Fishing Reports News

Tom Fogarty of Glendale, Oregon holds two 25-pound albacore

The following sentence bears repeating: Even though the ocean salmon season is temporarily closed, many rivers and bays have remained open for retaining salmon. Fishing guides from Astoria to Brookings are asking the press to make this known.

Rogue opens today for the retention of wild Chinook, AKA the fall run

The Rogue River opened today for what many people consider the best trophy Chinook fishery in Oregon. You can keep two Chinook per day whether it is a wild fish (adipose fin never been clipped) or a hatchery fish (adipose fin has been snipped).

The Rogue’s fall run kings actually start moving up the river in the summer. It’s called the fall run because by the time fall rolls around, seasonal rains have caused most fish to hightail it upriver to spawn in their native birthwaters.

The salmon can’t really go upriver in the summer because the water temperature is way too high, often upward toward 80 degrees. A salmon’s comfort zone is around 52 degrees; therefore, they move in and out of the Rogue Bay on a tidal basis.

At high tide cooler ocean water moves into the bay and into the tidal parts of the river as far up as Claybanks. So that’s where your fish will be. When the tide goes out, the fish move toward the lower estuary or even back out to sea in order to find that 52 degree water. If you remember that, you’ll catch more fish.

So concentrate trolling in the upper bay and toward Elephant Rock on the incoming and then troll lower in the bay on the outgo.

Nobody’s officially going out on a limb this year regarding how good the run will be. But I will. It can’t be much worse than last year. This year both commercials and sports were cut off early from fishing in the ocean. Therefore there should be more fish returning to the river.

In addition, the year 2002 was a banner year for large fish on the Chetco and on the Rogue. There was a tremendous amount of 40-pounders caught that year. In addition there were loads of 50s and several 60s including the 66-pound Chinook Steve Perry caught on – what else? – a Perry’s Mag Spinner. It was the biggest king landed that season, on August 31.

But Steve’s monster Chinook would soon be surpassed by a world record 71 pound 8 ounce Chinook caught on a fly rod by Grant Martinsen of Grants Pass on October 21.

So what does 2002 have to do with 2006? This year the 4-year-old progeny of those genetic whoppers should be coming back to the Rogue. With all the food available in the ocean to them this year, and we’re talking 10-inch sardines, there should be some toads crossing the bar. And even if the run is low, the likelihood is extremely high that there should be some behemoths cruising the bay.

The lure du jour of the Rogue estuary is the Rogue Bait Rig or a hand-tied facsimile. Use a spreader bar with an 18-inch dropper line with anywhere between 2- and 6-ounce canon ball sinkers. Twenty-five-pound test monofilament should suffice for your mainline although many people are now switching to straight braid.

The traditional bait for the Rogue Bay is an anchovy, but many guides won’t go out without a tray of herring and anchovies.

There’s a lot of bait in the river right now and whatever it is, you can bet your bottom dollar that the salmon will be feeding on it. So as they say in the fly-fishing world, “Match the hatch.” If the bait in the river is sardines then you might think about using the same on the back of your spinner-bait rig.

Make sure your bait is spinning at about four to five revolutions a second, and be sure to use two bead chains on your 4- to 5-foot leader to prevent line twist. Troll very slowly, between 1 to 2.5 knots depending on the strength of tide. If you’re trolling with the tide you can afford to kick your speed up a notch. But if you’re going against the tide slow your speed down to a crawl so you don’t rip up your baits.

Another important tip about trolling the bay to let the fish eat your bait. Often Chinook will follow your anchovy and peck at it, literally dining on it as you are trolling. Resist the urge to pick up your rod at the first nibble. Wait until the rod tip is buried and at least 6 feet of line is coming off your reel before you pick up your rod.

You have to really look at the mouth of a Chinook to see why you have to let it gulp your ‘chovy. Salmon have very rigid, diminutive mouths. If you set the hook too soon you’ll pull the bait right out of the fish’s mouth every time.

Tuna caught off Brookings

After hearing about Wayne Butler’s series of awesome catches of tuna in Bandon early last week, everyone in Brookings was tuned in to their Terrafin Web site looking for that ideal 63-degree water temperature. Wayne was limiting his passengers in the morning on halibut at the famed “High Spot,” then because he didn’t want to come in early, he decided to throw out a few tuna jigs.

He was rewarded with 14 tuna that day. The water temperature was 63 degrees at the High Spot, perfect tuna water, and he was only 20 miles out to sea. On his way in a guy was fighting a fish 15 miles back to the main buoy.

The next day was a clone of the first and then everything just went gangbusters. Wayne loaded the boat with 70 albacore only 13 miles off shore.

