By Capt. Andy Martin – Without a doubt, fish tacos are one of the most popular dishes to enjoy freshly caught rockfish, lingcod, surfperch or halibut. Nearly everyday on our charter boats, we hear “That will make a taco,” or “Fish tacos tonight!” Customers love fish tacos, our crew loves fish tacos, and visitors to the Oregon Coast love fish tacos.
There are countless ways to prepare fish tacos. Some people beer batter pieces of fillets, smother in tarter sauce, and wrap a tortilla around it. Others fry their catch in panko, and serve with cabbage, salsa and sour cream.
Fish tacos with baked rockfish, lime and a delicious crema sauce.
Fish tacos originated in Baja, Mexico. Early versions were fish fillets coated with tempura and fried, served in a warm corn tortilla. The Tipai-Ipai Indigenous people of Mexico are believed to have discovered the tasty combination of fish and stone-ground tortillas.
Fish tacos later became popular in San Diego, and then spread throughout the West Coast.
One of our favorite ways to enjoy fish tacos is seasoning small pieces of rockfish or surfperch fillets, drizzling with olive oil and baking or grilling. When my daughter was young, it was often difficult to get her to eat fish. She would have friends over, and I would make a platter of tacos, not telling them they were made of fish. She and her friends would eat them up faster than I could make them.
Freshly chopped cabbage, red onion, tomatoes and cilantro are a key ingredient to delicious fish tacos.
Today, my captains and deckhands share recipes daily with our charter customers. This baked fish taco is delicious, quick and easy to make, and leaves little mess to clean up.
The colorful combination of purple cabbage, red onion, cilantro, avocado, tomato and feta or cotija cheese make these tacos look, and taste, absolutely amazing. A key ingredient is the crema sauce. The fact the fish is baked, or grilled, instead of fried makes them a healthy alternative to the deep fried fish tacos many people are accustomed to.
A simple mixture of salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and cumin make a perfect fish taco seasoning.
This recipe is incredible with fresh rockfish or surfperch, but frozen fillets also will work. Pacific cod also can be used.
Baked Fish Tacos
Fish Taco ingredients
12 small corn tortillas
1 pound fish fillets, cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
Fish Taco toppings
1 avocado, sliced
Cherry or roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup purple cabbage, shredded
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup cotija or feta cheese, grated
1 lime, cut into wedges
Crema sauce
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp Sriracha sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with wax paper, and coat with cooking spray.
In a small dish, combine cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and cumin.
Place the seasoning in a shaker bottle and sprinkle on both sides of fish, or add a small pinch of the seasoning to the fish (don’t apply too much, a little goes a long way!)
Place the fish on the baking dish and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees to 12 to 20 minutes.
While fish is baking, combine the taco sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. The sauce can be spooned onto the fish tacos, when ready, or applied with a squeeze bottle.
Toast the corn tortillas in a large skillet over medium-high heat, 20 to 30 seconds per side.
Place a couple small pieces of fish in each tortilla, and assemble the tacos with the cabbage, onion, cilantro, avocado, tomato, cheese and lime juice, and top with the crema sauce.
Season the fish fillets, and drizzle with olive oil.Bake the fish at 375 degrees for 12-20 minutes.Serve with quickly toasted corn tortillas.Perfect rockfish or lingcod fish tacos.
These fish tacos are sure to be a favorite of even the most picky eater, and are one of the healthier versions of fish tacos you will come across. Served with cole slaw, black beans and/or spanish rice.
To catch a limit of rockfish or lingcod to make your own fish tacos, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.
Deckhand Chris holds a pair of black rockfish, the perfect ingredient for delicious fish tacos.
The delicious combination of Oregon Coast rockfish, crab and shrimp in a thick, creamy soup will have your family coming back for seconds, and friends or co-workers over for dinner impressed. Seafood Bisque, which resembles clam chowder – but without the clams, potatoes and bacon – is surprisingly easy to make, yet rivals the menu of an elegant French restaurant.
The combination of fresh rockfish, crab and shrimp make this creamy soup a home run.
