Posted by Webmaster on Jul 31, 2009 in
General 
Deckhand Mark brings in a Tuna
Yesterday I was fortunate to have picked the perfect day for tuna fishing off of the Oregon Coast.
The time was 5:30 am and the fog was still keeping the sun at bay. 10 anglers left bandon aboard the Prowler owned by Prowler Charters of Bandon. As we came across the bar there were rolling 4 foot swells and all was well.
By 7:15 the water temperature was around 62.5 degrees. We set 8 lines in the water and drew our numbers for the order we would land fish. I drew number 2 which means when number one catches his fish, I get the next one.
Read more…
Tags: albacore, Bandon Oregon, Deep Sea, fishing, Off Shore, Prowler Charters, tuna
Posted by Webmaster on Jul 27, 2009 in
General Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife marine biologist Cristen Don will discuss wave energy development at an ODFW fish conference in September.
As the United States looks for ways to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels the Oregon coast is gaining more attention as a potential source of renewable energy.
Questions about this new technology revolve around the effect of large anchors and other structures on marine habitat and species composition, an ODFW press release said. There also are concerns about entanglements and the effects of electromagnetic fields on fish and other animals.
Don is the near-shore assistant project leader for ODFW’s Marine Resources Program and is a member of team of stakeholders addressing potential environmental impacts of wave energy technology.
The conference will bring together 40 speakers who are scheduled to present the latest findings in fish-related research at the conference Sept. 11-13 at the Oregon 4-H Conference and Education Center eight miles west of Salem.
A New Jersey company is already pursuing a permit to set up wave energy facilities off the Oregon coast, and others are contemplating it.
Oregon State University is studying wave energy at its Hatfield Marine Science Center and plans to expand that research. Gov. Ted Kulongoski wants to promote wave energy in an environmentally responsible manner and has directed state agencies to amend Oregon’s Territorial Sea Plan, which governs activities in the ocean within three miles of the coast.
Advance registration is required at a cost of $15 for individuals, $20 for families and $5 for students. Registration forms are available on the ODFW Web site at www.dfw.state.or.us/STEP.
For more information, contact Debbi Farrell by phone at 503-947-6211 or by e-mail at Debbi.L.Farrell@state.or.us.
Tags: fishing, ODFW, Wave energy
Posted by Webmaster on Jul 27, 2009 in
Fishing 
Tuna fishing remains the best it’s been for many years. Prowler Charters in Bandon has reported catches of more than 100 fish per boat. The smaller recreational boats also are doing very well.
Saturday was the kickoff of the 2009 Oregon Tuna Classic in Newport. Fifty-six boats participated in the first leg of the biggest albacore tuna derby on the West Coast. Due to heavy seas, fishing was slower than anticipated.
Tuna from this event is donated to the Oregon Food Bank, which received 4,105 pounds from the Newport tournament. There were teams from Idaho, California, Washington and Oregon. Team Albacore Section finished first with a total weight of 126.8 pounds, followed by Off-Shore Adventure Charters, out of Coos Bay, with 123.8 pounds and Secret Islan, of Garibaldi with 120.1 pounds. Off-Shore Adventure Charters, the boat of Jim Pex and his family, also caught the largest fish at 33.95 pounds and a very nice blue-fin tuna. The next tournament day is Aug. 1 in Ilwaco, Wash., followed by Charleston on Aug.15. If you’d like to participate in the Charleston tournament, you must register by Aug. 9. For more information, go to www.oregontunaclassic.org. Prowler Charters has boats available to participate in the Charleston tournament. Call 347-1901 for more information
Posted by Webmaster on Jul 20, 2009 in
General The 2009 Oregon Tuna Classic kicked off in Newport today. The tournaments that take place after Newport are: Ilwaco, Wash. on Aug. 1; Charleston on Aug. 15; and Garibaldi on Aug. 29. With the great tuna fishing going on now, this tournament could be one for the records.
