"Late-Summer Fishing on Oregon's Pacific Coast: Rockfish, Halibut, and Tuna Opportunities"

Warm August wind greets anglers up and down the Oregon coast today, Friday, August 15th, and our stretch of Pacific Ocean is primed for a classic late-summer day on the water. Sunrise at 6:24 a.m. paints the rocks gold, and sunset will draw down around 8:18 p.m., leaving plenty of time for dedicated fishing and a little salt in your beard.

Tide swings are friendly to both early risers and the post-lunch crowd, with a 5.54 ft high tide in Pacific City at 5:51 a.m. and another in the afternoon that peaks around 5:42 p.m. according to the Pacific City tide calendar and the tide forecast for Nestucca Bay. Brookings, down south, is seeing a similar set with high tides early and mid-afternoon. Fish activity is typically strongest near these tide turns, especially the morning flood and the afternoon ebb—prime setup for both bottomfish and surf pursuits.

Weather’s kicked into that summer classic: mild to warm and mostly stable, making for good boat launches and plenty of folks out trolling and jigging. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s recent marine report, most estuary and nearshore boats are finding a reliable pick of rockfish, with black and blue varieties leading the way. A few canary rockfish are in the mix, but remember, the one-fish sub-bag limit for canary rock is in effect statewide this year. Lingcod action is a touch slower inside the bays but remains decent on deeper reefs and rocky points if you’re persistent—look for those big boulders on your bottom finder.

August is also the heart of the all-depth Pacific halibut season for the Central and Southern Oregon Coast. Participation’s tapered off a tad, but halibut catches actually jumped this past week, especially around the 55-line and off Newport and Coos Bay. Slow-drifting large herring or squid on the bottom remains king, but don’t ignore white curly-tail grubs or glow jig heads when the sun gets high.

Salmon-wise, the mark-selective coho season is open from Cape Falcon down to the California border, with over 70% of the fin-clipped coho quota met by August 10. Chinook’s off-limits in this southern stretch, so check your regs before launching. Offshore, a promising weather window is opening for tuna—according to Reel Steel Sport Fishing, warm water is nudging north and may set up solid albacore action for boats heading out tomorrow. Trolling Rapala Sarda lures or Bonita-style lures with fluorocarbon leaders is highly recommended for speedy chasers; use bright colors if the sun is shining hard.

Look for hot spots at:
- **Coos Bay jetty and North Spit**: solid for rockfish and an occasional keeper ling on swimbaits or jigs with chartreuse twister trailers.
- **Cape Blanco reefs**: best for halibut and bigger lings, especially at first light.
- **Tillamook Bay mouth**: good for sea-run cutthroat and a few late surf perch on sand shrimp.

On the bays, live sand shrimp and small anchovies work wonders for rockfish or surfperch, while plastics in rootbeer or motor oil colors see the most action for ling and kelp greenling. Offshore, stick to trolling cedar plugs or flashy Rapalas for tuna when the weather settles.

That's the scoop for Oregon’s Pacific bite this August 15th. Thanks for tuning in to your local report from Artificial Lure—don’t forget to subscribe for fresh updates, and tight lines out there!

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