between winter storms, the Nauti-Lady has been venturing offshore for lingcod and rockfish, with an occasional trip to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.
Mark, a frequent Brookings Fishing Charters customer, holds a limit of lingcod caught on the Nauti-Lady.
Just before Thanksgiving, the Nauti-Lady took a family out for a half-day bottom fishing trip, and aside from nice limits of rockfish, they hammered the lingcod in shallow water. One of the young anglers excitedly said the charter was one of the “best days of my life.” The lingcod action was fast and furious that day.
A family holds their Thanksgiving week catch of lingcod from the Nauti-Lady.
Another customer fished aboard the Nauti-Lady in November for her birthday. She caught a limit of rockfish and a limit of lingcod. She said the charter fishing experience was a great way to spend her birthday, and she was pleased with the catch and experience.
Earlier this fall, anglers aboard the Nauti-Lady also encountered great rockfish action, and lingcod-after-lingcod near House Rock.
During the late summer, the Nauti-Lady made numerous trips to the lighthouse, where the lingcod action is among the best on the West Coast. Lingcod from 5 to 25 pounds were caught, with a few bigger fish mixed in.
Cathy celebrated her birthday aboard the Nauti-Lady in November, and caught her limit of lingcod.
The Nauti-Lady joined the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet in 2020. Originally from Ilwaco, Wash., the Nauti-Lady is a 42-foot Rawson specifically designed for Northwest charter fishing. It is skippered by Capt. Andy Martin, as well as Capt. Michael McGahan. The charter boat is especially popular with families and large groups, but also runs mixed charters to the lighthouse and the local half-day trips to Bird Island and Twin Rocks.
The Brookings Fishing Charters fleet also includes the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Papa B, Dash and Bout Time. All of the captains are local, full-time, year-round charter boat captains and fishing guides.
Here are some of the great lingcod catches in recent weeks aboard the Nauti-Lady.
The albacore tuna action was fast and furious for a couple of weeks this summer out of Brookings, as the hard-fighting, great-eating fish came within 20 miles of the harbor and produced steady action for the charter and private boat fleet.
Customers hold some of the albacore tuna they caught in August 2021 aboard the Nauti-Lady.
Brookings Fishing Charters ran numerous tuna trips this summer aboard the Miss Brooke, Nauti-Lady, Dash and Papa B. The best action was in mid-August, but fish were caught in early September as well.
Anglers watched satellite images for weeks and waited for a break in the weather. On Aug. 12, Capt. Andy aboard the Nauti-Lady found 59-degree water only 18 miles offshore. He took 12 anglers aboard the Nauti-Lady to the tuna grounds, and they got into the albacore quickly trolling tuna drones behind Okuma big game rods combined with Penn Squall big game reels. A few miles further offshore, Capt. Travis and Capt. Michael aboard the Miss Brooke found another large school of tuna and quickly filled their fish bags and barrels.
A boat full of albacore tuna caught aboard The Dash with Capt. Mick.
The next day, the Miss Brooke, Dash and Papa B returned to the tuna grounds for more hot action. The Brookings Fishing Charters crew ran a few more trips that week before windy weather returned. Later in the month, tuna were still caught, but the fish had moved offshore and scattered.
During the peak of the action in mid-August, the Dash returned to port with 75 tuna for five anglers. The boat ran out of room to hold any more tuna. Most days the charters averaged four to six tuna a person.
Capt. Travis shows off an average tuna from the Miss Brooke this past summer.
The Brookings Fishing Charters fleet is equipped with the highest-quality tuna gear in the local charter fleet, with Penn reels and high-end big game rods, plugs a wide selection of tuna lures. The six-pack boats also get to the tuna grounds quickly, while the Nauti-Lady can accommodate larger groups and hold bigger quantities of fish.
To learn more about tuna fishing with Brookings Fishing Charters, visit www.brookingsfishing.com. Most tuna trips are booked through a call list, since the albacore arrive off the coast of Brookings at different times each summer.
A nice load of tuna from the Dash in 2021.Some of the great albacore tuna caught aboard the Papa B with Capt. Mike.Customers hold some of the albacore tuna caught aboard the Miss Brooke during the summer of 2021.One of many double hookups aboard the Nauti-Lady.Family fun catching albacore aboard the Miss Brooke.Another double aboard the Nauti-Lady.Wheel barrels full of albacore tuna after a day of fishing aboard the Nauti-Lady.
Aside from king salmon, Dungeness crab and big lingcod, the Oregon Coast also is known for its abundant oysters. While oysters cannot be harvested by sport anglers – they are actually private property that belong to oyster farms spread throughout the coast – they are readily available at seafood markets and grocery stores. Oyster farms are big business in places like Coos Bay, Newport and Tillamook Bay. Oregon oysters are known for their delicious flavor and freshness.
Fried oysters from the Oregon Coast are delicious.