The Tuna Classic is a premier fishing event that draws participants from all over the West Coast. All tuna caught in the tournament are donated to the Oregon Food Bank, as well as a major share of the proceeds. This event is probably the best opportunity to learn from some of the top fishermen on the coast.
Events like the Tuna Classic are important to our local economy. The tournament prizes are: heaviest five fish, $3,000; second heaviest five fish, $2,000; and third heaviest five fish, $1,000. They also will have a largest fish jackpot and a largest pelagic jackpot along with a $25,000 mystery weight drawing. Pre-registration is required. For more information, go to wwworegontunaclassic.org.
Read more…
Tags: 2009, albacore, Newport, Oregon Tuna Classic
Posted by Webmaster on Jul 17, 2009 in
General A picture is worth a thousand words so I am going to let this photo speak for me. Click the link below to see more photos
View More Photos
Tags: fishing, Sturgeon
Posted by Webmaster on Jul 15, 2009 in
General GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — The state of Oregon will finance most of the cost of removing four Klamath River dams to help salmon under a bill signed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski Tuesday.
Meanwhile, federal officials met in Klamath Falls with representatives of Pacificorp and the states of California and Oregon. The parties must have a binding agreement by September to restore 300 miles of spawning habitat on what was once the third biggest salmon producer on the West Coast.
A preliminary agreement that serves as a framework for the negotiations both guarantees and limits the amount of irrigation water that will be available to farmers in the Klamath Basin, and offers hundreds of millions of dollars for salmon restoration work and research.
Read more…
Tags: dam removal, Oregon, salmon
Posted by Ocean Harvester on Jul 14, 2009 in
Crabbing in Oregon,
General,
Ocean Harvest 
Albacore On the Line
It is time for the yearly makeover here on The Harvester, taking her from a heavy hauling machine to a sleek albacore tracking machine. We start by taking off the hauling equipment like the crab block, long line hauler and the deck table that we use for holding and setting the long line gear. Then give the boat a heavy scrubbing, paint the trim, and add the small hydraulic tuna pullers and landing table. All this takes about four days. Meanwhile in the evenings we keep a close eye on the terrafin sea surface temperature charts. They tell us where the water temperature is ideal for the albacore,between 60 and 65 degrees. Over the past couple of weeks we have seen that the warm water has moved from 100mi to 40mi off the coast of Charleston.
On the Hunt: Once we’re in the warmer waters we slow the boat to six knots and throw out nine jigs that vary from 5 to 150 feet behind the boat. They drag a few inches below the surface in the prop wash “disturbed water behind boat”. Albacore mostly travel in groups so they can corner schools of bait fish up against the surface. When they do this the surface is disturbed just like the water behind the boat. So when the harvester drives over some albacore they rise up thinking all that action means chow time. They bite the jigs swimming very fast, once hooked they dive down making the line behind the boat tight.
Video: Capt. Tyler Pulls a Beut
This is when the fun starts, we grab the line and slap it in the tuna puller that pulls the fish close to the boat then we hand pull them the last ten feet to the stern and yank them on. Once they are landed they are bled and packed in ice. Last year we averaged 90 fish per day, the first half of the season was more like 150 fish per day. As the season goes on they fatten up and don’t feed as much so they’re harder to catch, but if you want BBQ fresh tuna later season catch is the best. We can expect good albacore fishing now through the middle of October so get out the BBQ and pressure canner because it’s tuna time.
First Trip:
We left at four in the morning on Tuesday the 9th of July and fished half the day afternoon Tuesday and all day Wednsday for 330 fish at 65 miles off the coast of Winchester bay average size 15 pounds for 6000 lbs total. Weather was good and we offloaded and are heading out again. We expect to have fresh canned tuna available by this Monday.
