BROOKINGS, Ore. (May 29, 2022) – Long-range trips to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse are producing limits of nice lingcod and rockfish, while fishing charters on our local half-day trips also are yielding nice rockfish with lingcod mixed in.
Some of the nice lingcod caught Memorial Day Weekend aboard The Dash with Capt. Mick.
So far this season, trips to the lighthouse, located halfway between Brookings and Crescent City, just across the border in California, have been a major draw. Aside from quality limits, a few Pacific halibut also have been caught on our charters to the lighthouse, along with a 5-foot wolf eel. Trips to Mack Arch also are resulting in limits of nice lingcod and rockfish, with some fish pushing 20 pounds.
Capt. Michael holds a nice halibut caught aboard the Kraken at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.
Salmon season opens June 18 out of the Port of Brookings Harbor, and expectations are high. More than 1.2 million hatchery coho salmon are projected to be off the Oregon Coast this summer, most headed back to the Columbia River. Those salmon begin their northerly migration up the coast near Brookings, where they move closer to the beach after wintering in deep water, and follow the coastline back to the Columbia River. Along with the abundant forecast of silver salmon, the Sacramento River, which fuels ocean fisheries in Oregon and California, also has a strong forecast for fall king salmon, along with the Rogue River. Salmon from those two river account for the majority of the kings caught each summer off of Brookings.
A tiger rockfish caught at the lighthouse aboard the Kraken.
King salmon season opens June 25, when anglers will be allowed to keep wild or hatchery king salmon, also known as Chinook, along with hatchery coho salmon, which also go by the name of silver salmon.
Below are some of the catches from recent trips aboard the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Nauti-Lady, Papa B, Bout Time and Dash, which make up the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet.
BROOKINGS, Ore. (May 4,2022) – Some of the biggest lingcod of the season have been caught in recent trips aboard the Brookings Fishing Charters boats, including a trophy ling weighing 28.8 pounds hauled in at Mack Arch aboard the Miss Brooke.
Some of the nice lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke in late April.
Fishing also has opened for the season at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, where anglers often catch some of the biggest lingcod and rockfish outside of Alaska. Big swells and brisk winds made fishing tough on the May 1 opener, but the Nauti-Lady, Miss Brooke, Kraken, Dash and Bout Time still managed limits of nice rockfish and boat loads of lingcod. Trips to the lighthouse are a hit with our customers, who enjoy catching big fish on light spinning tackle. The variety at the lighthouse is unmatched, with vermilion, canary, copper, tiger, black, blue and China rockfish, and lingcod from 5 to 25 pounds, or bigger.
Part of the opening day catch at the lighthouse aboard the Miss Brooke with Capt. Travis and Capt. Sam.
Anglers are anxiously awaiting the June 18 ocean salmon opener out of Brookings, and are encouraged by reports of limits out of Crescent City. Salmon fishing is open May 1-31 out of Crescent City, but closes in June and July. It opens June 18 out of Brookings for coho and June 25 for kings, and remains open through most of August.
Pacific halibut season also opened May 1 out of Brookings, and continues through Oct. 31. The best halibut fishing is generally in late June, July and August.
The Bout Time returned from the lighthouse with limits of lingcod and rockfish.
The best bet in recent weeks out of Brookings has been lingcod on the 6-hour long-range trip by the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet. Trips to Mack Arch have been yielding limits of lingcod, while the fishing also has been good at House Rock and Twin Rocks. Fishing is expected to be excellent at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse during calm weather days.
Some of the great catches from the lighthouse opener.Mark gaffs a lingcod aboard the Nauti-Lady.A nice lighthouse lingcod aboard the Nauti-Lady.Great catches on our six-hour long-range trips in late April.A lunker lingcod from Mack Arch aboard the Miss Brooke.
Lingcod have moved into shallow water, rockfish are actively feeding and for the most part fishing has been outstanding in recent weeks out of the Port of Brookings Harbor. The charter boat fleet from Brookings Fishing Charters has been enjoying limits of rockfish and limits or near limits of lingcod on most trips. Simply put, the fishing has been awesome.
Anglers hold limits of lingcod caught in March 2022 aboard the Miss Brooke.
Our charter boats are now able to get out almost every day of the week, thanks to lighter winds in the morning and smaller ocean swells. On calm weather days, lingcod fishing has been fantastic. During rougher weather, we are still getting limits of rockfish and a few lingcod.