Our favorite oyster recipe comes from Brookings Fishing Charters customer Dave Tappan of Redding, Calif. Dave is a popular radio personality in Northern California, and is also a chef extraordinaire. Dave often shares recipes on social media sites.
Oysters are grown in Coos Bay, Newport and Tillamook Bay.
Here is his delicious recipe for pan friend oysters:
Pan Fried Oysters with Tartar Sauce
For the Fried Oysters: 2 cups oysters, drained 2 large eggs, beaten 2 cups cornmeal 1 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying Malt vinegar, for serving Lemon wedges, for squeezing
For the Tartar Sauce: 1 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup dill relish, or finely chopped dill pickle 2 teaspoons capers, drained and chopped 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons lemon juice Fresh ground pepper, to taste 2 green onions, chopped
Fry the Oysters Pat the drained oysters dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs. Add the oysters to the egg bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, sugar, pepper, salt, Old Bay and flour. Lift each oyster out of the egg mixture and allow the excess moisture to drip off before rolling them in the cornmeal mixture to evenly coat. Repeat the process with all oysters. Pour about 3 inches of vegetable oil in a large, cast iron skillet, or whatever skillet you have. Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring it to a temperature of 370. Carefully add the oysters to the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry each batch of 6 to 8 oysters for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Use a metal slotted spoon to remove the oysters to paper towels to drain. Reserve.
Make the Tartar Sauce Gather the ingredients. In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise with the dill relish, capers, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and black pepper. Mix well. Add the green onions to the sauce and stir it into the mixture, or reserve the onion to garnish the finished oysters. Stir to blend thoroughly. Serve the sauce alongside the fried oysters with the lemon wedges and malt vinegar, for dashing and enjoy.
Fresh oysters are delivered weekly to seafood markets up and down the Oregon Coast.Dave Tappan of Redding is a popular radio host, chef extraordinaire and a customer of Brookings Fishing Charters.
While fish tacos and fish and chips have long been a favorite way to enjoy the tasty rockfish caught aboard our fishing charters, Rockfish and Sausage Stew is a delicious meal that is great any time of the year. This recipe is easy, quick, and will leave your family or guests wanting a second helping. It also is friendly to low-carb and keto diets.
Rockfish and Sausage Stew can be prepared from fresh or frozen rockfish. Other white-fleshed fish fillets, including lingcod, halibut or Pacific cod can be used. Great on a cold, stormy winter day with fish from the freezer, or on those cool, foggy Oregon Coast summer evenings.
Rockfish and Sausage Stew is a delicious way to enjoy Oregon Coast rockfish.
Ingredients
2 tbsp. butter or olive oil
6 oz. cooked andouille sausage, sliced
2 small leeks, white and light green portions, sliced
1 fennel bulb, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup white wine
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
2 bottles (8 oz, each) clam juice
3 cups water
1 lb. rockfish fillets, boneless and skinless, cut into small pieces
1/2 lb. Oregon pink shrimp meat, or peeled and deveined medium shrimp
salt and pepper to taste
Cut a pound of rockfish fillets into small pieces, about 1 square inch each. The fillets of two or three rockfish is all that is needed for this recipe.
In a large pot, heat the olive oil or butter, and add sliced sausage, leeks and fennel. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic and bay leaves. Add white wine and cook for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes and increase heat to medium high. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add clam juice and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, and add pieces of rockfish. Cook 4 minutes. Add shrimp meat.
Cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, discard bay leaf, stir in parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
The finished stew will have you coming back for seconds.
To catch a limit of rockfish to make Rockfish and Sausage Stew, or any of our other great seafood recipes, book a Brookings fishing charter at www.brookingsfishing.com
The best ocean salmon fishing in more than seven years is happing in Brookings this summer, as big schools of anchovies are attracting impressive numbers of kings and coho just outside of the harbor.
The charter boats working out of the Brookings Fishing Charters office have regularly been catching limits or near limits of salmon. While some days have been slow, the overall king salmon fishing this season has been well above average. Salmon to 25 pounds are being caught.
The salmon being caught out of Brookings this summer are nice-size kings.
Salmon season opened June 12 out of Brookings. Only hatchery coho salmon could be kept the first week. King season opened June 19. Both wild and hatchery kings and hatchery coho may be kept through mid August. The coho season will run through late August.
The first week of the season, fishing was wide open for silver salmon, which are also known as coho salmon. The Miss Brooke, Bout Time and Dash were getting limits nearly every day, while also releasing lots of kings. As soon as the king season opened, limits of near limits were being caught, with the salmon in close, feeding on thick schools of bait.
Limits of coho salmon caught aboard the Miss Brooke the first week of the season out of Brookings.
Windy weather has kept sport boats away from an area commonly known as “Salmon Ally.” Instead, anglers have been forced to fish closer to the buoys. Despite the wind, overall fishing has been good. Even better action is expected the second half of July as boaters can get offshore again during periods of nicer weather.