It doesn’t take long for news like that to spread in the fishing community. On Thursday a group of fishermen saw 63-degree water about 40 miles out of the Port of Brookings. By 3 p.m. several boats were already in, loaded with albacore.

At 6 p.m. a group of four fishermen, Tim Coakley, Joey Krauss, and father and son team Tom and Riley Fogarty arrived at the fillet station with 29 albacore averaging about 25 pounds each. Many were pushing 30 pounds.

The party headed 50 miles out on a 260-degree heading. Serious tuna and salmon fishermen subscribe to Terrafin, a satellite-operated Web site that shows water temperature on a nautical chart. It is now the best way of determining when to head out for tuna or when to stay home and can it.

When the water temperature starts hitting 61 degrees, anglers begin getting serious. When it hits 62 they’re hoping for good weather. If the 62-degree water moves in closer than 20 miles (and it does at least once every year), then the entire Brookings fleet is out trolling for tuna.

The tuna feathers of yesteryear have all but been replaced by the vinyl skirted jigs of today. The stalwart colors are zucchini and Mexican flag. In the morning before the sun comes up troll with black and purple.

Bottomfish and lingcod catches still soaring

Every day without fail the cleaning station is still being inundated with limits of rockfish, cabbies and lings. There is no doubt that gas prices have had a direct effect on boat trips. However, the most cost-effective fishery on the coast is right here in home-sweet-home Brookings, Oregon.

As soon as you head out of port you’re in fishable water. That is something not to be taken for granted. There are more reef structures close to the jetty jaws than any other port in Oregon.

Within minutes you can literally be fishing a reef where perhaps no one else has ever fished.

Sporthaven Marina reported that Strictly Salmon was catching so many lings they had to throw some back. Tidewind Sportfishing is limiting out their passengers with limits of rockfish and near limits of lingcod. Charthouse Dave also reported tremendous catches of the bottom grabbers.

“I think we’re becoming the lingcod capital of the world,” says Mike Ramsay of Sporthaven Marina.

Mike’s a ling catching machine and he’s not stingy about sharing his favorite baits and lures. On any given day you’ll see Mike using huge purple label-type sardines on a mooching rig. “Big baits catch big fish,” says Ramsay. “If you catch a rockfish on one of these baits, it will either be a very big snapper or a vermilion.”

Surfperch

Several people brought in near limits of some very large redtail surfperch to the fillet station. One gentleman said he caught his batch up the beach from the Winchuck Wayside using mussels. The babies were still quite immature, meaning the perch are still on the bite. Less striped surfperch carcasses are being found, which usually is an indicator that they are either finished giving birth or are close to being finished.

Razor Clams

This week is favoring some minus tides for those who want to do some razor clamming. The clamshells found in the fish cleaning cans are about 4 inches long. The two most popular spots are Myers Creek, north of Brookings, and Bailey Beach, north of Gold Beach and just south of Otter Point.

Crabbing

Crabbers are still getting near limits of Dungeness crab. As a result of flat-calm seas, the crab have moved in tight to the breakers, enabling crabbers to set their pots in shallower water. The shells are still in good shape and are filled out.

Good spots are down by the Winchuck and uphill by Whaleshead Rock. Plenty of hanging bait can be found at the fillet station.

A fishing myth debunked

Last Friday an angler hooked a very large sea creature on the south jetty that easily went over 100 pounds. What many people were calling a large sting ray was actually, Raja binoculata, AKA; a Big Skate. I’ve hooked them before on both jetties but never gave much thought about eating one. Until now.

The only edible parts of a skate are the wings, which are actually just large pectoral fins. Rumors have been circulating for years that unscrupulous fish marketers buy the wings, cut out round discs with a cookie cutter and then sell them as scallops.

I decided to cut off one of the wings and put it to the taste-test.

Recipes abound on the Internet lauding its epicurean qualities so I tried to keep an open mind. Conclusion: All I can say is that anyone who thinks a skate tastes like a scallop is one taste bud shy of a full palate. Edible? Yes. Delectable? No way.

Of course, I could have prepared it wrong. One recipe said that skate improves when left to stand refrigerated for a day or two. My only question is, “Why does it need to improve? And, improve from what?” But everyone’s entitled to their opinion.

Magazine founder dies

On a sad note, Bill Farden, founder of Fishing and Hunting News passed away July 10 at the age of 80.

The magazine was originally, and is still today, based on the principle that outdoor enthusiasts want to read about opportunities that they could pursue in the upcoming weekend, instead of reading old news about events that had already happened.
By Larry Ellis