The best fishing has been in the House Rock and Twin Rocks area, where we have been able to fish several days a week. On rougher days, our charters are catching fish near Chetco Point and Aiken Point to the south of the harbor.
With lingcod in shallow water, our charters are using the light spinning rods to catch both rockfish and lingcod. The shallow water, light-tackle action makes for an ocean bottom fishing trip to remember.
A hefty lingcod caught in March 2022 with light tackle aboard the Miss Brooke.
Currently, half-day bottom fishing trips are $125 a person, and the longer targeted lingcod trips are $150 a person.
A nice limit of lingcod from the Miss Brooke.All smiles catching rockfish on light tackle aboard the Nauti-Lady.Another set of limits from the Miss Brooke.A nice double of big black snapper aboard the Miss Brooke.Nice limit of lingcod from the Kraken in March 2022.How’s this for a first-time lingcod fishing?Check out this great limit of lingcod from the Miss Brooke during Spring Break 2022.
Lingcod fishing has busted wide open out of Brookings, with limits or near limits during calm weather days. Limits of rockfish also are being caught.
With nice weather to begin the month of March, the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet was able to run trips several days, getting limits of rockfish on each trip, and nice catches of lingcod. On trips to Mack Arch, limits of lingcod have been the norm.
A nice limit of lingcod caught in March aboard the Miss Brooke.A pair of big canary rockfish caught aboard the Miss Brooke.A young angler with a big lingcod caught on the Kraken.More Miss Brooke lingcod.
The biggest storm in nearly two months hit the coast the second week of March, keeping boats at the docks. Better weather days are already showing up in the forecast.
During most trips, there has been an excellent grade of rockfish, with big blue and black rockfish, plus an assortment of canary, vermilion, China and copper rockfish. The lingcod are running 5 to 12 pounds, with a fish on most trips topping 15 pounds and an occasional lingcod to 20 pounds.
A nice halibut caught and released in March aboard the Papa B.
Sport halibut season opens May 1. The first halibut of the year was caught and released over the weekend by a customer aboard the Papa B. They were targeting lingcod near Mack Arch.
A big lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady in March 2022.Another nice Nauti-Lady lingcod.A limit of lingcod from the Kraken in March 2022.
The 2022 ocean salmon season will be set in early April. The season will likely begin in late June and continue through July. Anglers are expected to be able to keep hatchery coho and wild or hatchery king salmon.
A lingcod double header aboard the Miss Brooke.A nice Miss Brooke lingcod from March 2022.Limits of lingcod caught in March at Mack Arch on the Miss Brooke.A double hookup of black and canary rockfish.The Kraken in action in March near Chetco Point.
Unseasonably nice weather, with calm winds and small swells, has allowed charter boats to venture out of the Port of Brookings Harbor throughout February, resulting in great catches of rockfish and lingcod. On nice weather days, limits of rockfish, and limits or near limits of lingcod are being caught.
The Brookings Fishing Charters fleet ran several trips in February, with the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Nauti-Lady, Papa B, Dash and Bout Time getting in on the action. The local charter fleet has been running two to three trips a week.
A nice catch of lingcod aboard the Miss Brooke in February 2020.
Lingcod are in shallow water spawning during the winter and early spring. With large numbers of fish staging on shallow pinnacles this time of year, they are in close range of anglers hoping to catch them with light tackle.
Lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady in February 2020.A nice catch of lingcod caught aboard the Dash in February 2020.More lingcod caught on the Miss Brooke.A double hookup of rockfish from the Nauti-Lady.One of many lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady in February.Nice first lingcod for a young angler aboard the Nauti-Lady.Cabezon must be released until July. We have been seeing good numbers of them.A limit of lingcod from the Nauti-Lady.A happy angler with a lingcod from the Miss Brooke.A large canary rockfish caught aboard the Kraken.Capt. Andy holds a limit of lingcod caught by regular customer Dennis aboard the Nauti-Lady.
March began with rough weather, with the first major storm since early January. Charters will run throughout March as conditions allow.
Unusually calm weather has allowed the Brookings Fishing Charters to run numerous ocean charters in January and February. So far this year, fishing has been great for lingcod and rockfish. Big schools of rockfish are being found in the close-in reefs near the harbor, and to the north from Chetco Point to Bird Island, Twin Rocks, House Rock and Mack Arch.
