Tag: Brookings OR Fishing Charters

Drift boat salmon season produces big kings

BROOKINGS, Ore. (Nov. 22, 2024) – With rough ocean conditions the past month, the Brookings Fishing Charters crew has been focusing on the local rivers, where fall-run king salmon are migrating into freshwater to spawn. The Chetco and Smith rivers boast some of the best drift boat salmon opportunities on the West Coast, and this year has lived up to their reputation. The Brookings Fishing Charters crew of captains and deckhands are also full-time drift boat guides in the fall and winter, and among the most experienced river guides in the region.

Capt. Andy with a hefty hatchery king salmon caught last week on the Elk River in Southern Oregon.

Salmon season in the rivers and estuaries began in September, when big kings began staging along the Chetco River jetties in Brookings. Fishing was good through October, with salmon as big as 52 pounds caught by boaters trolling flashers and anchovies. The Brookings Fishing Charters crew switched back and forth between the estuary salmon fishing and ocean charters until late October, when heavy rains increased flows on the Chetco and Smith rivers and kicked off the drift boat season upriver.

Capt. Mick with a bright Chetco River king caught on a MagLip plug.

Upriver, anglers fishing from drift boats used plugs – primarily Yakima Bait Co. MagLip and FlatFish plugs – or roe and sand shrimp, to catch big king salmon moving into the rivers to spawn. Fishing was good through November, until a series of big storms, with hurricane-force winds and heavy rain, brought the rivers to minor flood stage.

Capt. Sam with a big Smith River king, which was released after a quick photograph.
Capt. Rye with a large hatchery king salmon from the Chetco River estuary.

This fall we welcomed two new drift boat guides to our crew, although they have been members of our team for several years. Eric and Chris, who have been deckhands on our ocean charter boats, successfully ran their first drift boat trips with customers this fall. Chris completed his Coast Guard captain’s class this spring, is now licensed to run our ocean boats and river boats. He has been having a good fall Chinook season on the Chetco. Eric, who started work with us when he was 16 and a sophomore in high school, graduated in June and is now running drift boat trips and deckhanding on the Nauti-Lady while he completes his Coast Guard license classes.

Capt. Chris holds a nice Chetco River king salmon.
Eric holds a nice Chetco estuary king caught while deckhanding for Capt. Rye.

We will continue to fun drift boat trips for salmon into December. The Elk and Sixes rivers have a later run of fall kings, while fresh fish also will trickle into the Chetco and Smith rivers. Winter steelhead season begins Dec. 1 and runs through March. Late December, January and February are the peak season for winter steelhead. Our guides will run salmon and steelhead combo trips through mid-December, then switch gears just to side-drifting for steelhead.

To learn more about our drift boat trips, visit www.wildriversfishing.com.

Ocean charters will resume next week with good weather on the forecast. When the weather cooperates, our crew splits time between the ocean and rivers.

Here are some of the recent drift boat salmon catches with our crew.

Tuna arrive, salmon still around, lingcod action hot!

BROOKINGS, Ore. (Aug. 3, 2024) – Some of the best fishing action of the year is happening now on the Oregon Coast, with a wide variety of opportunities. The first tuna of the season caught by any of the local charters hit the docks this week, while king and coho salmon are still biting, halibut fishing is improving, and the lingcod action has been wide-open on our long-range trips to Point St. George Reef and Mack Arch. August is one of the best times of the year to fish out of Brookings, with lots of options for visiting anglers.

The first albacore tuna of the season caught on a charter boat out of Brookings in 2024, landed aboard the Dash with Capt. Mick. The day ended with five dozen albacore landed.

The Dash, with Capt. Mick, ran the first albacore tuna charter of the season out of Brookings on Aug. 2, and returned with its totes and fish bags stuffed full of tasty albacore. The first charter yielded five dozen albacore, caught on both rod and reel and hand lines. The fish were 35 miles straight out from the harbor, with 60-degree water as close as 30 miles. Tuna trips are booked off of a call list. Call (541) 813-1082 to include your name, and our booking office will call as trips are put together, based on calm weather forecasts and current fishing reports.

