Month: April 2020

Ocean charter season begins, salmon, halibut openers near

The river guides who spend the fall and winter fishing for salmon and steelhead the Chetco and Smith rivers for Wild Rivers Fishing are also saltwater charter boat captains. Through our sister company, Brookings Fishing Charters, they run lingcod, rockfish, salmon, albacore tuna, California halibut and Pacific halibut charters out of Brookings and Gold Beach.

Capt. Andy Martin and his daughter Alexandra hold a pair of vermilion rockfish caught off the coast of Brookings in early April 2020.

The Miss Brooke, Papa B, The Dash and ‘Bout Time have been running ocean charters since January. Ocean fishing was good in March, before stay-home orders brought charters to a standstill just before Spring Break. Lingcod fishing has been especially good this year, and the number of large vermilion rockfish has been above average. With the charter fleet grounded because of social distancing mandates, the crew has been taking their families fun fishing, and getting nice limits of lingcod and rockfish.

A nice lingcod caught in April 2020 by Jim Martin, Capt. Andy’s father, near House Rock.

We hope to resume ocean charters in May, just in time for the Pacific halibut opener. Pacific halibut season runs May 1-Oct. 31. Fishing is hit-and-miss off the coast of Brookings, but Brookings Fishing Charters has the highest success rate of any local charter company catching these prized fish. Several Pacific halibut are brought in by the Brookings Fishing Charters crew each year.

Pacific halibut, lingcod and rockfish caught last season aboard the Miss Brook near Mack Arch.

The ocean salmon season out of Brookings will run June 20-Aug. 7 this year. Late June and early to mid-July are the peak season for king salmon. Brookings Fishing Charters is one of the most successful charter fleets on the entire Oregon Coast at catch king salmon in the ocean for customers. This year’s ocean season is promising, with a combined ocean abundance forecast for the Sacramento, Klamath and Rogue rivers of nearly 1 million adult king salmon. Salmon from the Sacramento River make up the majority of the ocean catch off of Brookings. This year’s forecast for the Sacramento is almost 500,000 adult kings.

Anglers hold California halibut caught last August with Capt. Andy Martin out of Brookings.

California halibut have been off the coast of Brookings for decades, but the fish have been fairly elusive. While Cali Hali are incidentally caught each summer by anglers targeting bottom fish or salmon close to shore, few skippers have been able to dial in how to catch them. Last summer, Capt. Andy had several impressive days fishing for California halibut, with catch rates of three to five fish per angler. The best time for Cali Hali is July through September.

Capt. Rye and Capt. Mick with albacore tuna caught last summer off the coast of Brookings aboard The Dash.

Brookings Fishing Charters also was successful last summer at getting customers into albacore tuna. The six-pack charters were able to quickly get offshore and find the prized fish, with very good catch rates. Tuna trips are based on a call list. Call (541) 813-1082 to get on the list. Trips are booked when weather and fishing conditions allow.

Alexandra with a nice rockfish caught in April.
Customers of the Miss Brooke hold lingcod and rockfish caught in late March, before ocean charters were put on hold because of covid-19 stay-home orders.

To learn more about our ocean charters, visit www.brookingsfishing.com. We off daily trips, weather permitting, out of the Port of Brookings. We also have a dock slip in Gold Beach for Rogue Reef lingcod and rockfish in June, July and August. For information, call (541) 813-1082.

All of the ocean charters working out of the Brookings Fishing Charters office are six-pack charter boats, with local owners and operators.

The Miss Brooke is owned by Capt. Andy Martin and operated by Andy and Capt. Travis Sallander.
The Dash is owned and operated by Capt. Rye Phillips.
The Papa B is owned and operated by Capt. Mike Brouillette.
The ‘Bout Time is owned and operated by Capt. Rich Singnorello.

Strong salmon run expected to Rogue Bay

With drift boat steelhead seasons now over on the Southern Oregon Coast, anglers are looking forward to the summer salmon season on the Rogue Bay, where thousands of kings will stack up near the mouth and wait for fall rains before heading upstream.

Anglers hold ocean-bright king salmon caught on the Rogue Bay with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing.

This year’s fall king salmon forecast for the Rogue is strong. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates the ocean abundance of fall king salmon from the Rogue River is 257,000. Of those, ODFW predicts the in-river run to be around 60,000 adult fall kings.

An angler holds a 25-pound king salmon caught on the Rogue Bay with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing.

Salmon begin returning to the bay in June. By early July, fishing is generally fair to good, with peak season in late July and August. Thousands of salmon will arrive in the bay, but warm water above the Highway 101 bridge often keeps them from continuing upstream. The ocean-bright salmon hold in the bay, moving back and forth with the tide until water temperatures in the tidewater area drop below 70 degrees.

A 30-pound Rogue Bay king salmon caught with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing.

The bay is a troll fishery. Guides and other anglers will troll anchovies behind spinner blades. The key is to get an anchovy to rapidly spin and trigger a strike. Veteran guides have years of experience threading anchovies to create that perfect spin. The best guides also know where to find the salmon at certain times in the tide, how much weight to use, how far to let the line out, and how fast to troll.

When lots of salmon stack up in the Rogue Bay, the action can be fast and furious. Here is a catch caught in guide Andy Martin’s sled.

One of the big draws of the Rogue Bay is the calm, protected water. Ocean-bright fish hold between the historic Gold Beach bridge and the tips of the jetties. Here, anglers don’t have to worry about big waves or sea sickness. The shallow water of the bay also concentrates the salmon into a small area, giving anglers an advantage. Catch rates can be high, with a couple hundred salmon caught in a single day by the dozens of boats trolling.

Guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing nets a king salmon for a customer during the 2019 season on the Rogue Bay.

There are plenty of guides to choose from on the Rogue. Guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing is a local, year-round guide based on the Southern Oregon Coast. Many of the guides who fish the Rogue come from outside of the area. Aside from being a local guide, Andy also is a full-time guide, not a hobby guide. Growing up in Brookings, just down the road from Gold Beach and the Rogue Bay, Andy has fished the Rogue for more than three decades and has guided there for more than 15 years.

Guide Andy Martin with a hefty king salmon caught by customer Carolyn Ford.

Last year, the Rogue had big numbers of jack salmon. These 2-year-old salmon are a good indicator of the follow year’s run. In August, guides were catching two to four jacks a person, and losing several more. That should equate to a big numbers of larger adult salmon this summer on the Rogue Bay.

Customers of guide Andy Martin hold jack salmon caught last August on the Rogue Bay. The big number of jacks last year means there will be plenty of adult salmon in 2020.

The limit on the Rogue Bay is two adult king salmon a day, plus five jacks less than 24 inches. When fishing is good, anglers expect to catch one to two adults a person. The salmon are in prime shape, bright and full of fat. The Rogue River is known as having the best-tasting salmon in the world. During the World’s Fair in Seattle year ago, there was a taste contest to determine the best-tasting king salmon. The Rogue won!

Guide Andy Martin holds a 30-pound king salmon caught by customer Jeff Kimball of Seattle.

Andy fishes the Rogue Bay in a custom 26-foot Alumaweld guide sled. It is one of the biggest boats on the bay. He also runs rockfish and lingcod combination trips, fishing the ocean first thing in the morning and then trolling the bay the rest of the day.

Guide Andy Martin holds a typical Rogue Bay king salmon.

To book a summer salmon trip on the Rogue Bay, visit www.wildriversfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.

Bright king salmon from the Rogue Bay.