Posted by Webmaster on Oct 26, 2009 in
Clamming in Oregon Good Morning my fellow clam diggers. The attached revised letter originally dated October 24th is the Clam Diggers Association’s response to the proposed NOAA port facility on Yaquina at Newport. Oregon clam diggers are going to loose access to a large portion of the tidal flats associated with the development of the NOAA port facility in Yaquina Bay. I encourage each of you to read our letter to ODFW and make your opinion known to Doug Cottam, the North Coast Wildlife Biologist for ODFW or Bob Buckman the Central Coast District Fish Biologist. You can count on both Doug Cottam and Bob Buckman to be honest and forthright. You can reach both Doug Cottam and Bob Buckman at: Bay
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Tags: Clamming in Oregon, NOAA, Yaquina Bay
Posted by Ocean Harvester on Oct 23, 2009 in
Fishing,
General,
Ocean Harvest
Record Year Tuna Fishing on the Harvester
This was the best year ever for the Harvester Albacore fishing. We landed 4600 fish in 36 days on the ocean averaging 16lbs each for nearly 47,000 lbs. Pretty incredible for our small boat since last year we only landed 1600 fish for the whole season. What made the difference?
The Weather!
 Short Video of Jumper School |
 Video: Landing Two Albacore |
This July was the clear and calm nearly all month. It was an amazing month with very little wind so it was no problem fishing so we got a lot more days on the Ocean than we did last year and we found the tuna big time. As you get later into the season you have to change your strategy to find the tuna. In the early part of the Summer, when the tuna are moving in they follow the warm currents so you can have a pretty good idea where they will be. They’re here in the summer to put on weight so early on they’re always biting so its just a matter of finding the warm waters and trolling a pattern through it.
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Tags: albacore, commercial, fishing, jumper schools, ocean, Tuna Fishing, video
Posted by Webmaster on Oct 21, 2009 in
Clamming in Oregon The city of Coos Bay’s wastewater treatment plant in Empire exceeded its permitted fecal coliform limits Tuesday
The beach that would be most likely affected is accessible from the parking lot on the west end of Fulton Street near the entrance to the plant. Posted signs will remain in place until bacteria results are within permitted limits. For any questions contact CH2M Hill OMI at 267-3966.
Tags: bacteria, beaches, Clamming in Oregon, wastewater
Posted by Webmaster on Oct 16, 2009 in
Fishing 
John Martin, left, Chad Brunick, center, and Sean Metzger, all of Klamath Falls, boat a fall chinook salmon in Chetco on Sunday. AP Photo
BROOKINGS (AP) — Despite having only a sliver of the Chetco River open to angling this month, John Martin of Klamath Falls does not lament the loss of upstream fishing access.
He drops his anchovy into the estuary between the jetties, then motors his small aluminum boat, already loaded with two friends and three adult Chinook. The fish are all around 30 pounds.
They’re trolling, though, through no more than 200 yards of the Chetco.
“Because this is where the fish are,” Martin says.
Though most of the Chetco remains closed to angling to protect a poor return of wild Chinook to this South Coast stream, anglers are finding they don’t need much space to catch fish eclipsing 50 pounds in an ongoing fishery that is as popular as it is maligned.
Estuary waters west of U.S. Highway 101 are the only part of the Chetco open under a restricted bag limit of one wild Chinook a day and no more than two this season. The low wild fall Chinook return is blamed largely on poor ocean conditions, and is expected throughout Southern Oregon streams.
But anglers are making the best of that one wild Chinook a day, hauling in some of the largest salmon seen here in two decades. Tops so far comes courtesy of Carl Johnson of Brookings, whose 58-pounder caught Sept. 30 unofficially is the largest Chinook caught in the Chetco Bay since the early 1980s.
“That was a gorgeous, gorgeous fish,” Johnson said. “I’ve caught several in that category, but none on the Chetco and not in the estuary.”
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Tags: anchovy, brookings, Chetco, Chinook, fishing, salmon
Posted by Webmaster on Oct 13, 2009 in
General SALEM (AP) — Health officials have reopened Pacific coastal beaches for recreational razor clamming from the south jetty of Yaquina Bay down to the California border.
The state Monday also approved recreational mussel harvesting from Bastendorff Beach near Charleston to the California border.
The Department of Agriculture and Department of Fish and Wildlife says shellfish samples taken last week show levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins have dropped to a safe level. The entire coast had been closed to recreational razor clam and mussel harvest since Sept. 21.
Razor clamming is still closed from the mouth of the Columbia to the north jetty of Yaquina Bay, and mussel harvesting is closed north of Bastendorff Beach.
Tags: Clamming in Oregon, ODFW, Razor clams, toxins
Posted by Webmaster on Oct 12, 2009 in
Crabbing in Oregon REEDSPORT — A handful of boats in Oregon’s crabbing fleet returned to sea last week for one last hurrah.
Their quarries were the derelict pots and buoys left behind this year by commercial crab boats.
During a volunteer effort held nearly seven weeks past the close of the Dungeness season, fishermen focused their attention on crabbing gear trapped near shorelines or otherwise forgotten at sea during the Dec. 1 to Aug. 14 season.
