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Fishing | Viewing

  FISHING

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FISHING

Windy weather kept many fishers off the ocean last week. The wind is also causing upwellings; bringing colder water from the ocean depths to the nearshore waters. In general, colder water means lower catch rates for salmon and bottom fish. This is also the time of year that the ocean is filled with young-of-the-year crab and fish providing massive quantities of food in the ocean for adult fish. The net result is that the fish are usually “off the bite” under these conditions.

An albacore tuna - Photo by Eric Martin, ODFW-

TUNA

The colder nearshore water generated by the upwellings kept tuna well off shore. They are still between 30 and 40 miles offshore. Tuna catches landed in ports on the central coast averaged between four and five fish. The good news is the average size of the tuna is up over last year.

SALMON

Anglers fishing Cape Falcon to the Oregon/Washington border are now allowed to keep up to two chinook salmon in the bag limit. Daily bag limit is now two salmon per day, and all retained coho must have a healed adipose fin clip.

Fishing for chinook will continue through earlier of June 30 or 12,000 marked Chinook quota. Bag Limit: All salmon except coho. Two salmon per day, all retained Chinook must have a healed adipose fin clip.

Fishing for marked coho south of Cape Falcon to the Oregon/California border opened Saturday (June 26). Only about one angler in 10 were successful at landing a coho last week. Only marked coho (all coho must have a healed adipose fin clip) may be retained. That season will run through Sept. 6 or until the quota of 26,000 marked coho is met, which ever comes first. The bag limit is two salmon.

Fishing for Chinook was slow again last week with fewer than one in seven anglers landing a fish. The “All Salmon Except Coho” salmon season from Cape Falcon to Oregon/California  border opened May 29 and runs through Sept. 6. Bag Limit: Two salmon.

A graphic summary of the recreational seasons is available here: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/salmon/docs/2010_ocean_salmon_map.pdf

Regulations are available in the 2010 version of the popular “Ocean Regulations for Salmon, Halibut, and Other Marine Fish Species” booklet; look for the gold cover.

HALIBUT FISHING

The spring all-depth Pacific Halibut fishery between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mountain has met and is now closed. The summer sport all-depth halibut season will be every other Friday and Saturday from Aug. 6 to Oct. 30 or until the entire sub-area all-depth catch limit of 141,265 pounds of halibut is harvested.

Fishery managers closed the Central Oregon Coast (Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain) nearshore (inside 40 fathoms) sport Pacific halibut fishery July 17, because the quota was met.

North of Cape Falcon to Leadbetter Point, Wash., the Pacific halibut sport fishery closed June 25. The summer season in this area will open three days a week, Friday-Sunday, Aug. 6 through Sept. 26 or the total sub-area harvest reaches 13,436 pounds. On the Oregon coast south of Humbug Mountain, halibut fishing will be open seven days a week, through Oct. 31.

The statewide daily bag limit on halibut is one fish, with an annual limit of six fish.

The 2010 harvest limits are 15 percent lower than last year and were set by the International Pacific Halibut Commission.

Anglers can track weekly halibut landing estimates at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/finfish/halibut/estimates/index.asp

Canary Rockfish - Photo by Brandon Ford-

BOTTOM FISHING

The fishery beyond the 20-fathom line (as defined in regulation) is closed to minimize catch-and-release mortality of yelloweye rockfish. Anglers may occasionally catch, but cannot keep, yelloweye rockfish while fishing for other species. Yelloweye, along with canary rockfish, are considered overfished by NOAA Fisheries and a certain percentage of those caught and released must be reported as mortality

Yelloweye rockfish generally live in deeper waters so bringing the fishery inside 20 fathoms will protect that population while allowing anglers to continue to fish for other bottomfish such as black rockfish and lingcod.

The cabezon fishery closed to retention on July 23 because the harvest cap of 15.8 metric tons was met. Sport boat anglers may continue to harvest other legal species such as black rockfish, lingcod and greenling, while shore anglers may still keep cabezon.

Waypoints for the 20-fathom line may be found at www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/regulations/sport_fishing.

Fishing for lingcod remained at about one fish for every two anglers targeting lingcod. Success in catching lings and most other bottom fish improves as waves moderate.

The marine fish daily bag limit remains seven fish in 2010. An error in the 2010 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations says the limit is six. The marine fish bag includes rockfish and other species such as greenling and cabezon. The higher bag limit went into effect May 1, 2009 based on a favorable stock assessment for black rockfish, the dominant species in the nearshore groundfish fishery. There are separate daily limits for lingcod (two) and flatfish other than Pacific halibut (25).

