oregon coast Archives - Brookings Fishing Reports

Surfperch easy to catch, abundant at beaches around Brookings

By Capt. Andy Martin – Growing up in Brookings, catching surfperch are among my earliest childhood memories. Abundant at area beaches, easy to catch, hard fighting, and good to eat, surfperch are an under-rated bounty of the Oregon Coast. These spectacular-looking fish are eager biters, and fun for anglers of all ages and skill levels. Even after a day on the water running a charter boat, I often walk to the beach near my home after work and catch surfperch during the spring and summer with my wife or grandkids. Catching surfperch never gets old – and its one of the best ways to enjoy a visit to the Oregon Coast.

**A young anglers holds a double hookup of redtail surfperch caught at a beach near Brookings.**

Since they are relatively easy to catch, and the gear needed is inexpensive, even the occasional angler has a blast catching surfperch. The Brookings, Oregon, area has some of the best surfperch beaches on the coast, and the safest, with small breakers, easy-to-access beaches, and generally less wind than the rest of the Pacific Northwest.

Most anglers use what is known as a high-low rig for surfperch. A weight is attached at the bottom of a leader, with two hooks attached with dropper loops above the weight. The rig doubles the chances of hooking up, with two hooks, and with the weight on the bottom, it is easier to feel the bite.

**Capt. Andy with a striped surfperch caught near the Chetco River jetty.**

**Sarah Martin with a walleye surfperch caught near Brookings.**

A few keys to surfperch – the fish have small mouths, so small hooks and small baits must be used. I often see anglers attempt to catch surfperch and get frustrated as others around them are catching fish after fish. The biggest mistake is using too big of a hook or bait. Generally, use a bait the size of a fingernail and no bigger than a thumbnail. A size 6 to 4 baitholder hook works best. Try using a size 1/0 or bigger hook and you may get a bite, but likely won’t hook the surfperch.

Pancake sinkers work best. Bank sinkers or pyramid sinkers will also work. Round cannon ball style sinkers will roll around, and make it easier for waves to wash them back to shore. During conditions with small swells or light currents, weights as light as 2 ounces will work. Upwards of 6 ounces are needed when breakers and swells are bigger. In snaggy, rocky areas, many anglers will use larger slinkies, or pencil lead with surgical tubing.

**A high-low rig works best for surfperch from beaches around Brookings.**

For bait, remember smaller is better. Many anglers use larger raw shrimp or prawns, but cut them into small pieces, again about the size of a fingernail, or dime. These baits stay on the hook well, and are a favorite bait of both redtail and striped surfperch. Berkley Gulp! sandworms also work well for surfperch, especially the 2″ camo colored baits. Raw clams and mussels are another extremely effective surfperch bait. If conditions are calm, with light swells, cooked salad shrimp will work, but in rougher water, that bait will easily be washed off the hooks.

A medium-sized spinning combo works best for surfperch. Around Brookings, a 7 1/2-foot rod is ideal. In areas with larger breakers and waves, a longer rod may be necessary. The same rod and reel used for bass fishing at the lake, or steelhead, will work for surfperch. Lighter lines, no more than 20 pound test, works best, as heavier diameters will get washed toward the beach faster by incoming waves.

Surfperch can be caught year round near Brookings, but the best fishing is in the late winter, spring and summer. Striped surfperch move close to the beach in the late winter and spring to spawn. Unlike most fish, they give live birth near the surf. Striped surfperch like gravel, sandy and rocky beaches, and tidepools that are covered at high tide. March through May are prime time. The Winchuck Beach, McVay Rock State Park, Sporthaven (Port of Brookings) Beach, both jetties of the Chetco River, Chetco Point Park and Lone Ranch State Park are hot spots for

Redtail surfperch will spawn later. They are caught from March through September. Crissy Field Welcome Center, right on the Oregon-California border, is a hot spot for redtails, along with Harris Beach, Lone Ranch, Kissing Rock in Gold Beach and the sandspit at the mouth of the Rogue River.

Surfperch like to feed right next to shore on the breaker line. Often anglers cast too far and overshoot fish holding within a few feet of the beach. Capt. Michael details how to catch surfperch in this video.

Surfperch season is open year round in Oregon. The limit is 15 per day, with no size limit.

**Capt. Michael with a surfperch caught near Brookings.**

**A nice catch of surfperch from a beach near Brookings.**

To learn more about surfperch fishing, stop by Brookings Bait and Tackle at the Port of Brookings. To learn more about ocean fishing charters, visit www.brookingsfishing.com.

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.