Capt. Andy of Brookings Fishing Charters has cooked up several variations of seafood bisque recipes. This is his favorite, in part because it is simple and quick, yet incredibly delicious. This recipe is perfect with rockfish, lingcod or halibut, combined with shrimp (either large shelled and deveined shrimp or Oregon Coast salad or cocktail shrimp), and fresh crab meat. Just rockfish and crab, or fish fillets and shrimp meat will work with the recipe, although all three give it a 10 out of 10.
The Louisiana twist to the recipe – with cajun seasonings – gives it a unique flavor that complements Pacific Northwest seafood.
Seafood Bisque takes just a few minutes to prep, and is ready to serve in 45 minutes.
Seafood Bisque is a great way to enjoy the rockfish caught on our charter boats.
Rockfish and Crab Bisque
1 pound rockfish, lingcod or halibut fillets, cut into small chunks
1/2 pound crab meat
1/2 pound shrimp meat
2 cubes unsalted butter
1 bunch green onion, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half and half
1/4 cup white flour
1/2 can creamed corn (optional ingredient)
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Melt butter in a large pot, and saute green onions.
Sprinkle flour over the melted butter and onions, and stir well.
Add heavy cream, half and half, seafood, seasonings, and if desires, the half can of cream corn. Stir continuously as the bisque is brought to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. The raw fish will quickly cook, and add an incredible flavor to the creamy soup.
Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with sour dough or french bread, and white wine.
Melt butter in a large pot, and saute chopped green onions.Once the onions are cooked, add 1/4 cup flour.Add heavy cream and half and half, seafood, cajun seasons, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, and Old Bay.This creamy soup is ready to serve after simmering for 40 minutes.
To book a charter to catch your own rockfish or lingcod, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.
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.
Fried fish and chips is a delicious way to enjoy a day’s catch of rockfish, lingcod or halibut, but baked fish is a tasty alternative to deep fried fillets. Aside from being healthier, baked fish, when cooked properly, tastes great, is easy to prepare and clean up, and adds variety for anglers who enjoy weekly servings of their catch. Parmesan Rockfish is also a lower sodium alternative to fish and chips, since it tastes great without adding salt.
Fish with white fillets, such as rockfish, lingcod and cabezon, like these caught last summer aboard the Kraken, taste great baked with a mixture of parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
Parmesan Rockfish requires just a few ingredients, and since it’s baked, several portions may be cooked at once. Delicious when served with baked potatoes, rice, or pasta, along with coleslaw. This recipe tastes great with rockfish, lingcod, halibut, surfperch (which can sometimes flake apart when fried) or Pacific cod. Serve with lemon and tarter sauce.
Parmesan Rockfish
1-2 lbs. rockfish (or other white fish) fillets (works great with whole fillets, or fillets cut into smaller pieces)
1/3 cup bread crumbs or panko
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 or 3 eggs, beaten
1 lemon, sliced into wedges
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine parmesan cheese, bread crumbs or panko, basil, thyme, onion powder and black pepper. Dip fish in egg wash, and then coat with breading. Place on a baking sheet (use a nonstick cooking spray). Bake for 10 minutes, or until fish easily flakes with a fork.
Combine bread crumbs or panko, parmesan cheese, thyme, basil, onion powder and black pepper.Dip fillets in egg wash and then coat with breading.Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees.Serve with coleslaw, lemon and tarter sauce.
To catch a limit of rockfish or lingcod to enjoy this delicious recipe, contact Brookings Fishing Charters at (541) 813-1082 or visit www.brookingsfishing.com.
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.
BROOKINGS, Ore. (April 30, 2023) – Ocean anglers fishing out of the Port of Brookings are anxiously awaiting a couple of season openers that provide Alaska-style fishing closer to home. Pacific halibut season opens May 1, and although giant barndoor halibut are rare off the Oregon Coast, the average size is similar to Alaska. Oregon halibut seasons are also less restrictive, and charter anglers often return with limits.
Fishing at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, meanwhile, opens May 15. The lingcod and rockfish action, with potential for trophy fish, rivals the saltwater action in Alaska and British Columbia. Brookings Fishing Charters will be offering trips for halibut and the lighthouse daily, as the weather allows.
