Tag: Crescent City Fishing Charters

Halibut, lighthouse seasons May 1!

Two of the most anticipated seasons of the year for the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet open May 1, when charter boats can begin fishing for Pacific halibut out of Brookings, and also start running trips to the highly productive Point St. George Reef and lighthouse.

Brookings Fishing Charters operates both trips aboard its fast, comfortable six-pack charter boats, as well as the spacious Nauti-Lady party boat. The lighthouse is known for its fish-after-fish action, with the potential for trophy lingcod and rockfish, while halibut are one of the most prized fish on the West Coast.

Halibut season opens May 1 out of Brookings. These halibut were caught last summer aboard the Nauti-Lady.

Halibut season out of the Port of Brookings-Harbor runs May 1-Oct. 31, or until 8,000 pounds of halibut are landed out of Brookings and Gold Beach. The quota generally lasts the entire season. Anglers may keep one Pacific halibut a day, with no size limit. Sanddabs and petrale sole also may be kept on halibut trips.

In recent years, the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet has been the most successful group of charters on the far Southern Oregon Coast getting customers into halibut. Captains Andy, Travis and Rye have considerable Alaska halibut charter boat experience, and have decades of experience catching halibut out of Brookings. Capt. Michael and Mick also are local halibut experts with a reputation of catching lots of fish each season.

A Pacific halibut caught and released earlier this year aboard the Papa B. The season opens May 1.

Halibut generally run 15 to 25 pounds on the Oregon Coast, with fish over 75 pounds caught each season. Two years ago, Capt. Rye got a client into a halibut just under 100 pounds, one of the largest halibut ever landed by a charter in Brookings.

Anglers wanting to catch halibut out of Brookings will immediately notice the skill level of the Brookings Fishing Charters captains in finding and catching halibut. Using advanced techniques to anchor in deep water, the captains create a potent scent trail to bring halibut to the area they are fishing, using a variety of big baits, scents, and combinations of smaller baits. Through trial and error, and years of halibut fishing experience in local waters, the Brookings Fishing Charters captains have an extensive list of waypoints that produce halibut season after season, and the knowledge of when to fish each spot, depending on tides, ocean conditions and time of the season.

Limits of halibut last summer aboard the Dash.
Typical halibut caught out of Brookings.

Most of the halibut fishing out of Brookings takes place in 180 to 250 feet of water, much shallower than the halibut hot spots further north on the Oregon Coast. Because of the shallower water, and the advantage of fishing on anchor, lighter weights may be used. Instead of 3 or 4 pounds of weight, we often catch halibut with just 12 ounces, which makes catching them more enjoyable.

Capt. Rye holds a 58-inch halibut caught during a previous season aboard the Dash.

The Point St. George Reef Lighthouse is located 11 miles straight out of Brookings just across the border in California. The reef is highly productive, with a large variety of rockfish, and some of the largest lingcod caught outside of Alaska. The area opens to fishing May 1.

Limits of lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady at the lighthouse.

Several of the boats in the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet have California Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel permits, allowing them to fish in Oregon and California waters. Customers need a fishing license for both states to fish the lighthouse area. One-day licenses are available.

A hefty lingcod caught last season aboard the Bout Time at the lighthouse.

Few private boats venture to the remote Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, located between Brookings, Oregon and Crescent City, California, making it one of the most productive fishing destinations on the West Coast. The seldom-fished waters on the edge of the Point St. George Reef marine reserve offer unmatched lingcod and rockfish opportunities, often with much larger fish than the closer-in waters out of Brookings and Crescent City.  The area of the reef with the best fishing is known locally as the “Dragon Channel” a lingcod and trophy rockfish infested section of rockpiles, pinnacles and ledges. Swift currents, sudden depth changes, and an extremely rugged undersea terrain provide ideal habitat for big rockfish and lingcod, with an occasional halibut mixed in. Oldtimers tell stories of lingcod between 50 and 70 pounds, and each season plenty of trophy lings are caught. 

Another big lighthouse lingcod.

The action is fast-paced at the lighthouse, with black, canary, vermilion, yellowtail, tiger, blue, copper and China rockfish, among others. Lingcod to 50 pounds are caught each year at the lighthouse, with fish over 20 pounds common. Most of the keepers are 10 to 15 pounds, an ideal size to eat.

The Miss Brooke, Kraken, Dash and Bout Time get to the lighthouse quickly, and use light tackle to catch the trophy-size lingcod and rockfish. Customers who have done the trip comment on what a blast it is to catch the variety of quality rockfish with light spinning tackle.

