Fishing near Coos Bay

[mtfisher]

I recently took a summer job in Coos Bay. I am from Montana and do a lot of freshwater trout fishing. I'm wondering what gear i need to bring with me or purchase to fish in the area. I will be in coos bay from mid-may to late-august. Im interested in salmon and surf fishing. I will be living right on the bay. Thanks for your help

 

[jamisonace]

Bi-Mart sells IM8 Berkely Air Rods. I use them with Abu Garcia 5501 and 6501 reels. They are my preferred rods for Salmon and Steelhead. I buy heavy action rods between 7'9" and 8'6" for Salmon and Medium action between 8'6" and 9'6" for Steelhead. It's a fairly inexpesive set up and fishes well.

I work there often and when I'm there without my boat I like to go to the South Jetty just West of Charleston and fish from the rocks for perch and anything else that bites.

 

[mtfisher]

I have a few rods in that range for lake trout fishing. Is there salmon that can be caught from the docks in Coos Bay during the summer months? I have a new Cabo 60Pstd reel. Would that work for surf fishing? Sorry iam a total beginner when it comes to fishing near the ocean. I'm from Montana.

 

[Coastaldweller]

Coos Bay fishing

Coos Bay fishing

In late summer the boardwalk is lined with salmon fishermen. It's not the best place, but you can get lucky there. As far as saltwater fishing goes... The south jetty is tough to fish considering the north wind pounds the s&*@ out of it from this time of year to late fall when the winds switch back out of the south. There are several sheltered coves from Sunset state park to Cape Arago that will yeild limits of: blacks, ling cod, copper rock fish, greenlings and cabezon. Using a slip bobber with herring is a great method. If you fish on the bottom, you will lose a ton of gear and spend more time rigging up than fishing. Trout fishing here is nothing like Montana. Our resident cutties are relatively small, although some of the searun cutties can reach 20+ inches. Let me know if you need more specific info, I'll be glad to help out anyway I can.
Also, the tackle shop in Empire has a very helpful staff. They would be glad to point you in the right direction as well!
Good luck and tight lines!

 

[Tinker]

I only fish for surf perch from the beaches (and hope to stumble onto a Striper someday).

Surf fishing from the beaches isn't the same as fishing from the jetties. From the jetties, you'd expect mostly larger fish than fishing from the beach. Surf perch are a blast to catch, but they weigh about a pound-and-a-half to two pounds. For small fish and light tackle from the beach, any rod that can handle 3 ounces of weight will do. I bought a 9'0" Okuma SST MH salmon spinning rod rated for 1/2 - 2 ounces and it has no problem tossing 4-ounce weights when the surf is up.

Any decent spinning reel rated for 8-12 lb line - the Cabo 40-size - will work. Your Cabo 60 would be fine in the surf, although a bit heavier than you need for fishing off the beach.

You can get longer surf rods, but you don't need them from most of our beaches. We're more steep and deep than the waters those 11- and 12-foot rods are uselful for, and you don't need to cast long distances to reach water holding fish.

Minus line, hooks, weights and miscellaneous, your Cabo and an Okuma SST will give you a very nice, light tackle, beach setup for about $70 that could also work nicely for steelhead.

From the jetties, your Cabo woud still be fine, but you'll need a heavier rod than I use on the beach, and you'll definitely need a stouter rod for salmon. You could get by with the Cabo for salmon, but most will tell you you're a bit under-equipped.

 

[mtfisher]

Thank you guys for all of this information. Sounds like i will need a few different set-ups. I'm excited to get out there and try to catch a few. I think i will set the my Cabo 60 up for fishing off the jetties and salmon, and get a smaller-lighter set up for fishing on the beach. Are most of the rock fish that can be caught from the jetties good eating? Hopefully i can put some fish in the freezer so i don't have to eat trout all next year (they get old after awhile). Thanks again for all of your info.

 

[ol tymer]

HI: Browsing past entries on fishing Coos Bay and found yours. I am moving to Coos Bay sometime in the next month or so, and can't wait to fish the coast and bay, but of course I will need some local knowledge of the area. Any help you could offer on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot. Ol Tymer