Each of the Brookings Fishing Charters boats – the Miss Brooke, Nauti-Lady, Kraken, Papa B, Dash and Bout Time – have run numerous trips. Limits of rockfish have been the norm, and lingcod fishing appears to be above average so far this season. A 25-pound lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke with Capt. Travis in early February is the largest so far this season.
Nice limits of lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke near Mack Arch.A nice lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady near Bird Island.Happy customers aboard the Nauti-Lady.
With the calm weather, boats have been able to get up to Mack Arch, where there are plenty of large lingcod. Limits have been likely near Mack Arch.
Frequent customer John with a nice lingcod from the Miss Brooke.More lingcod from the Mack Arch area.
The rockfish population has been thriving near Brookings. We are seeing large schools of black, blue and canary rockfish. The grade has been excellent. Anglers have been able to release smaller rockfish and focus on larger fish for their limits. Since our boats specialize in shallow water with light tackle, the fish are not injured as they are reeled up from the bottom. It is more difficult to release rockfish caught in 80 feet of water or more, but our charters often fish in 40 to 60 feet of water, or shallower.
A nice lingcod and very nice canary rockfish from the Miss Brooke.A black rockfish and a blue rockfish caught aboard the Papa B.Another double hookup on the Nauti-Lady.It’s a triple! the rockfish action has been fast and furious so far this season.
On recent charters, our customers have caught a release numerous king salmon. The ocean salmon season won’t open until May or early June, but the abundance of salmon in the ocean right now near Brookings is a great sign. These are likely feeder kings that will return to the Klamath or Sacramento rivers. When they stack up near Brookings during the winter, they are usually still around by the time opening day arrives.
One of many salmon caught and released this winter during bottom fishing charters.Frequent customer Vince with a nice lingcod aboard the Miss Brooke.You’d be smiling too if you just caught a nice vermilion rockfish.Deckhand Brent with a copper and quillback rockfish. The quillback was released, while coppers may be retained.Nice lingcod from the Miss Brooke near Mack Arch.Great catches from our first charter of the season on the Miss Brooke.Capt. Mike filletsrockfish after a successful charter on the Papa B.A big ling and a lunker rockfish make for a very happy young customer.Rockfish are a blast on the light spinning tackle we use on all of our charter boats.The Miss Brooke has been successful at finding nice lingcod on each charter so far this season.
The Brookings Fishing Charters fleets runs charters daily, weather permitting. Our six-pack boats are fast and perfect for smaller groups. Families and larger groups love the comfortable ride of the spacious Nauti-Lady, our 42-foot party boat.
To book a trip, visit www.brookingsfishing.com, or call our booking office at (541) 813-1082.
The super-fast, heavy-duty Kraken, a 27-foot six-pack offshore boat built by Armstrong Marine, is the latest addition to the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet. The Kaken began running trips out of Brookings this month, and joins the Miss Brooke, Nauti-Lady, Papa B, Dash and Bout Time as a premier Oregon Coast charter boat.
The Kraken joined the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet in February 2022.
Capt. Andy Martin purchased the Kraken and repowered the boat with twin Mercury outboards, and a new kicker trolling motor. Previously, the Kraken was a charter boat in Newport, Oregon, and specialized in ocean salmon and albacore tuna. It is one of the fastest charter boats on the coast, and its super duty hull is built to specifications of six-pack charter boats used in Alaska. It is capable of handling rough water, and cuts through chop while staying on plane. The Kraken will be used for all of the charter offerings by Brookings Fishing Charters, with an emphasis on Point St. George Reef Lighthouse trips, halibut charters, albacore tuna and ocean salmon.
Capt. Michael lifts a rockfish into the Kraken during a hot bite near Bird Island.
After its repower, the Kraken was able to reach speeds in the mid-40 mph range, with a cruising speed close to 30 knots in moderate chop. It is designed to get to and from the fishing grounds quickly to maximize the fishing time for the customers on board.
The Kraken has the most advanced electronics in the fleet, with high-end sonar, radar and charter plotters from RayMarine. It is equipped with auto pilot, auto trim tabs, and multiple sonars to easily locate schools of fish.
The first lingcod caught aboard the Kraken after it joined the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet.
The Kraken can comfortably seat six customers, plus crew. It is captained by Capt. Michael, Capt. Sam and Capt. Andy, depending on the trip. With insulated fish holds, under-deck storage for ice, and rails and outriggers, it is designed for long-range tuna trips. The spacious under-deck fish holds will allow anglers to load up on albacore.
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.