Limits of hatchery coho salmon caught in July aboard the Miss Brooke.

Salmon season remains a solid bet out of Brookings, although the action has been hit-and-miss. Many of the hatchery coho have already migrated north, but we are still seeing keeper fish each day, and there have been good days for larger kings mixed in. This past week, our trips produced big numbers of wild coho and kings that were less than 24 inches, both of which must be released. Lots of action, but not as many keepers as were saw earlier in the season. Salmon season still has three weeks remaining, and fish will be available through the month.

The results of a double-hookup of halibut aboard the Papa B this week.
A big halibut caught on the Papa B in July.

Pacific halibut fishing has been decent, with a few very good days mixed in. August and early September are peak season, so expect good catches all month. We are fishing for halibut in 180 to 250 feet of water. The fish have been 15 to 50 pounds. For the past several years, catch rates have increased substantially in August.

Check out this trophy lingcod caught this week aboard the Kraken!

Our long-range charters to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse and Mack Arch have resulted in some of the best lingcod action we’ve seen in recent memory during the summer months. Limits are common, with fish up to 30 pounds. The grade of rockfish has been phenomenal. Plenty of smaller lingcod released as well, a good sign for next year’s seasons.

Capt. Sam and Capt. Chris with some of the lingcod caught this week on the Kraken.

During our local half-day charters, fishing has been good for rockfish, with limits daily, and better-than-average lingcod fishing. Most trips are resulting in a lingcod per rod on our 4- and 6-hour charters.

A pair of albacore tuna from the first Brookings Fishing Charters tuna trip of the season.

We begin river salmon trips in September at the mouth of the Chetco, and will be fishing upriver in drift boats on the Chetco and Smith rivers beginning in October. To learn more about river trips, visit www.wildriversfishing.com.

Check out our recipe for crispy, delicious beer-battered fish and chips.

The latest recipe for beer-battered rockfish, lingcod and halibut has been a huge hit. Check it out here.

To book a fishing charter, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.

One of the nice kings landed this season on the Miss Brooke.

Check out a few of the nice lingcod and rockfish caught in recent weeks with Brookings Fishing Charters.

Here are just a few of the great salmon catches so far this season with Brookings Fishing Charters.

Halibut action improves closer to Brookings

BROOKINGS, Ore. (July 20, 2024) – Pacific halibut – which average around 20 pounds but can sometimes top 100 pounds – are showing up in greater numbers off the coast of Brookings, as the peak season arrives on the Southern Oregon Coast. Halibut season opened May 1 coastwide, but out of Brookings, late July, August and September produce the best catch rates. Fishing has improved the past two weeks out of Brookings.

A nice catch of halibut caught aboard the Dash with Capt. Mick in July 2024.

Halibut migrate to deep water in the Gulf of Alaska to spawn in the winter, and move back into shallower water during the summer to feed. On the northern Oregon Coast, halibut are within range of the sport fleet early in the season. Out of Brookings, where anglers like to fish in 200 to 250 feet of water, the best fishing takes place later in the season, as the halibut finally move inshore. By October, the halibut are back on the move into deeper water.

Fish on! Customers aboard the Miss Brooke reel in halibut.

The Brookings Fishing Charters crew has been catching halibut recently on long-range trips to specifically fish for them. A customer on the Miss Brooke landed a 54-pound halibut on July 19. Most of the halibut have been closer to 20 pounds. The fish are being caught using combinations of herring, salmon and squid, using custom leaders developed by Capt. Andy and Capt. Rye, who spent years running halibut charters in Alaska.

Deckhand Eric holds a 54-pound halibut caught on the Miss Brooke.

