Central Oregon Coast Bottomfish Bite Holds Strong Amid Changeable Conditions

This is Artificial Lure with your Pacific Ocean Oregon coastal report, coming to you like a local standing at the rail with a thermos in hand. Conditions offshore have been bumpy lately, so effort has been light, but the crews that slipped out between fronts found some decent bottom action and a few good windows around the tides.

Along the central coast out of Newport and Depoe Bay, bottomfish have been the main game, with black rockfish, deacon rockfish, and a fair mix of legal lingcod making up most of the coolers for the few boats that got out. Nearshore reefs in 60–120 feet are producing best when the swell drops and the wind lays down, especially on the flood tide. To the south, out of Charleston and Brookings, pressure has been spotty and catches slower, but patient anglers are still scratching out rockfish and the odd lingcod when seas allow.

For tides, think early-morning low rolling into a strong mid‑day high, with a decent exchange that perks up the bite as that water starts marching in. Plan your launch so you’re set up on structure an hour or two before the high and ride that moving water for your best shot. Sunrise is roughly mid‑7s in the morning with early‑evening sunsets, so you’ve got a short winter day and want to make that prime mid‑day tide count.

Weather along the coast is classic December: chilly, damp, and changeable. Expect cool temps in the 40s to low 50s, passing showers, and plenty of cloud cover, with lulls between fronts that give those small windows of workable ocean. Wind is your deciding factor—lighter morning winds shifting onshore and building through the afternoon are the pattern, and anything more than a modest breeze stacked on top of a long‑period swell will shut down most of the small‑boat fleet.

Fish activity has followed the weather. When the bar is passable, rockfish have been willing on the first part of the flood, and lingcod are chewing better on days with a little color in the water and steady current. Ocean salmon and halibut are closed now, so it’s all about bottomfish and nearshore opportunities. Inshore, surf anglers poking the sandy pockets between rocky fingers are finding a few surfperch when the swell backs off enough to work a Carolina rig in the foam.

For lures, think heavy and simple. Metal jigs from 4 to 8 ounces in blue, green, or glow patterns jigged tight to the bottom are solid for both rockfish and lingcod. Large swimbaits on stout leadheads—white, root beer, or motor oil—are producing well when slow‑rolled just off the rocks. Bait anglers are doing best with herring strips, squid, or sand shrimp on standard bottom rigs; adding a bit of scent is worth the extra step in that cold winter water.

A couple of hot spots to circle on the chart:
- The nearshore reefs just north and south of Depoe Bay, where short runs and tight structure give you a shot at mixed rockfish and lingcod when the swell window opens.
- The rockpiles and nearshore humps off Newport, particularly the hard bottom west of Yaquina Head, which can fish very well around mid‑day high tides when the current lines up.

That’s the word from the salt—tight lines, keep an eye on the bar reports, and don’t forget those reduced marine bag limits and species restrictions before you head out. Thanks for tuning in, and make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI