Hi Japeter2,
I'm doing the very same thing this weekend in Charleston. I poured over the marine regs too looking for that answer. As near as I can tell there are only a couple areas closed. Whale Cove and Pyrimid Rock (where ever that is).
I printed off the following information from Depoe Bay Dan's posts:
Maybe this will answer a few questions for some of you. This is an article I wrote last year and Rick from Local Fisherman News did an excellent job editing it for me.
I originally posted this on 2/12/03
http://www.ifish.net/cgi-local/ultim...c;f=1;t=021001 and there are a couple good lingcod pic's there taken off the Depoe Bay rocks. I'll see if I can find the post I did for the Tillamook gig.
Rock fishing Tips & How To
Rock fishing for Sea bass (Black Rockfish), Lingcod, Sea trout (Kelp Greenling), Cabezon, and Striped Sea perch is often fun and productive along Oregon’s rugged coast!
The rocky "outcroppings" in the Depoe Bay area are the best on the coast! "That's why I moved here some 10 years ago"! Said Dan Dettmann a longtime coastal angler and owner of Simon & Peters Tackle Co. in Depoe Bay.
The jetties can be good, but usually produce smaller fish! Although, at night the jetties will be more productive for larger fish! There is a big advantage of fishing the rocky area's in the Depoe Bay area, etc., "'because these area's aren't as affected by the tides like the jetty's are"! For example, in the Depoe Bay area, you can fish any tide! (Some areas are more accessible at low tide). The jetties are affected by the "tidal exchange"! (The amount of water rushing in or out!) Large "tidal exchanges" are normally not good off the jetties because of the excessive amounts of water flowing into or out of the Bay! (Therefore, you are limited to fishing the "slack"!) Slack tides (high or low) are normally the best times to catch rockfish off the Jetties!
Best times to fish - Anytime is a good time on the rocks! However, low tide is the only time you can access some areas that are hot for rockfish. “But, the unique thing about fishing Depoe Bay is that you can fish any tide”!
Dan says “In the Depoe Bay area, some places are best during high tides and/or low tides. And sometimes it's better during daylight hours, and sometimes it's best at night! The best and for the most part, safest time to fish from the rocks is during a 6' swell or less! As for surf fishing for Redtail's off the beach, the same hold's true, 6' swell or less! Some of the local TV stations and web sites show ocean swells and wind waves, i.e. ... One site is at;
www.wunderground.com/MAR/PZ/255.html.”
Clothing and shoes - Raingear is a must, even during spring and summer months as coastal anglers will at times encounter unfavorable weather. Therefore, it’s always a good habit to take along the raingear on any coastal trip. It can make the difference between a cold miserable fishing trip and a warm and dry one.
Good waterproof boots are recommended but not required. Dettmann recommends footwear like “Extratuff's” available at Englund Marine on the coast. “They keep your feet dry and comfortable and provide the best traction of any boot I’ve ever experienced!” He says.
Tackle and gear - Typical gear includes; a quality 15 to 25 pound mainline for those throwing jigs, 20-30 pound line is best for those tossing bait! Anglers fishing for striped sea perch, sea trout (kelp greenling), and small lingcod/cabezon, can use sand shrimp (ghost shrimp) for bait, where as Angler's fishing for the larger Lingcod use herring for bait. Other bait's like; clams, mussels, kelp worm's, etc. can also be used, but sand shrimp is commonly available and usually very effective! Bait is typically fished above a sinker on the bottom. One to two hooks are used above the weight. Smaller #2 and #4 hooks for the perch and greenling, and larger 3/0 to 5/0 hooks for the bigger species like lingcod & cabezon.
Sea bass (Black Rockfish) usually prefer bait that’s moving and will typically take jigs a lot better than bait! The jigs of choice are Simon Peters “Sea bass Killers” or small jig's utilizing a 3" Shad or a 3-6" curl tail worm. Jig head sizes range from 1/2 oz. to 1 ounce.
“For lingcod, the 'bigger the better"! Off the rock's, an 8" curl tail worm is best! Motor oil or white, are two of the most effective colors!” says Dettmann. Use jig heads of 1 oz. to 2 ounces in weight with 1 1/2 ounce being my preference!
As far as shad jig’s for sea bass, the pearl blue/black back is the most popular color. However, pearl/black back, pearl, clear glitter/black back, chartreuse/black back, pearl/blue back, and pearl/green back are the favored colors! Some angler's prefer the larger 4" Chovy minnow in the same colors!
Weights: “Anglers typically use 1-2 oz. bank sinkers on the jetties. Bank sinkers don't grab the rock's as easy as pyramid's which are designed to hold in the surf/sand!” Dan says.
However, over the years I have witnessed some anglers using lighter weights like slinkies or split-shot which at times have been real successful (drifting the jetties - so to speak). Some of the more serious angler's fishing open ocean, especially during rough swells, use 3-5 ounce weights!