The Brookings Fishing Charters crew uses techniques similar to Alaska charter boats, anchoring and fishing a variety of baits, using the current to bring the scent to the halibut. The catch rates for the Brookings Fishing Charters crew are the highest in the harbor.

Capt. Andy holds a halibut caught aboard the Miss Brooke in July 2024.

Halibut season runs through October. Trips are offered daily during calm weather periods. To learn more, visit www.brookingsfishing.com, or call (541) 813-1082.

Oven-poached salmon quick and delicious

Oregon Coast salmon, whether caught in the ocean, or soon after their arrival in one of the coastal rivers, are one of the most delicious bounties enjoyed by anglers. There are endless ways to prepare salmon, from grilling to smoking, but oven-poaching is one of the easiest ways to cook this great-tasting fish, with an easy cleanup, and plenty of options for unique flavors.

Oven-poached salmon is quick and easy, without a messy cleanup.

Poaching, a healthy way to prepare fish without adding fat or oil, uses moist heat to cook the fish, and is more forgiving than grilling or frying, which can leave the salmon raw in the middle and overcooked on the outer edge.

A fresh coho salmon fillet headed to the oven.
Poaching salmon in the oven keeps the fish moist and firm, and prevents the salmon from being overcooked on the outside and raw in the middle.

Capt. Andy’s favorite way of oven-poaching salmon leaves the fish moist and firm, and is topped with a delicious cucumber dill relish. The recipe is great for freshly caught salmon, but also works well with fish that has been frozen. Poaching works especially well during the winter, when weather conditions are less conducive for barbecuing outside. The fish is poached in chicken broth, with fresh or dried dill. The fish can be cut into smaller portions, cooked as a whole fillet, or steaks.

Oven-poached Salmon

1-2 salmon fillets, or steaks

1-2 cups chicken broth

1 tbs butter

2-3 sprigs fresh dill, or 1 tbs dried dill

1 sliced lemon (optional)

Cucumber Dill Relish

1 cucumber, chopped

1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped

2-3 radishes, chopped

1/4 cup white vinegar

3 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried dill, or chopped fresh dill

Broccoli Rice

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup rice

1/2 cup broccoli, chopped

Oven-poached salmon is a great alternative to barbecuing or smoking.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rub cold butter to the bottom of a shallow baking dish.

For the Broccoli Rice, bring two cups of chicken broth and one cup of rice to boil, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chopped broccoli after 10 minutes of simmering.

For the salmon, add salmon steaks or fillets to the baking dish, season with salt and pepper, add enough chicken broth (1 to 2 cups) to halfway cover the salmon fillets. Add a few sprigs of fresh dill, or sprinkle with dried dill. Add sliced lemon, if desired. Roast fish in oven for 12 to 17 minutes, until salmon is tender.

While salmon and rice is cooking, combine vinegar, salt and sugar in a bowl, add chopped cucumber, radishes and onion, and sprinkle with dill. Stir well to coat in vinegar mixture.

Remove fish from oven and transfer to a serving platter. Serve salmon topped with relish and the rice as a side.

Delicious oven-poached salmon with cucumber dill relish and a side of broccoli rice.

To catch an Oregon Coast salmon, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or www.wildriversfishing.com to learn more about our guided fish trips and ocean charters.

Capt. Andy with an ocean-fresh king salmon from the Chetco River.

Lighthouse area opens with hot lingcod action

BROOKINGS, Ore. (May 5, 2024) – Big lingcod, lunker rockfish, and fast action has been the result of the first few trips of the season to the famed Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, which re-opened to anglers on May 1 after being closed since last August.

Located 11 miles straight out from the Port of Brookings jetties, the lighthouse area is home to some of the best lingcod and rockfish action outside of Alaska. Fishing is open inside the 20 fathom (120 feet) curve all summer. Thriving rockfish and lingcod populations, and the chance at halibut and a colorful variety of fish, make the lighthouse area a favorite destination.

An angler holds a trophy vermillion rockfish caught on opening day at Point St. George Reef aboard the Miss Brooke.

The Miss Brooke ran the first trip of the season to the lighthouse area, and despite rough weather, got easy limits of rockfish and a bunch of lingcod. Windy, stormy weather kept boats away the second day of the season, while fishing was absolutely light’s out the next day, with limits of jumbo rockfish and full limits of quality lingcod. Trophy vermillion and copper rockfish were included in the catch.

A nice lingcod from Point St. George Reef aboard the Miss Brooke.

The lighthouse area is located halfway between Brookings and Crescent City, with excellent lingcod fishing on the section of reef closest to Brookings. Each year, lingcod over 40 pounds are caught at the reef, with numerous 20-plus pounders. The average size is between 8 and 10 pounds. The rockfish variety is unmatched, with abundant black, blue, copper, vermillion, tiger, yellowtail, widow and canary rockfish. Quillback and yelloweye rockfish also are plentiful at Point St. George Reef, but must be released.

A quick limit of lingcod near the lighthouse aboard the Miss Brooke.

The reef is a world-class light-tackle fishery, and the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet uses light spinning rods to target the big rockfish in shallow water, with heavier gear on board if needed, to switch over to lingcod-specific baits and lures.

Closer to Brookings, the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet has been getting limits of quality rockfish on its local half-day trips, with lots of lingcod mixed in. Rockfish action has been very good, with jumbo black and blue rockfish making up the majority of the catch.

A big lingcod caught close to Brookings on a half-day fishing charter.
A nice lingcod aboard the Papa B on a local half-day charter out of Brookings.

Pacific halibut season also is open, with the best fishing out of Brookings in late June, July and August. Halibut migrate in from deep water to feed, and return to depths of 2,000 feet or more in the late fall and winter to spawn in the Gulf of Alaska.

Ocean salmon season opens May 16 out of Brookings. The season runs through August, with a two-king-salmon-per-day limit. Wild or hatchery kings may be kept. Coho salmon may be kept starting in mid-June. The Brookings Fishing Charters fleet has been encountering salmon during its bottom fishing trips, while pelicans have already arrived in Brookings to feed on anchovies and other baitfish. All are good signs for the approaching ocean salmon season.

Many of the Brookings Fishing Charters customers spend the afternoon before their charter, or the following morning targeting surfperch from the beaches around Brookings. Surfperch action has been very good. Anglers use small hooks, light weights, and shrimp or sandworms to catch surfperch with light spinning rods. The mouth of the Winchuck, Crissy Field State Park, Lone Ranch, Chetco Point, and Chetco River jetties are all good surfperch locations. The crew at the Brookings Fishing Charters booking office, the same location as Brookings Bait and Tackle, will help anglers rig up for surfperch and point them in the right direction.

Capt. Mick holds a chrome-bright spring king salmon from the Lower Rogue River.

Spring king salmon continue to be caught on the lower Rogue River. Capt. Mick and Capt. Rye have been running trips, anchoring and fishing anchovies in the slower water as the prized springers move upstream. Spring salmon fishing continues into early June, while the busy Rogue Bay salmon fishery is best in July and August.

Here are some of the great catches from the first few trips to Point St. George Reef.

Nice limits of lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke at Point St. George Reef.

Here are some great catches from our local half-day fishing charters this past week.

To book an ocean charter or Rogue River salmon trip, call (541) 813-1082, or visit www.brookingsfishing.com.

Lingcod action hot in Brookings as lighthouse, salmon and halibut openers near

BROOKINGS, Ore, (April 21, 2024) – Lingcod fishing is the best it has been so far this year out of the Port of Brookings, while anglers will have several more options for exciting ocean charter fishing in May, as the Pacific halibut and king salmon seasons open, along with the extremely productive Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.

A nice lingcod caught aboard the Papa B in mid-April.

