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Pacific Coast Fishing Report: Salmon, Rockfish, and More for Central Oregon
Published 6 months, 4 weeks ago
Description
Artificial Lure here with your Friday, October 3rd, 2025, Pacific Ocean fishing report, focused on Oregon’s stretch from the mouth of the Columbia all the way down to Coos Bay.
Let’s kick it off with the **tide and weather**. Along much of the central coast, we’re coming off a patchy fog morning with a mild sou’wester drifting in, temps starting in the mid-50s and climbing into the low 60s by afternoon. Sunrise hit at 7:25AM and sunset will be at 6:41PM, giving you an honest twelve hours of daylight to chase your quarry. The ocean is sitting light chop—nothing that’ll keep you off the water but slick enough for kayak or skiff work. Coos Bay today will see a high tide at 4:42AM, followed by a fairly gentle outgoing ebb, and the next high at 4:01PM should push some bait back into estuary pockets. Low tide is just before 10AM—classic transition for bottomfish and surf species.
The **fall run is winding up for salmon**, with coho still trickling through along the nearshore and upriver reaches. According to ODWF, anglers in the lower Deschutes (and further north out of Depoe Bay and Newport) are reporting persistent hookups on both Chinook and silver, mostly on bright mornings. Most catches are on the troll, with spinners like the Silver Horde or Brad’s Super Bait Cut Plug working best, especially tipped with herring or anchovy. Jigging under early fog banks is picking up fish too. Remember, Coos Basin anglers can keep up to three salmon in aggregate—one can be a wild coho through October 10. The bite’s best around first light and slack tide.
Rockfish action is wide open statewide. As of September 18, groundfish fishing is now allowed at all depths through the end of the year. Lingcod, black rockfish, cabezon, and greenlings are coming up in good numbers, especially off the jetties and reefs near Charleston and Port Orford. NOAA Fisheries reports new data showing stronger-than-expected stocks for several rockfish species. Best bets remain on soft plastics with twister tails, swimbaits, or metal jigs fished low and slow, especially on the outgoing tide. For deeper marks, drop sardine or squid chunks. Vermilion and sunset rockfish are showing up in the mixed bags; remember, descending devices are required if you’re bottom fishing from a boat—don’t leave the dock without one. Canary rockfish are two per angler statewide, everything else is by the book.
Halibut anglers—Pacific halibut quota is still available on the Central Coast at all depths. Newport and Depoe Bay saw mixed success with catch rates from one fish for every two anglers. Best rig is a big herring on a spreader, fished deep as the afternoon tide comes up against the banks.
For surf and bay action, look to species like surf perch, kelp greenling, and the occasional striped bass. The bite on sand crabs and Gulp! camo sandworms in the swash is picking up, especially in the early morning hours around low tide near South Jetty, and just inside the mouths of Alsea and Siletz bays.
Hot spots to try right now:
- **Charleston Jetty, Coos Bay:** Best for mixed rockfish, lingcod, and the salmon stragglers. Crab pots are picking up some Dungeness.
- **Newport Reef and Yaquina Head:** For halibut, bottomfish, and migratory salmon in tight on the tide change.
As for most productive **lures and baits:**
- Saltwater: Large curly-tail or paddle-tail plastics, metal jigs, and herring rigs.
- Salmon: Brad’s Super Bait Cut Plug with chartreuse or pink, tipped with herring.
- Surf: Gulp! camo sandworms, sand crabs, and shrimp.
- Halibut: Big herring or squid on spreader gear.
Fish counts for the week show solid bags—rockfish up to four per rod on the outgoing tide, halibut at 0.25–0.75 per angler per trip, and salmon picking up one to two per boat, particularly the wild coho and Chinook. Recent stocking in some estuaries has boosted trout numbers if you’re poking arou
Let’s kick it off with the **tide and weather**. Along much of the central coast, we’re coming off a patchy fog morning with a mild sou’wester drifting in, temps starting in the mid-50s and climbing into the low 60s by afternoon. Sunrise hit at 7:25AM and sunset will be at 6:41PM, giving you an honest twelve hours of daylight to chase your quarry. The ocean is sitting light chop—nothing that’ll keep you off the water but slick enough for kayak or skiff work. Coos Bay today will see a high tide at 4:42AM, followed by a fairly gentle outgoing ebb, and the next high at 4:01PM should push some bait back into estuary pockets. Low tide is just before 10AM—classic transition for bottomfish and surf species.
The **fall run is winding up for salmon**, with coho still trickling through along the nearshore and upriver reaches. According to ODWF, anglers in the lower Deschutes (and further north out of Depoe Bay and Newport) are reporting persistent hookups on both Chinook and silver, mostly on bright mornings. Most catches are on the troll, with spinners like the Silver Horde or Brad’s Super Bait Cut Plug working best, especially tipped with herring or anchovy. Jigging under early fog banks is picking up fish too. Remember, Coos Basin anglers can keep up to three salmon in aggregate—one can be a wild coho through October 10. The bite’s best around first light and slack tide.
Rockfish action is wide open statewide. As of September 18, groundfish fishing is now allowed at all depths through the end of the year. Lingcod, black rockfish, cabezon, and greenlings are coming up in good numbers, especially off the jetties and reefs near Charleston and Port Orford. NOAA Fisheries reports new data showing stronger-than-expected stocks for several rockfish species. Best bets remain on soft plastics with twister tails, swimbaits, or metal jigs fished low and slow, especially on the outgoing tide. For deeper marks, drop sardine or squid chunks. Vermilion and sunset rockfish are showing up in the mixed bags; remember, descending devices are required if you’re bottom fishing from a boat—don’t leave the dock without one. Canary rockfish are two per angler statewide, everything else is by the book.
Halibut anglers—Pacific halibut quota is still available on the Central Coast at all depths. Newport and Depoe Bay saw mixed success with catch rates from one fish for every two anglers. Best rig is a big herring on a spreader, fished deep as the afternoon tide comes up against the banks.
For surf and bay action, look to species like surf perch, kelp greenling, and the occasional striped bass. The bite on sand crabs and Gulp! camo sandworms in the swash is picking up, especially in the early morning hours around low tide near South Jetty, and just inside the mouths of Alsea and Siletz bays.
Hot spots to try right now:
- **Charleston Jetty, Coos Bay:** Best for mixed rockfish, lingcod, and the salmon stragglers. Crab pots are picking up some Dungeness.
- **Newport Reef and Yaquina Head:** For halibut, bottomfish, and migratory salmon in tight on the tide change.
As for most productive **lures and baits:**
- Saltwater: Large curly-tail or paddle-tail plastics, metal jigs, and herring rigs.
- Salmon: Brad’s Super Bait Cut Plug with chartreuse or pink, tipped with herring.
- Surf: Gulp! camo sandworms, sand crabs, and shrimp.
- Halibut: Big herring or squid on spreader gear.
Fish counts for the week show solid bags—rockfish up to four per rod on the outgoing tide, halibut at 0.25–0.75 per angler per trip, and salmon picking up one to two per boat, particularly the wild coho and Chinook. Recent stocking in some estuaries has boosted trout numbers if you’re poking arou