Full limits of lingcod at the lighthouse aboard the Miss Brooke.

For larger groups, the Nauti-Lady allows up to 15 people a chance to experience the lighthouse fishing on a single boat. The comfortable ride to and from the lighthouse on the Nauti-Lady makes the experience even more enjoyable, with plenty of room to spread out on the 42-foot charter boat.

Capt. Andy holds a pair of tiger rockfish caught aboard the Nauti-Lady last summer.
A triple hookup in front of the Point St. George Reef lighthouse.

To book halibut or lighthouse trips, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.

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.
More Miss Brooke lingcod.

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.
Another nice Nauti-Lady lingcod.
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.

Kraken joins Brookings Fishing Charters

The super-fast, heavy-duty Kraken, a 27-foot six-pack offshore boat built by Armstrong Marine, is the latest addition to the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet. The Kaken began running trips out of Brookings this month, and joins the Miss Brooke, Nauti-Lady, Papa B, Dash and Bout Time as a premier Oregon Coast charter boat.

The Kraken joined the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet in February 2022.

Capt. Andy Martin purchased the Kraken and repowered the boat with twin Mercury outboards, and a new kicker trolling motor. Previously, the Kraken was a charter boat in Newport, Oregon, and specialized in ocean salmon and albacore tuna. It is one of the fastest charter boats on the coast, and its super duty hull is built to specifications of six-pack charter boats used in Alaska. It is capable of handling rough water, and cuts through chop while staying on plane. The Kraken will be used for all of the charter offerings by Brookings Fishing Charters, with an emphasis on Point St. George Reef Lighthouse trips, halibut charters, albacore tuna and ocean salmon.

Capt. Michael lifts a rockfish into the Kraken during a hot bite near Bird Island.

After its repower, the Kraken was able to reach speeds in the mid-40 mph range, with a cruising speed close to 30 knots in moderate chop. It is designed to get to and from the fishing grounds quickly to maximize the fishing time for the customers on board.

The Kraken has the most advanced electronics in the fleet, with high-end sonar, radar and charter plotters from RayMarine. It is equipped with auto pilot, auto trim tabs, and multiple sonars to easily locate schools of fish.

The first lingcod caught aboard the Kraken after it joined the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet.

The Kraken can comfortably seat six customers, plus crew. It is captained by Capt. Michael, Capt. Sam and Capt. Andy, depending on the trip. With insulated fish holds, under-deck storage for ice, and rails and outriggers, it is designed for long-range tuna trips. The spacious under-deck fish holds will allow anglers to load up on albacore.

One of three under-deck fish holds.

To book a trip aboard the Kraken, visit www.bookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.

The Kraken on the way to the fishing grounds.

Halibut, Salmon and Lingcod: Brookings Trek Turns Up Trifecta

BY RICH HOLLAND/Western Outdoor News. BROOKINGS, Ore. – Fires raged both sides of the border, the delta variant was on the move and the wind was blowing a gale along the southern Oregon coast, yet nothing was going stop a group of four anglers from a week of fishing planned six months earlier.

The crew with halibut caught in August 2021 aboard the Nauti-Lady.

The plan? To use the growing fleet of Andy Martin’s Brookings Fishing Charters to maximize whatever opportunities the waterways and coast from Gold Beach to Crescent City could offer the first week of August. The list of possibilities is long: king salmon, silver salmon, Pacific halibut, California halibut, rockfish, lingcod and albacore.

Martin’s cooperation and flexibility were both necessary and outstanding. It was he who suggested that we book Monday, Wednesday and Friday, leaving as much room for adapting to conditions as possible.

As luck would have it, conditions were excellent when we arrived, dead calm under the protection of Chetco Point. A slight change in the forecast noted that while Cape Blanco to Gold Beach was under a gale warning, the area from Brookings south would be variable 5 to 10 knots with fog and overcast.

Patrick Bird fishes aboard the Miss Brooke near the Point St. George Lighthouse.

“It’s looking good for the Lighthouse tomorrow morning, so make sure you have both your California and Oregon licenses,” said Martin when we called to check in Sunday. “Since we are leaving from and returning to Oregon, we will be under Oregon regulations as far as our catch.”

Brookings Fishing Charters is right across from the launch ramp boat lot and is both office and tackle store. After we paid up, it was a short drive to D Dock where the Miss Brooke, a 29-foot Kingfisher aluminum with twin 150 outboards, was tied up and Andy and Michael McGahan were ready to go at 6 a.m.