The past week, the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Papa B and Dash, all six-pack charter boats with Brookings Fishing Charters, have been getting limits of nice lingcod as well as non-stop action for rockfish. The lingcod bite hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, as the winter and early spring spawn is in full swing.

During calm weather days, limits of lingcod have been common, with fish over 20 pounds being caught. The rockfish action has been fast and furious, with limits of quality fish. The best fishing has been from Bird Island north. During the long-range six-hour trips, the Brookings Fishing Charters boats have been cruising to Mack Arch, for the best lingcod fishing on the Southern Oregon Coast.

Limits of lingcod caught near Mack Arch aboard the Miss Brooke.

Pacific halibut season opens May 1, with a two-fish-per-day limit. Normally, fishing is still fairly slow in May before catch rates accelerate in late June, July and August, as halibut migrate closer to shore to feed. For the past decade, the Brookings Fishing Charters crew has produced the best catch rates for halibut out of Brookings. Several of the local captains spent years running charter boats in Alaska, and are experts and finding halibut, and fishing for them out of Brookings.

A lunker lingcod caught in mid-April with Brookings Fishing Charters.

Ocean salmon season opens May 16. For a preview of the 2024 ocean salmon season out of Brookings, click here. Anglers will be allowed two king salmon, hatchery or wild, a day. The Brookings Fishing Charters crew has a well-earned reputation for producing limits of coho and king salmon. The peak season is mid-June through July.

The Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, with fishing rivaling that of Alaska, opens May 1. This is the best area to target trophy lingcod, and a colorful variety of rockfish. It is a customer favorite. For a preview of the lighthouse season, click here. Capt. Andy of Brookings Fishing Charters attended Pacific Fishery Management Council meetings in Fresno in March, and Seattle in April to advocate for a re-opening of the lighthouse season, as well as the Oregon ocean salmon seasons.

Capt. Andy and Dave Marciano from Wicked Tuna after a charter aboard the Miss Brooke.
Deckhand Eric with a black rockfish caught by Dave Marciano of Wicked Tuna.

In March, Capt. Andy and deckhands Eric and Chris enjoyed the opportunity to fish with Dave Marciano from Wicked Tuna. Dave runs the Hard Merchandise, and was visiting the Oregon Coast after attending a sports show in California. He chose Brookings Fishing Charters for his first Oregon Coast fishing adventure.

Here are some of the lingcod caught in recent weeks with the Brookings Fishing Charters crew. Lingcod and rockfish is open year round out of Brookings.

The Brookings Fishing Charters captains also have been running spring salmon trips on the Rogue River. Here are a few catches with Capt. Rye and Capt. Mick in recent weeks.

To book an Oregon Coast charter trip, visit www.brookingsfishing.com, or call (541) 813-1082.

Lingcod, rockfish biting between storms

BROOKINGS, Ore. (Feb. 17, 2024) – While 2024 has been off to a rainy, stormy start, when the ocean settles down and swells subside, fishing has been good for rockfish and lingcod. The Brookings Fishing Charters crew ran several bottom fishing charters last week, and returned with limits of rockfish and several lingcod. Some trips have resulted in limits of lingcod, although the lingcod bite is slower when swells and choppy seas prevent the boats from fishing near the inshore rocky reefs. However, the Miss Brooke has returned with lingcod every trip so far this year, along with full limits of rockfish.

A nice lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke with Capt. Andy in February 2024.

When the weather has been calm, with minimal swell, lingcod fishing has been very good, with limits or near limits for each angler. The House Rock and Mack Arch area have fished best, as high water in the Chetco has made fishing tough closer to the harbor because of the muddy flows from the river.

A happy angler holds a limit of lingcod from a February trip aboard the Miss Brooke.

A break in the weather is expected the second half of this week, which should allow charter boats to get out this coming weekend. So far this year, Brookings Fishing Charters is the only charter company in Brookings to run ocean trips. The Miss Brooke has been out several times, along with the Papa B.

