Tag: Oregon Coast fishing reports

Lighthouse best bet for big lingcod, rockfish biting close to harbor

BROOKINGS, Ore. (July 18, 2023) – Big lingcod are being caught on our long-range trips to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse, while Pacific halibut are biting closer to the harbor on calm weather days. Limits of rockfish have been common on local half-day , with plenty of fish on the nearshore reefs.

Whopper-size canary and vermillion rockfish caught at the Point St. George Lighthouse aboard the Papa B.

Calm weather last week allowed our charter boats to make several trips to the lighthouse, where big lingcod and a nice variety of rockfish were caught. The lighthouse, halfway between Brookings, Oregon, and Crescent City, California, is known for producing some of the best bottom fishing action outside of Alaska. The productive reef is home to giant schools of rockfish, including canary, vermillion, copper, black, blue, tiger, China, quillback and yellowtail rockfish, and trophy-size lingcod. The daily jackpot winner at the lighthouse is often a lingcod pushing 20 pounds, while fish to 40 pounds or more are caught each season.

Limits of Pacific halibut caught in 200 feet of water off of Brookings last week.

Brookings Fishing Charters makes the long run to the lighthouse on its six-pack charters boats – the Miss Brooke, Kraken, Papa B and Dash – as well as the 42-foot Nauti-Lady. Limits of rockfish typically come fast at the lighthouse, giving anglers plenty of time to focus on catching big lingcod and even Pacific halibut.

During calm weather days, the Papa B and Dash have been running halibut trips closer to Brookings. Halibut are generally caught in 200 to 250 feet of water. Our charter boats anchor, a technique that has been highly effective in Alaska for decades, to create a scent trail to bring the halibut to them. This year, the limit is two fish a person, and our boats got customers into numerous limits last week.

Nice canary rockfish.
Let’s see your lingcod face!

Rockfish action has been good on local half-day bottom fishing trips. With windy weather over the weekend, our boats were forced to fish close to the harbor. Rockfish action was steady, with a mix of black, blue and canary rockfish, and a few lingcod and cabezon mixed in. Nicer weather is expected later this week!

Ocean coho action remains slow out of Brookings. No king salmon can be kept until October, when there is expected to be a four-day season in the ocean at the mouth of the Chetco. Salmon fishing has improved in the Rogue Bay, where we are offering trips aboard our jet sled.

Deckhand Eric holds an octopus caught aboard the Miss Brooke.

Offshore water temperatures have reached 60 degrees, warm enough for albacore tuna. We are keeping a close eye on the forecast in hopes of offering tuna trips as soon as the wind lets up and conditions are safe to venture 20 to 40 miles offshore. Be sure to add your name to our call list if you want a chance to catch tuna – (541) 813-1082.

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

Here are some more photos from the past week on our charter boats.

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.

First big storms arrive on coast

Fishing for lingcod and rockfish was very good off the coast of Brookings in recent weeks until the first major storm of the fall season arrived and forced boats to stay in port. Brookings Fishing Charters reported limits of rockfish and lingcod during its Point St. George Reef Lighthouse trips, and a good rockfish bite at the inshore reefs in early November before the storms hit. Rough weather is expected through November.

Some of the nice lingcod from the end of October at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse aboard the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters.

After relatively calm seas, large waves and winds to 50 mph hit the coast during the Friday the 13th storm. The Coast Guard closed the bar crossing to all recreational vessels.

Big swells and strong winds made the Chetco River bar too dangerous to cross on Nov. 13, 2020.

The first major storm arrived overnight on Nov. 13, with winds to 50 mph and waves over 15 feet high. Heavy rain also fell. A series of storms is expected over the next week.

At the Point St. George Reef lighthouse, fishing was wide open before the storms, with limits daily of large rockfish, including lunker canary and vermilion rockfish, and lingcod to 25 pounds. Lots of blue and black rockfish also were being caught.

Phil of Grass Valley holds a pair of lunker vermillion rockfish caught as part of a double hookup at the Point St. George Reef lighthouse.

Halibut season ended Oct. 31 on the Southern Oregon Coast. The Nauti-Lady and The Dash each ran successful trips at the end of the season, with halibut to 30 pounds.

A nice Pacific halibut caught aboard the Nauti-Lady on Oct. 30.

The variety and grade of rockfish out of Brookings has been good in recent weeks. There are also plenty of smaller rockfish that have been released in the shallow water. The Brookings Fishing Charters fleet uses light spinning rods to catch rockfish in shallow water.

A nice grade a variety of rockfish and lingcod aboard the Miss Brooke.
Limits of lingcod for Phil and Vince aboard the Miss Brooke.
Bruce with a trophy Point St. George Reef Lighthouse lingcod.
The Nauti-Lady fishing for halibut off of Brookings.
Limits of lingcod and rockfish caught aboard The Dash at the Point St. George Reef lighthouse.
A limit of Mack Arch lingcod aboard the Miss Brooke.
A big jig tricked this big lingcod at the lighthouse.

With stormy weather, the Smith and Chetco rivers are on the rise, kicking off the drift boat salmon season for the Brookings Fishing Charters crew. Capt. Andy, Travis, Rye, Mick, Shane, Rich and Michael are also drift boat guides during the fall and winter months.

To learn more about river trips, visit www.wildriversfishing.com. For ocean charters, visit www.brookingsfishing.com.

Ocean charters will resume as weather conditions allow. Lingcod and rockfish season is open year round out of Brookings, and May 1-Dec. 31 at the lighthouse and out of Crescent City.