Recreation Report
Marine Zone
Recreation Report
Nov. 29, 2023
If there’s not a photo, it didn’t happen
Submit your fishing photo to ODFW and we might use it here or elsewhere on MyODFW.com.
Announcements
E-tagging tips for anglers
It's important for anglers to tag their salmon, halibut and steelhead immediately, which means you'll need to know how to navigate the MyODFW app outside of cell phone range. Here are some tips for e-tagging in the field.
For the latest regulations, including in-season changes
See the Regulation updates section above.
Saltwater News Bulletins
Be among the first to know about in-season changes! You can subscribe to receive emails and text message alerts for marine topics that interest you. It's easy to unsubscribe at any time. Your contact information will remain confidential. Three different lists of interest to ocean enthusiasts are available: bottomfish, halibut and ocean salmon.
Ocean salmon
The ocean recreational salmon fishing season is now closed for the remainder of 2023. Season options for 2024 will be proposed in March.
See the season details here (dates, places and other regulations). To check the quota status, visit the Ocean Salmon Management Program catch index page.
Pacific halibut
Pacific halibut fishing season is now closed for the remainder of 2023. Season options for 2024 will be proposed in mid-February.
Find season details here (dates, places and other regulations). To view quota status for Pacific halibut, visit the halibut estimate page.
Bottomfish
Retention of quillback rockfish and yelloweye rockfish remains prohibited. As of July 1, cabezon is open with a sub-bag limit of 1 fish and a minimum size of 16 inches. Click ‘Regulation Updates' above to see what's new for 2023 and for a link to the sport bottomfish seasons page.
- Depoe Bay: Fishing effort was slow last week; however, anglers who made it out saw limits of rockfish and cabezon. Lingcod was quite productive with most anglers reaching their daily bag limit of 2 fish (reminder that the minimum size for lingcod is 22 inches).
- Newport: Fishing effort is still quite slow with variable weather and ocean conditions. Landings were fair with some boats bringing in close to limits of black and deacon rockfishes. The lingcod bite has improved with limits brought in by most anglers.
- Brookings: The weather kept anglers in port most of the week. Those who fished found the fishing quite slow.
The offshore longleader fishery gives anglers an opportunity to catch more fish and to distribute effort away from nearshore species. The daily bag limit for the longleader fishery is 10-fish per angler. Learn more about the gear and the fishery.
Bottomfish fishing resources:
What can I keep and how many? Keep up with in-season regulation changes.
Know what you've caught with some helpful rockfish identification tips (including online quizzes and video).
Waypoints for fathom lines and other restricted areas.
Shore and estuary fishing
Daily bag limits, seasons and licensing requirements for shore-based anglers are the same as for boat-based anglers.
There are plenty of rocky or sandy fishing sites up and down the coast where shore anglers can drop a line for saltwater fish. Read about how and where
Lingcod and many other bottomfish species are available year-round to shore anglers fishing in rocky areas. A common setup for lingcod is a jig head with a rubber swim bait – it's simple but effective. Also pack a measuring device for lingcod: the minimum legal size is 22 inches.
Surfperch are available in the surf year-round along sandy beaches and rocky shores, with the best fishing (and safest fishing) occurring when swells are small. Learn about ocean surfperch fishing.
Want more opportunities that don't include a boat? Check out the crabbing and clamming recreation report for updates on crabs, clams, mussels and more!
When fishing from shore or inside estuaries and bays, it is important to check the tide. Many fish that swim into estuaries and bays, including salmon, surfperch, and Pacific herring, tend to come in with the tide. Catch of these species is more likely to occur closer to slack tide. Additionally, the accessibility of some areas can be completely dependent on the tide. Do not allow the incoming tide to become a safety issue.