Glen Givler of Brookings holds a 30-pound albacore he caught last week. The Pilot/Larry Ellis.

Fishing report for August 12-18

Top ten things you’ll never hear a Brookings fisherman say

10. You guys will be happy to know that I threw away all of those rotten lingcod filets – their flesh was turning green!

9. Of course I got a set of landmarks to put all of us back on that rockfishing hotspot. I just lined up that seagull with that floating kelp paddy.

8. I didn’t think you’d mind if I borrowed your favorite lure. I just wanted to have some fun with it using light tackle.

7. Here are the precise coordinates where we slew those California halibut last week.

6. Great news everyone! I’ve brought enough bananas for everybody – including the crew.

5. I’m sorry I lost your vintage lure. So how much does the Vintage Lure Company charge to replace it?

4. You should have seen the small one that got away!

3. Officer, you want to see my what? I could have sworn that the funny tackle store dude said I needed a “Selfish license”.

2. Say there buddy, you seem to have forgotten to fillet one entire side of that halibut you just threw away in the trash barrel. Allow me to retrieve it for you. 

And, finally – Drum roll please …

1. I’ve never been this sea sick in my entire life. Somebody, please make me a raw squid-and-egg milkshake.

~~~

Calm seas and temperate water dominated the fishing scene last week. Just as predicted, the fog rolled in, the wind died down and the tuna came in close enough for the recreational sport fishing fleet to put a few albacore in the hopper on Sunday and Monday.

“We found tuna as close as 14 miles out,” said Glen Givler, who found his fish while motoring out of the Port of Gold Beach with his buddy, Bald Eagle. 

The pair of anglers who averaged 20-fish-plus days, also said there were plenty of commercial vessels keeping them company as well. When I left the fish-cleaning facility on Wednesday, they were polishing up a batch of albacore they had been filleting for two days.

A group of four boats fishing out of the Port of Brookings Harbor also grabbed a slice of tuna heaven further out at sea.

“We hit the tuna fairly good on Sunday,” said Billie Blue Wadsworth, who struck pay dirt 38 nautical miles straight out of the port.

The Terrafin SST (Sea Surface Temperature) chart lined up perfectly with the chlorophyll (blue water) chart from Sunday through Tuesday. Reports were that three of the four Brookings boats had over 40-fish days on Sunday and other boats made some nice tuna hauls on Monday as well.

~~~

Meanwhile anglers continued to harvest plenty of rockfish, lingcod and Pacific halibut. On most days, anglers had the luxury of heading uphill toward Twin Rocks or downhill toward Camel Rock.

Limits of rockfish were the rule at the Brookings Harbor cleaning station. Half-limits of lingcod often dominated the fillet tables.

Fishermen caught their bottomfish on shrimp flies, twin-tail plastics, leadfish, grubs and bait. The larger herring was the trick in unhinging a lingcod’s rusty jaws.

Jetty Lings

For the last two weeks, anglers have been catching lingcod from the Brookings jetties ranging from 5 to 10 pounds. 

Fishing for lingcod from the north and south jetties used to be a daily ritual of mine. The secret to catching lingcod is throwing the right kinds of jigs, working the correct kind of structure, fishing the incoming tide and being very persistent.

You cannot expect to catch lingcod while still-fishing with bait from the public pier, but you will find lings underneath the pier.

Fishing on the left side and underneath the original pier on the very far right was always good for a ling bite. Now other ling holes further up the south jetty have been masked by more pier extensions. These former ling hot spots are still there and are virtually untapped. 

Everything you need to catch lingcod with can be put into one jacket pocket – a few one-ounce jig heads and some twin-tail plastics will do the trick. Carry any color you wish, as long as it’s white. 

Fishing the incoming tide is absolutely critical for success. Most of your bites will come within one to two hours before high slack. After the tide starts going out, pack it up and fish another day. 

To effectively fish for lingcod, you have to first resign yourself to the fact that this is not a wide-open fishery. It is for the most serious of lingcod warriors who want to better themselves as fishermen. You are fishing for the possibility of one or two bites, but the experience of catching a lingcod from the jetty is unsurpassed.

The main mistake most anglers make when fishing for jetty lings is pulling their jig out of the water too soon. Most of the time, your strikes will come very close to shore. I have heard many exasperated outbursts from anglers shouting that a huge lingcod came out of nowhere to strike their jig while they lifted it out of the water.

The technique is to lift the jig with your rod, and feel for the bite as it sinks toward the bottom. Feel the line coming off your reel between your thumb and index finger of one hand to detect the strike as the lure is sinking. The strike will always feel like one tiny peck and it will occur within 1 foot from the bottom.

Work every boulder on the jetty, casting only 10 feet out and working your offering all the way in between the crevices of the jetty boulders. 

The entire south jetty has lots of great ling cover – from underneath the piers to the tip of the jetty. Lings are very territorial and favor specific types of cover. Remember that the same place you caught your ling today will be replaced with another ling tomorrow.

The north jetty has plenty of great spots like the dogleg in the center, or near the jetty tip, but over the years, the lingcod action has shifted to the south jetty.

Don’t forget to bring a gaff.

~~~

Rogue Bay fires up

According to local area guides, the Rogue Bay has been kicking out kings averaging 25 to 30 pounds, but it seems to be an every-other-day scenario.

“The bay’s been good for about 50 fish a day,” says John Anderson of Memory Makers Rogue River Guide Service. “Some of the fish are holing up but the majority are shooting upriver.”

Local fishing enthusiast Paul LeFebvre reports having had multi-fish days as well. A majority of fish are being caught in the bay on spinnerbait/anchovy rigs after they cross the bar at high tide. Then the next day the fish are being found further upriver.

There are also Chinook being caught in the Marshfield Channel in Coos Bay, and the Coquille is now starting to heat up as well.

Tight lines!