Brookings OR Fishing Charters Archives - Page 5 of 7

Lingcod biting between storms

(BROOKINGS, Ore. – Dec. 23, 2022) — Rough weather has kept charter boats at the docks for most of November and December, but between storm, fishing has been very good for lingcod and rockfish off the coast of Brookings and at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.

The Brookings Fishing Charters crew has been running ocean charters as weather conditions allow this fall and winter, and also taking customers down the Chetco and Smith rivers for salmon and steelhead. Salmon fishing was well above average this year, with big returns to the coastal rivers, while steelhead fishing also is off to a good start.

Just before Christmas, the six-pack charter boats working out of the Brookings Fishing Charters office enjoyed good fishing for lingcod and rockfish on our local half-day trips, and on the long-range trips to the lighthouse. Rough weather, with big swells and strong winds, returned Christmas weekend.

**Customers hold limits of lingcod from a fall trip to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse aboard the Miss Brooke.**

The lighthouse area, along with all California coastal waters, close to fishing Dec. 31, and reopens May 15. Based at the Port of Brookings year round, the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet will continue to run half-day and long-range targeted lingcod trips all year. During the winter months, lingcod come close to shore to spawn, putting them within easier range of the sport fleet. Lingcod fishing often is good during the winter, especially at Mack Arch and near House Rock out of Brookings.

**A nice lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke this fall out of Brookings.**

Unlike other six-pack charters that occasionally fish out of Brookings, our captains are local, full-time charter boat captains based out of the Port of Brookings, and our boats fish here year round. The knowledge and experience of our crew is unmatched for six-pack charters in Brookings. That experience pays off during the winter, when local knowledge often leads to bigger lingcod and a better grade of rockfish.

**The Nauti-Lady fishing off of Brookings in the fall of 2022.**

Aside from our six-pack boats, the Nauti-Lady also operates out of the Brookings Fishing Charters office. The Nauti-Lady can accommodate larger groups, and its spacious deck allows customers to fish with lots of room and plenty of space to spread out. The Nauti-Lady operates year round out of Brookings, weather permitting.

The Brookings Fishing Charters captains are also full-time fishing guides who operate drift boats trips on the Chetco and Smith rivers. To learn more about river fishing, visit www.wildriversfishing.com

Below are some of the winter steelhead caught on the Chetco River in December 2022 with Capt. Mick, Michael and Sam.

Halibut season opens May 1 out of Brookings. Ocean salmon seasons are set in April, although we will have a general idea of the season dates in March. Typically, ocean salmon opens in June and runs into August. Albacore tuna arrive in late July.

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

Tuna arrive off of Brookings

(BROOKINGS, Ore. – Aug. 15, 2022) – Albacore tuna moved within 40 miles of the coast of Brookings in late July and early August, giving charter boats an opportunity to make the long run offshore and target the prized gamefish. The Brookings Fishing Charters fleet ran several tuna charters in early August, returning with coolers full of albacore.

In late July, the Miss Brooke with Capt. Michael was the first boat to successfully find tuna out of Brookings. Fishing was slow however, with just a single tuna, caught 45 miles from the harbor. It was the first confirmed tuna brought back to the dock.

In early August, the water temperature warmed above 60 degrees offshore, and bigger numbers of tuna moved in. The Miss Brooke, Kraken and Dash returned to the tuna grounds, and ran successful charters, with upwards of 40 tuna caught on some of the trips.

**Capt. Michael holds the first albacore tuna of the season caught out of Brookings. It was reeled in by Dave Kuen aboard the Miss Brooke in late July.**

Charter boats out of Brookings wait for calm ocean conditions with no wind to make the 30- to 50-mile run to the tuna grounds. They look for water temperatures between 59 and 62 degrees. The tuna are caught by trolling feather jigs or PLine Tuna Rippers at a high speed, sometimes in excess of 8 mph.

**Anglers hold some of the tuna they caught in August aboard the Kraken with Capt. Sam.**

**Some of the tuna caught aboard the Dash with Capt. Mick in early August.**

**A nice haul of tuna aboard the Miss Brooke with Capt. Michael.**

Brookings Fishing Charters maintains a call list for its tuna trips. When weather conditions line up, and water temperatures reach 60 degrees offshore, trips are put together at short notice. The window to target tuna out of Brookings is usually fairly small.