Rod: An 8 to 9-foot medium duty one or two-piece spinning or casting rod capable of casting up to 4 ounces of lead will do the job nicely. If you use excessively heavy equipment you’ll wind up tiring yourself out.
Most anglers use an 8 1/2 foot steelhead/salmon rod, which typically increases casting distance.
Most anglers also bring along a bucket or burlap bag to carry home their catch.
See Sport Fishing Regulations for bag limits, special rules and fish identification.
Information for this article provided by Dan Dettmann, Simon Peters Tackle Company. Edited by Rick L Martin, The Local Fisherman
And.....
Here's part of a reply I posted on the Tillamook jetty gig thread and is more aimed at fishing the jetty but most of it is adapted for fishing the rocks (open ocean) in the Depoe Bay area and other various areas along the coast.
I'm done for the night but as I said if anyone wants to give her a try Friday night or Saturday and/or Sunday just post it or email me. I will have more time to respond and post some pic's Thursday after returning to Depoe Bay.
Fish_N_Russ,
On the jetty a 8'-9' medium to heavy rod in a spinning or casting works well (whatever you're comfortable casting). 15# - 20# line is most common.
TERMINAL TACKLE:
For seabass (Black's) small jig's work best but ocassionally bait works also. 1/2oz., 3/4oz., and 1oz. jig heads would be your best bets. I prefer the shorter shank (3/0) jig head with a 3" shad body on it. A 4" curl tail grub (worm) works well also.
Some folks like the longer shank hook (5/0) in a 3/4oz., 1oz., 1&1/2oz., or 2oz. jig head.
With those you would use a 6" curl tail grub
(worm), or a 4" shad, cocahoe, or chovy minnow. Some folks like to use a 4" twin tail shrimp on the longer shank (5/0) jig head also, but not my preferance.
If specifically targeting Lingcod (2 fish limit this year), an 8" curl tail grub (worm) or 6" shad/cocahoe minnow works better. But they will grab the smaller bass stuff.
Colors:
In the shads, cocahoes, or chovy minnows, some of the best colors are the blue pearl/ black back, pearl/black back, pearl/blue back, pearl/green back, pearl, clear glitter/black back, clear glitter/blue back, chartreuese glitter/black back.
In a curl tail grub (worm), the two best colors are white and motor oil. Black, flo orange, root beer, black and other colors work also.
Bait fishing:
You can really improvise there.
If you are fishing smaller species like seatrout (kelp greenling), or pearch, smaller hooks in a size 2 or 4 are best. I normally use a surf leader which you can buy or make your own. A surf leader comes with a barrel swivel at one end to tie to your mainline,and a snap swivel at the other to attach your weight. It has 2 loops in between to hook your snelled hooks to.
Some folks make there own version with a three way or crossline swivel to tie there dropper line and hook & leader too.
For the jetty, 1oz., 1&1/2oz., or 2oz. bank sinkers should be adequit.
For the folks targeting Lingcod or Cabezon (new 16" minimum size on Cabbies), you are probably better off tying your own leader set-up and using 20lb.+ test and 3/0-5/0 hooks.
Bait:
For the little guys I would have to say sandshrimp works best. Other baits; clams, mussels, kelp worms, squid, etc. work at times also. (Kelp worms are great, if you can get them).
For Lingcod, the best bait is Herring or a small seatrout that you catch.
The largest Barview Ling that I have caught (11#'s.) was caught on squid. Good bait also.
Bobber fishing is also an effective way of catching Ling's and big bass.
The guy's bobber fishing Salmon at the Columbia river jetty (Ilwaco) catch a lot of nice rockfish.
If you choose to fish the beach (sand) for redtail surfpearch (i.e. pogies, pink fins), the surf leader set-up I mentioned above with #2 or #4 snelled hooks does the job. Some folks use the expensive "safety pin" hooks.
You would use a 3oz. pyramid or sand claw sinker there. Some times 2oz. or 4oz.
A longer rod in the 11' or 12' works well, but not necessary.
I usually use my Salmon/Steelhead rods (8'6") for both the jetties or sandy beaches.
Best time for blacks off the jetties is usually after dark, or at dusk or dawn combined with a slack tide, but can be excellent at any time of day. Ling fishing is best during the daytime.
I don't bother with a lantern at night, but just a small pocket flashlight for retying or moving around. I usually carry two in case the batteries or bulb go bad in one of them.
Needle nose pliers come in handy for many task (removing hooks, retying, etc).
A burlap bag works best for me, but other methods for storing your fish work also. Burlap bags don't fall over or off the rocks as easily as a bucket.
If you have a shrimp gun, you can save a few bucks by pumping your own bait.
Great fun for the kids catching seatrout & pearch from the rocks and beach.
Boots or shoes with good traction work better than most tennis shoes. Extra Tuffs are the best I've used.
Marine Shorefishing questions.
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