06 Monday Jul 2015
Tags
A large group of dolphins was seen swimming offshore in the Pacific by fisherman on the hunt for early season Albacore tuna. Never know what you might see when you are 50 miles from shore. Fishing out of Garibaldi, Oregon anglers often encounter whales and other mammals, this was however quite a large group on the move.
14 Thursday May 2015
Posted in fishing
The season officially opened up today for the Central Coast anglers looking to reel in a Pacific Halibut. Always refer to the Oregon Department of Fish & Game website for any changes that may occur with the regulations for marine fishing. The halibut season is very regulated to ensure that there is ample fish for everyone that wants to go and give it a shot to reel in one of these delicious bottom dwellers up from the depths. The season runs on specific days for all depth fishing and near shore opportunities as well as having regional quotas for total weight brought in by all sport anglers, that once reached closes, the fishery for the season.
If you like to fish in the ocean and have never had the joy of reeling up a halibut from 800 feet off the bottom it is an experience / workout that you should experience. The bites can be super soft where the rod just loads up or hard and instant when the bait just gets inhaled and the fish starts moving. Then the work begins trying to pry it off the sea floor and up to the surface. Nothing like halibut tacos or a big cheek on the BBQ.
Learn more about this amazing sport fishing opportunity for Halibut in Oregon at: ODFW Sport Pacific Halibut
Columbia River Sub Area
Nearshore began May 4, 2015 on days the all depth fishery is closed until the quota is caught or September 30.
All Depth Season
Opens May 1, Thursday – Sunday, Every week through the quota being filled or September 30th
Central Coast Subarea
Nearshore opens on July 1, seven days a week, inside of the 40 fathom until the quota is reached or October 31.
The All Depth season for the Central Coast region is the most heavily fished by the most anglers and is reserved the largest portion of the quota for the state. For 2015 season the Central Coast is allocated 110,649 lbs for the Spring season and 43,908 lbs for the Summer Season
Until the quota is filled the All Depth Season is available in 2015 of the following dates:
May 14 – 16
May 28 – 30
June 11 – 13
June 25 – 27
August 7-8
There are back up dates if the quota is not met.
The Southern Coast Subarea
Only has a quota of 7,318 lbs and opened on May 1 and open seven days a week through the quota being fulfilled or until October 31.
Good luck out there and hopefully you catch a big one.
20 Tuesday Jan 2015
Posted in Boat Launch, fishing
Boating is a popular form outdoor recreation in the Pacific Northwest, whether going out for some fishing and crabbing or just to enjoy the sites, boat ramps along the coast are well used.
The following boat launch facilities will put in you in the area to catch fish and crabs whether you are fishing the infamous Bouy 10 area of the Columbia river estuary or adventuring in the Bays from Nehalem, Tillamook, and Nestucca, the large bays in the North Coast offer tremendously healthy fisheries. If you like to just go for a boat ride and look at the native wildlife swimming around in the water and flying above then these locations will also serve your need of finding a place to enjoy the wildlife of the Oregon Coast.
View Oregon North Coast Boat Ramps in a full screen map
The Warrenton marina is a popular boat launch location near the popular Buoy 10 fishery on the Columbia. The salmon fishing is some of the best in the area with the most popular time of year being in August.
The Johns Day Ramp on the Columbia River near Astoria is a place to launch your boat and have access to the incredible fishery of the Columbia. Regardless of what you are going after this can be a good place to drop your boat into the water and go enjoy the river.
The Nehalem Landing County Boat Launch is perfect for launching into the Nehalem river / bay right near the city of Nehalem this launch is well maintained and cleaned by the Tillamook County and is great facility for the area.
The Nehalem Bay state park is a nice option on the ocean side of the bay. The park iteself is a popular place to hang out with the family and has lots of camping options and a great beach.
Launch right near the mouth of the pacific on Nehalem Bay at the Jetty Fishery Mariana and RV Park. This is a good place to take the kids if you are looking to expose them to crabbing and the bay wildlife, but do not have a boat, there are rentals and other accommodations on site.
Port of Garibaldi has a large marina area adjacent and if you are looking for a place to moor a large fishing boat then this is the spot. Regular guided fishing and crabbing trips operate out of the Port of Garibaldi and if you are looking for a chance of pursuing fish out in the Pacific ocean a summer time Tuna or Rockfish trip can be a lot of fun with the large charter boats operating from the Port of Garibaldi.
