Newport, Oregon is one of the most unique places to fish because of the wide variety of fish that can be caught in a relatively small geographical area. Newport is widely known for the large variety of fish that can be caught off of the coast, but most people don’t realize that nearby rivers and lakes can be great fishing for fresh-water fish like walleye, shad, running salmon and the famous, oversized white sturgeon. While Newport Oregon Fishing Charters focuses mostly on ocean fishing, almost all of our fishing charters also guide on the many river and lakes of Oregon.

Halibut Fishing

Halibut are one of the most desirable fish species caught off the Oregon coast. They are plentiful and you have a really good chance of catching one. The ODWR carefully monitors these fish and they are highly regulated. There are only certain dates they can be fished and the limit is only one per day and a total of two per year.

Halibut can be a little more effort to catch than other species like those of the rockfish family. If you are on a fishing charter, you will most likely have to travel a decent distance to get to where the fish are because they like deeper water. The actual techniques to catch these monster fish are relatively simple. Most of the time it’s just fish meat on a giant hook that’s dropped down to the bottom with a large lead weight.

If you would like to catch halibut off the Oregon coast, I highly recommend using a fishing charter. This isn’t just because I happen to sell fishing charters, it’s because you need local knowledge of where to catch the fish and you need a trustworthy boat to get you to the correct areas. If you are interested in a halibut charter, you need to book early! Since they are limited to certain dates, charter calendars fill up extremely quick.

 

Salmon Fishing

Newport, Oregon is famous for salmon fishing. There are a number of commercial fisherman that work out of Newport, Oregon and Yaquina Bay. There are two main varieties anglers can expect to catch, the Coho (Silver) and the King (Chinook).

Coho are the smaller of the two varieties of salmon. They are famous for being plentiful and delicious eaters. There are several times per year when they run and give anglers ample opportunities to catch them. When fishing in the Ocean, finding schools can be extremely tricky. Cohos are extremely picky about the water temperature and depth of water. If you can find the perfect combination of these two thing and you will be in the fish! Like most of the other species in Oregon, the ODFW highly regulates these fish so you need to be careful to follow all rules and regulations carefully.

The King salmon are named correctly for their name. These fish grow to epic proportions giving anglers the opportunity to regularly catch fish that are well over 20 pounds and can grow to a staggering 80 pounds. The king salmon state record holder was caught in 1910 and weighed an incredible 83 pounds. These monsters are mostly caught in the fall as they run up river to spawn.

Albacore Tuna Fishing

Tuna fishing off the coat of Newport, Oregon is some of the best in the United States. Albacore Tuna fishing starts heating up in the summer when the water warms and the schools come closer to shore.

Like halibut, your charter captain will have to work to find the fish. A lot of charters will actually book an extra-long 12 hour charter if you are targeting tuna because it is so much work to find them. Once in a known area with fish, captains will skillfully search for sea birds circling and catching schools of bait fish. Once you have found the fish there are a number of different techniques for bringing them in the boat.

One on the line, tuna are an extremely exciting fish to catch. They can hit your line at up to 60 miles per hour, giving you the fight of a lifetime. Since not many charter target these fish, please contact Newport Oregon Fishing Charters and we will “hook” you up with a great charter that specializes in catching these tasty fish.

 

Bottom Fishing

Newport gives great opportunities to catch a variety of bottom fish, also known as rockfish. The best part is that they can be caught relatively close to shore and you have a much better chance of catching these fish than any others. 

Bottom fish are found hanging around the many reefs off the Oregon coast. The most common tactic is to drift the boat over the reefs while anglers jig for fish. The tricky part is staying right on the reef long enough to to catch a decent amount of fish because the reefs are relatively small.

The most common bottom fish you can expect to catch include Lingcod, Cabezon,  and Sea Bass. All three of this fish have delicious, white meat. You guide will happily fillet and bag all the fish caught so you can take it home with you. If you plan on hiring someone to take you fishing for bottom fish, make sure it is a guide or a private charter. You don’t want to be on a crowded boat with 60 other people. Line get tangled, people get sea sick and they lack the personal touch. It’s well worth the extra cash to get a guide.

 

Dungeness Crab Fishing

Catching Dungeness Crab off the Newport coast is extremely fruitful in the colder months between October to March. Most captains will combine Dungeness Crab fishing with bottom fishing charters. At the start of the day, your captain will put out the crab pots and at the end of the day you will harvest the catch.