Chinook fishing in the Coos River has slowed this past week. But with a forecast of rain and larger tide exchanges, we should see more salmon coming into the river. The wild coho season on the Coos has closed but you may still retain fin-clipped coho.
Chinook fishing in the lower Coquille River has also slowed, but the wild coho season has remained strong with good numbers of fish being caught in the lower river and bay. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates we have taken about 45 percent of our 1,500 wild coho quota. Some fishermen have remarked that wild coho are larger the later we get into the season. The Coquille is also producing some 30-plus pound Chinook, and we still have plenty of jacks in both river systems to keep the fishermen excited.
Salmon fishing on the lower Rogue River in Gold Beach still is producing some Chinook, and there are plenty of fin-clipped coho being caught in the bay.
Posted by Webmaster on Sep 23, 2009 in In The News
PORTLAND (AP) – Dozens of large squid are reportedly washing up dead on the central Oregon coast near Heceta Head.
Oregon State Parks and Recreation spokesman Chris Havel said his office is hearing reports of dozens of what are probably Humboldt squid. He says they’re typically much more common in warmer waters around Santa Cruz, Calif.
Humboldt squid have also showed up recently in waters off the Washington coast and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Washington state and British Columbia’s Vancouver Island. Commercial fishermen in the strait complained the giant squid were grabbing the salmon right off their hooks. The Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife has allowed the fishermen to sell the squid they accidentally catch as they troll for salmon.
NOAA oceanographer Kent Baltz from Santa Cruz said earlier that a “strong hypothesis” for why the squid have moved north is that the ocean water is warmer than usual.
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.
It was another beautiful day in Bandon when we left the docks at 6am. The waves over the bar were small and rolling and we set off to catch that deep-water pancake known as the Pacific Halibut aboard the Prowler owned by Prowler Charters.
When we got out to the place known as the high spot we were there with 6 or 7 other boats trying to catch the same thing, a monster halibut.
Starting in about 550 feet of water to nearly 750 we drift down the hill with a 3 pound ball of lead and a nice juicy 10 inch squid.
Our first drift we only got one small halibut about 15 pounds or so. After resetting we started the drift again. I hear someone say there’s a big one hooked up on the bow.
Since I was there primarily to film people catching halibut I set my rod in the holder and head up front. It turns out there are 2 up front. The first is a big blue shark which I filmed first (SEE VIDEO HERE).
After that I start to film this guy as he pulls on a pretty good sized halibut. After another 4 minutes or so he had it landed. It was somewhere between 45 – 50 pounds.
The halibut put up a pretty good fight and from over 600 feet this guy really had his work cut out for him.
ALBANY (AP) — New boating permit fees may be hard for Oregon to collect.
The Legislature approved fees of $5 a year on anyone operating a manually propelled craft of 10 feet or longer, and a $5 surcharge on the biennial registration of powerboats.
Nonresidents will pay about $20 for permits.
The new fees are supposed to raise money for efforts to stop invasive water creatures and plants from getting into Oregon.
But even though the fees don’t take effect until Jan. 1, officials say it will be difficult to collect them because the Oregon constitution prohibits mandatory boat inspections.
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.
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.
What a wonderful day yesterday was to be on the Oregon Coast.
Normally I let others post on this blog! (Thanks William and The Crew of the Harvester) but today I think I will share a bit.
Yesterday I just happened to get a chance to go out Halibut fishing on a charter boat out of Bandon (Prowler Charters). It all started about 5:30 am. I had a brand new Ugly Stick tiger rod and Penn reel with 1,800 feet of brand new line, warm clothes and a picnic lunch. All looked well.
We left under clear skies with a small swell breaking into the Jetty, things are definitely looking up!
An hour and a half later we are over a prime fishing spot (or so the Captain tells us). Turns out we are right. We are in nearly 600 feet of water and fishing with a 5 pound ball of lead and a nice, tasty chunk of squid.
PORTLAND (AP) – Dozens of large squid are reportedly washing up dead on the central Oregon coast near Heceta Head.
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.