Ocean salmon season opens June 17 off the coast of Brookings. Poor runs expected back to the Sacramento and Klamath rivers have led to an ocean salmon closure in California this year, but the Oregon Coast will be open to hatchery coho salmon, also known as silver salmon. Brookings often has the best coho fishing on the Oregon Coast during the first part of the season, before the bulk of the run migrates north to traditional hot spots closer to the Columbia River, where the silver salmon spawn. Coho salmon are popular with anglers because of their great taste, and hard fight at the end of the line.
Deckhand Eric holds a lingcod that hitchhiked to the surface on a blue rockfish in April.
Since early March, our charter boats have been running half-day and 6-plus-hour longer ranger lingcod trips, with good success. Those popular bottom fishing trips will continue daily on our six-pack boats and the Nauti-Lady, along with the additional opportunities for halibut and trips to the lighthouse.
Fishing for rockfish has been good on most trips, with limits of large black, blue and canary rockfish. Our charters have been using light tackle in shallow water for the rockfish. The Oregon limit for rockfish is five fish a day, with no depth restriction or delayed opener. Rockfish, also known as Pacific snapper, rockcod or sea bass, include black, blue, canary, vermillion, yellowtail, olive, tiger, copper and China rockfish. Two lingcod a day also may be kept out of Brookings, in addition to the rockfish.
Capt. Kirby holds a lingcod caught on a charter aboard the Kraken.
During our half-day charters, we are catching rockfish in the Bird Island, Twin Rock and House Rock areas. Lingcod are biting best a little north of Bird Island, but in shallow water. We also have run longer-range lingcod trips to Mack Arch with good success.
Some of the lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke at Mack Arch.A trophy lingcod caught in late April aboard the Miss Brooke.
Pacific halibut opener
Halibut migrate into shallow water during the spring and summer to feed, after spawning at depths close to 2,000 feet during the winter in the Gulf of Alaska. Out of Brookings, halibut are caught in 200 to 300 feet of water early in the season, and a little shallower as summer arrives. Catch rates also improve later in the season, but fish are caught as soon as the season opens. This year, the season out of Brookings runs May 1-Oct. 31, seven days a week, with no depth restriction.
Halibut and lingcod are often caught during our charters to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.
The Brookings Fishing Charters crew is the most experienced group of halibut charter captains on the Southern Oregon Coast. Capt. Andy, Capt. Travis and Capt. Rye each spent a decade running halibut charter boats in Alaska. They also have extensive experience on the Oregon Coast. Capt. Michael, Capt. Mick and Capt. Mike also have been very successful at catching halibut off of Brookings, and at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.
Some of the halibut caught last summer with Brookings Fishing Charters.
Brookings Fishing Charters offers halibut charters, or halibut and rockfish or halibut and salmon combos. Halibut average around 20 pounds off the coast of Oregon, the same size as most of the fish in Alaska (although fish over 100 pounds appear more frequently in Alaska). Each season, customers with Brookings Fishing Charters catch halibut over 30, 40 and 50 pounds. The biggest caught by one of our customers was 60 inches, and nearly 100 pounds.
In Brookings, Oregon, halibut season is open seven days a week. One halibut a day of any size may be kept. Six halibut a year may be kept. In Alaska, several days a week are closed, there is a reverse slot limit (so anglers are often limited to small chicken halibut) and the annual non-resident limit is less.
Point St. George Reef Lighthouse
Halfway between Brookings and Crescent City is the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, which has some of the best lingcod and rockfish action on the entire Pacific coast. The productive reef is situated near two marine reserves. With seasonal closures, the rockfish and lingcod populations are extremely healthy. Large rockfish, with a great variety of color, are caught near the lighthouse, along with trophy lingcod. Each season, several fish pushing 30 pounds and a few topping 40 pounds are caught near the lighthouse.
Limits of lingcod are common at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.Triple hookups of big fish is a common occurrence at the lighthouse.
Brookings Fishing Charters runs trips on all of its boats to the lighthouse with special Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel permits from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Because the trips originate in Oregon, our boats have the option of fishing for coho salmon, or halibut, on the way back to port. Salmon season is closed in California this year, and the halibut quota often is reached quickly in California, so Brookings is the ideal starting and ending location for Alaska-style combo trips to the lighthouse. Our boats often get their limits of bottom fish at the lighthouse, and then troll for salmon after they reach the border and continue back toward the harbor.