Limits of lingcod aboard the Miss Brooke near the lighthouse.

“It’s a little windy and bumpy this morning but it is going to lay down all day,” said Martin as he steered for the St. George Reef Lighthouse. As we neared and the spire came into view, as well as islands and basaltic outcroppings, he also told the story of the hundreds who died in a shipwreck just after the Civil War, resulting in the construction of the costliest lighthouse ever built in US waters.

Wind with current meant a quick drift despite the braking of the kicker motor, so even in the shallow water it was hard to feel the bottom. Some heavier heads induced a steady inpouring of beefy black rockfish to come aboard. Then Steve Holland caught the first lingcod of the morning, followed quickly by Paul Freese. Both sported the blueish tint occasionally seen on lings.

A trophy vermillion rockfish caught by Rich Holland.

The size of the black rockfish increased as the drift improved with the weather, and canary, yellowtail, copper, china and yelloweye rockfish all found the lures. The last three had to be released under Oregon regulations. The yelloweye were huge and at first gave the impression of being a big lingcod.

Except the big lings gave a much better impression when hooked – besides the ones that fought all the way to the top, a couple almost spooled Steve and Patrick Bird before finding it back to the rocks.

With a slot or two left for some big rockfish, it was time to move the drifts to Martin’s best big lingcod spot for the last of the lings needed for the two fish per person limits. While no monsters were landed Patrick scored the biggest ling of the day when it hitchhiked aboard via a small rockfish, while this writer connected with a beauty of a vermilion rockfish.

Patrick and Capt. Michael with a hitchhiking lingcod.

“The weather is going to keep getting better every day,” said Martin, “Wednesday could be the best.”

Tuesday was beautiful and with the opportunity to move farther offshore, and while we hiked and golfed, some boats got into both silver and king salmon. Yet the good conditions had Capt. Martin leaning in a different direction for our Wednesday run.

“Our boats that have been trying have been getting at least one good halibut a day up to 50 pounds, even in the rough water,” he noted. “I think we’ll take the big boat out and I bet we can do better than that. We also catch a lot of big petrale sole, and they are great eating.”

Fresh salmon guts tricked this halibut aboard the Nauti-Lady.

As a result, we were out on the 41-foot Nauti-Lady early Wednesday morning sliding through the smooth windswell and fog out to one of Martin’s favorite spots for Pacific halibut.

“We have to wait for the halibut to pick up our scent and find us,” Martin pointed out as Ron baited double circle hook rigs with squid and herring and Andy set up rods for sand dabs and petrale sole. “Once the sand dabs really start biting, the halibut show up at this spot.”

Brent Foster, who sold his house after surviving the Paradise fire and moved to Brookings, was also aboard and he was the first to hook up with a flattie. Not long after a 24-pound halibut was flopping on the deck.

A long time passed without a bite, then the few that came were light. The sound of nearby humpback whales spouting whooshed through the fog. Every now and then the dense mist would lift and other boats would appear and disappear.

Capt. Andy holds a nice Pacific halibut.

Salmon started to jump around the boat and at times when the fog lifted we would watch a boat net a salmon. Then a call came in from Michael on the Miss Brooke – his group was limited out on king salmon to 35 pounds by 9 a.m.

Believe me, it was getting a little hard to bear!

Andy asked Michael to come by and drop off the salmon guts for bait and we got to see the big king held up by the happy angler. Then when the bait went on the hooks, the halibut started to climb on ours. Patrick broke the ice with a 15 pounder, the Paul landed a 28-pound flattie. We missed a few other bites and decked a handful of big petrale sole to make for plenty of meat to go around.

Big schools of rockfish at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.

All of the Brookings Fishing Charter boats and most of the other boats out Wednesday had whacked both kings and silvers. It should be noted lots of wild silvers and shaker (short) kings were released.

When Andy asked if we would like to go salmon fishing the next day (Thursday) it was probably one of the quickest times I ever said yes.

We were back out on the Miss Brooke with Michael and Travis at the wheel and on deck Thursday and a breeze was up and the ceiling of grey was well overhead. It was a chunky ride out to the fishing grounds of the day before.

Limits of salmon aboard the Miss Brooke.

“I’m not marking any bait – the krill was everywhere yesterday – there are hardly any birds and I don’t see any whales, but let’s put the rods out and look around,” Michael said. “Keep an eye out for whales, all of our fish yesterday were on whales.”

Was the day after hex going to take hold?

A handful of bites, two small silvers released and a decent sized hatchery silver boated later, well off the port bow two massive humpbacks twisted back into the water in a massive splash.