**Board a six-pack charter under the light of the moon for a 4 a.m. departure is a special experience.**

**An amazing sunrise while headed to the tuna grounds out of Brookings.**

**Deckhand Eric with a pair of nice albacore tuna.**

**Capt. Mick holds an albacore tuna caught aboard the Dash.**

**Frequent Brookings Fishing Charters customer Mike C. with a tuna from the Miss Brooke.**

**More tuna from the Miss Brooke in early August 2022.**

**The real work begins once the boats return to the dock.**

To book a tuna trip, or get on our call list, call (541) 813-1082. For more information on tuna charters, visit Albacore Tuna Fishing Charters | Brookings Fishing

Salmon season heats up off of Brookings

BROOKINGS, Ore. (June 30, 2022) – After a fairly slow start to the ocean salmon season offshore from Brookings, the action heated up the second week of the season, with good catches of coho and kings. The Brookings Fishing Charters boats have been the top-producers among the sport fleet, bringing in limits or near-limits of salmon, while also releasing big numbers of shaker kings and wild coho.

Salmon season began June 18, but only hatchery coho could be kept. Starting June 25, wild or hatchery kings, along with hatchery coho, can be harvested. Fishing started out slow, in part because of windy weather, dirty water conditions, and the bulk of the fish holding well offshore. But early this week, the salmon moved a little closer to shore, and massive schools of bait arrived. The salmon fishing has been wide open at times.

**A nice king salmon caught aboard the Dash in June 2022.**

**Salmon caught in late June aboard the Miss Brooke.**

**Limits of hatchery coho and king salmon caught in late June aboard the Kraken.**

**More salmon caught aboard the Kraken in June 2022.**

Fishing also has been very good at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, where the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet heads during its long-range trips. The lighthouse area has been producing an excellent grade of big black, canary, vermilion, copper and other rockfish, and lingcod close to 30 pounds. A few large lingcod also have been caught recently at Mack Arch north of Brookings.

**A nice limit of lingcod from the Nauti-Lady in June 2022.**

For the salmon, Capt. Travis, Sam, Michael, Mick, and Rich also have reported their best fishing trolling anchovies close to the surface, but in deep water, sometimes 4 or 5 miles offshore. Some trips are yielding more than three dozen hookups, with lots of fish lost because of barbless hooks. The hatchery-to-wild ratio for coho salmon is nearly 50-50, meaning half the silvers landed can be kept. There are big numbers of shaker kings less than 24 inches, and then keepers from 5 to 15 pounds. Each day, fish in the upper teens also are being caught.

Salmon season runs through mid-August out of Brookings. The best fishing is generally the last week of June and first few weeks of July, meaning peak season is right now!

Lingcod and rockfish can be kept year round out of Brookings, but the summer months often lead to high catch rates, as the calmer weather this time of year results in better fishing. The Brookings Fishing Charters boats, including the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Nauti-Lady, Dash, Papa B and Bout Time, use light spinning tackle to target rockfish and lingcod. The light tackle adds to the thrill of catching these tasty fish.

Albacore tuna season begins in the summer, with late July or early August generally the most productive time to target tuna, as they move closer to shore.

To learn more about fishing charters out of Brookings, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.

Lighthouse trips yield nice lings and rockfish, occasional halibut

BROOKINGS, Ore. (May 29, 2022) – Long-range trips to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse are producing limits of nice lingcod and rockfish, while fishing charters on our local half-day trips also are yielding nice rockfish with lingcod mixed in.

**Some of the nice lingcod caught Memorial Day Weekend aboard The Dash with Capt. Mick.**

So far this season, trips to the lighthouse, located halfway between Brookings and Crescent City, just across the border in California, have been a major draw. Aside from quality limits, a few Pacific halibut also have been caught on our charters to the lighthouse, along with a 5-foot wolf eel. Trips to Mack Arch also are resulting in limits of nice lingcod and rockfish, with some fish pushing 20 pounds.

**Capt. Michael holds a nice halibut caught aboard the Kraken at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.**

Salmon season opens June 18 out of the Port of Brookings Harbor, and expectations are high. More than 1.2 million hatchery coho salmon are projected to be off the Oregon Coast this summer, most headed back to the Columbia River. Those salmon begin their northerly migration up the coast near Brookings, where they move closer to the beach after wintering in deep water, and follow the coastline back to the Columbia River. Along with the abundant forecast of silver salmon, the Sacramento River, which fuels ocean fisheries in Oregon and California, also has a strong forecast for fall king salmon, along with the Rogue River. Salmon from those two river account for the majority of the kings caught each summer off of Brookings.

**A tiger rockfish caught at the lighthouse aboard the Kraken.**

King salmon season opens June 25, when anglers will be allowed to keep wild or hatchery king salmon, also known as Chinook, along with hatchery coho salmon, which also go by the name of silver salmon.