Lingcod like these, caught last summer aboard the Nauti-Lady, are a top draw at the lighthouse.A colorful variety of rockfish and lingcod caught last summer aboard the Kraken.Eric holds a hefty lingcod caught next to the lighthouse aboard the Nauti-Lady last summer.Brent with a pair of trophy vermillion rockfish caught aboard the Nauti-Lady at the lighthouse.
The lighthouse is approximately 11 miles from Brookings, almost straight out from the harbor. The reef and best fishing is a little further, in what is known locally as the “Dragon Channel” a lingcod and trophy rockfish infested area of the reef. Swift currents, sudden depth changes, and an extremely rugged undersea terrain provide ideal habitat for big rockfish and lingcod. Oldtimers tell stories of lingcod between 50 and 70 pounds, and each season plenty of trophy lings are caught.Â
Giant vermilion rockfish, jumbo canary rockfish and trophy copper rockfish are caught on nearly every trip. Our customers also encounter rare tiger rockfish at the lighthouse, and often catch (and release) giant yelloweye rockfish, which are protected and cannot be kept.
A nice variety of lingcod and rockfish from the lighthouse.
Ocean salmon opens June 17
This year’s ocean salmon season runs June 17-Aug. 31. Two hatchery coho, or silver salmon, may be kept each day. While Chinook runs are down this year on the Sacramento and Klamath Rivers, leading to the ocean king salmon closure, coho runs are healthy. This year’s quota in Oregon is 110,000 fish, well above the average quota of 28,000 to 40,000 coho. The ocean abundance of Columbia River and Oregon Coast coho is more than 1 million fish. Those salmon spent the first part of their ocean life in deep water off of California and Southern Oregon, making Brookings the ideal spot to catch them in June and early July, before they migrate back to the Columbia River.
Coho salmon are plentiful off of Brookings in June. These were caught aboard the Miss Brooke.Limits of coho salmon last summer aboard the Miss Brooke.Coho salmon are great for young anglers because the action is often fast and furious.
When coho schools are thick, which is often the case early in the season, double and triple hookups are common, and limits are the norm. The Brookings Fishing Charters captains have a well-earned reputation of being the top-producing ocean salmon skippers out of Brookings.
We catch salmon trolling herring or anchovies behind flashers. Divers are often used for coho, but downriggers are also mounted on the boats in case lines must be fished deeper.
Similar to halibut, several of the Brookings Fishing Charters captains have years of experience running charter boats in Alaska for coho salmon.
Local half-day trips
Our 4-hour local bottom fishing trips are still our most popular ocean charters. These are good for young anglers, or people who don’t want to spend a lot of time on the water, or be very far from shore. Limits of rockfish are common on these trips, and the action is often fast and furious, with anglers catching two fish at a time, and a large variety of fish. All of the fish are great to eat, and customers keep their catch.
The Nauti-Lady returns to port after a half-day trip in April on a beautiful spring day.
To learn more about our ocean charters, visit www.brookingsfishing.com, or book by calling our office, (541) 813-1082.
Here are some of the catches from last week on our charters out of Brookings.
The Miss Brooke fishing off of Brookings in late April.
BROOKINGS, Ore. (April 17, 2023) – A break in the weather, with several fishable days per week, has allowed the Brookings Fishing Charters crew to run numerous trips the first half of April, resulting in limits of rockfish and a nice variety of lingcod. Some lunker vermilion rockfish have shown up in the catch, along with limits of lingcod on many of our longer 6-plus-hour charters. Halibut season is just around the corner!
Limits of lingcod from mid-April on the Miss Brooke.
The Brookings Fishing Charters fleet – including the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Nauti-Lady, Dash and Papa B – is running bottom fishing trips daily, as the weather allows. Beginning May 1, halibut trips will be an option. The Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, located just across the border between Brookings and Crescent City, opens to fishing May 15. Ocean salmon season for hatchery coho opens June 17. With the largest charter fleet in the area, Brookings Fishing Charters will offer a large selection of ocean charters this summer, with options ranging from 4-hour local bottom fishing trips to 8-plus-hour salmon and rockfish or halibut and salmon combo trips.
