The Oregon coast from the Columbia River to Cape Blanco is now open to razor clamming. 4./12/19
Beginning April 16, 2019, all sturgeon fishing, including catch-and-release will be prohibited.
Marine Zone
Regulation updates as of April 3, 2019
These are in-season regulation changes adopted on a temporary or emergency basis or adopted after the regulation book was printed. Please see e-regulations for permanent regulations.
2019 Sport Groundfish
Seasons and regulations summary on the main sport bottomfish seasons page
New for 2019
- Open at all depths January through April (not March). From May through September, restricted to inside the 40-fathom regulatory line (not 30-fathom). Open at all depths October through December.
- Topsmelt and jacksmelt are no longer part of the general marine species bag limit and are now part of the baitfish (herring, anchovy and smelts) daily limit of 25 pounds in aggregate.
Reminders
- Cabezon is closed until July 1, and will have a 1-fish sub-bag limit when open.
- Yelloweye rockfish is prohibited at all times and in all waters.
- Descending devices are mandatory.
2019 Ocean Salmon
- The planned ocean Chinook salmon (all-salmon-except coho) season will open as scheduled from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mt. from March 15 through April 30, 2019. The bag limit will be two salmon, except closed to retention of coho, with a minimum size of 24-inches for Chinook and a minimum size of 20-inches for steelhead.
- Additional ocean salmon seasons beyond May 1, will be set in April.
- Details available at www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/salmon/.
2019 Pacific Halibut
- Seasons and regulations sheet (map), adopted April 19 by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission.
- Descending devices are mandatory.
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
Excited to go bottomfish fishing but find yourself wondering what you can keep and how many? Click here
The bottomfish fishery is open at all depths 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. Want to work on your Yelloweye rockfish identification skills? Practice recognizing what you can keep and what you can't with a new online quiz. Get started
Ocean and weather conditions kept many would-be anglers off the ocean this past week. A few anglers decided to brave the elements, and were then rewarded with catches of black rockfish, along with a few deacon, blue or copper rockfish, and the occasional lingcod.
Anglers participating in the offshore longleader fishery this year, have reported limits, consisting mostly of 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)
2019 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations
PACIFIC HALIBUT
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted the 2019 sport halibut seasons at their April 19 meeting. Final season dates are below:
Columbia River Subarea (Leadbetter Point, WA to Cape Falcon, OR)
- All-Depth Fishery: open Thurs, May 2 and Sun, May 5; Thurs, May 9 and Sun; May 12; Fri (not a typo), May 24 and Sun, May 26. If any quota remains after those dates, can be open every Thurs and Sun until the quota is taken. Quota = 14,627 pounds.
- Nearshore Fishery: Opens May 6, every Mon through Wed, until the quota is taken or Sept. 30. Quota = 500 pounds.
Central Oregon Coast Subarea (Cape Falcon to Humbug Mt.)
- Spring All-Depth Fishery: Fixed dates: May 9-11; May 16-18; May 23-25; May 30-Jun 1; and Jun 6-8. Back-up dates, if quota remains, are: Jun 20-22; Jul 4-6; and Jul 18-20. Quota = 171,103 pounds
- Summer All-Depth Fishery: Opens Fri, Aug 2 and Sat, Aug 3, then every other Fri and Sat until the quota is taken or Oct 31, whichever is earlier. Quota = 67,898 pounds
- Nearshore fishery: Opens June 1, seven days per week until the quota is taken or Oct 31, whichever is earlier. Quota = 32,591 pounds
Southern Oregon Subarea (Humbug Mt. to the OR/CA Border)
- Opens May 1, seven days per week until the quota is taken or Oct 31, whichever is earlier. Quota = 11,322 pounds.
Additional information about sport halibut management can be found on the ODFW halibut management webpage.
OCEAN SALMON
Information about 2019 season will be available in April.
Details for the Ocean Salmon season and full catch updates are available at: www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/salmon/
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 year-round along sandy beaches and rocky shore, with the best fishing (and safest fishing) occurring when swells are small. Learn about surfperch fishing.
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.