Marine Zone

Attention anglers – we want your photos!

Whether you’re out after trout or bass, steelhead or salmon, surfperch or rockfish, we’d love to see photos of your adventure. When you submit your photos to ODFW they could appear on our website or signs, or in social or brochures. What a great way to share your experience with others!

Photo submission form

Saltwater News Bulletins

You can subscribe to receive e-mails and text message alerts for marine topics you are interested in. It’s easy to unsubscribe at any time. Your phone and e-mail information will remain confidential. Six different lists of interest to ocean enthusiasts are available: Bottomfish (recreational), Halibut (recreational), Ocean Salmon (recreational), Ocean Salmon (commercial troll), Commercial Nearshore Groundfish, and Marine Reserves.

BOTTOM FISHING

The ocean and winds calmed down for at least part of last week, allowing some anglers to get out fishing for bottomfish. 

Excited to go bottomfish fishing but find yourself wondering what you can keep and how many? Click here

NEW:  Want to work on your identification skills of commonly caught bottomfish?  Try the Common Bottomfish online quiz (similar to the yelloweye or not one) by clicking here. 

When participating in the traditional groundfish fishery, please remember to stay inside the 40-fathom regulatory line from May through September.

The bottomfish fishery is open inside the 40 fathom regulatory line from May through September with a General Marine Species bag limit of 5 fish, and a separate lingcod limit of 2 fish. No cabezon may be retained until July 1. Yelloweye retention is still closed this year.

Anglers participating in the offshore longleader fishery frequently catch limits (10 fish) of large canary rockfish and yellowtail rockfish. The longleader gear fishery outside of the 40-fathom regulatory line is open all year.

Vessels fishing for or retaining bottomfish (including flatfish) species or Pacific halibut in the ocean are required (1) to have onboard a functioning rockfish descending device, and (2) use it to descend any rockfish released when fishing outside of the 30-fathom regulatory line. For more information and videos, please see the rockfish recompression webpage.

In addition to the descending device rule, ODFW continues to encourage anglers to use a descending device when releasing ANY rockfish with signs of barotrauma. Signs of barotrauma, such as bulging eyes and a gut protruding from the mouth, are reversible when fish are returned to depth with a descending device. Use a descending device to safely return fish to a depth of 60 feet or more. Even fish that are severely bloated can survive after being released at depth.

Waypoints (for fathom lines and other restricted areas)
Longleader gear
2019 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations
Catch estimates
What can I keep and how many?

PACIFIC HALIBUT

The weather was somewhat cooperative last weekend allowing some anglers to get out and target halibut. Reports from the ground sound like fishing was again a bit scratchy at times and in some spots, but some success was had if the work was put in.

The Central Oregon Coast spring all-depth fishery back-up dates of June 20-22 and July 4-6 will be open. There is currently over 100,000 pounds remaining on the quota. 

The Central Oregon Coast nearshore halibut fishery opened on June 1, seven days per week. There has not been much effort in this fishery so far.

When ocean conditions have allowed anglers to get out for halibut, the success rate has been around 50-60 percent, varying by port, last week was approximately 60 percent. The average size of fish landed so far this season has been approximately 23 pounds round weight, last week fish were a bit larger with a 23-24 pound average weight. 

The Columbia River Subarea all-depth fishery will re-open for one day, Thursday, June 20.  The nearshore fishery remains open seven days per week.

Halibut season dates can be found in the REGULATION UPDATES section above.

Additional information about sport halibut management, including landing estimates (posted by noon on Fridays), can be found on the ODFW halibut management webpage.

OCEAN SALMON

Chinook salmon fishing was poor last week in all open areas. Port samplers saw fewer than 10 Chinook in total from three ports: Garibaldi, Pacific City and Brookings. Catch rates (Chinook/angler) were 0.13, 0.08 and 0.09 for these ports respectively. No other Chinook were sampled at any ports last week.

Selective coho fisheries open on June 22 in all areas of the Oregon Coast. Anglers fishing for salmon and all anglers fishing from boats with salmon on board are limited to no more than 2 single point barbless hooks per line, and no more than one line per angler.

In the Leadbetter Point, WA to Cape Falcon, OR area anglers are reminded that the bag limit is two salmon per day, but no more than one Chinook, and all coho MUST have a healed adipose fin clip.

In the area from Cape Falcon to the OR/CA border the bag limit is two salmon per day and all coho MUST have a healed adipose fin clip.

Details for the Ocean Salmon season, full catch and quota updates are available here.

A guide and tips to identification of salmon and steelhead in the ocean can be found here.

SHORE AND ESTUARY FISHING

Public piers provide opportunities to catch surfperch and baitfish and to drop crab pots (but check first for crab health safety closures).

Surfperch are available in the surf year-round along sandy beaches and rocky shore, with the best fishing (and safest fishing) occurring when swells are small. Learn about ocean surfperch fishing.

Spring is traditionally a great time to fish for bay perch. Striped seaperch, pile perch, walleye surfperch, white seaperch, and shiner surfperch can be found near rocks, docks or pilings in bays. Some bay anglers use a #4 or #6 hook secured 24-30 inches below a 1- to 2-ounce sinker on 8- to 10-pound line. Baits include sand and kelp worms, sand shrimp, clam necks and mussels. Keep the line close to rocks or alongside pilings.

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 hazard.