Oregon coast fishing adventures, part I: Surf’s up!
I’m always on the lookout for new fishing challenges and adventures. So when my wife suggested a family trip to the Oregon coast over Labor Day weekend, I required very little convincing.
Our vacation in Brookings was an awesome weekend filled with crab hunts on the beach, a hike through a majestic redwood forest and a visit to an oceanside aquarium with my two-year-old daughter, Quinn. I also set out to tackle two types of saltwater angling — catching fish from the beach with my own gear, and hitching a ride out to sea in pursuit of delicious rockfish and ling cod.
First up was the beach. According to my research, the most likely catches from shore were surfperch, which resemble oversized bluegill. They are abundant along much of the Pacific coast, and their proximity to shore makes them an ideal target for surf fishing.
On our first morning in Brookings, I stopped by a local tackle shop to stock up on intel. The store owner sold me some soft plastic sandworms and raw shrimp — two favorite baits for surfperch — and pointed me toward a nearby beach known for harboring prized redtail perch.
Armed with local knowledge and the excitement of a new challenge, I headed down to the beach with my brother-in-law, Steve. I had rigged two rods — my heavier catfish/steelhead setups — with three-way swivels, from which I tied a drop-shot style pyramid sinker and a hook for our bait. I knew it would be tough catching relatively small fish on such heavy gear, but it was necessary to hold our bait in place against the crashing surf.
We started off using shrimp, and I immediately felt the telltale bump of a bite amidst the high-tide waves. The first three takers stole my bait, a common occurrence for surfperch fishing. I switched to the plastic worm, figuring it would be more difficult to steal. Sure enough, my first cast produced a fish — a small silver surfperch of about eight inches. I smiled at Steve as I tossed it back into the ocean. We were on the right track!
Moments later, I hooked up again, and this one felt like a keeper. It was odd fighting a fish in the surf. When a wave came in, I lost tension and feeling on the fish. But it stayed on, and I soon landed a beautiful 13-inch redtail. We had found our quarry!
Despite our early success, fishing was slow for the next hour or two. The rising tide — known as the best time to fish for catching surfperch — created tough fishing conditions. Apart from a few bait stealers and one nice keeper that spit Steve’s hook at the last second, things got eerily quiet.
“Time to rally,” I announced. “One perch isn’t going to feed everyone!”
As the tide started to recede, I saw what looked like a nice pocket behind a rocky outcropping. I launched a cast toward it and immediately had a nice fish on.
“Toss one in that pocket, Steve-O!” I hollered above the noise of the sea.
Steve followed suit and quickly hooked up. The next 30 minutes were chaos as we frantically casted, fought big perch and re-baited hooks to capitalize on the feeding frenzy. With their red fins, frisbee-like bodies and ravenous appetites, the surfperch looked a little like piranhas as we landed one after another.
Almost as suddenly as the frenzy began, the perch disappeared again. But this time, we had a cooler full of slabs for the frying pan — the perfect meal to celebrate our success, and a delicious family dinner on the Oregon coast.
Tight lines!
Jordan Rodriguez has been fishing Idaho waters since he was a teen. Share your fish stories, adventures, tips and tricks with him at tightlinesboise@gmail.com or visit www.tightlines208.com.