Limits of lingcod caught aboard the Papa B in mid April.
Rough weather kept boats at the docks for much of the late winter and early spring, but conditions improved this past week. The charter fleet ran several trips for lingcod and rockfish, with good catches of both. Lingcod continue to spawn in shallow water, allowing our customers to catch them with light tackle. Rockfish also are schooled up closer to shore and wash rocks, allowing lighter jigs to be used to catch them.
Capt. Kirby holds a 10-pound vermilion rockfish caught in mid April aboard the Nauti-Lady.
During halibut season, which runs May 1-Oct. 31, our charter boats anchor in productive areas for the prized fish. In recent years, the Brookings Fishing Charters crew has developed a reputation for producing the highest catch rates out of Brookings, with limits common the second half of the season. The best halibut fishing out of Brookings is usually late June through September. Halibut are caught in May, but limits of less frequent early in the season.
A nice limit of lingcod from the Papa B.
During ocean salmon season, our charter boats troll with anchovies or herring. While ocean salmon season is closed in California this year, it is open June 17-Aug. 31 out of Brookings. Two hatchery coho – also known as silver salmon – may be kept per day. Fishing for silver salmon is often fast and furious. They are known to be aggressive biters, and limits are common early in the season, as the fish migrate back to the Columbia River. Big numbers of hatchery coho salmon have been released into the Columbia River in recent years by Native American tribes that operate their own fish hatcheries. Those salmon migrate south after leaving the Columbia River and spend the ocean portion of their life off of Northern California and Southern Oregon. They are aggressively feeding as they make their way back to the river.
Deckhand Eric holds a nice lingcod caught in mid April.
To book an ocean charter out of Brookings, visit www.brookingsfishing.com, or call our booking office, (541) 813-1082.
When the lighthouse area opens May 15, we run our long-range trips for trophy lingcod and rockfish. These trips are highly popular because of the size of the lingcod at the lighthouse, and their high abundance. Because there are no depth restrictions for rockfish this year in Oregon or California, we now will be able to combine the lighthouse trips with salmon or halibut combos, meaning we can have rockfish on board as we fish deeper water for halibut, or troll for coho salmon on the way back to the port in Brookings. These trips are only offered by Brookings Fishing Charters.
Below are some of the catches aboard our charters in early and mid April.
BROOKINGS, Ore. (April 6, 2023) – Ocean anglers will get two and a half months to catch hatchery coho salmon this summer off the Oregon Coast, with the season running June 17 through Aug. 31 out of Brookings. Coho often produce wide-open action, and when schools move through, multiple hookups at the same time are common. Coho, also known as silver salmon, are known for their hard fighting abilities and excellent taste.
Federal fishery managers set ocean salmon seasons on April 6 during a meeting of the Pacific Fishery Management Council. Brookings will be the closest port to California with any ocean salmon fishing, as salmon will be closed this year off of California, and in the Sacramento River and its tributaries. Chinook fishing is closed the entire year in the ocean off of California, and until Sept. 1 in the ocean off of most of the Oregon Coast. The river seasons on the Rogue and Chetco rivers will go on as normal. Coho fishing will be open from Brookings to Tillamook most of the summer. Anglers will be allowed to keep two hatchery coho per day. Fishing will be open seven days a week, with a 110,000-quota for hatchery coho.
Anglers hold limits of coho salmon caught last summer on the Miss Brooke.
During most seasons, catch rates for hatchery coho are highest out of Brookings early in the season, with the last two weeks of June and first two weeks of July the prime time to catch coho. The fishery is fueled by massive releases of hatchery coho by Native American tribes on the Columbia River. Those fish migrate south in the ocean, and arrive off the coast of Brookings in May, June and early July as they make their way back to the Columbia. This year, federal fishery manager predict an ocean abundance of more than 1 million coho, with most of the fish from the Columbia River, but plenty also from the Umpqua, Coos, Siuslaw, Coquille, Siltcoos and Rogue rivers.
Double hookups are common during coho season off of Brookings.
