Oregon Halibut Season Starts Tomorrow!

April 30, 2008


If you've got a hankering for a delicious halibut dinner, you're in luck! The Pacific halibut season opens May 1 on the Oregon Coast.

Matt Blume caught a halibut last year (picture above) and stated, "It felt like I hooked the bumper of a Buick on its way to the bottom of the ocean.” It turns out that his halibut weighed a whopping 106 pounds. “It was the hardest-fighting heavy fish I’ve ever caught. It took two of us five tries to get it into the boat,” he added.

2007 was an excellent year for halibut anglers, with a record of over 16,500 fish caught. This year isn't looking too shabby either, as the International Pacific Halibut Commission has set a quota of over 250,000 pounds of halibut for Oregon.

So get out there and start fishing! And if you're able to catch a halibut, try our exquisite Hazelnut Crusted Halibut recipe with Marionberry Margarita Sauce. For more details on halibut fishing in Oregon, please visit the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

For a list of charter boats and other recreation guides on the Oregon Coast, be sure to check out our directory of Guides & Packers.

~ Happy Fishin'!

Photo Credit: Matt Blume and his halibut; photo courtesy of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Catch A Salmon on the Willamette River

April 23, 2008

Local anglers have recently discovered great salmon fishing on the Willamette River near Portland. Carmen MacDonald, one such angler, says “Spring chinook have a magic about them; they are the highest quality salmon in the world, and there really is something special about them - they're just that good.”

Learn more about the adventure of three local anglers, Carmen MacDonald, Trey Carskadon and John Fusek, by visiting KATU.com. And don't miss KATU's exciting video! Click here to watch the salmon fishing in action.

Fishing in Oregon- Sasquatch Style

April 13, 2007

By Kevin Wright

And so it would be. My fishing buddy, Mike had just booked a guided fly fishing trip on an Oregon coastal river well known for being not well known. This would be a special outing on one of the Pacific Northwest’s best wild steelhead rivers. We would be accompanied by an accomplished fly fishing guide, Jacob Lund, who would help us find and maybe catch a particular strain of steelhead ranging from 12-25 plus pounds.

The email I received from Jacob a few weeks before our trip piqued my interest. A few key points that I found interesting were the nine mile hike and dressing in camouflage. And the best part was what he told us: “We will be carefully approaching spotted steelhead due to its wary nature. These fish typically spook or explode. This is sight fishing at its finest!” (this is not the usual boiler plate advice provided by a guide prior to a trip). After reading this, the excitement of the trip quickly elevated.

Continue reading "Fishing in Oregon- Sasquatch Style"

Fishing on the Nestucca River

March 24, 2007

By Lisa Richardson


On a cold, dark morning, we arose at 4:30 a.m. to head out on a grand outdoors adventure! The huge yellow moon was shining down on us, and for a change the sky was so clear you could see the stars…and your breath (that sounds so romantic: just remember, I’m not an outdoorswoman…yet).

We dressed warm, and stowed our rubber boots (mine were brand-spanking new!) in the trunk, and set off with hot coffee in hand. Through Salem, and out Hwy 22, over to Hwy 18, and we turned off to go to Hebo. Our guide would be meeting us at the Nestucca Valley Sporting Goods Store, and that was all I knew to expect.

Continue reading "Fishing on the Nestucca River"

Netarts, A Crabbing Story

February 14, 2007

Winter is a great time for crabbing. Our good friend Dermot recently launched his own crabbing excursion, and has some great tips for the expert (as well as the newbie, or even the wannabe) crabber. Be sure to read his story below.

What is so wonderful about crabbing in Netarts Bay is that you always find yourself among friends! The bay is unique in Oregon as there is no major river feeding into it. Because of this, the salmon fisherman head elsewhere and the bay is left to those who chase an elusive creepy, crawly bounty called the Dungeness crab.

Netarts Bay can be found about 6 miles west of Tillamook, Oregon on the way to Oceanside and Cape Meares. On any given day, when the crab is in season, a legion of small boats and a few large ones can be found in the shallow bay with their occupants hauling traps and checking pots. As well, along the shore, there is a smattering of people with “snares” attached to the end of a fishing pole looking to get 1 or 2 crabs for dinner that night. To the uninitiated, they all look like experts. But that isn’t so.

Continue reading "Netarts, A Crabbing Story"

Trolling for steelhead on the Deschutes - the story of the one that didn't get away

December 12, 2006

The day started just as I had hoped - overcast and foggy. Not your normal aspiration as you embark on an eight-hour outdoor excursion, into the shadows of Central Oregon’s rugged Cascade Mountains in November. But today we were fishing for steelhead on Oregon’s legendary Deschutes River. My friend Will and I met our guide at 9:00am and we drove to the first section of water we hoped would yield the elusive andromonous fish. (See "Editor's Note" at end of story)

As we approached the water I reminded Will, who has never fished for steelhead before, to lower his expectations. There is a reason they call steelhead the fish of 1,000 casts. One such reason is that steelhead do not eat once they begin their journey from the ocean back to their birthplace in the river (often a trip of hundreds of miles). The goal is to get them to strike your fly by triggering an instinctual territorial response.

Continue reading "Trolling for steelhead on the Deschutes - the story of the one that didn't get away"

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