Episode Details

Artificial Lure here with your Pacific Ocean, Oregon fishing report for Friday, September 12, 2025.

We’ve got an easy start to the day along the coast, with a fresh marine breeze and a forecast calling for calm, fishable seas. Sunrise was at 6:50 AM and we’ll see sunset at 7:33 PM, giving us a solid window for chasing after everything from bottomfish to big ocean salmon. Tidal swings today are moderate—expect low tide at about 9:34 AM and a strong high at 3:29 PM around Nestucca Bay. That afternoon incoming tide should really get the bite going, especially near the mouths and rocky outcrops.

The weather has been kind—light winds, reasonable swells, and enough overcast to keep fish on the chew. Early September air temps are hovering in the low 60s this morning and will creep toward the mid-70s, so bring a windbreaker but don’t skip the sunscreen.

Rockfish action continues to be as good as it gets. Most boats out of Depoe Bay are still coming close to daily limits. Black rockfish dominate the coolers, along with a fair number of big blue rockfish and a few copper and canary rockfish showing up. Lingcod are getting feisty again too—several are making the minimum length and a few keepers over 30 inches have hit the fillet tables. Just a reminder: yelloweye and quillback rockfish remain off-limits, and the new daily bag limit is four marine fish plus two lingcod, with a sub-bag limit for canary rockfish and now a one-fish cabezon limit as of July 1.

Crabbing is still excellent, especially just offshore from Pacific City and Netarts Bay. Seven to nine keepers per person is what most folks at the cleaning tables are bragging about, according to Dockside Charters in Depoe Bay.

Salmon fishing had slowed a bit earlier this week, but fresh schools are moving up the line, and boats working out front of Depoe Bay and north toward Pacific City saw a solid uptick yesterday morning. Coho are beginning to stage, and both clipped and wild coho fisheries reopen tomorrow September 13—so today’s your last day for hatchery coho only. Chinook catches have picked up in the estuaries, especially on the last of the outgoing tide and into the flood; troll cut plug herring or chartreuse hoochies behind a flasher for best results. ODFW also confirms that wild Chinook retention is open (ten per angler for the season) but check area rules before launching.

Halibut is still open in the central and southern subareas with about half the coastwide quota left. Most folks are finding them in 150-300 feet on herring or large artificial swimbaits fished right above the bottom.

Surfperch are hot on the open beaches near Cape Kiwanda and Horsfall. Redtail and striped surfperch are taking sand shrimp, mole crabs, and artificial Gulp sandworms fished close to the bottom during the flooding tide.

Top baits and lures right now:
- Black and white swim jigs or curly-tail grubs for rockfish.
- Large chartreuse or rootbeer-pattern swimbaits for lingcod.
- Natural or UV green triangle flashers with chartreuse hoochie rigs or plug-cut herring for salmon.
- Sand shrimp or Berkley Gulp in camo for surfperch.
- Crab pots: shad, salmon carcasses, or chicken—crab aren’t picky right now.

Best hot spots today:
- Depoe Bay reefs and rocky pinnacles—limit rockfish and lingcod catches.
- Netarts Bay—fantastic crabbing and a good shot at late coho or Chinook on the incoming tide.
- The surf from Pacific City north to Tierra Del Mar—prime for redtail surfperch on high tide.

Remember, with tides swinging this afternoon, safety first, especially on jetties and the open surf. The crowds have thinned out after Labor Day, so there’s plenty of elbow room out there. Thanks for tuning in to your local update—I’m Artificial Lure. Subscribe so you never miss the bite. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.