The Brookings Fishing Charters crew has a well-earned reputation for producing the best ocean salmon catch rates for the local charter boat fleet. All of the captains are also licensed river guides and have decades of experience fishing for salmon. Many have extensive Oregon and Alaska fishing guide and charter boat experience.
Coho are caught trolling plug-cut herring or anchovies behind flashers, or on lures that resemble baitfish. The fish are aggressive feeders and when the bite is on, they attack lures and baits with little caution, making them easy targets for experienced charter captains.
Salmon from the 2022 season aboard the Dash of Brookings Fishing Charters.
Low numbers of Chinook salmon expected to return to the Sacramento River led to this summer’s salmon shutdown in California. Since the majority of the king salmon caught off the Oregon Coast are from the Sacramento and Klamath rivers, Oregon also has salmon restriction. Coho salmon, however, are having healthy returns, especially on the Columbia River, where tribes have focused on building the silver salmon runs in recent years.
Coho salmon caught on the Miss Brooke during the summer 2022 season.
King salmon fishing will be allowed this year on the Chetco and Rogue rivers, where salmon runs are healthy. The Brookings Fishing Charters crew is historically known for getting some of the biggest salmon each year on the Chetco. The drought that devastated salmon runs in California was not as severe on the Oregon Coast rivers.
A pair of nice salmon caught at the mouth of the Chetco with Capt. Andy.
River fishing on the Rogue starts in late June and early July, while the Chetco kicks into gear at the end of September. Drift boat season is late October and early November.
Since coho salmon are migrating from Northern California up through Oregon during their ocean migration back to the Columbia, the early part of the season is best. The peak season is in late June and early July.
Brookings Fishing Charters will be offering ocean coho trips daily, with salmon only trips, or salmon and rockfish combos. There also are Point St. George Reef lingcod and hatchery coho combos, with salmon fishing taking place on the way back from the lighthouse in Oregon waters.
The results of a coho salmon and bottom fish combo trip last summer on the Kraken.
BROOKINGS, Ore. (April 1, 2023) – Lingcod fishing has been good out of the Port of Brookings when ocean conditions allow, although there were more rough weather days in March than fishable days. When the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet can get out of port, limits of rockfish and good numbers of lingcod have been common. Weather conditions typically improve in April, as winter storms become less frequent.
A customer holds a nice lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke in late March 2023.
Lingcod and rockfish season is open year round on the Oregon Coast. The Brookings Fishing Charters fleet runs charters out of the Port of Brookings year round. During the winter and early spring, lingcod are in shallow water spawning. Anglers are able to target them in shallow water with light tackle.
Eric, a deckhand on the Miss Brooke, holds some of the nice rockfish caught in late March.Mark holds a nice lingcod caught aboard the Kraken on Spring Break 2023.
During the first week of Spring Break 2023, the Brookings Fishing Crews fished several families on their first ever ocean charter. Many of these groups were from Eastern Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Nevada and Northern California. We also had large numbers of our regular customers from the Rogue Valley, Klamath Basin and Siskiyou County.
A family from Eugene shows the results for a double, double-hookup of rockfish on the Nauti-Lady.
Trips are available during the spring on the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Papa B, Dash and Nauti-Lady. We are offering our popular four-hour bottom fishing trips, and the longer 6-plus-hour targeted lingcod trip. Lingcod and rockfish are caught on both charters, but the catch rate for lingcod improves on the longer trip, as more time is spent targeting lingcod, larger baits are used, and the trips travel further up the coast to less-fished waters.
A nice lingcod from Spring Break 2023 caught on the Miss Brooke.
We will find out early this month what the dates for this summer’s ocean salmon season will be. We are expecting a June 17 opener for coho salmon on the entire Oregon Coast. Chinook season will be closed this summer in the ocean waters off of California, in the Sacramento and Klamath rivers, and in the ocean in most of Oregon until Sept. 1. The bay seasons will go on as normal on the Rogue and Umpqua rivers and at the mouth of the Columbia River. Normal salmon seasons also are expected on the Chetco and Smith rivers, where the Brookings Fishing Charters captains run drift boat trips during the fall and winter.
An angler holds a vermilion and canary rockfish caught on the Nauti-Lady in late March.