“Pull in the gear, we’re going to run for them,” said the skipper. “If we troll to the whales we’ll get there too late.”

Rich Holland with a big king.

We got there in time all right – so close we could smell the stench of the leviathans’ breath, so close we had to pull back the throttle and steer clear of the big fellas while we put out lures and baits in the slime of their feeding frenzy.

Instantaneous action doesn’t describe what followed, it was a scramble for one bent rod after another, with the inevitable misses and the satisfying runs of a solid hookup intertwined.

At first a lot of the kings were small. Travis dropped the Brad’s Lures fished on divers off the stern to 100 feet back and the keeper kings latched on. For whatever reason the anchovy baits fished tight on the inside at 25 feet also started to pick up more quality.

Whenever the bite slowed at all or the size dropped off, we ran towards the next whale. By 7:55 a.m. we had our 2-fish limits each of kings and silvers, mostly kings. We had dodged the “should have been here yesterday” jinx and done even better.

From the beach the next morning we could see the fog lay heavy. Word was only a rare keeper made it in the box. Later the fog gave way to a mid-afternoon gale. The weather had cleared again as of this writing (Aug. 11) and the boats were into the albacore offshore.

Next time.

For more information on fishing out of Brookings, go to Brookings Fishing Charters at brookingsfishing.com or phone (541) 813-1082.

Trip Info

Location and Recreation

Brookings/Brookings Harbor is located just north of the California border on Hwy. 101. There are many motels and vacation rentals available. We stayed Ocean Suites Motel. Accommodations can also be found to the south in Crescent City. The Chetco River bar is the mouth of Brookings Harbor. The Rogue River in Gold Beach is an hour away and the Smith River in California is 20 minutes south. The spectacular redwoods of Jed Smith State Park line the Smith and Harris Ranch and Lone Ranch State Beaches are just north of Brookings. Salmon Run golf course is on the Chetco and Del Norte golf course is adjacent to the Smith.

Dining

From seafood to steaks, breakfast to burgers and brew pubs, there are lots of options: Alta’s Burger Bar (Smith River), Hiouchi Café (Smith River) Catalyst Seafood, Slug N Stone Ice Cream, Pacific Sushi, Bean and Whistle Coffee Bar, Zola’s Pizza, Wild River Pizza, SuperFly, O’Hollerans Steaks, Mattie’s Pancake House, Chetco Brewing, Misty Mountain Brewing, and Seaquake Brewing (Crescent City). A Fred Meyer has all your shopping needs.

https://wonews.com/halibut-salmon-and-lingcod-brookings-trek-turns-up-trifecta/

Manhattan clam chowder a tasty, low-carb altenative to traditional chowder

By Capt. Andy Martin – Growing up on the Oregon Coast, traditional New England clam chowder, and other seafood dishes, were readily available. We ate seafood several times a week. A dish my family never enjoyed is Manhattan clam chowder. The thought of a tomato-based clam chowder just wasn’t appealing.

I first made Manhattan clam chowder a few years ago while looking for a keto-friendly, low-carb version of clam chowder. The results were surprising. Manhattan clam chowder is delicious, easy to make, and much lower in carbs than cream- and potato-based chowders. The following recipe is more of a traditional Manhattan clam chowder – to reduce carbs, simply reduce or eliminate the potatoes, use less onion and forgo the carrots. Zucchini may also be substituted for potatoes.

Manhattan clam chowder is a simple, delicious alternative to New England clam chowder.

Ingredients

4-6 slices bacon

1 small onion, diced

1-2 carrots, chopped

2-4 medium potatoes, diced

2 garlic cloves, chopped, or 2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 cup white wine

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

2 cans (14.5 ounce each) chicken broth

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes

1 bottle (8 ounces) clam juice

2 cans (6.5 ounces each) diced clams

1 can (6.5 ounces) minced clams

1 cube (8 tablespoons) butter

1/3 cub fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh potatoes, carrots, onion and celery makes this a wholesome meal.

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat, add a small amount of oil, and cook bacon. While bacon is cooking, chop the potatoes, onion, celery, garlic and carrots.

Remove cooked bacon. Lower heat to medium low and add potatoes, onion, carrots, garlic and celery to bacon grease. Chop bacon and add it to the vegetables. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the wine, cover with lid, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato paste, bay leaves and thyme.

Add tomatoes with liquid, chicken broth and clam juice. Heat to a boil at medium high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Return heat to medium high, add clams with juice, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer again, add stick of butter. Season with salt and pepper. Once butter is melted, stir in parsley. Serve.