Sollie Smith is a great Wilson River boat launch located just off Wilson River Loop. The Wilson river is a well known salmon and steel head fishery and fishing from a drift boat is one of the best ways to target these fish. Boaters use this ramp as both a put in and pull out location depending on the stretch of river that they are fishing.
Mills Bridge is another drift boat launch location on the Wilson River that many boaters use to start there drift to pursue the fish in the river.
Memaloose Point Boat Launch is a county run boat ramp that is on the other side of the Tillamook bay from the Port of Garibaldi. This launch ramp is great for accessing other fishing holes in Tillamook bay and is easy to reach just being outside the town of Tillamook.
Netarts Bay Marina is available for putting your boat into Netarts bay. People enjoy crabbing in Netarts bay and due to being a tad further than Tillamook locations can be a little less busy when lots of people are at the coast from the Portland area.
Little Nestucca Boat Launch is at the mouth of the Little Nestucca into the Nestucca Bay. This area receives a substantial run of Salmon and some steel head as well and so is a favorite destination for many angers along the Oregon Coast.
07 Wednesday Jan 2015
The razor clam that inhabits the Oregon beaches is known as Siliqua Patula, it is a very large and delicious clam that can be dug out of the sand during a low tide. This clam is found from all the way north in Alaska down to the middle of California and prefers to live in the beaches with large deposits of sand. If you wake up early in the morning in Seaside on a low tide you will be amazed at how many people are out digging up one of the most delicious dinners the coast has to offer. People can find them during the lowest tides of each cycle when the surf is relatively calm and the clam “shows” meaning that you can see either a small hole, a dimple in the sand, or a disturbance in the receding water from each wave that washes to shore. The razor clam is best when prepared simply with just a light batter and fried, but also can be used in clam chowder, clam fritters, seafood stews and other dishes.
Razor clams are known for moving quickly in the very soft sand with their large digger foot and so once you begin to disturb the area move quickly until you have reached it and pulled it out of the hole. always check your local regulations for the proper season to be able to go clamming and make sure that you know the limit that can be harvested. Steep fines are associated with clam diggers that over harvest or take during out of season. Always have a separate bag for holding the clams for every digger in your party as it is a big no no to put all your clams in one bag or to dig for someone else.
The most popular times to pursue these bivalves is during a low tide. Review the tide tables and look for times that the tide is going to be a low minus tide and preferably the lower minus tides of the month. Clam diggers should plan to get to the beach an hour and half before the low tide to start looking for the signs of clams. Sometimes it can take only a matter of minutes to dig a limit of these tasty morsels while other days it may take up to an hour or more if the surf is rougher and the clams are deeper and not showing as easily.
There are two primary tools for digging razor clams. The clam shovel and the clam gun. Of course you can always just use your hands, but you will likely quickly be reminded why these creatures have the word razor in their name. The sharp and thin shells can cut your fingers deep very easily. Due to the soft nature of the shells it is very important to be careful while digging with a shovel as it is very easy to crack or cut them in half, while the bits and pieces are still very edible, they will no longer retain the same impressive look on the plate that a full clam has, so be careful with whatever tool you choose.
The Clam Shovel, is a short handed shovel to mid torso length at the longest and has a very flat blade that is about 9 – 11 inches in depth. It is important when digging with a shovel to position the blade about 4 inches away from the clam show, between the hole and the ocean. Go straight down and barely lift back with the handle and pull the sand straight up. This will remove the dirt without breaking the shovel, for a clam that is deeper you may need to repeat the process a couple of times. These clams move quickly in the wet sand so be ready to reach down and grab them before they disappear into the liquefied sand of the surf.
The clam gun is designed to quickly reach the clam and pull it out in one full motion. the gun will be a circular tube with handles and a vent hole. Simple place the gun over the show, drive it all the way down, put your finger over the air vent and pull up. Make sure to lift with your legs and not your back otherwise you can quickly wear yourself out and even cause an injury to yourself. The wet sand grips the gun tightly and can require some serious pulling on to get moving. Repeat if necessary to reach the shellfish.
Getting it done with the shovel. Use the butt end to pound the sand and find the shows and then dig up your prize.
The clam gun makes it quick and easy for anyone to dig a clam in the sand.
