BROOKINGS, Ore. (July 18, 2023) – Big lingcod are being caught on our long-range trips to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, while Pacific halibut are biting closer to the harbor on calm weather days. Limits of rockfish have been common on local half-day , with plenty of fish on the nearshore reefs.
Whopper-size canary and vermillion rockfish caught at the Point St. George Lighthouse aboard the Papa B.
Calm weather last week allowed our charter boats to make several trips to the lighthouse, where big lingcod and a nice variety of rockfish were caught. The lighthouse, halfway between Brookings, Oregon, and Crescent City, California, is known for producing some of the best bottom fishing action outside of Alaska. The productive reef is home to giant schools of rockfish, including canary, vermillion, copper, black, blue, tiger, China, quillback and yellowtail rockfish, and trophy-size lingcod. The daily jackpot winner at the lighthouse is often a lingcod pushing 20 pounds, while fish to 40 pounds or more are caught each season.
Limits of Pacific halibut caught in 200 feet of water off of Brookings last week.
Brookings Fishing Charters makes the long run to the lighthouse on its six-pack charters boats – the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Papa B and Dash – as well as the 42-foot Nauti-Lady. Limits of rockfish typically come fast at the lighthouse, giving anglers plenty of time to focus on catching big lingcod and even Pacific halibut.
During calm weather days, the Papa B and Dash have been running halibut trips closer to Brookings. Halibut are generally caught in 200 to 250 feet of water. Our charter boats anchor, a technique that has been highly effective in Alaska for decades, to create a scent trail to bring the halibut to them. This year, the limit is two fish a person, and our boats got customers into numerous limits last week.
Nice canary rockfish.Let’s see your lingcod face!
Rockfish action has been good on local half-day bottom fishing trips. With windy weather over the weekend, our boats were forced to fish close to the harbor. Rockfish action was steady, with a mix of black, blue and canary rockfish, and a few lingcod and cabezon mixed in. Nicer weather is expected later this week!
Ocean coho action remains slow out of Brookings. No king salmon can be kept until October, when there is expected to be a four-day season in the ocean at the mouth of the Chetco. Salmon fishing has improved in the Rogue Bay, where we are offering trips aboard our jet sled.
Deckhand Eric holds an octopus caught aboard the Miss Brooke.
Offshore water temperatures have reached 60 degrees, warm enough for albacore tuna. We are keeping a close eye on the forecast in hopes of offering tuna trips as soon as the wind lets up and conditions are safe to venture 20 to 40 miles offshore. Be sure to add your name to our call list if you want a chance to catch tuna – (541) 813-1082.
BROOKINGS, Ore. (July 11, 2023) – Long-range trips to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse and Mack Arch are living up to their billing, with limits of jumbo rockfish and plenty of lunker lingcod. Halibut action also has improved off the coast of Brookings, with some of our charter customers getting their two-fish limits.
A nice halibut catch aboard the Dash in early July, with seven keeper halibut and one of several petrale sole also caught on the charter.
Nice ocean conditions have allowed the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet to get back to the lighthouse area, where anglers get a chance to enjoy some of the best lingcod and rockfish action outside of Alaska. Lingcod to 25 pounds have been caught on our charter boats in the past week, along with a nice variety of rockfish, including vermilion, tiger, canary, copper, China, black and blue rockfish, and whopper-size cabezon. The lighthouse is halfway between Brookings and Crescent City, California. Because of its distance from the harbors, as well as being situated on an extremely productive reef, the size and quantity of fish is unmatched in the region.
Nice double-hookup of lingcod at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse aboard the Nauti-Lady.
The local charter fleet also has been heading to Mack Arch and Mack Reef, 15 miles north of Brookings, another lingcod hotspot. The variety of rockfish at Mack Arch is similar to that at the lighthouse.
Halibut season opened May 1 out of Brookings and remains open through Oct. 31. The first month and a half of the season was slow, as is typical. In the past week, catch rates have accelerated, with most customers getting at least one Pacific halibut and many getting their two-fish limits. Most of the halibut are around 20 pounds, but fish to 50 pounds are being caught.
Lingcod action aboard the Miss Brooke in early July at the lighthouse.
All of the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet – including the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Nauti-Lady, Papa B and Dash – have made trips in the past week to the lighthouse and Mack Arch. The rockfish action is typically fast and furious, with easy limits and a chance to release smaller rockfish to focus on a nice grade. Several spectacular tiger rockfish were caught over the weekend at the lighthouse, along with trophy-size vermilion rockfish. Large black and blue rockfish round out the limits.
A daily jackpot winner aboard the Nauti-Lady at Mack Arch in early July.
On the halibut grounds, our boats have been anchoring in 200 to 250 feet of water. On anchor, we can use lighter weights, from 12 to 20 ounces. Once the scent trail is established, the halibut bite picks up as feeding fish come from far distances and key on the large bait combos used by our experienced halibut captains. The Brookings Fishing Charters crew, with years of experience running charters in Oregon and Alaska, are among the few captains who anchor for halibut on the Oregon Coast.
Some of the action from a local half-day trip aboard the Kraken.
