The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has increased the bag limit for rockfish out of Brookings and other Oregon Coast harbors to seven a day, up from five. Anglers also can keep two lingcod per day. The increased limit has been a hit with charter customers, who can now bring home more fish.
The limit is any combination of black, blue, canary, yellowtail and vermilion rockfish. As part of the regulation change, China, copper and quillback rockfish must be released.
Rockfish, also known as Pacific snapper, rockcod, sea bass and black bass, are among the most abundant fish on the Oregon Coast, and prized for their excellent table fare, especially for fish and chips for fish tacos.
A customer holds a tiger rockfish caught in early August 2020 with Capt. Andy of Brookings Fishing Charters. The limit for rockfish is now seven a person per day.
Fishing for rockfish and lingcod has been good out of Brookings in recent weeks, especially during calmer weather days. There have been some days that it has been too windy to fish. Most of the rockfish being caught are blacks, but plenty of blues and canaries also are being caught, with an occasional vermilion. Capt. Andy got a customer into a seldom-caught tiger rockfish in early August out of Gold Beach.
A nice lingcod caught at Mack Arch.
Now that salmon season has closed out of Brookings (the season ran June 21-Aug. 7), the Brookings Fishing Charters crew is focusing on rockfish and lingcod, California and Pacific halibut, and keeping an eye on the tuna catches offshore. So far, the albacore tuna have been too far out of Brookings to effectively target.
Nice lingcod caught on the Miss Brooke.
Lingcod fishing has improved in shallow water, as fish begin to move in from deeper areas to feed and eventually spawn this winter. August and September generally produce good lingcod fishing out of Brookings.
A nice lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke.King salmon was very good at times this season out of Brookings for the charter boat Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters
The salmon season is over until next year. This year, the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters was by far the highliner boat in the local charter fleet, catching hundred of kings for customers. Capt. Travis and Capt. Michael had the kings dialed in, and often caught fish when most other boats failed to get bit. The size of the salmon was great this season, with lots of fish over 20 pounds.
The increased rockfish limit has led to lots of happy customers, like these anglers who fished on the Papa B in early August.
After two weeks of extremely windy weather, the ocean calmed down this week, giving anglers a better shot at lingcod and rockfish. Salmon fishing, meanwhile, slowed after very good fishing the first two weeks of the season.
Nice salmon caught aboard the Miss Brooke in late June. After two weeks of hot fishing, the salmon action slowed over the long Fourth of July holiday in Brookings.
With the calm weather, our charters made it back to Mack Arch for the first time in a few weeks. The rockfish action has been wide open, with rockfish feeding on crab spawn near the surface, while some nice lingcod also have been caught. One of our customers, Julie from Shady Cove, Ore., caught an impressive 27-pound lingcod on July 6.
Julie Jackson holds a 27-pound lingcod caught July 6 aboard the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters.
The lingcod and rockfish charters also are yielding lots of color. We are catching vermilion and canary rockfish, along with lunker-size black and blue rockfish. The rockfish action has been some of the best we’ve seen so far this season.
A beautiful vermilion rockfish caught on the guide sled with Capt. Andy.
Brookings had really good salmon fishing from the June 20 opener through the end of the month. But cooler water from strong winds and upwelling offshore pushed the schools of salmon away from the harbor. The water temperature dropped to 46 degrees. It is slowly warming this week, and bait is still thick, so we expect an improved salmon bite this weekend.
Anglers hold the results of a July 4 double-hookup on the Miss Brooke.
Salmon season runs through Aug. 7. The limit is two king salmon, hatchery or wild, a day, with a 24-inch minimum length. The kings are running large this year, with fish to 25 pounds or biggers.
Nice kings from July 3 on the Miss Brooke.
There are reports of albacore tuna off the Oregon Coast. Several boats plan to scout the tuna grounds this weekend. If they find them within 30 miles, we will soon offer tuna trips. A few Pacific halibut also were caught this week out of Brookings.
The average size of the salmon off of Brookings this year has been excellent.
During good weather days, we are offering afternoon bottom fishing charters, along with the normal morning charters. The afternoon trips are popular with families, or people traveling from the Rogue Valley who would rather drive over in the morning instead of the day before.
We have been catching a lot of canary rockfish on our 6-hour bottom fishing charters to the north of Brookings. The grade is excellent.
To book an ocean charter, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call our booking office, 541-813-1082.
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.
While stormy weather has kept charter boats at the docks much of January and February, on days when the ocean has been flat, in between storms, fishing has been good for lingcod and rockfish. The sport crab season also is now open off of Brookings.
Capt. Andy and Capt. Travis have both run charter trips this winter for Brookings Fishing Charters. With lots of freshwater flowing out of the Chetco River, the best fishing has been to the north, especially from Bird Island up. The Miss Brooke had some good success in the House Rock area, and also up at Mack Arch. Customers have been catching a good grade of rockfish, with a mix of blacks and canaries, and some nice lingcod.
Ocean conditions often continue to improve in late February and early March. We will be offering trips as weather conditions allow in the winter, and by late March will have all four boats in the water offering lingcod, crabbing and rockfish trips daily.
Ocean salmon season likely will open in May. Halibut season opens May 1.
To book a trip, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.
