2019 Oregon Coast Lingcod, Rockfish Seasons Begin

Big swells and strong winds have kept anglers at port for much of the new year, but for a few days in early January, the ocean was calm enough to venture offshore and get in on the hot winter lingcod and rockfish bite.
Capt. Andy of Brookings Fishing Charters took the Miss Brooke to the House Rock area on New Year's Day, with easy limits of big rockfish for six anglers and more than a lingcod per person. After an initial stop in the shallow kelp beds, which only produced smaller rockfish, Capt. Andy headed to deeper water and got the crew into non-stop action on large black and canary rockfish in 110 to 120 feet of water. After getting everyone's limits, the Miss Brooke returned to shallow water to fish large herring for lingcod.

Anglers hold two of the limits of lingcod caught Jan. 1 aboard the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters while fishing on Jan. 1, 2019, out of Brookings.

The lingcod fishing was not as hot as the the first trip of 2018, but several anglers limited out and everyone caught at least one lingcod. The fish ranged from 6 to 14 pounds.

Frequent Brookings Fishing Charters customer Glen Thil of Shady Cove, Ore., holds three rockfish caught as part of a triple hookup during the first charter boat trip of the year on Jan. 1.

Capt. Andy said the grade of rockfish was really good for the first trips of the year, with large blacks, large blues and some nice-size canary rockfish. There also are big numbers of smaller rockfish in the kelp beds, a positive sign for future seasons.

Some of the big canary rockfish caught Jan. 1 aboard the Miss Brooke.

For 2019, the rockfish and lingcod regulations will remain nearly identical to 2018. Anglers can keep two lingcod a day at least 22 inches long. There is no annual limit on lingcod. The daily rockfish limit is five rockfish a day, with any combination of blacks, blues, canaries, Chinas, vermilions, quillbacks, coppers and kelp greenling.

Brookings Fishing Charters offers year-round charter boat trips out of Brookings. Visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082 to book a trip.

Brookings Fishing Charters specializes in lingcod

BROOKINGS, Ore. - With lingcod populations healthy on the Oregon Coast, most charters return to the docks with a few nice lingcod each day. Aboard the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters, however, the goal each day is to get each customer into their limit of lingcod.
"We specifically target lingcod, which is something not all charter boats do," said Capt. Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters (www.brookingsfishing.com). "Because we run six-pack boats, we can spend time each day fishing specifically for lingcod. We use baits and lures that are intended to catch lingcod, not just rockfish."
Most Oregon Coast charter boats rig up with shrimp flies or small plastic grubs to catch rockfish (also known as snapper or rockcod), and while fishing for those fish they will encounter a few lingcod. "We use that same gear to catch rockfish, but we also use large baits and large jigs that will entice lingcod into biting," Martin said. "We also fish the pinnacles where lingcod hang out. We want our customers to catch limits of rockfish and lingcod."
It is common aboard the Miss Brooke and the other Brookings Fishing Charter boats to use light spinning rods to catch limits of rockfish, and then use slightly heavier rods rigged with bait with nothing but lingcod in mind.

Big lingcod like this, caught by customer Don Stroh, are a specialty of Brookings Fishing Charters.

Brookings Fishing Charters has a loyal following among anglers who want to catch lingcod because of the charter boat company's high success rate in catching lings. "We don't just catch lingcod by accident. Our crew works really hard to find lingcod and rig our customers with the gear to catch them," Martin said.

Capt. Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters has a well-earned reputation of being one of the most consistent charter boats captains on the Oregon Coast of getting customers into nice lingcod.

Big lingcod are caught regularly aboard the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters.

Lingcod are abundant along the entire Oregon Coast. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the population is healthy and stable. Anglers are allowed two lingcod a day at least 22 inches long.
"We catch them all season, but the late winter and spring months are good because that's when the big fish move in close to spawn. August and September also is a good time to catch lings," Martin said.

Catching limits of lingcod was a memorable experience for this family.

Anglers of all skill levels catch lingcod with the Brookings Fishing Charters crew. Many families book charters so children can experience the thrill of catching lingcod, which are among the best-tasting fish on the Pacific Coast.

This group from Klamath Falls, Ore., left with full limits of lingcod while fishing aboard the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters in 2017.

The filleting and bagging of the catch is included with each charter with Brookings Fishing Charters. Based at the Port of Brookings, the Miss Brooke and other Brookings charters operate from February through October. Brookings has the safest bar crossing on the Oregon Coast, and generally has the calmest ocean conditions on the coast.

A nice limit of lingcod made the trip to Brookings worthwhile for Jeff, a frequent customer of Brookings Fishing Charters.

"We can usually find a protected cove to fish in, even when the rest of the Oregon Coast is too windy or has too big of a swell to fish," Martin said.
To learn more about lingcod fishing with Brookings Fishing Charters, visit www.brookingsfishing.com.