(Capt. Andy Martin owns and operates Brookings Fishing Charters. When he is not running charters aboard the Nauti-Lady, Miss Brooke or Kraken, he enjoys cooking).

Limits of lings, rockfish at lighthouse

The first trips of the season to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse by the Brookings Fishing Charters crew resulted in easy limits of lingcod and big rockfish, with lots of variety. The fishing was pretty much wide open.

The Nauti-Lady and Miss Brooke ventured to the lighthouse last week, a few days after the May 1 opener. Windy weather kept boats away from the highly productive reef the first few days of the season, but calm weather last Wednesday resulted in non-stop action for both of the Brookings charter boats that made it to the lighthouse.

Anglers on the Miss Brooke hold limits of lingcod caught in early May at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.

The fishing was so good that the Nauti-Lady, with 12 customers on board, caught full limits of lingcod and rockfish in just three drifts, while also releasing nearly a dozen keeper-size lingcod. The Miss Brooke had no trouble getting limits for its six anglers, with some large vermilion, canary, copper, quillback and black rockfish mixed in. The lingcod averaged 8 to 10 pounds, with a few fish in the high teens.

An angler on the Nauti-Lady holds his limit of lingcod from an early May trip.

The lighthouse is located in California waters approximately 11 miles straight out from the Port of Brookings. Several of the Brookings Fishing Charters boats, including the Nauti-Lady, Miss Brooke and The Dash are licensed to fish both Oregon and California waters. Only a few charter boats have both Oregon and California charter permits.

Some of the nice lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady.

The lighthouse area borders a marine reserve. The area open to fishing is one of the most productive reefs on the entire West Coast for lingcod and rockfish. Big fish, and limits, are common on trips to this area. The season is open May 1-Dec. 31. Brookings Fishing Charters offers trips to the lighthouse during calm weather days. Because the area is in open water and often has strong currents and is exposed to offshore wind, the Brookings Fishing Charters crew carefully chooses the days it heads to the lighthouse.

Capt. Andy Martin holds a pair of tiger rockfish caught aboard the Nauti-Lady near the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.

The Brookings Fishing Charters crew specializes in light tackle, often using spinning rods with flutter jigs or scampies to catch the lingcod and rockfish near the lighthouse. The reefs have a wide variety of fish, with lots of colors.

Some nice vermilion rockfish and lingcod caught aboard the Nauti-Lady.
A lunker lingcod and copper rockfish caught aboard the Nauti-Lady near the lighthouse.
One of the nice lingcod caught during the first trip of the season to the lighthouse on the Nauti-Lady.
Capt. Mike grills hot dogs on the trip back to Brookings from the lighthouse.

The historic Point St. George Reef Lighthouse is 11 miles offshore of Brookings.

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

Rockfish limit increases for 2021

The daily bag limit for rockfish on the Oregon Coast will increase to six fish a day in 2021, in addition to the two-fish lingcod limit. Anglers will also once again be allowed to keep a limited number of China, copper and quillback rockfish.

Anglers with limits of rockfish from the 2020 season aboard the Miss Brooke. Beginning Jan. 1, anglers may keep six rockfish and two lingcod a day on the Oregon Coast.

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission approved the 2021 rockfish and lingcod limits during its December meeting. Halibut and salmon regulations will be set in the spring. The forecast for rockfish and lingcod fishing is good in 2021.

The limit for rockfish increases from five to six a day. Oregon anglers can keep any combination of black, blue, canary, yellowtail and vermilion rockfish has part of that limit, and have a sub-bag-limit of one China, copper or quillback rockfish. Anglers also can have one cabezon as part of the rockfish limiting beginning July 1.

A total of six black, blue, canary and vermillion rockfish may be kept in 2021.

Brookings Fishing Charters Capt. Andy Martin said the increase in the limit is good new for both charter customers and private boaters. In 2020, catches were lighter than expected because of COVID restrictions, so the rockfish limit was temporarily increased to seven a day in late July. In 2021, the six-fish limit will begin on Jan. 1.

Oregon anglers can once again keep copper and quillback rockfish in 2021.

“The sub bag limit for coppers and quillbacks is especially good news since we catch a lot of them during our Point St. George Reef Lighthouse trips,” Martin said. “This summer and fall, we had to throw back a lot of bigger quillback and coppers.”

The lingcod limit remains two a day off the coast of Brookings.

The lingcod limit remains two lings a day at least 22 inches long.