A nice catch of kings from the Miss Brooke in late June 2021.
Salmon have been biting anchovies or herring trolled close to the surface behind divers and Fish Flash flashers. Since the Brookings Fishing Charters captains are year-round fishing guides, working on the ocean charters during the spring and summer and local rivers during the fall and winter, they are all accomplished salmon anglers. Capts. Travis Sallander, Michael McGahan, Rich Singnorello, Andy Martin, Sam Stover, Mick Thomas, Rye Phillips and Mike Brouillette are among the best salmon captains on the Oregon Coast, with extensive experience fishing out of Brookings, in Alaska and off of Northern California. The six-pack boats are equipped with trolling motors to get the precise speed salmon like. They also can fish in tight quarters, as the hot bite often draws a crowd of boats (which usually follow the charters as they steadily pick away at the salmon).
Capt. Michael shows a chrome-bright king salmon caught off of Brookings in June.
The limit is two salmon per day. Kings must be at least 24 inches. Wild coho must be released, but wild or hatchery kings, and hatchery coho, may be kept. Most of the coho are bound for the Columbia River, where a near-record return is expected this fall. The king salmon, meanwhile, are primarily Sacramento River, Feather River, American River, Klamath River, Trinity River and Rogue River fall Chinook salmon.
A beautiful king salmon caught out of Brookings aboard the Miss Brooke.Nice king salmon caught in July aboard the Miss Brooke.A hefty king salmon caught on the guide sled with Capt. Sam.Anglers of all ages are enjoying the great salmon fishing off of Brookings this summer.Limits of kings and coho caught aboard the guide sled with Capt. Sam.A bunch of nice kings caught on the guide sledA perfect king salmon caught aboard The Dash with Capt. Mick.A great catch of kings and coho from the Miss Brooke.A very nice king caught aboard The Dash with Capt. Mick.Salmon from the Miss Brooke in late June.The guide sled has been a hot boat this season out of Brookings.Limits of coho salmon from mid-June aboard the Miss Brooke.These are big kings for early July.
Brookings Fishing Charters offers salmon trips daily aboard its six-pack charter boats. Bottom fishing trips also are offered on the Nauti-Lady and the six-packs not booked for salmon.
The first trips of the season to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse by the Brookings Fishing Charters crew resulted in easy limits of lingcod and big rockfish, with lots of variety. The fishing was pretty much wide open.
The Nauti-Lady and Miss Brooke ventured to the lighthouse last week, a few days after the May 1 opener. Windy weather kept boats away from the highly productive reef the first few days of the season, but calm weather last Wednesday resulted in non-stop action for both of the Brookings charter boats that made it to the lighthouse.
Anglers on the Miss Brooke hold limits of lingcod caught in early May at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.
The fishing was so good that the Nauti-Lady, with 12 customers on board, caught full limits of lingcod and rockfish in just three drifts, while also releasing nearly a dozen keeper-size lingcod. The Miss Brooke had no trouble getting limits for its six anglers, with some large vermilion, canary, copper, quillback and black rockfish mixed in. The lingcod averaged 8 to 10 pounds, with a few fish in the high teens.
An angler on the Nauti-Lady holds his limit of lingcod from an early May trip.
The lighthouse is located in California waters approximately 11 miles straight out from the Port of Brookings. Several of the Brookings Fishing Charters boats, including the Nauti-Lady, Miss Brooke and The Dash are licensed to fish both Oregon and California waters. Only a few charter boats have both Oregon and California charter permits.
Some of the nice lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady.
The lighthouse area borders a marine reserve. The area open to fishing is one of the most productive reefs on the entire West Coast for lingcod and rockfish. Big fish, and limits, are common on trips to this area. The season is open May 1-Dec. 31. Brookings Fishing Charters offers trips to the lighthouse during calm weather days. Because the area is in open water and often has strong currents and is exposed to offshore wind, the Brookings Fishing Charters crew carefully chooses the days it heads to the lighthouse.
Capt. Andy Martin holds a pair of tiger rockfish caught aboard the Nauti-Lady near the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.
The Brookings Fishing Charters crew specializes in light tackle, often using spinning rods with flutter jigs or scampies to catch the lingcod and rockfish near the lighthouse. The reefs have a wide variety of fish, with lots of colors.
Some nice vermilion rockfish and lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady.A lunker lingcod and copper rockfish caught aboard the Nauti-Lady near the lighthouse.One of the nice lingcod caught during the first trip of the season to the lighthouse on the Nauti-Lady.Capt. Mike grills hot dogs on the trip back to Brookings from the lighthouse.The historic Point St. George Reef Lighthouse is 11 miles offshore of Brookings.
To book a charter fishing trip to the lighthouse, call (541) 813-1082 or visit www.brookingsfishing.com.
