Tag: brookings fishing reports

Brookings salmon opener best in years

The ocean salmon season off the coast of Brookings started with a bang over the weekend, but the hot opener, which produced limits for Brookings Fishing Charters customers, wasn’t a complete surprise.

As the ocean salmon seasons for the West Coast were being developed this spring, the Brookings Fishing Charters crew pointed to forecasts and last year’s catches in predicting a stellar season on the Southern Oregon Coast. Those predictions turned out to be true on Saturday, June 20, as the six passengers on the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters landed 12 adult king salmon for full limits. They also hooked and lost more than a dozen more kings.

Many private boaters also enjoyed great success during the opener. The second day, Sunday, June 21, also produced good fishing, but swells, choppy seas and strong winds limited catch rates.

ODFW fish checkers said the opener was outstanding. Most boats had at least one fish, and there were well over 100 boats fishing.

Michael McGahan, a deckhand and fishing guide for Brookings Fishing Charters, holds the first king salmon of the 2020 season landed on the Miss Brooke.

The ocean season out of Brookings runs June 20-Aug. 7. The last few years have resulted in fair to slow fishing for ocean salmon, with the exception of high numbers of shakers, or salmon that are too small to keep, last year. Last year’s shakers are still around, but instead of 20- to 24-inch fish, they have grown to 10- to 20-pounders this season.

Customers hold their limits of king salmon caught June 20 aboard the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters.

Federal biologists estimate there are more than 500,000 adult salmon from the Sacramento River, 220,000 salmon from the Rogue River, 180,000 adult kings from the Klamath River, for a total ocean abundance close to 1 million adult Chinook salmon. Unlike the last few years, when those salmon stayed off of the Golden Gate, or offshore of Humboldt Bay, this year some of the bigger schools are off of Brookings. Massive schools of herring and anchovies are keeping the fish close to Brookings.

Capt. Travis Sallander of Brookings Fishing Charters washes down the opening day catch from the Miss Brooke.

The last really good salmon year off of Brookings for sport anglers was 2014, when fishing was wide open all of July. This year’s opener rivals the great fishing of 2014, and most years the salmon fishing gets better later in the summer, in July and early August.

Brookings Fishing Charters trolls for salmon with downriggers, divers and spreaders. Using light tackle, customers get to enjoy the hard fight of these prized fish, which are excellent table fare when caught in the ocean.

Customers of the Miss Brooke hold their catch from Sunday, June 21.

The 2020 limit for salmon is two kings a day. Wild or hatchery king salmon may be kept. Coho salmon, including hatchery silvers, must be released. The minimum size is 24 inches.

A salmon is netted by the Miss Brooke crew on opening day.

Brookings Fishing Charters runs six-pack charters daily. Aside from salmon, lingcod and rockfish trips also are available. The crew of Brookings Fishing Charters are locally-based captains and deckhands with boats moored year round at the Port of Brookings. These captains have extensive local experience.

Bruce, a regular customer of Brookings Fishing Charters, holds a nice king caught June 21 with Capt. Andy.

Aside from ocean salmon, the Brookings Fishing Charters crew also guides on the famous Rogue River Bay. Here, thousands of king salmon stack up at the mouth of the Rogue River in Gold Beach, Oregon, waiting for fall rains to move upriver. Hot weather inland keeps the Rogue River above tidewater in the 70- to 75-degree range, too warm for salmon. The salmon stack up in the bay until the water cools and they can continue upriver.

Some nice kings caught June 21 aboard the guide sled with Capt. Andy.

To book an ocean salmon fishing charter, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call the Brookings Fishing Charters booking office at (541) 813-1082.

One of two double hookups landed on opening day aboard the Miss Brooke.
A nice lingcod caught on the opening day of the ocean salmon season off of Brookings.
We also have been catching limits of nice rockfish on our charters.

Back on the water, back on the bite

Our charters are back in operation after the temporary shut down caused by the stay-home orders, and when the weather cooperates, fishing has been very good. We have five six-pack boats running daily, as the weather allows, and they have been finding a very good grade of rockfish and lingcod up to 18 pounds. Recent trips have produced a variety of rockfish, with large canaries, quillbacks, coppers, Chinas, blacks, blues and vermillions. Lots of color!

Anglers hold lingcod and rockfish caught in mid-May 2020 aboard the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters.
Michael, a deckhand on the Miss Brooke, holds a large copper rockfish caught in May 2020.
Nice lingcod and rockfish caught in May 2020 aboard the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters.

May has been fairly stormy, so the boats have only gone out a handful of times since social distancing measures were eased. We are glad to report the motels and RV parks in the Brookings area have re-opened, and customers can once again dine inside of restaurants.

The size of the black rockfish has been excellent this month.
The schools of rockfish have been thick this season, with a very nice grade. We are catching them three at a time!
The crab spawn began in early May, sending rockfish to the surface to gorge on the small crustaceans. We’ve enjoyed wide-open surface action at times.

In early May, the crab spawn began. Tiny crabs float toward the surface, drawing up rockfish from deeper water. The rockfish can be seen splashing at the surface, giving us an opportunity to cast small jigheads and grubs for a wide-open topwater bite. This surface action, which is a unique thrill with light tackle, should last into early June. We are using ultra-light spinning rods to get in on the surface action.

A nice lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke on a jig.
The grade of rockfish has been excellent in May 2020.
Anglers of all ages enjoy light-tackle rockfish action,
Young anglers are always welcome aboard our charters.

The ocean salmon season opens June 20. The forecast for the Sacramento and Rogue rivers is strong, which should lead to good numbers of kings feeding on anchovies off the coast of Brookings this summer. We troll for the salmon with anchovies or herring. Late June and July are peak season.

The Dash off the coast of Brookings. We operate six-pack charters, meaning we have small groups, and are able to get to the fishing grounds very quickly.

We are now up to full crew, with five six-pack boats in the water. Capt. Travis and Michael are on the Miss Brooke, Capt. Andy has his 26-foot guide sled in the water, with comfortable seating for six anglers, Capt. Mike is on the Papa B, Capt. Rye and Capt. Mick are running The Dash, and Capt. Rich is on the Bout Time. Capt. Sam also is helping out this season. Michael, who has been a great deckhand, will be finishing his captain’s license course in July. The class was delayed because of the stay-home orders. We look forward to having him run a boat as well.

A nice lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke.

To book a trip, visit www.brookingsfishing.com for online bookings 24/7. You also can call our office at (541) 813-1082.

Lingcod and rockfish caught aboard the ‘Bout Time in mid-May 2020.