Below are some of the catches from recent trips aboard the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Nauti-Lady, Papa B, Bout Time and Dash, which make up the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet.

To book a trip, call (541) 813-1082 or book online at www.brookingsfishing.com.

**Limits of lingcod and rockfish from the lighthouse aboard the Miss Brooke.**

Big lingcod biting off Brookings

BROOKINGS, Ore. (May 4,2022) – Some of the biggest lingcod of the season have been caught in recent trips aboard the Brookings Fishing Charters boats, including a trophy ling weighing 28.8 pounds hauled in at Mack Arch aboard the Miss Brooke.

**Some of the nice lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke in late April.**

Fishing also has opened for the season at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, where anglers often catch some of the biggest lingcod and rockfish outside of Alaska. Big swells and brisk winds made fishing tough on the May 1 opener, but the Nauti-Lady, Miss Brooke, Kraken, Dash and Bout Time still managed limits of nice rockfish and boat loads of lingcod. Trips to the lighthouse are a hit with our customers, who enjoy catching big fish on light spinning tackle. The variety at the lighthouse is unmatched, with vermilion, canary, copper, tiger, black, blue and China rockfish, and lingcod from 5 to 25 pounds, or bigger.

**Part of the opening day catch at the lighthouse aboard the Miss Brooke with Capt. Travis and Capt. Sam.**

Anglers are anxiously awaiting the June 18 ocean salmon opener out of Brookings, and are encouraged by reports of limits out of Crescent City. Salmon fishing is open May 1-31 out of Crescent City, but closes in June and July. It opens June 18 out of Brookings for coho and June 25 for kings, and remains open through most of August.

Pacific halibut season also opened May 1 out of Brookings, and continues through Oct. 31. The best halibut fishing is generally in late June, July and August.

**The Bout Time returned from the lighthouse with limits of lingcod and rockfish.**

The best bet in recent weeks out of Brookings has been lingcod on the 6-hour long-range trip by the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet. Trips to Mack Arch have been yielding limits of lingcod, while the fishing also has been good at House Rock and Twin Rocks. Fishing is expected to be excellent at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse during calm weather days.

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

**Some of the great catches from the lighthouse opener.**

**Mark gaffs a lingcod aboard the Nauti-Lady.**

**A nice lighthouse lingcod aboard the Nauti-Lady.**

**Great catches on our six-hour long-range trips in late April.**

**A lunker lingcod from Mack Arch aboard the Miss Brooke.**

Mediterranean Baked Rockfish, Lingcod and Halibut

A fresh, delicious way to enjoy the Oregon Coast catch of the day, bursting with citrus flavor, easy to make, and a breeze to cleanup is Mediterranean Baked Rockfish, Lingcod and Halibut. This recipe is perfect for anyone seeking a healthy alternative to fish and chips, or those counting carbs. It is especially good after picking up fresh produce at the many farmers’ markets on the coast during the summer, or vegetables from your garden.

**Mediterranean Baked Rockfish, Lingcod or Halibut is a great way to enjoy the catch of the day from the Oregon Coast.**

Versatile, Mediterranean Baked Fish is equally good with rockfish, lingcod, halibut or even salmon, or a combination of them. The unique taste is worth baking up a few times each season, and may become a favorite way to enjoy the catch from our charter boats. Perfect with a side of rice, pasta salad or green salad.

**Fresh vegetables make this a delicious and healthy alternative to fish and chips.**

Mediterranean Sauce

Zest of 2 lemons

Juice from 2 lemons

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons dill weed

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander

Fish and vegetables

1-2 pounds rockfish, lingcod or halibut fillets, sliced into thin pieces

1 pound cherry tomatoes

1 pound fresh green beans

1 large yellow onion, sliced into half moons

Also works well with sliced zucchini, sliced bell pepper and/or asparagus

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a bowl, combine lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dill weed, oregano, coriander, salt and pepper. Whisk the ingredients together.
In a large bowl, add the vegetables, coat with sauce and stir. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to a large baking sheet. Layer half the baking sheet with a thin layer of the vegetables.
Add the fish fillets to the bowl, mix well with the sauce, and transfer the fillets to the other half of the baking sheet. Pour any remaining sauce on the fish fillets and vegetables.
Lightly season the fish and vegetables with salt and pepper, or lemon pepper, or seasoned salt.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then place on top rack of oven and broil for an additional 3 minutes, or until the cherry tomatoes begin to pop under the broiler.

