Marine Zone

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.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: closures, special events, etc.

Fishing gear available for check out at area libraries

Three local libraries now have fishing equipment to loan, so that any kid can have the opportunity to go fishing.

Youth fishing equipment is available for curbside check-out using a library card at the following locations and times. All participants will need a parent or guardian to sign a liability waiver prior to borrowing equipment. Call to reserve your gear; equipment must be ordered prior to pick-up. If you prefer to reserve online, try searching fishing rod in the library catalog.

• Driftwood Public Library, 801 SW Hwy 101 #201, Lincoln City, 541-996-2277
  Monday thru Friday from 1 - 5 p.m.
• Toledo Public Library, 173 NW 7^th St, Toledo, 541-336-3132
  Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 10 a.m. - noon and 3 - 5 p.m.
• Newport Public Library, 35 NW Nye St, Newport, 541-265-2153
  Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from noon - 5:30 p.m.

For the latest regulations, including in-season changes

See the Regulation Updates section above.

Tips to recreate responsibly

We continue to urge anglers and others recreating outside to stay close to home, keep your social distance, and travel safely. Here’s more information about how to recreate responsibly.

Please help keep fish checkers safe

ODFW Samplers (aka fish checkers) will be at the docks and boat launches in a number of locations along the coast. In order to maintain their safety and the angling public we are striving to maintain a minimum of 6 ft. of distance at all times, and the ODFW samplers will be wearing masks. We would appreciate your assistance in maintaining the distancing and providing the fish for inspection in a safe manner.  Thank you for taking the extra efforts that are required at this time.

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.

FISHING REPORTS

BOTTOM FISHING

The high winds and bar closures last week slowed down fishing drastically, and most of the fish being caught along the coast (nearshore) were black rockfish with a few lingcod coming in on the larger size spectrum. In fact, there was one lucky angler that brought in a 20 pound lingcod out of Garibaldi. Another boat out of Charleston brought in several bag limits of large canary rockfish. Be safe out there fishing everyone!

The longleader fishery

With winter weather starting to arrive, the longleader fishing is also slowing down, however, now would be a good time to learn more about this fishery so you’re prepared for next year.

Longleader fishing gives anglers a different opportunity to catch more bottomfish and helps spread out the boats so that there is not a concentration in one area. In a longleader trip,     an angler can catch up to ten rockfish of certain species.

Longleader gear: How to rig up for the offshore longleader fishery and FAQs.

The increase in misidentification of rockfish species this year continues. Please take the time to look at the two quizzes below to help with identification, and don’t hesitate to call an ODFW office or contact your local ODFW sampler before you go fishing for identification tips and regulation updates. We want to make sure all anglers have a fun and safe experience out in the ocean, with a full and legal bag limit[MLH1] .

KNOW YOUR ROCKFISH

Knowing exactly what you've caught will keep you on the right side of the law. Check out this quick ID guide to confirm your catch.

Bottomfish species ID quiz. Work on your identification skills for commonly caught bottomfish. Also try the “Yelloweye Rockfish or Not?” quiz.

Resources:

• What can I keep and how many? Keep up with in-season regulation changes.
• Waypoints (for fathom lines and other restricted areas)
• See the catch estimates and available quota for bottomfish species.

PACIFIC HALIBUT

As a reminder to all anglers, the last day to fish Pacific halibut on the Central and South coast areas will be the end of the day on Oct. 31. Good luck and have a safe week of fishing.

Catch estimates and available quota

Columbia River Subarea

Both the nearshore and all depth Pacific halibut fisheries are closed for the year 2020 season.

Central Oregon Coast Subarea

All-Depth: Bottomfish can still be kept with your halibut, even on an all-depth halibut day. Open every Thursday-Saturday until Oct. 31 or sooner if the quota is reached before then.

Nearshore:  Open 7 days a week until Oct. 31 or sooner if the quota is reached before then.

Southern Oregon Subarea. Open 7 days a week until October 31 or sooner if the quota is reached before then.

OCEAN SALMON

Leadbetter Point, WA to Cape Falcon, OR: 

The ocean salmon season in the area from Leadbetter Point to Cape Falcon is closed.

Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain: 

The all salmon except coho season opened on March 15 with a limit of 2 salmon per day (closed to coho; see below for open coho seasons): Chinook minimum size of 24 inches total length and steelhead 20 inches total length. This season will continue through Oct. 31.

Chinook fishing in this area has ranged from poor to very good with 5,314 Chinook landed from an estimated 46,661 angler trips through Oct. 11. Over the week from Oct. 12-18, the only Chinook checked from ocean anglers were observed at Garibaldi with 10 landed Chinook from 89 anglers for 0.11 fish per angler.

The non-selective coho season closed on Sept. 8 for the remainder of the year.

Anglers fishing for Chinook are reminded to make sure of the correct species identification, avoid netting any coho, and to make every attempt to release any coho safely at the side of the boat.  

Humbug Mountain to the OR/CA Border:  This area closed to salmon fishing on Aug. 7. There will be no additional openings for ocean salmon fishing in this area for the remainder of the year.

SHORE AND ESTUARY FISHING

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.

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