Saltwater fishing out of Southern Oregon

mingus · Jan 29, 2019

I'm new to Southern Oregon, and want to try fishing my Boston Whaler from Brookings to Coos Bay for Salmon and Rockcod this year. I know coastal fishing, but nothing about this area.

I figure I'll do some car-camping trips this Winter and get on a few charter boats, but it would be great to meet some forum members who could help get me started in the right direction.
Feel free to message me privately or chat here.

Thanks....Lyle

Flymph · Jan 29, 2019

I don't know what rockcod is, but we have lingcod and rock bass here. There is a mountain range submerged off the coast, and they like to hang out around those. It's very much a game of searching for the right hump where they are biting.
Your best chance at salmon is to study the runs of our watersheds and target the mouths of bays or the ocean around those estuaries for about a month prior to their predicted migration.

Rudedog · Feb 18, 2019

It would be great for an old man like me to have a boat nearby while I went in and looked around.

bbbass · Feb 20, 2019

mingus said:
I'm new to Southern Oregon, and want to try fishing my Boston Whaler from Brookings to Coos Bay for Salmon and Rockcod this year. I know coastal fishing, but nothing about this area.

I figure I'll do some car-camping trips this Winter and get on a few charter boats, but it would be great to meet some forum members who could help get me started in the right direction.
Feel free to message me privately or chat here.

Thanks....Lyle

I lived in Brookings from 1987-1993. It was all fantastic fishing then for both salmon and bottom fish.

I understand that salmon fishing trends may have changed. @Flymph was telling me that the runs are way down. IDK. My recommendation is to call around... the best place to call used to be Lorings sporting goods, but they have closed. The Coho offshore run used to take place in June. The fall chinook, anywhere from July-Sept. ODFW usually has announcements. The river bar going out of the harbor is gentle but you still need to be careful an not get in over your head.

Bottomfish can be caught relatively close in, thereby avoiding the emptiness left by trawlers/draggers, by going north just a bit from the harbor. You can even scout a big farther north if you don't find anything at first. For Lingcod, travel north towards Whaleshead beach and look for underwater humps. Be aware that lingcod is a schooling fish and they move around... a good fishfinder is a must!!! Shrimp flies or a soft plastic on a heavy jig head is the ticket for most bottomfish, but I remember using a bait rig of some kind for lings.

The estuaries of both the Chetco R and Rogue R (Gold Beach) both hold runs of salmon at different times. The Rogue has a springer season but I never learned. I fished for chinook in the Rogue estuary in August. Fished for them in the Chetco estuary in Sept. Troll an anchovie (learn to tie it properly), or a weightless magnum spinner behind a banana weight.

Hope this helps!

It's a great area and I miss it a lot!!!!

thorborg · Feb 20, 2019

Sixty years ago, and over the next decade, my uncle regularly brought home striped bass he caught some where down there. (I don't know where, but always assumed the Coos Bay area since they lived in Winston)
You may want to look into fishing for them.
They were huge, and must of been fun to catch.
I lament never had the opportunity to fish for them.
We would travel down to Winston where they lived a couple times a year to help, as he and my dad fileted them, we would literally stuff them in jars without other liquid to be heated and sealed in the oven caning process. So much fish, an event that took two days. (partly do to all the clean up)
Canned, they looked a little weird as they would shrink some, darken some, and a little fat would render out to the bottom of the jar, but boy, made great sandwiches, soufflés and the like.
We liked them better than tuna fish (And I, better than salmon unless smoked).
We would put a case up in pint jars for me which were handy to take hiking and camping with some crackers and cheese.

bbbass · Feb 20, 2019

Pretty hard to beat the taste of stripers!! To fish for them, go to the Smith River. There are a few in the lower Umpqua. Used to be in the Wilson/Trask but I don't know anymore.

Flymph · Feb 20, 2019

The farther south you go the more stripers you'll find. It's rare that they are found in Tillamook bay or Columbia estuary, but it happens I guess (sorta like folk lore at this point).
Yeah, salmon runs were way down last year in part due to the 2015 droubt. They will hopefully be better this year...