Posted by Webmaster on Nov 9, 2009 in
General The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is extending the current angling closure on the Chetco River upstream of Highway 101 until further notice. The season was expected to reopen today, but will remain closed to protect spawning fall Chinook.
Parks and Rec asks for state bikeway nominations
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department currently is taking nominations for bike routes for consideration as State Scenic Bikeways.
Such designated bikeways would follow roads and bicycle paths that connect riders with outstanding scenic, historic and natural settings. The OPRD will be accepting nominations through Jan. 31, 2010, and annually from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31 thereafter.
Read more…
Tags: Chetco, Chinook, closures, ODFW, salmon
Posted by William on Nov 6, 2009 in
General On 11/05 Clam Diggers Association member Jerry Lynch reported thousands of Dungeness crabs washed ashore at the southern section of beach at Seaside. His report follows:
Bill, I’m writing to give you a clamming report from Wednesday 11/04, 7:38 pm low tide from South Seaside Beach.
1. Damn dark, even with the Coleman Northstar lantern on “high”, because the wind keeps blowing it to “dim”.
2. The wind has come up from “nothing” at dusk, to steady 50mph NNE. It is almost hard to stand up, and if not braced properly with shovel the lantern will blow over when set down on the sand so as to free my hands in order to “gun” a clam.
3. The beach is covered with large dead crabs. Most are legal size, some are HUGE as dinner plates. All are dead. I am not saying 100’s, I am saying thousands. THOUSANDS.
My suspicion is that the “dead zone” of zero oxygen is the culprit. I wonder at the eventual impact on the commercial crab fisherman…
4. The clams are showing with the help of a little shovel banging, so I manage to scratch out my 15 and get the hell out off of the beach before the winds get worse…-Jerry Lynch
If I recall ODFW biologist, Dale Snow’s publication “Where Have All the Crabs Gone?” correctly, he describe the carapace from thousands of crabs that molted and washed ashore onto Oregon’s Beaches. Jerry’s report of thousands of dead Dungeness crabs is not to be confused with the carapace from molted Dungeness crabs. As always good digging, Bill
Matt Hunter the ODFW Shellfish Project Leader from the ODFW Astoria office provided a timely answers to Jerry Lynch’s observation with the following,
“Bill, We noticed a fair number of crab on the southern Clatsop beaches on Monday. Upon inspection they were not molts as they still had meat within the legs and carapace. These were very large crab, easily the commercial size limit or larger. If I was to hypothesize to their demise it would either be senescence or asphyxiation from the protein surfactants (mucilage) caused by the Akashiwo sanguinea bloom that we have had off the north Oregon coast. There are laboratory reports that indicated that oysters and mussels are impacted by large amounts of surfactants in the water. It interrupts the respiration process by hindering the flow of water through the gills thus asphyxiation. We will keep an eye out but it won’t be until after the storm surge has ebbed. Matt”
Matt Hunter and staff investigated the crab die off and emailed his their findings. We thank Matt and his staff for their immediate response to our inquiry.
Bill, Upon revisiting the data and visual accounts from my assistant we believe that the number of crab we saw on Monday was less than 50 for a 14 mile stretch of Clatsop beach. We went out today and drove a 15 mile stretch, including Seaside, and did not see a single crab. At this point it is difficult if not impossible to determine what if any event occurred. Matt
Posted by Webmaster on Nov 5, 2009 in
General Local lakes: The Tenmile Bass Club hosted a local tournament last weekend at Tenmile Lakes in Lakeside. The new owners of Lakeside Marina told me that largemouth bass fishing over the weekend was good and that anglers fishing in the tournament caught several nice largemouths. Rainbow trout fishing at Tenmile Lakes also has been good. Anglers trolling wedding ring spinners tipped with nightcrawlers have been doing the best. Trout fishing at Empire Lakes in Coos Bay remains very good after the recent stockings. We haven’t received any reports from Bradley Lake recently. Access has been tough because of the lower lake level and weed build-up at the boat ramp. If anyone fishing the lake would like to share some information, please give us a call at 347-2875.
Local rivers: The Chetco River above the U.S. Highway 101 bridge will open for fall Chinook fishing on Saturday, Nov. 7. With more rain in the forecast, look for Chinook fishing to improve. Traditionally, the Chetco is known for its large fall Chinook. Anglers fishing the lower Rogue River for fall Chinook over the weekend caught a few early winter steelhead. Most of the fall Chinook have been being caught in the Agness area. Anglers fishing the Elk and Sixes rivers last weekend reported catching plenty of jack salmon, along with some nice adult fish. Bob Dearth of Bandon caught two nice Chinook Saturday, one of them weighing more than 30 pounds. Anglers reported slower fishing conditions on Monday, but with a series of big high tides and rain forecasted, look for fishing to heat up again. There have been plenty of good salmon fishing opportunities on the Coquille River recently. Jon Vining of Bandon has been launching his boat at Sturdivant Park in Coquille and fishing downriver to Clausen’s Corner. He told me they’ve been catching some nice coho salmon along with a few kings. Anglers fishing the Rocky Point area are still reporting good coho fishing. Most anglers have gone from bait to spinners, which have been very productive. As of last week, the wild coho harvest on the Coquille River was at 55 percent of the 1,500-fish quota. Shore-based salmon fishermen had a good week fishing Seven Mile Slough, just above Rocky Point. Most of the fish are being caught on sand shrimp under a bobber. Anglers fishing near the forks of the Coos River are still reporting good fall Chinook fishing. Some fresh Chinook salmon are still being caught by shore-based anglers fishing the boardwalk in downtown Coos Bay. Most of the anglers fishing the boardwalk area are catching their fish casting spinners.
