07-16-2007, 11:10 PM
Tuna and coho fishing are hot. According to ODFW, this is the best coho fishing since 2003 with many fishers catching their limit of 2 fish in under an hour and a half.
The tuna catch since they showed up off the coast a few weeks ago has already exceeded the total catch for all years except 2004 and 2006. Anglers found them as close as 15 miles out in some places, but most seem to be about 25 miles offshore. The average catch per angler was between six and seven fish.
Only three weekends into the season, anglers caught 19 percent of the 50,000-fish quota for coho. Anglers surveyed caught an average of one and a half coho along the Oregon coast from Astoria to Florence. From Winchester Bay south the catch was less than one fish per anglers. All retained coho must have a healed adipose fin clip.
Fishing for chinook salmon continues to be slow with reported catches coastwide of only two fish for every 10 anglers, except at Brookings where the catch was one fish per angler.
Herring are in many of the coastal bays this time of year. Jigging for herring is very popular with kids.
A series of early morning minus tides through July 18 will provide good opportunity for razor clam and bay clam digging. A minus tide is also an excellent time to go tide pooling.
Identifying and harvesting Oregon's plentiful bay clams
About half of the fishers going after lingcod were successful. Average catches of rockfish were less than two per angler coastwide.
The marine daily bag limit for 2007 is six fish (including rockfish, greenling, cabezon and other marine species) and two lingcod and 15 surfperch. New this year, the daily limit for flatfish (flounders, soles, sanddabs, turbots and halibuts except Pacific halibut) is 25. Canary rockfish and yelloweye rockfish may not be retained.
Species illustrations and descriptions:
The Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations booklet (page 98):
The Red Rockfish Identification Guide<br />
The minimum length for lingcod is 22 inches, for cabezon it is 16 inches and for greenling it is 10 inches.<br />
Complete regulations:
The Marine Sport Fishing Supplement
Coastwide catches of Pacific halibut averaged about one per angler again this week. The season opened May 1 in all-depth waters north of Cape Falcon and in nearshore waters (shoreward of the 40-fathom curve) off the Oregon central coast. The all-depth halibut fishery for Oregon's central coast between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mountain has been extended to July 5-7 and 19-21 until the quota is met. The area south of Humbug Mountain runs May 1 through Oct. 31, seven days a week.
More information
Crabbing success in the ocean, bays and estuaries is about two crab per angler, except out of Garibaldi and Newport where anglers report four crab per angler. For sport crabbers the minimum size for Dungeness crab is 5 ¾ inches measured in a straight line across the back immediately in front of, but not including, the points. For a photograph and diagram see page 97 of the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations booklet.
Clatsop County beaches north of Tillamook head are closed to razor clams from July 15 to Sept. 30. The rest of the Oregon coast is open for the harvest of razor clams except south of the jetty at Florence to the California boarder because of a paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) alert. This applies to mussels as well as razor clams collected from the ocean beaches. The daily limit for razor clams is the first 15 taken regardless of size or condition.
More information on Oregon's razor clams, including tips on how to dig razor clams
Sport harvest of mussels and bay clams is open coastwide also. A shellfish license is required for taking all shellfish.
Information on domoic acid: http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/FSD/shellfish_status.shtml
shellfish hotline, 503-986-4728 or 1-800-448-2474.
The tuna catch since they showed up off the coast a few weeks ago has already exceeded the total catch for all years except 2004 and 2006. Anglers found them as close as 15 miles out in some places, but most seem to be about 25 miles offshore. The average catch per angler was between six and seven fish.
Only three weekends into the season, anglers caught 19 percent of the 50,000-fish quota for coho. Anglers surveyed caught an average of one and a half coho along the Oregon coast from Astoria to Florence. From Winchester Bay south the catch was less than one fish per anglers. All retained coho must have a healed adipose fin clip.
Fishing for chinook salmon continues to be slow with reported catches coastwide of only two fish for every 10 anglers, except at Brookings where the catch was one fish per angler.
Herring are in many of the coastal bays this time of year. Jigging for herring is very popular with kids.
A series of early morning minus tides through July 18 will provide good opportunity for razor clam and bay clam digging. A minus tide is also an excellent time to go tide pooling.
Identifying and harvesting Oregon's plentiful bay clams
About half of the fishers going after lingcod were successful. Average catches of rockfish were less than two per angler coastwide.
The marine daily bag limit for 2007 is six fish (including rockfish, greenling, cabezon and other marine species) and two lingcod and 15 surfperch. New this year, the daily limit for flatfish (flounders, soles, sanddabs, turbots and halibuts except Pacific halibut) is 25. Canary rockfish and yelloweye rockfish may not be retained.
Species illustrations and descriptions:
The Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations booklet (page 98):
The Red Rockfish Identification Guide<br />
The minimum length for lingcod is 22 inches, for cabezon it is 16 inches and for greenling it is 10 inches.<br />
Complete regulations:
The Marine Sport Fishing Supplement
Coastwide catches of Pacific halibut averaged about one per angler again this week. The season opened May 1 in all-depth waters north of Cape Falcon and in nearshore waters (shoreward of the 40-fathom curve) off the Oregon central coast. The all-depth halibut fishery for Oregon's central coast between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mountain has been extended to July 5-7 and 19-21 until the quota is met. The area south of Humbug Mountain runs May 1 through Oct. 31, seven days a week.
More information
Crabbing success in the ocean, bays and estuaries is about two crab per angler, except out of Garibaldi and Newport where anglers report four crab per angler. For sport crabbers the minimum size for Dungeness crab is 5 ¾ inches measured in a straight line across the back immediately in front of, but not including, the points. For a photograph and diagram see page 97 of the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations booklet.
Clatsop County beaches north of Tillamook head are closed to razor clams from July 15 to Sept. 30. The rest of the Oregon coast is open for the harvest of razor clams except south of the jetty at Florence to the California boarder because of a paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) alert. This applies to mussels as well as razor clams collected from the ocean beaches. The daily limit for razor clams is the first 15 taken regardless of size or condition.
More information on Oregon's razor clams, including tips on how to dig razor clams
Sport harvest of mussels and bay clams is open coastwide also. A shellfish license is required for taking all shellfish.
Information on domoic acid: http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/FSD/shellfish_status.shtml
shellfish hotline, 503-986-4728 or 1-800-448-2474.