Pacific halibut sport regulations

Updated April 21, 2025

2025 Recreational Pacific Halibut

The 2025 recreational Pacific halibut season will begin on May 1.
Halibut and bottomfish combinations – What you can keep on the same trip
To find catch estimates, visit the quota tracking webpage.

For more info on tagging salmon and halibut, visit Tips for tagging fish and game

Columbia River Subarea (Cape Falcon, OR to Leadbetter Point, WA)

All-Depth Season
- Open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 1 through June 29, or until quota is caught.
- Backup days if quota is available include adding Mondays and Tuesdays in June and/or reopening the fishery in August and September (days open per week to be determined later in the season).
- Daily bag limit: 1 Pacific halibut
Nearshore Season (shore to the 40-fathom regulatory line off Oregon)
- Open every Monday through Wednesday, May 5 through September 30, or until quota is caught.
- Daily bag limit: 1 Pacific halibut

Central Oregon Coast Subarea (Humbug Mountain to Cape Falcon)

Spring All-Depth Season
- May 1 through July 31, seven days per week, or until quota is caught.
- Daily bag limit: 2 Pacific halibut
Summer All-Depth Season
- August 1 through October 31, seven days per week, or until quota is caught.
- Daily bag limit: 2 Pacific halibut
Nearshore Season (shore to the 40-fathom regulatory line)
- May 1 through October 31, seven days per week, or until quota is caught.
- Daily bag limit: 2 Pacific halibut

Southern Oregon Subarea (OR/CA Border to Humbug Mountain)

All-Depth Season
- May 1 through October 31, seven days per week, or until quota is caught.
- Daily bag limit: 2 Pacific halibut

Statewide regulations

It is mandatory to have a descending device onboard the vessel when fishing for Pacific halibut, and to use a device when releasing any rockfish species when fishing outside of 30 fathoms.
May be taken by angling with a single line, no more than 2 hooks, and by spear.
Daily bag limit Central Oregon Coast and Southern Oregon subareas: 2 Pacific halibut. No length limit.
Daily bag limit Columbia River subarea: 1 Pacific halibut. No length Limit.
Pacific halibut possession limit: 1 daily bag limit at sea, 3 daily bag limits on land.
Pacific halibut annual limit: 6.
Fathom lines and conservation areas are defined by waypoints.
The Stonewall Bank Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation Area (about 15 miles west of Newport) is closed to Pacific halibut fishing. Anglers on vessels possessing Pacific halibut are prohibited from fishing in the Stonewall Bank YRCA, even when targeting legal species.
Pacific halibut seasons are managed and enforced based on port of landing. Halibut may only be landed into ports located within areas currently open to halibut retention, regardless of area of catch.
When angling for Pacific halibut, salmon, bottomfish, tuna, and most other offshore pelagic species may be in possession or landed when Pacific halibut are onboard the vessel as regulations allow.
It is unlawful to fish for or take and retain any species while possessing onboard any species not allowed to be taken in that area at that time.
During all-depth halibut days, either the offshore longleader gear fishery OR the traditional general marine bottomfish fishery (lingcod and black rockfish) may be combined with halibut. The longleader fishery and traditional bottomfish fishery cannot be combined on the same trip.
Sablefish and Pacific cod can be combined with all-depth halibut and the longleader gear or traditional bottomfish fishery. When retained, Pacific cod will count towards the bottomfish or longleader bag limit.
When combining Pacific halibut with offshore longleader, once the general marine species bag limit is exceeded with only longleader rockfish, all anglers on the vessel must stop fishing for halibut and switch all halibut fishing gear to longleader gear.
Anglers are advised to consult the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations for General (statewide), Zone, and Special Regulations prior to fishing.