Area shellfish: Crabbing in the bay at Bandon was still very good over the weekend. The numbers of crab moving in and out of the bay have been changing daily due to the rough ocean conditions. The quality of crab has been excellent, since most of them have gone through their molting stage. Crabbing in the Charleston and Empire areas of Coos Bay has been great. Boaters crabbing near Empire last weekend reported easy limits of nice Dungeness crab.
(Tony Roszkowski has owned and operated Port O’ Call — TonysCrabShack.com — on the Bandon waterfront since 1989. Many South Coast anglers rely on his fish and shellfish reports. Hear more from Tony on ‘Oregon Outdoors’ Thursdays on KWRO 630 AM.)
Tags: Bandon fishing report, bass, Crabbing in Oregon, lakes, salmon, tenmile lake, trout
Posted by Ocean Harvester on Oct 23, 2009 in
Fishing,
General,
Ocean Harvest
Record Year Tuna Fishing on the Harvester
This was the best year ever for the Harvester Albacore fishing. We landed 4600 fish in 36 days on the ocean averaging 16lbs each for nearly 47,000 lbs. Pretty incredible for our small boat since last year we only landed 1600 fish for the whole season. What made the difference?
The Weather!
 Short Video of Jumper School |
 Video: Landing Two Albacore |
This July was the clear and calm nearly all month. It was an amazing month with very little wind so it was no problem fishing so we got a lot more days on the Ocean than we did last year and we found the tuna big time. As you get later into the season you have to change your strategy to find the tuna. In the early part of the Summer, when the tuna are moving in they follow the warm currents so you can have a pretty good idea where they will be. They’re here in the summer to put on weight so early on they’re always biting so its just a matter of finding the warm waters and trolling a pattern through it.
Read more…
Tags: albacore, commercial, fishing, jumper schools, ocean, Tuna Fishing, video
Posted by Webmaster on Oct 13, 2009 in
General SALEM (AP) — Health officials have reopened Pacific coastal beaches for recreational razor clamming from the south jetty of Yaquina Bay down to the California border.
The state Monday also approved recreational mussel harvesting from Bastendorff Beach near Charleston to the California border.
The Department of Agriculture and Department of Fish and Wildlife says shellfish samples taken last week show levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins have dropped to a safe level. The entire coast had been closed to recreational razor clam and mussel harvest since Sept. 21.
Razor clamming is still closed from the mouth of the Columbia to the north jetty of Yaquina Bay, and mussel harvesting is closed north of Bastendorff Beach.
Tags: Clamming in Oregon, ODFW, Razor clams, toxins
Posted by Webmaster on Oct 6, 2009 in
General The Oregon Department of Agriculture has reopened recreational and commercial clam harvesting in all bays along the entire Oregon Coast, from the mouth of the Columbia River to the California border. However, all recreational and commercial razor clam harvesting along coastal beaches remains closed.
Recreational and commercial razor clam and mussel harvesting will remain prohibited on the entire Oregon coast until paralytic shellfish toxin levels fall within the safe range, a press release said.
Coastal scallops are not affected by this closure when only the adductor muscle is eaten. The consumption of whole recreationally harvested scallops is not recommended. Crab and commercially harvested oysters are not affected by this closure.
Shellfish contaminated with PSP toxins can cause minor to severe illness or even death. The symptoms usually begin with tingling of the mouth and tongue. Severe poisoning can result in dizziness, numbness and tingling in the arms and legs, paralysis of the arms and legs, and paralysis of the muscles used for breathing.
Shellfish contaminated with PSP toxins cannot be destroyed by cooking, by adding baking soda, or by any other method of processing.
Shellfish toxins are produced by algae and usually originate in the ocean. ODA will continue to test for shellfish toxins weekly, as tides permit. Reopening of an area requires two consecutive tests in the safe range.
For information, call ODA’s shellfish safety information hotline at (800) 448-2474, the Food Safety Division at (503) 986-4720 or visit the ODA shellfish closures Web page at http://oregon.gov/ODA/FSD/shellfish_status.shtml.