There is lots of ways to clean a razor clam. Some people like to slightly boil them and then quickly place them in ice water to stop the cooking process. This can make the shell removal easier, but risks cooking the meat. I prefer to remove the shells with a oyster knife and then continue to process them, removing the nasty parts of the gut and intestine and cleaning the siphons so that the meat is ready to be panko crusted and fried or chopped up into the best chowder meat ever.
The standard fried razor clam recipe
17 Saturday May 2014
Posted in fishing
As of May 15, 2014 the following recreational sport halibut quota has been caught. The weather was rough limiting all but the biggest of fishing vessels from getting out for the start of the season and the numbers are reflected in the poor catch. As soon as the weather behaves on an open fishing period the numbers will start to come in quickly.
– Includes Garibaldi, Pacific City, Depoe Bay, Newport, Winchester Bay, Charleston, and Bandon
The next open dates are May 22-24, as usual this will be for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
03 Thursday Apr 2014
Posted in fishing
The Oregon Pacific Halibut fishery is always an anticipated angling opportunity by many residents. This is spring time ocean fishing so there will be some good weeks and there will be some days that are pretty wild condition wise. Check out the schedule and dates below, depending on what port you are leaving out of there will always be a few amazing days each season for offshore and inshore halibut fishing.
Always make sure and check the current regulations for any changes as the season will be called early if anglers catch their allotted limit early in the season. The 2014 season has been given a catch limit of .96 million pounds, down slightly from the 2013 Season.
Get up to date regs here: http://dfw.state.or.us/mrp/finfish/halibut/index.asp
The staff recommended 2014 pacific halibut sport regulations
Columbia River subarea. (1) The all-depth halibut fishery will be open four days a week, Thursday through Sunday, for both the spring and summer seasons. (2) A new nearshore (incidental) fishery with 1,000 pounds or 10% of the Columbia River subarea allocation, whichever is less, will be open inside the 40-fathom line (defined by waypoints) beginning on Monday, May 5, 2014, on days when the all-depth halibut fishery is closed.
Central Coast subarea. The nearshore halibut fishery will open on July 1, seven days a week.
South of Humbug Mountain subarea. A new Southern Oregon subarea (Humbug Mountain to the OR/CA border) was created with 2% of the Oregon sport allocation and an opening date of May 1; open seven days a week.
Make sure to have your fishing license and proper tag to take a legal halibut. The popular method is to use baits including large herring, shad, tuna belly, salmon belly, and other concoctions of bait with a heavy sinker. If you have never fished for halibut off the Oregon coast the offshore fishery in places like halibut hill out of Garibaldi are over 800 feet deep. You will be using a very heavy weight and doing a lot of reeling. But grilling a halibut on the BBQ or grilling some amazing fish tacos makes it all worth it.
26 Wednesday Jun 2013
The albacore tuna fishery of the pacific northwest is a special deal that provides anglers the opportunity to hook into these fast swimming hard fighting fish in good numbers all within the a reasonable distance for the sport fishing boats. The ports up and down the coast from Ilwaco across the boarder in Washington down to Southern Oregon are called home by the tuna fleet. Tuna begin to show up in very limited numbers near the end of June beginning of July and will be caught through the summer into the fall. Albacore can be caught in a variety of ways, most anglers will troll a combination of different lures such as cedar plugs, clones, diving baits like Rapala X-Raps, and swimbaits. After finding the fish on the troll, getting a bait stop going by chumming with anchovies can keep the school of fish close by that it is possible to then catch more fish on live bait, large iron baits similar to spoons, and casting lures like swimbaits. It is possible to get into large numbers of fish and catch many fish from a single stop and it is this lights out fishing that makes fishing for TUNA! so much fun.
There are many excellent tuna fishing charters available for scheduling trips if you are looking for someone to teach you how to fish offshore.
Keep tabs on how the fishing season is progressing by checking on the salty dogs forum. Learn more about catching these fish from anglers that have been fishing the salt for years.
2013 brings a new adjustment to the regulations regarding tuna fishing and how anglers can prepare their catch prior to landing. It is possible to partially cark the tuna in order to reduce some of the fish remains that need to be retained. Anglers with smaller boats with less space for holding fish catches will be able to gain room in their fish holds. If you plan on partially carking fish at sea make sure you read the full details here so you do not get in trouble with breaking the fishing regulations.
The Oregon Tuna Classic will be held this year in two locations: Ilwaco on July 26 and 27 and Garibaldi on August 16 and 17. All of the details about these excellent fishing tournaments can be found on the official website: http://www.oregontunaclassic.org/
