Welcome to the 2012
Spring Fishing Guide

Marine Zone

Marine Zone (pdf)

Anglers are reminded that a shellfish license is required to harvest all shellfish except fresh water clams and crayfish.

Lingcod female - Oregon Fish and Wildlife-

Springtime provides excellent marine fishing opportunities. Catch rates for near shore species of ground fish are often best in spring, and several species are available from ocean and bay shores and jetties. In particular, lingcod, greenling, black rockfish, and perch species are popular with anglers. Black rockfish and lingcod are often on the bite after recently completing their annual spawning cycle.

The marine fish daily bag limit is seven fish, of which no more than 1 may be a cabezon from April 1 through Sept. 30. There are separate daily limits for lingcod (two) and flatfish other than Pacific halibut (25).

Offshore opportunities also include coho salmon and Pacific halibut.
 
With improvements in the status of Sacramento and Klamath fall chinook, Oregon received the most liberal chinook fisheries in recent years, including larger quotas for fisheries north of Cape Falcon and more fishing days south of Cape Falcon. Managers are also predicting a strong Oregon coastal wild coho return and the opportunity for sport anglers to harvest wild coho south of Cape Falcon similar to 2011.This will allow for much more fishing opportunity during the 2012 season.  Ocean chinook salmon fishing from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain opened March 15 and continues through Oct. 31. The bag limit is two salmon per day, closed to retention of coho except during the selective coho and the non-selective coho seasons. Selective coho opens July 1. The non-selective coho season opens in September.

Ocean chinook salmon fishing from Humbug Mountain to the Oregon-California border opens May 1 and continues through Sept. 9. The bag limit is two salmon per day, closed to retention of coho except during the selective coho season. Selective coho opens July 1.
 
In the ocean off the Columbia River (Leadbetter Point, Wash., to Cape Falcon) fishing opens June 9 for fin-clipped chinook.

May is a popular time for targeting Pacific halibut and Oregon’s quota, set by the International Pacific Halibut Commission, is 9 percent higher than last year. Anglers may fish inside the 40-fathom line (defined by waypoints) seven days per week, May 1 through Oct. 31 or until the 23,014-pound quota is met. The all-depth fixed dates for the spring season are May 10-12, 24-26, May 31-June 2. Backup days are June 14-16, 28-30, July 12-14 and 26-28. The spring catch limit is 120,821 pounds.

North Coast:  Fishing for chinook and coho salmon and bottom fish is available, weather and ocean conditions permitting. Check current regulations for season dates and bag limits.

A nice halibut - Photo by Matt Frank -

The halibut fishery for anglers out of Columbia River ports, fishing the area from Leadbetter Point, Wash., to Cape Falcon, Ore., is growing in popularity. The spring season for that area opens May 3, three days per week, Thursday-Saturday, until the 9,516-pound quota is met or July 15, whichever occurs first.

Tillamook Bay and jetty: Lingcod, rockfish, greenling, and perch can be caught along the jetties of Tillamook Bay. Crabbing also is available in the bays and the ocean. 

Coos County beaches and jetties:  Redtail and silver surfperch, sand sole and starry flounder are biting in the spring and early summer. Striped bass can be a welcome surprise to those surfperch anglers casting in the surf. Anglers will find a mix of pile, white, and striped surfperch in Coos Bay around structures and along the Coos jetties in the spring and early summer. Also available are grass, black, blue, and copper rockfish, rock and kelp greenling, cabezon, lingcod, and starry flounder. Current regulations prohibit retention of yelloweye and canary rockfish and require a 16-inch minimum length for cabezon, 10-inch minimum for greenling. Surf smelt, sardines, anchovies, and herring are often caught in spring and early summer off docks and piers around Coos Bay, when large schools enter the estuary. Razor clams are presently open coastwide; however, contact the Department of Agriculture’s Shellfish Hotline at 1-503-986-4728 for more information on periodic clamming closures.

Curry County beaches: Redtail, striped, silver surfperch and surf smelt are available in the spring and early summer. The most popular beaches are located at the mouth of Hunter Creek, Winchuck River, Elk River and at Nesika Beach. You can also catch surfperch and smelt from the Rogue River jetties.