Albacore tuna are still well offshore, but the first fish of the season have been caught by charters in Tillamook Bay and Westport, Wash. We are keeping a close eye on offshore temperatures, and expect to begin tuna charters before the end of July. Call (541) 813-1082 to get on the tuna call list.
Our recipe blog has numerous ways to prepare the fish caught on our charters.
Don’t forget our blog also has a large selection of seafood recipes. Check them out here.
To book a charter to the lighthouse or Mack Arch, or a halibut charter, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.
Here are some more catches from the past week at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse and Mack Arch.
BROOKINGS, Ore. (July 4, 2023) – Lingcod and lunker rockfish have been biting at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse – when the weather is calm enough to get there – while Pacific halibut action is heating up closer to the Port of Brookings. Albacore tuna, meanwhile, are almost within range of the sport fleet, with a pocket of warm water inching closer to the Oregon Coast.
The Brookings Fishing Charters fleet has been fishing daily, with good success on rockfish and lingcod when the ocean cooperates. Windy weather made fishing challenging the first week of July, but better ocean conditions are expected this coming weekend. Just before the windy weather, halibut catch rates improved. Coho salmon season also is open, but catches on the Southern Oregon Coast have been few and far between.
Limits of lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke in June near the lighthouse.
The best bet in recent weeks has been the Point St. George Reef near the historic lighthouse. The productive reef is halfway between Brookings and Crescent City. The best lingcod areas are closer to the lighthouse, where the Brookings charter fleet often returns with limits of both lingcod and lunker rockfish. The Crescent City charter fleet often focuses on South Reef, where rockfish are abundant, but lingcod have been less common this season.
Halibut caught aboard the Dash in late June in 180 feet of water off Brookings.
Halibut action started off slow out of Brookings when the season opened May 1, but catches have improved steadily. Charters in Brookings were averaging a fish per rod at the end of June. Halibut season continues through October. July, August and early September produce the best catch rates out of Brookings. Halibut are caught in 200 to 250 feet of water, 3 to 5 miles offshore. Unlike other areas of the coast, fairly light weights are used while fishing aboard charter boats in Brookings, with 12 ounces to 16 ounces usually enough lead to stay on the bottom.
Deckhand Chris holds a lingcod caught in late June aboard the Nauti-Lady.Capt. Mick with a young angler’s first halibut.
During local half-day bottom fishing trips, the action has been fair, as windy weather and choppy seas have kept boats from more productive areas. With nice weather expected after the Fourth of July holiday, catch rates will improve for lingcod and rockfish as boaters can once again reach the Bird Island, House Rock and Mack Arch areas.
Albacore tuna water is a little more than 50 miles offshore, but as offshore winds subside, surface temperatures will increase and the bubble of warm water will move closer to shore. Tuna could be within 30 miles by mid-July. Brookings Fishing Charters operates off of a call list for tuna. When the forecast shows good weather conditions, the booking office will put trips together. Call (541) 813-1082 to be added to the call list.
Capt. Kirby holds a tiger rockfish caught aboard the Miss Brooke at the lighthouse.
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.
When preparing ocean-fresh salmon, or chrome-bright kings from the lower Chetco, Smith or Rogue rivers, simpler is better. There is no reason for fancy marinades or elaborate sauces, as fresh salmon from the ocean, bay or tidewater are already full of flavor. Grilled salmon is healthy, delicious and easy to prepare.
Applying a dash of salt, squeeze of lemon juice and dash of dill weed is the most popular way to prepare salmon fillets or steaks for grilling. There are also numerous other ways to season fresh salmon before setting it on the barbecue. Capt. Andy of Brookings Fishing Charters and Wild Rivers Fishing has a unique twist to grilled salmon to keep the fish moist, and not detract from the great taste ocean-fresh fish have because of their higher fat and oil content.
Aside from being a thrill to catch, ocean-bight salmon, like this beauty caught on the Miss Brooke, are also extremely tasty.
Popular with chefs who prefer to cook salmon over a cedar plank, brushing a mixture of melted butter, brown sugar and white vinegar keeps the fish moist while cooking, and adds just a tiny bit more flavor to an already delicious cut of king or coho.
Grilled Salmon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter (unsalted)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
salt, to taste
Cut the salmon into smaller strips, or steaks. Heat grill to 350 degrees (medium-low). A Camp Chef or Traeger works great for this recipe with the added smoke. Stir brown sugar with melted butter, and then add the vinegar, mixing well.
Add a dash of salt to the fillets, and place skin-side down on the grill. Brush the tops and sides of the salmon with the melted butter mixture. Grill for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 120 degrees (this is another reason a Camp Chef or Treager work so well).
Serve with rice and coleslaw. Tastes great with a little tarter sauce, barbecue sauce, or squeeze of lemon.
Add brown sugar and white vinegar to melted butter.After salting the salmon, brush on the butter mixture.Place on grill, skin-side down.Grill at 350 degrees until internal temperature reaches 120 degrees.Tastes great with rice and coleslaw.
To catch an ocean-bright king, book a fishing charter with Brookings Fishing Charters, www.brookingsfishing.com, or call (541) 813-1082.
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.
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.
