Month: May 2018

Lingcod, rockfish action good out of Brookings

Lingcod and rockfish season is in full swing off the coast of Brookings, where the Wild Rivers Fishing crew has been running trips daily. During good weather days, limits of lingcod and rockfish have been common. During windy days, we are still catching rockfish, but the lings are tougher to come by when we are stuck close to the harbor.

This week, calm seas with little wind returned, allowing us to get to Mack Arch, where limits have come quickly.

Last week, we ran our first halibut trip of the season out of Brookings. We ended up with two keepers, a 41-incher and a 45-incher, caught in 180 feet of water. The Miss Brooke was the first boat of the season to come back with more than one halibut.

We will begin ocean charters on Saturday, May 19.

For daily fishing reports, please follow our Facebook pages, https://www.facebook.com/brookingsfishingcharters/ and https://www.facebook.com/Wild-Rivers-Fishing-208106299199775/ which are updated with photos and reports daily.

To book a trip, please call (541) 813-1082.

Ocean salmon season begins May 19 out of Brookings

The ocean salmon season out of Brookings opens Saturday, May 19, and runs through Aug. 26. The 100-day season covers the best times to fish for salmon in the ocean out of Brookings, which is usually mid-June through mid-August. Peak ocean salmon season is typically in July.

Last year, because of a low forecast for the Klamath River, the ocean salmon season was closed out of Brookings, as well as in some Northern California harbors. During the summer, the salmon that are feeding off the coast of Brookings are usually Sacramento River and Klamath River fish.

This year, the pre-season forecast for the Klamath River is 350,000 fish, well up from last year’s 50,000-fish total. The Rogue River forecast is more than 400,000. With the Port of Brookings right in the middle of the ocean feeding area of those runs, we are anticipating a good ocean salmon season on the Southern Oregon Coast.

We will be offering salmon trips daily. We specialize in trolling herring and anchovies for salmon. There are already schools of anchovies off of Brookings, and the pelicans also have arrived. If pelicans are around, the salmon are not too far away.

Our ocean salmon charters are $175 a person and include all bait and tackle. We also fillet or gill and gut your catch.

Call (541) 813-1082 to book an ocean salmon charter out of Brookings.

Another solid steelhead run on the Chetco

What has turned out to be another solid steelhead run on the Chetco and other Southern Oregon rivers has been interrupted by what may turn out to be the biggest storm of the season. The river blew out yesterday. Much more rain is coming this weekend and it may be several days before we are able to get back onto the water. Before this rain, the Chetco was low and clear, which sent most of the out-of-town guides back home.