Some of the nice rockfish caught in early February aboard the Miss Brooke.
A customer with a nice lingcod from late January 2024 aboard the Miss Brooke.

Lingcod fishing is often good during the winter months, between storms, as the fish move into shallow water to spawn. Large numbers of male lingcod, between 20 and 26 inches, move shallow to stage for spawning, followed by the larger females, which can top 20 or even 30 pounds. Smaller males outnumber of females by a large margin, and are extremely aggressive during the spawning season. They eagerly bite jigs or baits. Calm weather produces better fishing, as the lingcod are in 20 to 50 feet of water. Large swells can make fishing shallower water, near wash rocks, more difficult, so the best success occurs when the ocean is flat.

A nice lingcod aboard the Miss Brooke.

Lingcod and rockfish seasons are open year round in Oregon. Salmon seasons are set by the federal government and will be announced in April. Halibut season opens May 1 and runs through October. The Point St. George Reef Lighthouse usually opens to fishing in May. California ocean seasons will be announced in April, although a general season option will be revealed in March.

The Brookings Fishing Charters crew fishes year round out of the Port of Brookings. The Nauti-Lady, Miss Brooke, Kraken, Dash and Papa B comprise the fleet. Each captain also is a river guide, and the crew runs drift boat salmon and steelhead trips in the fall and winter when the ocean is too rough to fish.

Happy anglers with a nice steelhead caught with Capt. Andy in February on the Chetco River.

Spring Break is approaching and is generally a good time to fish for lingcod and rockfish. To book an ocean charter, visit www.brookingsfishing.com, or call (541) 813-1082. For information on river trips, visit www.wildriversfishing.com.

Charter boat captain publishes Oregon Coast seafood recipe book

BROOKINGS, Ore, (Feb. 16, 2024) – Drawing from two decades experience as a full-time ocean charter boat captain and river guide, Capt. Andy Martin has published a recipe book featuring his favorite ways to prepare Oregon Coast seafood.

Order Online Now! $12.50 includes free shipping.

Captain’s Choice: Recipes from Brookings Fishing Charters is now available for purchase online or at Brookings Bait and Tackle at the Port of Brookings.

Captain’s Choice: Recipes From Brookings Fishing Charters is now available for purchase online and at the Brookings Fishing Charters office at the port of Brookings. The spiral-bound, full color recipe book features two dozen of Capt. Andy’s favorite seafood dishes, including Rockfish Chowder, Parmesan Rockfish, Rockfish Puttanesca, Teriyaki Grilled Albacore, Creamy Lingcod and Shrimp Pasta, Brown Sugar Cured Smoked Salmon, Salmon Chowder and Beer Battered Lingcod.

Capt. Andy Martin, owner of Brookings Fishing Charters, is the author of the new Oregon Coast seafood recipe book.

Almost daily on his fishing charters, customers would ask Capt. Andy about the best way to prepare their catch of the day. He’d email recipes from the Brookings Fishing Charters web site, or jot down basic chowder and fish taco recipes. The cookbook is a collection of several of his favorite rockfish, lingcod, salmon and halibut recipes.

The recipe book is spiral bound and includes nearly two dozen Oregon Coast seafood recipes.
Each recipe includes color photos, ingredients, and cooking instructions.

Early in his Alaska river guide career, Capt. Andy would use the first salmon of the day to prepare salmon chowder with a propane stove on the bow of his boat. He and other charter boat captains often spent evenings after trips creating dishes with halibut or salmon. Capt. Andy also spent the early part of his career working at world-class fishing lodges in Alaska, and had the chance to sample some of the best seafood dishes, and add his own twist to them.

Each recipe includes color photos, ingredients, cooking instructions, and description of the recipe. Most recipes can be made with the fillets of just a couple of rockfish, or a single lingcod fillet. With tighter catch limits in Alaska, Oregon and California, the recipe book allows anglers to make several meals from a daily limit of rockfish, lingcod or halibut. All of the recipes can be cooked up using fresh or frozen fish fillets.

