Oregon coast fishing adventures pt. II: Black and blue on the high seas
Learning new styles of fishing is one of my favorite pastimes. The only downside is some lessons are painfully learned.
Earlier this fall, my family spent a long weekend on the Oregon coast. Our first day in Brookings included a successful afternoon catching surfperch from the beach. On day two, we took the kids to the Redwood National Forest and Ocean World aquarium. But when we arrived back in Brookings, it was naptime, so my brother-in-law Steve and I sneaked down to a nearby jetty for a few evening casts.
We set out one line with bait and quickly caught a keeper-sized crab. On my rod, I threw a one-ounce jig with a white, double-tailed trailer. According to local intel, ling cod and small halibut were possible from shore.
As I bounced my jig along the bottom, I felt it get stuck behind a rock. I managed to free it and immediately felt a strike. Fish on!
Steve scrambled down the jetty to help land our mystery quarry. But when it surfaced, we were shocked to see a large halibut at least three feet long — much too big for our net. Steve had his hands on it at least three times, but between the slippery boulders, the crashing surf and 30 pounds of thrashing halibut, there was no way to secure it. Finally, the fish tired of us and took off, breaking my line with a powerful thrust of its massive tail.
I’ve replayed that fight 100 times, taking some solace in knowing there was almost no way to land a halibut that big without a gaff hook or spear. I guess I know what I’m getting Steve for Christmas!
Losing the halibut was a bummer, but redemption was on the horizon. The next day, we took a morning rockfish trip with Brookings Fishing Charters. Rockfish, an abundant species of ocean-dwelling perch, are one of my favorite fish to eat.
We met our captain on a crisp fall morning. The ocean was calm by north Pacific standards, providing hope we could catch our dinner without losing our breakfast.
After a short run out to sea, it was time to drop lines. We fished with two small jigs — similar to crappie fishing, on a larger scale — anchored by a golf ball-sized weight. Upon reaching the bottom, we cranked up a couple feet to avoid snags and let the jigs bob in the waves.
On my first drop 25 feet down, I felt the unmistakable ping of a bite and set the hook. I soon had my hands on a small blue rockfish. Back to the depths he went.
As we drifted past kelp beds and rockpiles, the action remained steady. Every once in a while, a fish would seemingly double in size on its way back to the boat, the result of a second fish grabbing the second jig. These double-ups also occur panfishing, and it never gets old.
We caught a half-dozen species, with the vast majority — including all the keepers — being black and blue rockfish. I was struck by their similarities to freshwater bass. Like largemouth, black rockfish have huge mouths, sport a lateral stripe and are prone to jump at the surface. Blue rockfish (minus the color) are a spitting image of smallmouth, with stocky builds, feisty attitudes and mottled vertical bars. Both are great fun to catch on light tackle, especially the big ones — we caught dozens on our morning at sea, including a limit of keepers between 2 and 4 pounds.
Should you find yourself on the coast, I recommend a rockfish trip. Your shoulder might be sore from all the reeling, but the delicious reward is worth the effort.
Also — if you fish where halibut lurk, pack a gaff hook. 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.
This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 6:00 AM.