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.

For the latest regulations, including in-season changes

See the Regulation Updates section above.

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: 

ODFW email addresses to change

Beginning April 23, ___@ODFW.Oregon.gov will replace ___@state.or.us

For existing ODFW email addresses, all information before the "@" will remain the same. But the name will be followed by @ODFW.Oregon.gov.

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
• Marine reserves

FISHING REPORTS

Bottom fishing

Anglers were successful up and down the coast last week for rockfish, however, the lingcod bite was generally off. Boat ramps and docks in some ports were unseasonably busy.

• Out of Garibaldi, boats stayed mostly nearshore, where they caught rockfish limits primarily of black rockfish plus a few China rockfish. Lingcod were on the small side.
• Anglers out of Depoe Bay averaged one lingcod each, similar to last week. Black rockfish and a variety of other species were also caught.
• Newport boats saw a large variety of species, including kelp greenling and tiger rockfish, but canary and yellowtail rockfishes were the bread-and-butter of the week. Lingcod fishing was slow, and a lot of undersized specimens (the minimum length limit is 22 inches) were reported released.
• In Charleston, offshore boats (beyond 40 fathoms) brought in large canary rockfish and, when specifically targeted, large lingcod. Closer to shore and south of the port, where most boats fished, black rockfish and some large quillback rockfish were caught.  

Brookings saw little effort last week until the wind let up, and then the level of angling activity was reported to be as busy as a Saturday in May. The bottomfish bite was down a bit, except for a brief window in the afternoon when the fish cooperated. Primarily a mix of black, blue, deacon and canary rockfishes, plus a few vermilion, quillback and China rockfishes were brought in. The water was a cool 43 degrees.   

The longleader fishery

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.

Changes for 2021:

• From June 1 through Aug. 31, on days open to all-depth halibut, longleader fishing is allowed after halibut fishing.
  • All fishing with halibut gear on the same trip must be completed before any rockfish are retained. 
  • Longleader bag limit, gear, and all other rules apply. See longleader FAQs for more information.

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

Resources:

While you’re waiting out the storms, here are a few ways to help study rockfish identification. Try the bottomfish species ID quiz and work on your identification skills for commonly caught bottomfish. Also try the “Yelloweye Rockfish or Not?” quiz to help hone your ID skills for the prohibited yelloweye rockfish.

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.

• 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

The 2021 season is just around the corner, opening in May. ODFW staff recommended season dates are available on the Sport Halibut Season Page. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will finalize the 2021 season dates and regulations at its meeting this Friday (April 23).       

Ocean salmon

The area from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mt. reopened for all salmon-except coho on March 15, 2021. All other areas are closed for ocean salmon fishing. The Pacific Fishery Management Council recently finalized recommendations for 2021 ocean salmon seasons, and recommendations will be presented to the ODFW Commission this Friday, April 23, for adoption. Seasons from May 16 on are not official until final approval by the Secretary of Commerce, and adopted by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission for waters within 3 nautical miles of shore. The proposed seasons can be viewed on the Ocean Salmon Season Page.

Ocean Chinook salmon fishing effort continues to be low, as is typical early in the season. Catch rates also decreased slightly last week for ocean salmon anglers. Sampled recreational salmon trips in Charleston reported 0.22 Chinook per angler, 0.17 in Depoe Bay and 0.11 in Newport. Anglers are reminded that the minimum size limit for ocean caught Chinook south of Cape Falcon is 24 inches.

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.