Coastal Catchings: Rocking Rockfish and Lingering Lingcod off the Oregon Shore cover art

Coastal Catchings: Rocking Rockfish and Lingering Lingcod off the Oregon Shore

Coastal Catchings: Rocking Rockfish and Lingering Lingcod off the Oregon Shore

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You’re out with Artificial Lure and here’s today’s boots-on-the-ground fishing report for the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast, Friday, October 31, 2025. The sun came up this morning at 7:07 a.m., with sunset set for 5:58 p.m., giving you an eleven-hour window for action. Tidal swings are in full effect: expect a high tide at 6:39 a.m. around 5.6 feet, dropping to a low just after noon at 3.6 feet, then rising again to a solid 5.7 feet by dinner time according to Tide-Forecast.com. Fish will move with that water, so plan your trips into the bays or estuaries around those changes; the best bite often brackets the slack tides. Weatherwise, Tillamook County Pioneer predicts patchy clouds and light offshore breeze to start the day, with increasing chance of showers into the evening. There’s a light chop but early hours are fishable, and ocean conditions could turn up by late afternoon. Rain gear is wise if you’re hanging past lunch, and check those ocean bar reports if you’re heading out from ports like Garibaldi, Newport, or Charleston. The fall bottomfish bite is hanging strong. Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife notes Garibaldi and Newport anglers are still bringing in near-limits of mostly black and deacon rockfish, along with a fair showing of yellowtail. Lingcod action has been on the slower side, averaging just under half a fish per rod at Garibaldi and Newport, but warms up if you move south—Charleston is reporting close to three-quarters of a lingcod per angler. For best results, fish those rocky reefs or jetties during the flooding tide. Lingcod are notoriously territorial and won’t move far, even on overcast days. Best lures right now: paddle-tail swimbaits in white or root beer, bounced off the rocks on a 2- to 4-ounce jig head. Soft plastics resembling herring or octopus work wonders. If you’re fishing from shore, a dropper rig with sand shrimp is a classic winner for rockfish and surfperch, while those chasing after lingcod swear by oversize curly tails or big iron jigs. Salmon season is winding down fast. ODFW has closed coho ocean-wide south of Cape Falcon, but kings (Chinook) are still fair game—one a day, shoreward of the 40-fathom line, through today only. The bites have been slow but steady at the mouths of the major rivers—drift cut plug herring or spinners with lots of flash for your best shot at hooking up before the curtain drops at midnight. Halibut season also bows out today. The Newport docks logged about 0.1 fish per angler this past week—sparse landings due to recent rough ocean, but if you’re after a Pacific barn door, you’ve got a fighting chance if you sneak out on the early tide. In the surf, both striped and redtail surfperch are hunting up and down the beaches. Toss out a sand shrimp or gulp sandworm near the bottom and you should tangle with a few slabs—Horsefall Beach and the north jetty at Tillamook Head get rave reviews. Remember: smaller swells make for both safer and more productive perch fishing. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.
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