The contents of Captain’s Choice: Recipes from Brookings Fishing Charters.

To order a recipe book online, visit Home | Brookings Fishing Charters LLC (square.site). The cost includes free shipping. Recipes books can also be purchased at the Brookings Fishing Charters and Brookings Bait and Tackle office at 16399 Lower Harbor Road at the Port of Brookings.

The Brookings Fishing Charters crew is working on a second recipe book, featuring favorite smoked fish recipes from each captain, and favorite wild game jerky recipes.

First ocean charter of year yields limits of lings, rockfish

BROOKINGS, Ore, (Jan. 23, 2024) – After weeks of rough, windy conditions on the Oregon Coast, conditions improved enough this week to allow Brookings Fishing Charters to run its first ocean charter of the year out of Brookings, which ended with limits of nice lingcod and rockfish. High flows from the Chetco River have made fishing slow closer to the harbor, but north, from Bird Island to House Rock, water conditions are better, and there are plenty of hungry rockfish and lingcod.

An angler holds a nice limit of lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke Jan. 23, 2024.

January and February are productive times to catch lingcod out of Brookings, as long as the weather cooperates. Windy weather with big swells and rough bar conditions have limited the opportunity to fish on the Oregon Coast so far this year. But between storms, as the ocean settles down, rockfish and lingcod tend to be very aggressive and willing biters.

Lingcod move into shallow water to spawn during the late winter. Smaller males, from 18 to 24 inches, arrive first, staging in areas where larger females will soon migrate in to spawn. Often, there are large numbers of males for every female, and the males are extremely aggressive. They often attack anything near them that resembles another fish. With decades of experience fishing the Oregon Coast, the Brookings Fishing Charters crew has dialed-in techniques to catch lingcod during the winter months in shallow water with light tackle. It is often some of the most exciting, action-packed lingcod fishing of the year!

Capt. Andy with a pair of nice lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke.
Doubles of nice rockfish were common during the first charter of the year, as the fish were aggressively feeding.

Big schools of rockfish are feeding in shallow water, along rocky reefs and kelp beds. Many of the rockfish caught during the first charter of the year were full of surf smelt. Lots of feed in the water has resulted in healthy fish, with fat black, blue and canary rockfish quickly attacking shrimp flies and grubs lowered from the Miss Brooke. Anglers reeled in doubles and triples of nice rockfish once the schools of rockfish were located in shallow water.

Capt. Mike with a pair of big lingcod from the first charter of the season out of Brookings.
Longtime customer Dave of Brookings organized the first charter of the season with a group of local friends. They all caught limits of rockfish and lingcod.

Brookings Fishing Charters will run trips during the winter as the weather allows. Conditions often improve by late February to allow fishing several days a week, but instead of booking a specific date well in advance, anglers are encouraged to call our charter office, (541) 813-1082, to get on the winter fishing call list. As conditions allow, we will put together trips with a day or two notice when the forecast looks promising. Open seat alerts also are posted on our Facebook page.

With fast six-pack boats operating during the winter months, Brookings Fishing Charters can take smaller groups, and run trips at short notice since fewer anglers are needed to put a charter together. The six-pack boats are the fastest boats in the fleet, and can get to the fishing grounds quickly and fish in shallow water, where lingcod fishing is best during the winter.

A nice steelhead caught on the Smith River Jan. 23 with Capt. Sam.

The Brookings Fishing Charters crew also runs drift boat trips for steelhead on the Chetco and Smith rivers during the winter months. High water has limited the opportunity to fish so far this season, but when conditions are good, the fishing also has been decent. Capt. Rye, Andy, Travis, Mick and Sam are licensed river guides and ocean charter boat captains, and take customers down the rivers in custom drift boats, using light spinning tackle to catch steelhead in the scenic Smith along Redwood National Park, and the Upper Chetco deep inside the Siskiyou National Forest. To learn more about river trips, visit www.wildriversfishing.com.