Tags: clam harvesting, harvesting, mussel, razor, scallops, toxins
Posted by Webmaster on Oct 1, 2009 in
General Local lakes: Fishing for largemouth bass should continue to get better as the days get shorter and water temperatures in area lakes cool down. Look for these fish to become more aggressive in their feeding habits as winter approaches. Fishing top-water baits for aggressive bass can be very productive at this time of year. Trout anglers should remember that the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s final 2009 stocking of trophy-size rainbow trout in Bradley, Empire, Powers and Saunders lakes is scheduled for next week.
On Sept. 18, the Oregon Department of Human Services issued a blue-green algae advisory on Tenmile Lakes. Harmful algae blooms occur when microscopic plants grow quickly in marine or fresh water, using up oxygen and releasing toxins that are dangerous to animals and humans. Because no single agency has the resources or mandate to address the problem, a key goal for harmful algae bloom surveillance is to develop relationships with partners and stakeholders so data can be collected and shared, and coordination of effort can occur. According to employees of Lakeside Marina, small pockets of algae exist on South Lake, with no known algae on North Lake. Cooler temperatures and forecasted rains should help disperse any future algae blooms.
Read more…
Tags: Bandon fishing report, Clamming in Oregon, Crabbing in Oregon, Oregon fishing, tony's crab shack
Posted by Webmaster on Sep 24, 2009 in
General 
Emergency closure: At 11:59 p.m. last night the wild coho fishery on the Coos River system was closed. We had a large number of coho caught on the bar and also in the river this past week, and we reached our 1,000 fish quota. The Coquille River has taken approximately 10 percent of the 1,500 fish quota and the coho are just starting to show up in better numbers in this fishery. You may still retain fin-clipped coho in both rivers.
Tags: closed, coho, salmon, season
Posted by Webmaster on Sep 22, 2009 in
General PORTLAND (AP) — The state Department of Agriculture has closed the entire Oregon coast to recreational mussel and clam harvesting because of the risk of toxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning.
Agency spokesman Bruce Pokarney said Monday that most of the north and central coast had already been closed to mussel harvesting and the state has banned razor clam harvesting since midsummer for conservation reasons.
The conservation closure ends Oct. 1, but clamming will remain off-limits until toxin levels subside. The agency will test for toxins weekly, as tides permit.
Pokarney says crab is not affected by the level of toxin and is safe to eat.
Shellfish contaminated with PSP toxins can cause minor to severe illness. Symptoms usually start with the tingling of the mouth and tongue. Severe poisoning can result in dizziness, numbness and paralysis.
Tags: clams, closed, Coast, harvesting, mussels, Oregon, toxins
Posted by Ocean Harvester on Sep 11, 2009 in
Fishing,
General,
Ocean Harvest,
Recipes 
Diablo Roja up close thanks National Geographic
What horrors from below haunt the dreams of Captain Nemo? Diablo Rojo – the Red Devil – stalking fish, man and beast alike in and among our Oregon Coastal Waters, voracious and aggressive sometimes topping 100 lbs and 7 feet long the Humboldt Squid (Dosidicus gigas) is on summer holiday looking for a snack. They can swim up to 20 mph and use their tooth lined tentacles to grab their prey (including divers!) and gnosh on them with an impressive beak. They are called red devil because they flash red and white when attacking or getting hauled up on the boat.
Squid Washing up on Victoria Island
Once confined (more or less) to southern waters near Mexico and the Sea of Cortez these monsters have been moving north over the years following the warm waters associated with El Neno first showing up in Northern California and now more and more in Oregon and Washington waters. On the Harvester we hooked a Humboldt in 2001-2002 albacore season and brought it in to show off and nobody had ever seen one before. What was once rare is now common for us up north. Here they are washed up on the shore up in Victoria British Columbia, which even a few years ago would never have happened.
Video: Night Jigging for Humboldt Squid on The Harvester
A lot of tuna boats and sports boats jig for squid at night, but you can catch them in the day too if they are around. Most people cut them up for bait (which they do make great bait) but they’re pretty tasty too if you prepair them right.
The key to eating a Humboldt is to make sure to skin them really good — that outer membrane is really tough then cut them into strips across the grain (like you would a flank steak). Then I usually put them on skewers and marinate in sweet chili sauce (Vietnamese or or similar flavors) and grill fast and hot. Gotta cook it quick or its tough as nails and cutting against the grain helps on that front too. You could also bread with panco or batter and deep fry like Calamari. Just don’t over cook them or you’ll be eating rubber.
Eating the tentacles is hit or miss. We’ve been meaning to smoke a bunch up with teriyaki or soy sauce mix but haven’t had the time to try that out.
So if you are buying fresh tuna off the docks ask around if anyone has a fresh Humboldt and give it a shot, or maybe catch one of your own!
Keep fishing,
The Harvester Crew
Tags: humboldt squid, Tuna Fishing