Unlike California, Oregon’s rockfish and lingcod season is open year round. The six-fish rockfish limit will allow anglers to enjoy the fishery 12 months a year without going over the federally approved rockfish allocations, according to ODFW.

Halibut season likely will run May 1-Oct. 31 again next year off of Brookings.

Sport halibut regulations will be adopted in April, and Oregon is once again looking at a May 1-Oct. 31 season south of Humbug Mountain, which is located between Port Orford and Gold Beach. The season likely will be open seven days a week with a one-fish daily limit for Pacific halibut.

Another good salmon season is expected off of Brookings in 2021.

Most years, salmon season runs May-early September out of Brookings. The seasons are set by the federal Pacific Fishery Management Council. Good ocean conditions and healthy ocean salmon populations could lead to a summer-long season in Oregon with a two-fish limit. Big returns of coho salmon to the Columbia River this year also have anglers optimistic about an ocean coho, or silver salmon, season off of Brookings.

Nice blue rockfish caught aboard the Nauti-Lady on a recent trip out of Brookings.

Brookings Fishing Charters runs ocean charters year round aboard the Miss Brooke, Nauti-Lady, Papa B, The Dash and Bout Time, when the weather allows. The charter boat captains are also river guides and run drift boat salmon and steelhead trips on the Chetco and Smith rivers during the fall and winter months if the ocean is too rough to fish.

Capt. Michael McGahan of Brookings Fishing Charters with a Chetco River hatchery steelhead from December 2020.

The ocean out of Brookings has been rough in recent weeks, although the Nauti-Lady was able to get one trip in before the latest series of storms arrived. Steelhead also are being caught on the Chetco River, with the peak season arriving in January and Febraury.

A 40-pound king salmon caught and released with Capt. Rye Phillips in November 2020.
A nice king salmon caught in November 2020 with Capt. Andy Martin.

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

Big lings, tuna, halibut biting

September is off to a great start for the Brookings Fishing Charters crew, with a nice variety of fish being caught aboard our six-pack boats. Big lingcod have moved in, giving anglers a chance at a trophy ling, while the Pacific halibut bite remains good, and there have been some opportunities to chase albacore tuna. Salmon also have arrived in the Chetco River estuary, while our half-day bottom fishing trips are producing limits of nice rockfish.

Limits of Pacific halibut caught aboard the Miss Brooke in September 2020 off the coast of Brookings.

The biggest surprise of the season has been the great fishing for Pacific halibut off of Brookings. We have been getting limits on most charters of these prized fish. There are still plenty of fish remaining on the quota for the area south of Humbug Mountain, meaning the season could last through Oct. 31. Anglers may keep one Pacific halibut a day. They run 10 to 30 pounds, on average, with fish to 100 pounds caught. We have seen two fish in the upper 90-pound range caught by our friends in private boats this month.

Average-size Pacific halibut caught on our charters. These were caught on the Miss Brooke in September 2020.

Our charters are equipped with anchored and our captains are accustomed to fishing on anchor, having run charters in Alaska for several years. This gives us a big advantage when targeting halibut in 200-300 feet of water.

Nice albacore tuna caught with Capt. Rye on The Dash.

The tuna fishing has been fair this season, with albacore 20 to 50 miles off the coast of Brookings. Capt. Rye ran several trips for tuna aboard The Dash earlier this month, slamming the fish some days and scratching out just a few fish on others. We may have another window to target albacore in late September or early October before the weather turns and they head offshore and south.

Capt, Rye with some hefty albacore.

The grade of the tuna has been excellent, with albacore to 30 pounds. We are seeing a bigger overall size this season compared to the “peanuts” last year.

Capt. Michael holds a trophy 30-plus-pound lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke in mid-September 2020.

September and October are prime time for finding trophy lingcod off of Brookings. We’ve gotten customers into several fish over 20 pounds this month, and a few in the 30-pound range. We target these bigger lings with large jigs or bait. They also will hit the light tackle we use for rockfish. The big lings move into shallow water this time of year ahead of spawning. The lingcod population is healthy, and ODFW has assured us targeting some of these bigger fish won’t hurt the fishery.

Nice lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke with Capt. Travis in mid-September 2020.

We are running trips to Mack Arch and the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, and both are producing big numbers of lingcod and limits of rockfish. Lots of quality lingcod are being caught during these long-range trips.

Limits of rockfish caught aboard The Dash.

