Tag: Oregon charter boats

Lingcod, rockfish biting off of Brookings

A nice vermilion rockfish caught aboard the Miss Brooke in March 2020.

The 2020 ocean lingcod and rockfish season out of the Port of Brookings is off to a good start. The Brookings Fishing Charters fleet was the first charter company in Brookings to begin running charters this year, and the Miss Brooke, Papa B and ‘Bout Time have already run several dozen trips. When the weather is nice, fishing has been good, with limits of lingcod and rockfish. During rough weather days, rockfish are still biting well, but catch rates for lingcod have dropped.

A nice canary rockfish caught March 8, 2020, off the coast of Brookings aboard the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters.

Overall, lingcod fishing has been good this season. There are big numbers of smaller male lingcod in shallow water, preparing to spawn. These fish are abundant and aggressive, and readily bite baits and jigs when the swell settles down. During a big swell, they hunker down and are somewhat more reluctant to bite. We have been catching lingcod as close at Chetco Point and south of the harbor, but generally are doing best between Bird Island and Mack Arch. We have already ventured to Mack Arch and Arch Rock several times this season.

An average-size lingcod from March 2020 aboard the Papa B. Lingcod fishing has been good so far this season.

Limits for rockfish and lingcod are unchanged for 2020. We can keep five rockfish a day, with any combination of black, blue and canary rockfish. Two lingcod a day may also be kept, in addition to the rockfish. The minimum size of lingcod remains 22 inches.

Ocean salmon season is expected to open in May. Final seasons will be set by the PFMC and ODFW in April. Pacific halibut season opens in May. We should start to see California halibut in early July. Brookings Fishing Charters Capt. Andy Martin was very successful at finding the CaliHali in 2019 near Brookings.

Pacific halibut season opens May 1 in Brookings. California halibut, like those pictured here, arrive in late June and early July. Capt. Andy will be running CaliHali trips again this summer in the guide sled.

We are now offering daily trips, as the weather allows, aboard the Miss Brooke, Papa B, The Dash, ‘Bout Time and guide sled. In March and April, trips will depart between 7 and 7:30 a.m. We will bump up the time in May.

Limits of lingcod from early March aboard the Miss Brooke. We have gone to Mack Arch several times already this season.

For daily fishing report updates, please visit our Facebook page, with is updated regularly by Capt. Andy. https://www.facebook.com/brookingsfishingcharters

To book a fishing charter, please visit our online calendar at www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.

See are blog for fish and chip recipes.

By popular demand, we have posted our favorite fish and chip recipes. Here is the beer battered fish and chips. http://brookingsfishing.blogspot.com/2016/03/easydelicious-beer-battered-fish-and.html

Here is the fish taco recipe. http://brookingsfishing.blogspot.com/2019/05/www.brookingsfishing.com.html

Brookings lingcod, rockfish opener yields limits

The 2018 lingcod and rockfish season got off to a great start out of the Port of Brookings, with quick limits of lingcod, as well as a nice variety of snapper and rock cod.

Customers of Brookings Fishing Charters holds limits of lingcod caught Jan. 1 aboard the Miss Brooke.

The Oregon bottom fishing season opened Jan. 1. With calm weather the first week of January, Brookings Fishing Charters ran two boats on Jan. 1 and 2 and the Miss Brooke ran another trip Jan. 7. Each trip produced limits of nice lingcod and plenty of rockfish.
Rough weather returned the second week of January. Gale-force winds and big swells have kept boats at port since.
During the opener, lingcod fishing was especially good near Bird Island. Both Brookings Fishing Charters boats caught limits of lings using twin-tail scampies, flutter jigs and whole herring.

Scott Hood of Chico, Calif., holds a tropjhy-size brown rockfish.

On Jan. 2, one of the Brookings Fishing Charters customers caught a brown rockfish that may have been a contender for the world record. Since brown rockfish are unusual out of Brookings, the crew was unaware the world record was only 4 pounds. Scott Hood of Chico, Calif., caught a brown that likely weighed between 5 and 6 pounds.

Regular customers of Brookings Fishing Charters, Liz Brown and Glen Thill of Medford, hold one of several lingcod they caught during the Jan. 1 opener aboard the Miss Brooke.

Limits of lingcod from Jan. 2.

Capt. Travis got this family from Reno into a nice limit of lingcod Jan. 2.

We will continue ocean charters in February as ocean conditions allow. To book, call 541-813-1082 or visit www.brookingsfishing.com.

Thanks for making 2017 a great season!

One of the many families who caught their limit of lingcod this summer with Brookings Fishing Charters

We have finished our 2017 ocean charter season, and it was a great success. Our busiest season to date! Overall, we had a great lingcod season out of the Port of Brookings. The Miss Brooke, our offshore boat, ran nearly every day of the season. We also put our new 26-foot bay boat into service for near-shore lingcod and rockfish. Capt. Andy was busy this season on both boats, while Capt. Travis took the helm of the Miss Brooke the second half of the season.
We begin the 2018 season as soon as we get a break in the weather. Usually we are up and running by late January or early February.
We had some disappointing news late in the season, first when the Chetco Bar Fire caused extensive evacuations in the Brookings area and made for smokey conditions. Then in mid-September, the lingcod and rockfish season closed early. The salmon fishing in the estuary, however, was good and our October ocean salmon season was great, with plenty of fish in the 30- to 40-pound range.
Call (541) 813-1082 to get on our call list for early season ocean charters in January and February.
– Capt. Andy Martin, Brookings Fishing Charters

Anglers fish for rockfish with light tackle aboard the Miss Brooke.

One of our longtime customers, Dan from Bend, with a bright king caught on October out of Brookings.