Happy Crew is Good Crew
Second Trip:
Best albacore fishing we’ve ever had. We pulled 527 fish on Saturday the 11th of July and 180 on Sunday for more than 10,000 lbs of albacore tuna on our 34 foot boat (that’s a record) The guys at the cannery just about crapped their pants and had to hire on some more workers to finish processing (they are still cutting even now ha ha). We were 32 miles off Winchester Bay taking a chance on close in fishing. We hit the mother load and plugged our little boat. No other ships in sight the whole time sorry guys.. you were too far out!
So the canned albacore we JUST CAUGHT are available for you and your family. You can order on line and/or visit our spot at the Eugene Farmers Market Sat 18th. We are working on local pickup locations in Coos/Curry which will be ready soon — We’ll let you know. A lot of other boats have fresh albacore on the docks, just keep a look out for signs near your local harbors. We have some available but we’re on a hot streak so not sticking around on shore too long!!
Local Pickup now Available for Langlois & Coos/Curry by arraignment.
Capt Tyler and the Harvester Crew
Tags: albacore, fishing, tuna
Posted by Webmaster on Jul 13, 2009 in
General 
Tuna are finally in range of recreational and charter fleets. In the past few days the boats of Prowler Charters, out of Bandon, have taken 125 nice albacore tuna. The news has spread like wildfire and droves of boats are gearing up for this exciting fishery. The tuna are out approximately 20 miles and you will have to check Terrapin temperature charts to find at least 59-degree water. The warmer water has moved into the area in long fingers and it’s necessary to find these edges.
Not only is albacore tuna one of the finest table delicacies, but it may rank as one of our top game fish. I had reports of a 43-pound tuna being taken offshore from Charleston. That would be one heck of a fight! You will need to be very careful in smaller boats traveling these distances across an open ocean. I highly recommend that you fish with a buddy boat so you can stay in communication. You’ll find more fish this way and have a much safer trip.
Tags: albacore, charters, Oregon, tuna
Posted by Webmaster on Jul 13, 2009 in
General 
NEWPORT (AP) — During his 35 years as a commercial fisherman, Jeff Feldner lost his share of crab pots when storms blew them out of position, a passing boat propeller sheared off the buoy, or a bank of kelp overwhelmed everything and dragged it away.
As a result, thousands of crab pots litter the ocean floor, creating a deadly obstacle course of brightly colored plastic lines waving in the water, waiting to entangle migrating whales, turtles and sea lions, as well as passing boats.
But once the crab season is completed in August, fishermen will have a chance to get some back in what has been billed as the largest effort ever to recover lost crab pots. A federal stimulus grant of $700,000 will go to hiring fishermen to recover about 4,000 pots — squat cylinders made of stainless steel mesh, rubber and iron to help it sink to the bottom.
“This winter I personally had one of my worst gear losses,” said Newport crab fishermen Bob Spelbrink. “I’m missing 60 out of 500. Another friend of mine is missing 90 out 500. So there is a lot of gear out there to be found.”
Read more…
Tags: crab pots, grant, stimulus
Posted by William on Jul 2, 2009 in
General Clam Clinic Seaside 2009 report:
Association member Casey writes: Hi Bill, We hade a great time at seaside and got our limits of razors! It was our first time digging razors so we cracked some shells and got some small ones but we kept em all. We fried them up and they were delicious. I noticed that they have a similar flavor to abalone (I used to be a diver in Ca). Great fun and we can’t wait till next time. I’ve included a pic of our limits of razor clams. Casey Brisbin
Approximately 40 participants attended the lecture series portion of Clam Clinic Seaside 2009. On the following morning we met at the public parking lot located at the ocean end of 12 Ave. Clam digger and association member Steve and I were the first diggers on the beach at 05:30 and we were greeted by several razor clams donuts in the wet sand. I’ll just bet if we were on the beach at daybreak we would have found razor clams showing. The clams were deep and I managed to dig only 1 of the first 3 that showed.
Read more…
Tags: clam pictures, clamming clinic, Clamming in Oregon, photos, seaside