Our popular 4-5 hour bottom fishing trip is yielding limits of rockfish, with an assortment of blacks, blues and canaries. Some lingcod also are being caught during the short trip. We also are getting into Dungeness crab, a nice end-of-the-day bonus.

Capt. Michael shows a pot full of crab.

The fall salmon season is underway. We have been fishing the Coos River, with fair results. The kings are nice, but the catch rates are lower than normal. The bright spot is the early action on the Chetco River estuary. We are already seeing a lot of jacks and some nice adults. A 35-pounder was caught over the weekend. Fishing in the Chetco estuary will improve in the next few weeks, with the bigger Chetco hawgs. Capt. Andy got a customer into a 58-pounder in 2008 in the Chetco estuary and has guided anglers to several fish over 50 pounds there.

A nice Coos River king from earlier in the week.

To learn more about our ocean charters, visit www.brookingsfishing.com. Information about river trips can be found at www.wildriversfishing.com.

Lighthouse trips a hit with customers

Brookings Fishing Charters’ new long-range trips to the historic Point St. George Lighthouse have been a hit with customers, who have caught trophy-size lingcod and rockfish in recent weeks while fishing at the extremely productive reef between Brookings and Crecent City.

Customers hold limits of lingcod caught aboard the Miss Brooke in mid-August 2020 near the Point St. George Reef lighthouse.

“This was one of my favorite saltwater trips ever!,” said customer Brent Foster. “Amazing fishing on a great boat with super captain and crew. Thanks Capt. Travis and Michael for a memorable day with Brookings Fishing Charters.

Capt. Michael holds a lingcod that hitchhiked to the surface on a smaller lingcod near the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.

“That was a fabulous trip,” said Cole Tidwell. “Thank you for a great time.”

Cole Tidwell of Grants Pass, Ore., holds a trophy vermilion rockfish caught aboard the Miss Brooke.

The lighthouse is approximately 11 miles offshore of Brookings at the edge of the Point St. George Reef. The fishing there is unmatched compared to other local areas, with larger-than-average lingcod, canary rockfish, vermilion rockfish, cabezon and tiger rockfish. Lingcod to 20 pounds are common, and lings over 30 pounds are caught several times a season.

Miss Brooke customers hold limits of lingcod from the Point St. George Reef.

Brookings Fishing Charters is one of the Brookings-based charter companies licensed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to take customers to the reef. A pair of marine reserves border the area, but the open section has world class lingcod and rockfish action, comparable to the best Alaska has to offer. Currently, the Miss Brooke and The Dash have California permits for the lighthouse area.

One of the trophy lingcod caught in August by a Brookings Fishing Charters customer.

Trips to the lighthouse and reef originate in Brookings, but fish in California waters before returning to Oregon. Anglers must have a California and Oregon license for the trip. One-day licenses are available.

Dave Miller of Shady Cove, Ore., with a monster lighthouse lingcod.

The run to the lighthouse is fast and comfortable aboard Brookings Fishing Charters’ six-pack boats. Because only six passengers are fishing, anglers can focus on larger fish, carefully releasing smaller ones with descending devices. Brookings Fishing Charters’ crew also are experts at targeting lingcod, especially larger specimens, and consistently catch large lingcod and limits for the boat. Quality light tackle makes the trip even more exciting.

Don Williams of Brookings with his Point St. George trophy lingcod.
Capt. Michael holds a trophy lighthouse lingcod.
Big lingcod are common at the lighthouse.
Two lingcod caught on the same rod at the lighthouse.

Aside from the lighthouse trips, Brookings Fishing Charters ran several successful halibut charters the past week, with quality fish to 40 pounds. Halibut season remains open through October out of Brookings. It is the longest season for Pacific halibut outside of Alaska.

Capt. Mick and customers from The Dash with limits of Pacific halibut.
Capt. Michael holds a 40-pound Pacific halibut caught aboard the Miss Brooke.
A couple of Pacific halibut caught with Brookings Fishing Charters in August 2020.
Pacific halibut have been making Brookings Fishing Charters customers happy.
Capt. Travis with a tiger rockfish from the Point St. George Reef.
Capt. Andy with a large vermilion rockfish from the Point St. George Reef.
One of many tiger rockfish caught in August aboard the Miss Brooke.
Tiger rockfish are rare out of Brookings, but more abundant at the Point St. George Reef.
Dave Miller with a limit of dandy lingcod from the lighthouse.
The Miss Brooke arrives at the historic Point St. George Reef Lighthouse.
Fish on, calm water, in front of the lighthouse. It doesn’t get any better than that!