Remember: yelloweye rockfish and canary rockfish may not be retained. The Stonewall Bank Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation Area approximately 15 miles west of Newport is closed to the harvest of rockfish, lingcod, flatfish and others.

SHELLFISH

The annual conservation closure north of Tillamook Head to protect newly set razor clams began July 15 and continues through Sept. 30. Since 1967, ODFW has closed the 18 miles of beaches in Clatsop County to razor clam digging on July 15. The closure is to protect newly-set young clams that are establishing themselves on the beach during this time of the year.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture closed all recreational razor clam harvesting north of Bandon due to elevated levels of domoic acid.

Mussel harvesting is open on the entire Oregon coast, from the mouth of the Columbia River to the California border. The consumption of whole, recreationally-harvested scallops is not recommended. However, coastal scallops are not affected by toxins when only the adductor muscle is eaten.

For more information go to the ODA shellfish safety page or call the shellfish hotline, 1-800-448-2474. Waters can be closed on short notice because of contaminated waters due to coastal flooding and because of elevated levels of naturally occurring toxins. Crabs are not affected by this closure. 

Check out the recreational clam pages on the ODFW Web site: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/mrp/ then click on the shellfish icon. The pages contain everything you need to know for identifying and harvesting Oregon’s clams.
                 

Crab Pots , Newport - Photo by Kathy Munsel -

CRABS

Crabbing is improving, but the number of crabbers is also increasing. Most crabbers had average catches between one and three crab. Crabbing in the ocean this time of year can be very productive, but also dangerous because of wind, sea and bar conditions.

Crabbing success is often best during the slack tide at high tide or low tide when crabs are looking for food.

Crabbing is open year round in estuaries, on beaches, and off jetties, but the ocean is closed to recreational crabbing from Oct. 16 through Nov. 30.

Some sport crabbers have difficulty correctly measuring the minimum size for Dungeness crab, which is 5 3⁄4 inches measured in a straight line across the back immediately in front of, but not including, the points. An illustration showing the correct measurement is on page 96 of the 2010 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations book.

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  VIEWING

Orcas and other whales

Seeing killer whales off the Oregon coast is a rare treat, but nature lovers can usually count on an appearance at least once a year. Several confirmed sightings of a pod of up to seven whales, including one very young juvenile, occurred within the last two weeks in Yaquina Bay, Depoe Bay, off Lincoln City and, on June 21, off Newport’s Nye Beach. So look for them from Cascade Head all the way down to Florence.

The killer whales are known as transient whales, meaning officials don't know where they come from. Unlike the Puget Sound orca pods, these usually feed more on seals and baby gray whales than salmon. They come to the Oregon coast to intercept the baby gray whales and usually stay for several weeks. In 2006, the killer whales lingered until the middle of July.

Even though the gray whale migration is over, there are still gray whales to be seen, along with the coveted killer whale sightings. Gray whales migrate through the central coast waters in great numbers until June. Then the "summer" whales begin to show up, which tend to loiter on the central coast in large numbers all summer before migrating again, because of the abundant food supply here.

Tufted Puffin -U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service-

Puffins

Oregon's most charismatic seabird, the tufted puffin, is also easily viewed during this time of year. Coquille Point and Face Rock State Wayside in Bandon are the most reliable places on the south coast to view this bird. Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach is the best location on the north coast to see the birds. Try and time your visit so you are onsite before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. tufted puffins are typically more active in the early morning and late evening.

Guided estuary tours

Space is still available for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife guided canoe/kayak tours at Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge in July and August. Spend about two hours paddling through the heart of Siletz Bay NWR and learn about the natural history of some of the plants, wading birds, waterfowl, and other wildlife that inhabit the estuary. Participants must provide their own canoe or kayak for each trip. For your safety and the safety of others we ask that you dress appropriately for paddling in all weather conditions.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can provide binoculars and field guides to use during the trip if needed. Space and parking is limited; therefore you must call ahead to make a reservation. For further information or to make a reservation please see the Oregon Coast NWR Complex website: www.fws.gov/oregoncoast or contact Cheryl Horton directly by phone at 541-270-5606 or via email at cheryl_horton@fws.gov.

The tours will take place: Sunday, Aug. 1; 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 2; 7-9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3; 4:40-6:40 Sunday, Aug. 15, and 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 16.

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