**Combine lemon juice and zest, olive oil, seasonings and herbs.**

**Add sliced vegetables to bowl, and stir in Mediterranean sauce.**

**After transferring vegetables to baking sheet, slice fish fillets, coat with sauce and add to baking sheet.**

**Pour remaining sauce over fish and vegetables**. **Bake for 15 minutes.**

**Finish off by broiling on top rack of oven for 3 minutes.**

**Mediterranean Baked Rockfish, Lingcod or Halibut.**

To catch a limit of Oregon Coast rockfish or lingcod, book a charter with Brookings Fishing Charters, www.brookingsfishing.com

Spring weather results in awesome fishing off of Brookings

Lingcod have moved into shallow water, rockfish are actively feeding and for the most part fishing has been outstanding in recent weeks out of the Port of Brookings Harbor. The charter boat fleet from Brookings Fishing Charters has been enjoying limits of rockfish and limits or near limits of lingcod on most trips. Simply put, the fishing has been awesome.

**Anglers hold limits of lingcod caught in March 2022 aboard the Miss Brooke.**

Our charter boats are now able to get out almost every day of the week, thanks to lighter winds in the morning and smaller ocean swells. On calm weather days, lingcod fishing has been fantastic. During rougher weather, we are still getting limits of rockfish and a few lingcod.

The best fishing has been in the House Rock and Twin Rocks area, where we have been able to fish several days a week. On rougher days, our charters are catching fish near Chetco Point and Aiken Point to the south of the harbor.

With lingcod in shallow water, our charters are using the light spinning rods to catch both rockfish and lingcod. The shallow water, light-tackle action makes for an ocean bottom fishing trip to remember.

**A hefty lingcod caught in March 2022 with light tackle aboard the Miss Brooke.**

Currently, half-day bottom fishing trips are $125 a person, and the longer targeted lingcod trips are $150 a person.

Book online at www.brookingsfishing.com or call our office at (541) 813-1082.

Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of having Craig Reed from the Roseburg News Review on the Miss Brooke. Check out his article and photos here: Bottom fish feed the industry off Southern Oregon Coast | Outdoors | nrtoday.com

**A nice limit of lingcod from the Miss Brooke.**

**All smiles catching rockfish on light tackle aboard the Nauti-Lady.**

**Another set of limits from the Miss Brooke.**

**A nice double of big black snapper aboard the Miss Brooke.**

**Nice limit of lingcod from the Kraken in March 2022.**

**How’s this for a first-time lingcod fishing?**

**Check out this great limit of lingcod from the Miss Brooke during Spring Break 2022.**

Lingcod action heats up

Lingcod fishing has busted wide open out of Brookings, with limits or near limits during calm weather days. Limits of rockfish also are being caught.

With nice weather to begin the month of March, the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet was able to run trips several days, getting limits of rockfish on each trip, and nice catches of lingcod. On trips to Mack Arch, limits of lingcod have been the norm.

**A nice limit of lingcod caught in March aboard the Miss Brooke.**

**A pair of big canary rockfish caught aboard the Miss Brooke.**

**A young angler with a big lingcod caught on the Kraken.**

The biggest storm in nearly two months hit the coast the second week of March, keeping boats at the docks. Better weather days are already showing up in the forecast.

During most trips, there has been an excellent grade of rockfish, with big blue and black rockfish, plus an assortment of canary, vermilion, China and copper rockfish. The lingcod are running 5 to 12 pounds, with a fish on most trips topping 15 pounds and an occasional lingcod to 20 pounds.

**A nice halibut caught and released in March aboard the Papa B.**

Sport halibut season opens May 1. The first halibut of the year was caught and released over the weekend by a customer aboard the Papa B. They were targeting lingcod near Mack Arch.

**A big lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady in March 2022.**

**A limit of lingcod from the Kraken in March 2022.**

The 2022 ocean salmon season will be set in early April. The season will likely begin in late June and continue through July. Anglers are expected to be able to keep hatchery coho and wild or hatchery king salmon.

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

**A lingcod double header aboard the Miss Brooke.**

**A nice Miss Brooke lingcod from March 2022.**

**Limits of lingcod caught in March at Mack Arch on the Miss Brooke.**

**A double hookup of black and canary rockfish.**

**The Kraken in action in March near Chetco Point.**

Winter lingcod, rockfish action good when weather cooperates

Unseasonably nice weather, with calm winds and small swells, has allowed charter boats to venture out of the Port of Brookings Harbor throughout February, resulting in great catches of rockfish and lingcod. On nice weather days, limits of rockfish, and limits or near limits of lingcod are being caught.