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

New lighthouse fishing trips offered

Brookings Fishing Charters is pleased to announce it is now offering long-range fishing trips to the Point St. George Reef and Point St. George Lighthouse, where the average size of rockfish and lingcod is often much larger than waters closer to the harbor, the action is usually fast and furious, and the experience of fishing in the historic area is something anglers won’t soon forget.

Customers hold lingcod and rockfish caught in early August aboard the Miss Brooke near the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse between Brookings and Crescent City.

Capt. Andy Martin, owner of Brookings Fishing Charters LLC, said he decided to begin offering the lighthouse trips as part of his company’s commitment to provide the best fishing opportunities possible out of Brookings. “The Point St. George Reef has some of the most prolific rockfish and lingcod populations in our region,” Martin said. “It offers the best chance at a trophy lingcod, trophy vermilion or canary, and trophy yelloweyes. The reef is full of life, and such an amazing place to fish.” The ability to fish near the lighthouse required a substantial investment by the Brookings Fishing Charters vessel owners for permits and licenses. The reef is located across the state line in Northern California, requiring out-of-state commercial fishing vessel licenses and commercial passengers fishing vessel permits for charter boat operators.

Anglers aboard the Miss Brooke enjoy a triple hookup of lingcod and rockfish a short distance from the Point St. George 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.

Lingcod are abundant near the Point St. George Reef lighthouse.

To fish the lighthouse area from Brookings, anglers must possess Oregon and California fishing licenses. The fish are caught in California, but landed in Oregon. Only a limit legal in Oregon can be landed in Brookings, so the limit is seven rockfish and two lingcod. Because they are caught in California, only four black rockfish and three canaries can be part of each limit. “Fortunately there are a lot of large vermilion in the area,” Martin said. “The canaries also are huge compared to what or normally caught closer to Brookings.” Boat operators must use caution to keep their vessels outside of marine protected areas, or “reserves” while fishing. Skilled navigation also is required for fishing in the minefield of wash rocks and other dangers near the reef and lighthouse.

Lunker yelloweye rockfish are common near the lighthouse. These fish must be released. This angler caught two at a time on a two-hook rig. The fish were safely released with a descending device.

Lighthouse trips are offered on the Miss Brooke with Capt. Travis, Capt. Andy and Capt. Michael, and The Dash with Capt. Mick and Capt. Rye. All are local captains with substantial time fishing local waters. Capt. Andy and Capt. Travis grew up fishing the local area, while Capt. Mick for years operated his own commercial fishing vessel fishing for lingcod and rockfish near the lighthouse out of the Crescent City Harbor. The captains also fish the Smith River and Chetco River during the fall and winters for salmon and steelhead, and are intimately familiar with the history and heritage of the lighthouse and local waterways.

The historic Point St. George Reef lighthouse, as seen from the Miss Brooke.

The Point St. George Reef and lighthouse are a fascinating part of local history. The lighthouse was built in 1892 after several tragic shipwrecks in the Point St. George Reef. Towering 146 feet above the ocean, the lighthouse can be seen from Brookings and Crescent City. The reef is part of what was named “Dragon Rocks” by Sir Francis Drake. On July 30, 1865, during a gale, the 220-foot Brother Jonathan, carrying 244 passengers, struck the reef and sank. Only 19 people survived. A fortune in gold went down with the ship. Most of the gold is said to still be at the bottom of the ocean near the lighthouse, although a fisherman claimed to have caught 22 pounds of gold bars in his net in the 1930s. The sinking of the Brother Jonathan played a key role in the decision to build the lighthouse on Northwest Seal Rock.

The lighthouse cost $752,000 to construct in 1892, equivalent to $22 million today, making it the most expensive lighthouse ever built in the United States. The lighthouse was major construction feat. Several people died during construction and more were killed while serving at lightkeepers.

A nice lingcod caught at the Point St. George Reef.

Trips to the lighthouse are limited to calm days because of the lengthy open-water crossing. Because of the distance, the trips are eight hours. Cost for the exclusive trips are $200. Few charter boats make the trips to the lighthouse. Previously, tourists would pay $200 just for a boat ride to see the lighthouse. The Brookings Fishing Charters long-range trip combines a scenic voyage to the lighthouse and an incredible fishing adventure.

“Fishing near the lighthouse is comparable to the trips I used to take customers to in the Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound when I used to run charter in Seward, Alaska, and Glacier Bay, Alaska,” Martin said. “It is a world-class fishery, and Brookings is the ideal harbor to visit it from.”

To book a trip, call (541) 813-1082.