Strong ocean salmon season expected in 2015

It is looking more and more like this summer's ocean salmon season out of the Port of Brookings will be similar to last year, with a full four-month opportunity to fish for salmon and a repeat of last year's generous two-fish-per-day limit.

State and federal fishery managers are currently working on the process of setting ocean salmon seasons on the West Coast. By all indications, we should once again have an early May through early September king fishery out of Brookings. Last year's season ran May 10-Sept. 7. This year the season could begin as early as May 1 and continue through Labor Day.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council will set the seasons in April. This past week, the agency released run forecasts that look very promising.

While Brookings sits at the mouth of the Chetco River, home of some of the biggest king salmon in Oregon, the harbor is also located in the middle of one of the most productive ocean salmon feeding areas on the West Coast. Large numbers of kings from the Sacramento and Klamath Rivers, two of the biggest salmon producers in the world, feast on anchovies and krill each summer off of Brookings. Salmon on the Northern Oregon Coast swim north in the ocean to feed off of Alaska. But kings from the Sacramento, Klamath, Rogue, Chetco, Smith, Eel, Trinity, American, Feather, Pistol, Winchuck and other Southern Oregon and Northern California rivers stay more local, spending the ocean portion of their lives feeding on the extreme Southern Oregon and Northern California coasts.

Federal biologists are forecasting an ocean abundance from the Sacramento River to be more than 650,000 kings. Another 425,000 kings from the Klamath River are swimming on the ocean off of Southern Oregon and Northern California. That alone tops 1 million kings in our region, plus tens of thousands more from the Rogue, Chetco, Smith, Eel and other salmon rivers.

Last year, Brookings sport anglers landed 6,817 kings, more than any other port on the Oregon Coast. In fact, Brookings anglers accounted for 37 percent of the entire ocean king salmon catch in Oregon. The port with the closest catch was Winchester Bay, where anglers landed 27 percent. Some anglers are surprised to learn sport fishermen in Brookings catch more kings in the ocean than the ports of Coos Bay, Astoria, Tillamook and Newport combined. And, according to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife data, Brookings only accounts for 14 percent of the total ocean salmon angling effort, so the catch rates in Brookings are much higher than the rest of the coast.

We will begin our ocean salmon charter season in May, and are anxious to help anglers enjoy the best ocean salmon fishing Oregon has to offer. In fact, it's some of the best ocean king salmon fishing anywhere, even better than Alaska (which is experiencing a dramatic downturn in its ocean and river salmon fisheries).

I hope to see you on the water this summer.

- Andy Martin

  captain and fishing guide

  BrookingsFishing.com

Brookings ocean fishing report 1-8-2015

With unusually nice weather so far this month, the ocean out of the Port of Brookings has been calm enough to venture offshore in pursuit of lingcod and rockfish. Yesterday, after a quick drift down the Chetco River for steelhead, I took my customers onto the ocean for a quick lingcod and rockfish trip. The highlight was a limit of lingcod in the 24- to 26-inch rage, and the chance at a couple larger lings.
We started near Aiken Point, but didn't find much action, so we headed up to Chetco Point, where we found lings and a few rockfish. Cold water coming from the river slowed the bite, but the lings were still aggressive as they move into shallow water to spawn.
We caught the lings on a mix of jigs, shrimp flies and live rockfish.
I told my customers they were probably the only people in the world to catch steelhead and lingcod on the same day on Jan. 8.
With more nice weather expected the coming week, we plan to run some more saltwater trips, some as combos with our river steelhead trips.
It's not too early to start booking peak season lingcod, rockfish and salmon trips. Visit brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082 to reserve your date.
- Capt. Andy Martin
BrookingsFishing.com

Ocean salmon, rockfish and lingcod charters

Brookings, Oregon, has long been known as one of the premier saltwater fishing destinations on the West Coast. Located next to major feeding grounds of king salmon and silver salmon, and home of abundant lingcod and rockfish populations, Brookings is one of the few yer-round sportfishing ports between San Francisco and Alaska.

Safe bar crossing, close in fishing

One of the biggest advantages of fishing out of Brookings is the safe crossing from the mouth of the river to the Pacific Ocean. Most ports and harbors on the West Coast have moderate to rough bar crossings, as big swells and waves stack up at the mouth of the river and create large breakers than can be hazardous to boaters. The Chetco River bar, at the Port of Brookings Harbor, is touted as the safest bar crossing in Oregon. Brookings sits in a protected bay that faces south instead of west, so the port doesn't get a direct hit from the westerly swell.

Anglers also don't have to travel far to catch fish. It's not uncommon to see salmon caught between the tips of the jetties and the first buoy. Lingcod and black and blue rockfish, also known as sea bass or snapper, are caught from the mouth of the river and out all directions.

Brookings also has productive year round fishing. Most harbors in Oregon and Northern California are too rough to fish out of during the fall and winter. With the protected bar crossing and close in fishing, Brookings is the premier saltwater fishing destination on the Oregon Coast.

Winter lingcod and rockfish

While many anglers turn their attention to steelhead in the rivers of Southern Oregon and Northern California during the winter months, we like to keep an eye on the marine forecast, watching for those days in January, February and March when the ocean is flat enough to allow lingcod and rockfish trips.

Some of the best lingcod fishing of the year occurs during the winter, as that’s when big numbers of the prized saltwater fish move into shallow water to spawn. We often find lings in water as shallow as 40 feet, and the run from the Port of Brookings to some of the most productive lingcod areas is only a couple of miles.

After the bigger females spawn, numerous of the smaller 22- to 30-inch male lingcod will stay and guard the nests. A typical nest may have a dozen or more lingcod guarding it, and those aggressive sentinels are easy targets for winter time sport anglers. Lingcod less than 30 inches also are among the best eating, making them prime winter time tablefare.

We use light tackle to catch lingcod, as well as various species of rockfish. Short spinning rods with 14-pound braided line allow you to enjoy the fight of these ferocious bottom fish. When weather conditions allow, we use jigs as light as 2 ounces. If conditions dictate, we’ll use slightly heavier gear to quickly get to the bottom.

Lingcod fishing is open year round on the Oregon Coast, and the Port of Brookings Harbor usually has the calmest crossing into the ocean on the coast. Brookings’ uniquely calm winter weather makes it the preferred spot on the West Coast for winter time lingcod and rockfish charters.

To book a winter time lingcod and rockfish charter, visit brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.