The Brookings Fishing Charters fleet ran several trips in February, with the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Nauti-Lady, Papa B, Dash and Bout Time getting in on the action. The local charter fleet has been running two to three trips a week.

**A nice catch of lingcod aboard the Miss Brooke in February 2020.**

Lingcod are in shallow water spawning during the winter and early spring. With large numbers of fish staging on shallow pinnacles this time of year, they are in close range of anglers hoping to catch them with light tackle.

**Lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady in February 2020.**

**A nice catch of lingcod caught aboard the Dash in February 2020.**

**More lingcod caught on the Miss Brooke.**

**A double hookup of rockfish from the Nauti-Lady.**

**One of many lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady in February.**

**Nice first lingcod for a young angler aboard the Nauti-Lady.**

**Cabezon must be released until July. We have been seeing good numbers of them.**

**A limit of lingcod from the Nauti-Lady.**

**A happy angler with a lingcod from the Miss Brooke.**

**A large canary rockfish caught aboard the Kraken.**

**Capt. Andy holds a limit of lingcod caught by regular customer Dennis aboard the Nauti-Lady.**

March began with rough weather, with the first major storm since early January. Charters will run throughout March as conditions allow.

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

2022 charter season off to great start

Unusually calm weather has allowed the Brookings Fishing Charters to run numerous ocean charters in January and February. So far this year, fishing has been great for lingcod and rockfish. Big schools of rockfish are being found in the close-in reefs near the harbor, and to the north from Chetco Point to Bird Island, Twin Rocks, House Rock and Mack Arch.

Each of the Brookings Fishing Charters boats – the Miss Brooke, Nauti-Lady, Kraken, Papa B, Dash and Bout Time – have run numerous trips. Limits of rockfish have been the norm, and lingcod fishing appears to be above average so far this season. A 25-pound lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke with Capt. Travis in early February is the largest so far this season.

**Nice limits of lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke near Mack Arch.**

**A nice lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady near Bird Island.**

**Happy customers aboard the Nauti-Lady.**

With the calm weather, boats have been able to get up to Mack Arch, where there are plenty of large lingcod. Limits have been likely near Mack Arch.

**Frequent customer John with a nice lingcod from the Miss Brooke.**

**More lingcod from the Mack Arch area.**

The rockfish population has been thriving near Brookings. We are seeing large schools of black, blue and canary rockfish. The grade has been excellent. Anglers have been able to release smaller rockfish and focus on larger fish for their limits. Since our boats specialize in shallow water with light tackle, the fish are not injured as they are reeled up from the bottom. It is more difficult to release rockfish caught in 80 feet of water or more, but our charters often fish in 40 to 60 feet of water, or shallower.

**A nice lingcod and very nice canary rockfish from the Miss Brooke.**

**A black rockfish and a blue rockfish caught aboard the Papa B.**

**Another double hookup on the Nauti-Lady.**

**It’s a triple! the rockfish action has been fast and furious so far this season.**

On recent charters, our customers have caught a release numerous king salmon. The ocean salmon season won’t open until May or early June, but the abundance of salmon in the ocean right now near Brookings is a great sign. These are likely feeder kings that will return to the Klamath or Sacramento rivers. When they stack up near Brookings during the winter, they are usually still around by the time opening day arrives.

**One of many salmon caught and released this winter during bottom fishing charters.**

**Frequent customer Vince with a nice lingcod aboard the Miss Brooke.**

**You’d be smiling too if you just caught a nice vermilion rockfish.**

**Deckhand Brent with a copper and quillback rockfish. The quillback was released, while coppers may be retained.**

**Nice lingcod from the Miss Brooke near Mack Arch.**

**Great catches from our first charter of the season on the Miss Brooke.**

**Capt. Mike fillets** **rockfish after a successful charter on the Papa B.**

**A big ling and a lunker rockfish make for a very happy young customer.**

**Rockfish are a blast on the light spinning tackle we use on all of our charter boats.**

**The Miss Brooke has been successful at finding nice lingcod on each charter so far this season.**

The Brookings Fishing Charters fleets runs charters daily, weather permitting. Our six-pack boats are fast and perfect for smaller groups. Families and larger groups love the comfortable ride of the spacious Nauti-Lady, our 42-foot party boat.

To book a trip, visit www.brookingsfishing.com, or call our booking office at (541) 813-1082.

Southern Oregon Coast sportfishing charter

Tag: Brookings OR Fishing Charters