We have also updated our recipe section, with dozens of tasty ways to prepare rockfish, lingcod, halibut, salmon and steelhead. Check out the recipes here.

Creamy Lingcod and Shrimp Pasta is just one of the delicious recipes in our recipe section.

We will learn the season dates for salmon, halibut and the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse in April. Halibut season is expected to run its normal May 1-Oct. 31 season out of Brookings. The lighthouse and other California waters closed early last year, and tighter bag limits are expected this year, similar to Oregon limits that have been in place to ensure the fishery is sustainable. Typically, the lighthouse opens in May, with good fishing the entire summer. California waters are expected to have a depth restriction of 120 feet or shallower this year, but that will have minimal impact on the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet, since our crew specializes in fishing shallow water with light tackle for big fish.

The Oregon lingcod and rockfish season is open year round, with a five-fish limit for rockfish and two additional lingcod. The minimum size for lingcod is 22 inches.

To book an ocean charter, visit www.brookingsfishing.com, or call (541) 813-1082.

Here are a few more photos from the first charter of the season out of Brookings.

Stormy weather, high water limits ocean, river fishing opportunities

BROOKINGS, Ore. (Jan. 21, 2024) – Stormy weather, with big swells, strong winds and rough bar conditions have kept the Southern Oregon ocean charter fleets at the docks, while steelhead fishing also has been hampered by near-flood conditions.

Lingcod and rockfish action is usually good during the winter months, when boats can get out, but ocean conditions have been rough and unfishable for most of January. More stormy weather is expected this week.

An angler holds a steelhead on the Smith River, caught last week with Capt. Andy.

Steelhead fishing on the Smith and Chetco rivers, meanwhile, also has been impacted by the stormy weather. January and February are peak season, but high, muddy water has limited the number of days fishing guides have been on the water. The Brookings Fishing Charters team of charter boat captains also are river guides, taking customers down the Smith and Chetco in drift boats. Light tackle is used to catch these prized, hard-fighting fish.

When conditions have been good, with dropping flows, and green water, steelhead fishing has been good. There have only been a few good days on the river so far this year. Better conditions are forecasted for next week. Catch rates generally improve quickly after high flows, as the rivers drop.

Capt. Rye navigates his drift boat through a fishy looking spot on the Smith River.

The Chetco reached 40,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) last week, the highest flows in four years. Minor flooding occurred on the Chetco and Smith, but flows were still well below the flood event of 2012, when flows hit 65,000 cfs. The Smith was near 100,000 cfs, or 30 feet, at the Highway 101 bridge. It rose 20 feet in 24 hours.

Water reaches the parking lot of Loeb State Park on the Chetco River in January when flows crested at 40,000 cfs.
The Chetco River at flood stage.
A flooded Chetco River, as seen from Second Bridge, or Ice Box, in mid January 2024.

Flows dropped to 5,000 cfs on Saturday on the Chetco before spiking again at 10,000 cfs on Sunday. Ideal conditions are below 4,000 cfs.

Steelhead fishing continues through March on the Chetco and April on the Smith.

Anglers admire a steelhead on the Smith River in January.

The Brookings Fishing Charters crew will run steelhead trips through the end of the season, but will be focusing on ocean charters for lingcod and rockfish more beginning in February. Lingcod move into shallow water during the winter months, fueling good fishing in shallow water on calmer days. The commercial crab fleet reported big numbers of smaller lingcod showing up in their crab pots, a sign the males are migrating in from deep water to prepare to spawn. March often produces some of the best lingcod fishing of the year, and we will be running trips daily, as the weather allows.

Learn more about steelhead fishing at www.wildriversfishing.com. For ocean charters, book online at www.brookingsfishing.com, or call (541) 813-1082.

Capt. Mick on the Smith River in January 2024.