Newport Halibut Fishing Charters: Everything You Need to Know

Halibut is a large flatfish famous among anglers. Often, it’s hunted for its meat rather than game. This is because halibut is one of the finest and biggest fish you can eat.

It’s also filled with a great amount of protein and omega-3, and packed with vitamins such as calcium and phosphorus. Likewise, its liver oil is sought out for the vitamins A and D.

Everything You Need to Know About Halibut in Newport

Here’s a fun fact about halibut: it only has eyes on one side. Generally, their eyed sides possess a darker shade than their blind sides, which are usually just white.

Newport halibut fishing often results in a 20 to 150 pound halibut on average, but the biggest of all halibut can reach 720 pounds in weight. This can result in a fish as tall as 7 feet.

Two types of halibut can be seen in Oregon: the Pacific halibut and California halibut. The Pacific halibut is larger than the California halibut, and it’s also quite abundant in Oregon’s coast.

Pacific halibut are usually right-eyed and diamond-shaped, while California halibut lean more towards being left-eyed with a mouth that goes past their eye. 

In Newport, the largest halibut caught was a 170-pound Pacific halibut that happened to be 69 inches long. However, catching halibut that’s beyond 50 inches is a feat.

Newport halibut fishing season peaks from May to September, and closes from October to December and January to April.

Common Techniques Used to Catch Halibut

Fishing enthusiasts who love catching halibut often swear by live baits such as octopus or squid. However, mackerel heads or guts work well when wishing for halibut, too. Alternatively, if you can’t find live bait, you can opt for artificial bait that looks like a sardine or an anchovy.

The most effective methods for a Newport halibut fishing session are bottom fishing, deep sea fishing, spearfishing, drift fishing, light tackling, and heavy tackling. You’ll find halibut both nearshore and offshore, but these fish generally stay near the bottom of the waters.

Consequently, note that halibut dislike sandy bottoms, so avoid those and search for hard floors with some contour instead.

Cooking Newport Halibut

Halibut tastes similar to tilapia. It has firm white meat with a mild and sweet flavor. Hence, halibut can be cooked in quite a number of ways.

You can cook Newport halibut by baking, steaming, grilling, boiling, or frying it. You can add halibut to soups and chowders or make it stand out on its own. Likewise, you can make a salad or a sandwich out of it.

Some example dishes you can make with halibut are grilled halibut with salsa, coconut lime halibut cheeks, pumpkin halibut chowder, lemon pepper halibut, lemon butter fried halibut, pan-seared marinated halibut, and baked halibut with vegetables.

Why Choose Newport for Halibut Fishing

Picking Newport to fish for halibut is wise because Newport’s waters are deep enough for halibut. Likewise, halibut see Oregon’s coasts as great food sources, so they’re more likely to occupy it than other waters.

Oregon Fishing Regulations for Catching Halibut

Oregon regulations in bagging Pacific halibut is 1 fish a day and 6 fish a year. Meanwhile, California halibut is included in Oregon’s daily 25 flatfish bag limit.

Why Choose Newport, Oregon as Your Next Halibut Fishing Charter

Booking with a fishing charter when you hunt for fish ensures your trip goes smoothly. Most fishing charters provide you with excellent equipment and boat and then pair that up with a local and experienced guide.

Moreover, Oregon’s coast is swarming with plenty of fish, so it’s beneficial for anglers to commence in fishing sessions within Newport. 

Other Fish You Can Catch in Newport

Besides halibut, you can also catch Coho salmon, Dungeness crab, lingcod, sea bass, and cabezon in Newport, Oregon. These fish are abundant within the coast, so with the right set of equipment and skills, you should see great results in no time.

Coho salmon weighs 2 to 6 pounds on average in Newport, while Chinook salmon weighs 10 to 50 pounds. The Dungeness crabs are usually 4 to 6 inches in length.

Lingcod doesn’t offer much game, but they’re good seafood. They weigh 10 to 35 pounds in Oregon, and they can usually be found in deep waters. Meanwhile, Newport bass and cabezon weigh 4 to 20 pounds. 

Coho salmon and Chinook salmon taste the same. However, they differ in texture. Chinook salmon has a firmer meat than Coho salmon. Likewise, Chinook salmon is larger than Coho salmon and often possess large spots.

On the other hand, lingcod tastes like lobster. Its appearance is unappealing, but you’ll be surprised once you eat it. Bass tastes a little fishy and watery, while cabezon tastes like any other rockfish. However, be warned that a cabezon’s eggs are poisonous.