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Brookings Ocean Salmon Fishing
Season
October

For more information, call (206) 388-8988
or e-mail wildriversfishing@yahoo.com

Chetco Bay Trophy Ocean Salmon

Thousands of big, bright Chinook salmon stack up off of the mouth of Oregon's Chetco River each fall, waiting for rains to enter the river and complete their spawning journey. While in the ocean out of Brookings, they are at their peak, big, fat, full of fight, great eating and ready to bite. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife allows a short season each fall in the calm waters offshore from the Chetco to target these salmon, many of which reach trophy size. Because a large portion of the Chetco's salmon run is made up of 5-year-old fish, kings over 50 pounds are caught each fall.

Pro guide Andy Martin, who runs one of Alaska's premier halibut charter boats during the summer, returns to his hometown of Brookings, Oregon, just in time for the start of the fall trophy ocean salmon season off of the mouth of the Chetco. He has fished the ocean out of Brookings since he was a child, operating boats long before he got his first car.

The Chetco Bay trophy season is one of Andy's favorite fisheries. The fish are big and great-eating. It is Oregon's premier ocean salmon season and Capt. Andy is one of the most successful guides during this fishery.

Only a handful of Brookings' fishing guides are licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard and Oregon State Marine Board to take customers onto the ocean during the fall trophy salmon season. Andy, who holds a 100-ton Near Coastal Masters License from the Coast Guard, knows how and where to catch these big kings.

Trolling plug-cut herring is his favorite technique for the trophy salmon. Andy uses Scotty electric downriggers, top-quality Lowrance fish finders and chart plotters, quality Penn International reels bait prepared in his secret brine to get his customers into fish during the season, which generally runs during the first two weeks of October.

A derby is held each October during the ocean season. The biggest three fish get cash prizes. The winning fish is usally over 50 pounds, sometimes over 60.

Rockfish and lingcod also are available during the season, and if Andy's customers prefer, they can enjoy a combo salmon/rockfish charter.

Andy fishes the protected ocean waters out of Brookings from his custom jet sled, which has a windshield and top, the latest safety equipment and two motors. The boat is equiped to catch fish in the ocean as well as the lower section of the Chetco. At times, fish are caught in the lower portion of the river itself, and at other times out by the buoys.

Brookings has the safety bar - or entrance into the ocean from the river - of any port in Oregon.

Anglers hoping to catch a trophy salmon should mark this fishery on their calendar.