If you're planning to head out to fish in the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast today, here's what you can expect:
First, let's look at the tidal and weather conditions. Today, sunrise is around 7:30 AM, and sunset will be about 5:00 PM. Tides are moderate, with a high tide at 9:30 AM and a low tide at 3:30 PM. The weather is expected to be partly cloudy with light winds, making it a decent day to be out on the water.
Ocean salmon fishing has closed for the season in most areas, but there are still plenty of other species to target. Yesterday, anglers had great success with rockfish and lingcod. Boats out of Depoe Bay reported limiting out on rockfish and catching some nice lingcod. The offshore longleader fishery, open year-round outside the 40-fathom regulatory line, saw good catches of various rockfish species including yellowtail, widow, canary, blue, deacon, redstripe, greenstripe, silvergray, chillipepper, and bocaccio rockfish.
For rockfish and lingcod, using lures like jigs or bait such as sand shrimp, mole crabs, or artificial sand worms can be very effective. When targeting lingcod, remember there is a 22-inch minimum size limit.
If you're looking for a good spot, consider the waters outside Depoe Bay, which have been producing good rockfish and lingcod catches. Another area to try is the Central Coast Subarea between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mountain.
Overall, it should be a good day for bottom fishing, so gear up and head out to take advantage of the calm weather and active fish. Always check the latest regulations before you go.