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Tags: clean up, crab gear, NOAA, ocean, recovery
Posted by Webmaster on Oct 8, 2009 in
Crabbing in Oregon,
Fishing Chinook fishing in the Coos River has slowed this past week. But with a forecast of rain and larger tide exchanges, we should see more salmon coming into the river. The wild coho season on the Coos has closed but you may still retain fin-clipped coho.
Chinook fishing in the lower Coquille River has also slowed, but the wild coho season has remained strong with good numbers of fish being caught in the lower river and bay. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates we have taken about 45 percent of our 1,500 wild coho quota. Some fishermen have remarked that wild coho are larger the later we get into the season. The Coquille is also producing some 30-plus pound Chinook, and we still have plenty of jacks in both river systems to keep the fishermen excited.
Salmon fishing on the lower Rogue River in Gold Beach still is producing some Chinook, and there are plenty of fin-clipped coho being caught in the bay.
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Tags: Chinook, fishing, huting, Oregon, recreation, reports
Posted by Webmaster on Oct 6, 2009 in
General The Oregon Department of Agriculture has reopened recreational and commercial clam harvesting in all bays along the entire Oregon Coast, from the mouth of the Columbia River to the California border. However, all recreational and commercial razor clam harvesting along coastal beaches remains closed.
Recreational and commercial razor clam and mussel harvesting will remain prohibited on the entire Oregon coast until paralytic shellfish toxin levels fall within the safe range, a press release said.
Coastal scallops are not affected by this closure when only the adductor muscle is eaten. The consumption of whole recreationally harvested scallops is not recommended. Crab and commercially harvested oysters are not affected by this closure.
Shellfish contaminated with PSP toxins can cause minor to severe illness or even death. The symptoms usually begin with tingling of the mouth and tongue. Severe poisoning can result in dizziness, numbness and tingling in the arms and legs, paralysis of the arms and legs, and paralysis of the muscles used for breathing.
Shellfish contaminated with PSP toxins cannot be destroyed by cooking, by adding baking soda, or by any other method of processing.
Shellfish toxins are produced by algae and usually originate in the ocean. ODA will continue to test for shellfish toxins weekly, as tides permit. Reopening of an area requires two consecutive tests in the safe range.
For information, call ODA’s shellfish safety information hotline at (800) 448-2474, the Food Safety Division at (503) 986-4720 or visit the ODA shellfish closures Web page at http://oregon.gov/ODA/FSD/shellfish_status.shtml.
Tags: clam harvesting, harvesting, mussel, razor, scallops, toxins
Posted by Webmaster on Oct 1, 2009 in
General Local lakes: Fishing for largemouth bass should continue to get better as the days get shorter and water temperatures in area lakes cool down. Look for these fish to become more aggressive in their feeding habits as winter approaches. Fishing top-water baits for aggressive bass can be very productive at this time of year. Trout anglers should remember that the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s final 2009 stocking of trophy-size rainbow trout in Bradley, Empire, Powers and Saunders lakes is scheduled for next week.
On Sept. 18, the Oregon Department of Human Services issued a blue-green algae advisory on Tenmile Lakes. Harmful algae blooms occur when microscopic plants grow quickly in marine or fresh water, using up oxygen and releasing toxins that are dangerous to animals and humans. Because no single agency has the resources or mandate to address the problem, a key goal for harmful algae bloom surveillance is to develop relationships with partners and stakeholders so data can be collected and shared, and coordination of effort can occur. According to employees of Lakeside Marina, small pockets of algae exist on South Lake, with no known algae on North Lake. Cooler temperatures and forecasted rains should help disperse any future algae blooms.
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Tags: Bandon fishing report, Clamming in Oregon, Crabbing in Oregon, Oregon fishing, tony's crab shack
Posted by Webmaster on Oct 1, 2009 in
Fishing 
It’s not often fishermen catch a 48-pound king salmon, and a fish that size usually isn’t reeled in during your first time out.
Mary Price categorized it as beginner’s luck. After being talked into climbing aboard Lisa and Skip Allen’s boat alongside her husband, Dave Price, Mary caught the only fish that day and it just happened to be 461?2 inches long.
“We estimated it took about 25 to 30 minutes to reel in,” Mary said. “The thing put up a fight.”
She caught the monster fish at Rocky Point boat ramp along the Coquille River in late August. It was her first time fishing out on the boat, despite the fact that her husband is an avid fisherman, and just renovated his own boat.
Mary said she’s a “big city girl” at heart, and never got into fishing. In the past, she’s lived near two major cities, Los Angeles and St. Louis, and is still getting used to the outdoors mentality of the Southern Oregon coast.
Mary, who lives in Myrtle Point and is retired, said her husband helped her a little with the catch, but she did most of the work herself. Claiming to be clueless about the world of fishing, Mary said she had no idea how large a fish had to be in order to be considered “big,” and couldn’t tell how heavy the salmon was when she began reeling it in.
“My husband said I was calm,” Mary said. “I guess I was in the moment. I didn’t know what a big fish really was.”
Her friends said the line might have snapped had Dave not tied a knot in it before casting.
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Tags: 48 pound, king salmon, Myrtle Point, Rocky Point