2016 Brookings ocean charter season begins (March 27, 2016)

Between storms, fishing for rockfish and lingcod out of the Port of Brookings Harbor has been fair to good, with the best fishing taking place on the days with smaller swells and lighter winds.

We have been catching limits or rockfish and some lingcod, although strong winds have made lingcod fishing tough so far this season. Nicer weather is expected this upcoming week, which should give fishing out of Brookings a major boost.
We have begun our 2016 charter season out of our new offshore boat, a 29-foot designed to be one of the fastest, most comfortable sportfishing charters on the Oregon Coast.
So far this season, we have been focusing on the Twin Rocks and House Rock areas. As the weather improves, we will be spending more time at Mack Arch, which has some of the best lingcod and rockfish fishing on the entire Oregon Coast.
To book a charter, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.
- Capt. Andy Martin

Catching rockfish three at a time aboard the Miss Brooke, March 26, 2016.

The 29-foot Miss Brooke.

First fish of the season, a nice keeper lingcod. Good job Travis!

Nice lingcod.

Some of the lingcod from a March 2016 trip on the Miss Brooke with Brookings Fishing Charters

Steve gets on the board with a nice Brookings lingcod.

Pat with a lingcod that will be headed home with him to Idaho.

Steve showing how to do it, catching two rockfish at a time aboard the Miss Brooke.

Doubling up on rockfish!

The results of a double hookup out of the Port of Brookings Harbor on black rockfish.

Checking the crab pots.

Limits of black rockfish. These make excellent fish and chips!

Another double on the Miss Brookings out of the Port of Brookings Harbor.

Fish on!

Another nice lingcod.

Salmon still being caught on Southern Oregon Coast (Nov. 30, 2015)

Yesterday, the 29th of November, my clients landed two chrome bright king salmon on the Chetco. I had two other guides out and they also landed multiple bright fish. There are still a lot of new salmon in the Chetco, Smith, Elk and Sixes rivers, even though conditions are currently low and clear. Fishing is tough, but there are bright fish available.

Tonight it is raining lightly in Brookings. Heavier rain is expected tomorrow night through Thursday, which could set up prime conditions for this weekend on all the area rivers.
Yes, it is late in the salmon season. Many of the kings on the Chetco and Smith have already spawned. But without a major blowout rain so far this season, there still may be a good group of salmon to come. We will find out this weekend.
If you want one more shot at king salmon this season, I have local guides available for the weekend and early next week.

Call 541-813-1082 to book a trip, email wildriversfishing@yahoo.com, or visit www.wildriversfishing.com.

For the past two weeks, we have been enjoying some pretty decent salmon fishing, despite the low water. Some of the kings have been pretty big, including a really nice 49-inch king caught and released last week by Matt Thompson of Prineville. The fish was around 55 pounds. The fish may have cut OK if we kept it, but I am glad my customers chose to let it go.

Steelhead are just around the corner. We may begin some winter lingcod trips in January.

Here are some of the photos from the past couple of weeks.

- Andy Martin
Wild Rivers Fishing and Brookings Fishing
www.wildriversfishing.com
www.brookingsfishing.com

One of the bigger kings from the past few weeks, caught on the lower Chetco.

Matt and Jamey with a 49-inch, estimated 55-pound king caught and released last week on the Chetco.

Salmon fishing improving out of Brookings (June 27, 2015)

Since the ocean salmon season opened in early May out of the Port of Brookings Harbor, fishing has been rather slow. This week, we finally started to see some major improvements.
On Wednesday, the commercial trollers out of Brookings had their best day of the season. Most boats returned to the harbor with their 30-fish daily limits. On Thursday, the sport boats began to find better numbers of fish.
Salmon fishing improved again today, with a couple dozen kings reported. We ventured several miles offshore and had two take downs, catching a really nice hatchery king. It was caught in 300 feet of water, trolling 135 feet down on the downrigger. We were right in the middle of the big shrimp net boats.
Some boats that went further out got limits of kings and hatchery silvers. We had a combo trip today, so we only spent a few hours trolling, then ran back toward shore to limit out on rockfish and catch half a dozen nice lingcod, as well as a bunch of crab.
For the past week, we've continued to enjoy good action for lingcod and rockfish. We also are doing well on crab, and the quality of the crab has improved, with the majority now hard shell.
July is the peak month for kings out of Brookings. Remember, we specialize in light tackle, small groups and offer lingcod/rockfish trips, salmon charters and combos where we troll for salmon and jig for lings and rockfish. We also are checking crab pots each day on our way back to the dock.

To book a trip, call (541) 813-1082 or (206) 388-8988, or visit www.brookingsfishing.com.

Below are a few photos from the past week.