Marine Zone

MARINE FISHING

January 8, 2026

Announcements

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, an Ocean Endorsement is needed for most recreational anglers fishing in the ocean. Check the Ocean Endorsement page for more information.

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.

Bottomfish

A few reminders

• Visit the sport bottomfish seasons page to see what's new for 2026.
• Retention of quillback rockfish and yelloweye rockfish remains prohibited.
• Cabezon is prohibited from January 1 through June 30.

Port by port reports:

Anglers were able to take advantage of some good weather over the holidays.

Depoe Bay: Rockfish catches were near limits with mostly black, deacon, and canary rockfishes. Lingcod catches were good with around 1.5 fish on average.

Newport: The average catch was just over 2 rockfish per angler. A good mix of black, canary, and copper rockfishes and greenling were landed. Lingcod catch averaged just over 1 fish per angler.

Charleston: Anglers saw an average of 2 rockfish, with a good mix landed. Lingcod landings were about 1.5 fish per angler.

Brookings: Anglers caught around 2 rockfish each. Mostly black, blue, deacon, and canary rockfishes. Lingcod catch was around 0.5 fish per angler.

The offshore long-leader fishery gives anglers an opportunity to catch more fish and to distribute effort away from nearshore species. 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.

Ocean salmon

The ocean recreational salmon fishing season is now closed. Season options for 2026 will be proposed in March.

Pacific halibut

The Pacific halibut fishing season is now closed. Season options for 2026 will be proposed in mid-February.

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.