Pacific halibut season opens May 1 out of Brookings. The Brookings Fishing Charters crew has a well-earned reputation for producing the highest halibut catch rates out of Brookings. Trips run daily, weather permitting. Typically, the best halibut fishing is in late June, July and August. We also will be offering trips to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse beginning May 15. Those trips produce catches of lingcod and rockfish that rival those in Alaska.
A nice lingcod from the Dash in March 2023.Kirby, a longtime deckhand in Brookings, holds his certificate for his 100-ton near coastal masters US Coast Guard captains license course.
In March, longtime Brookings deckhand Kirby Anderson completed his courses for his 100-ton Near Coastal Masters US Coast Guard captains license. Kirby has worked on charter boats and commercial fishing boats in Brookings for decades. A longtime Brookings resident, Kirby went to high school in Brookings with Capt. Andy and Capt. Travis. He will soon be at the helm of the Brookings Fishing Charters boats running trips as a captain. A number of local charter boat captains earned their sea time and experience working as deckhands with Brookings Fishing Charters. Eric, who is still in high school, is also accumulating sea time to earn his captains license.
The Nauti-Lady during a Spring Break 2023 charter off the coast of Brookings.
To book a fishing charter out of Brookings, visit www.brookingsfishing.com, or call our booking office, (541) 813-1082.
BROOKINGS, Ore. ( March 20, 2023) — Stormy seas and gusty winds subsided in mid-March, allowing the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet to get to the lingcod grounds, where action was wide open. Our six-pack charter boats and the Nauti-Lady returned with limits or near limits of lingcod and a nice grade of rockfish during a week of consecutive trips. It has been some of the best lingcod fishing we have seen in recent years on our local half-day charters.
Customers hold limits of lingcod caught over the weekend aboard the Miss Brooke.
Lingcod move into shallow water during the late winter to spawn, putting them within closer range of the sport fleet. The best fishing has been from Bird Island to House Rock. With decades of combined experience, the Brookings Fishing Charters crew is dialed in on targeting lingcod when they are close to shore. Our boats are equipped with high-performance sonar and top-quality light tackle set ups to catch lingcod in 20 to 50 feet of water.
A nice grade of lingcod from the Miss Brooke in mid-March.
Rough weather kept our fleet at the docks for most of the first three months of 2023, but calmer seas beginning last week allowed the Nauti-Lady, Miss Brooke, Papa B and Kraken to head offshore. Fishing has been very good for lingcod, and rockfish. We have seen a nice variety of black, blue, canary, vermilion, China, copper and yellowtail rockfish. This year anglers in Oregon can once again keep China and copper rockfish. Quillback rockfish, along with yelloweye rockfish, must be released. We also have seen large numbers of cabezon, which must be released through the end of June. Cabezon season opens July 1.
A trophy 28-pound lingcod caught March 19 on the Nauti-Lady.
Our biggest lingcod so far this season is a 28-pounder, caught March 19 on the Nauti-Lady during our 6-hour targeted lingcod trip. We also have seen a few other lingcod over 20 pounds. Most of the lings are in the 5- to 10-pound range, with a few a day in the mid teens.
Some of the lingcod limits on the Nauti-Lady from over the weekend.
We are offering 4-hour half-day bottom fishing trips all season, as well as our popular 6-plus hour targeted lingcod trips. The Point St. George Reef Lighthouse area opens May 15. Pacific halibut opens May 1, with the best fishing in late June, July and August.
Federal officials will adopt ocean salmon seasons during a meeting in early April. The season is expected to open June 17 out of Brookings for hatchery coho. King salmon season will be closed in the ocean in California and much of Oregon this summer. The Chetco and Smith rivers, however, will still be open to king salmon fishing this fall.
Here are some of the limits of lingcod caught over the weekend on our charters boats.
Our boats are ready for the upcoming spring break holidays. We will be offering morning and afternoon charters during the weekends, weather permitting, and morning charters every day. To book, call (541) 813-1082, or visit www.brookingsfishing.com.
Nauti-Lady deckhand Kirby holds a nice lingcod caught last week by our office manager Sarah.A nice lingcod from the Papa B over the weekend.Copper rockfish may now be kept again off the Oregon Coast.
