ODFW offices remain closed to public access

All  ODFW offices remain closed to visitors. ODFW staff will be available by phone and email.

ODFW hatcheries reopen to public on limited basis

Hatcheries have partially reopened during normal visiting hours (8-5 in most cases). Most indoor areas, visitor centers and restrooms remain closed so please plan accordingly. 

Recreation Report

Marine Zone

Regulation Updates

Looking for the latest crabbing and clamming updates?

Regulation updates as of January 1, 2022

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.

Pacific halibut 

  • Information about the 2022 fishery will be available in February.

Sport groundfish

NEW for 2022:

  • The daily bag limit for general marine fish (rockfish, greenlings, skates, etc.) is 5 fish.
  • There is a 1-fish sub-bag limit for China rockfish and copper rockfish, in combination.
  • Quillback rockfish are prohibited.  
  • The seasonal 40-fathom depth restriction will be in place July 1 - August 31, so an additional month (June) is open for bottomfish fishing at all depths this year. 

Additional information can be found on the sport bottomfish seasons page.

eRregulations - Marine Zone

Reminders

  • Yelloweye rockfish is prohibited at all times and in all waters.
  • Every vessel fishing for or possessing bottomfish, Pacific halibut, or flatfish in the ocean must have a functional descending device on board, regardless of depth. The device must be used to release any rockfish outside of 30 fathoms.

Ocean salmon

Ocean salmon fishing will reopen March 15, 2022.

Recreation Report

crabbing in Netarts Bay
"Two limits!" Crabbing at Netarts Bay. -Photo by Brent Nordstrom-

For the latest regulations, including in-season changes, see the Regulation Updates section above.

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.

Send us your fishing report

We’d love to hear about your recent fishing experience. Send us your own fishing report through ODFW Fishing Reports―the information will be forwarded to the local biologist who may use it to update various ODFW resources such as the weekly Recreation Report.

Saltwater News Bulletins

You can subscribe to receive e-mails and text message alerts for marine topics that interest you. It’s easy to unsubscribe at any time. Your phone and e-mail information will remain confidential. Three different lists of interest to ocean enthusiasts are available: bottomfish, halibut and ocean salmon.

FISHING REPORTS

BOTTOMFISH

Scroll up to ‘REGULATION UPDATES’ to see what’s new for 2022.

A lot of boats got out on the ocean this past weekend, making it one of the busiest this winter. Nearshore anglers on the central coast caught their daily limit of lingcod (two fish), and everyone brought in at least one. Catches of general marine species ranged from half daily limits to near limits and consisted of a variety of rockfish species (black, deacon, canary, China and copper) and kelp greenling. Out of Charleston, nearshore boats caught black rockfish with a smattering of copper and China rockfish. From deeper reefs (50 fathoms or so), lingcod weighed 12-15 pounds, and yellowtail rockfish was the dominant general marine species.

When breaks in the weather and ocean conditions allow, winter can be a great time for bottomfish fishing. 

The offshore longleader fishery gives anglers a year-round opportunity to catch a larger daily bag limit of rockfish – ten in aggregate - and helps distribute effort away from nearshore species. Only certain species may be retained. We invite you to learn more about the gear and the fishery.

Bottomfish Resources:

PACIFIC HALIBUT

Information about the 2022 season will be available in late February. Fishing opportunities begin in May.

OCEAN SALMON

The ocean recreational Chinook salmon season (all salmon except coho) from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mt. will reopen beginning March 15, 2022 unless modified by inseason action. Find the ocean salmon seasons, catch updates, and more information on the ocean salmon season page.

SHORE AND ESTUARY FISHING

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.

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.