It's on!
Somebody PLEASE catch a 200# fish this year! Good luck everyone!

 

Two fish a day makes it worth it to fish solo!




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It’s always worth it to fish solo. Just for the adrenaline rush

 

Me like!

 

So ready. Unfortunately May is going to be very tough for me to get out unless a perfect weather window hits. June is when I'll really get on it.

 

 

FISH ON!!!!!!!

 

My crop of glowing mutant easter eggs are ready to go.

 

A lot easy too read version. I will pin it to the top also.
You should be able to save this and print.

 

It’s a long ways out but weather is looking really good for the opener 👍

 

Here’s a timing question: do halibut show up in size classes? For example, do larger halibut show up early?

We only get 6, when is the best time to target larger fish? Or is it just a crapshoot?




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Here’s a timing question: do halibut show up in size classes? For example, do larger halibut show up early?

My understanding is that halibut off the Oregon coast are not spawners (ie, they are not migrating in and out of the Strait/Puget Sound like the big girls up north)... they are not migrating so much as they are following food sources. The physical size of fish down here tends to have more do with what type of food is available, and the quantity, which is in turn driven by the habitat.

In my experience, the nearshore fish tend to run larger, but are more scattered. Around the Rockpile it is a crapshoot (some very big fish, some small fish, it just depends). Chicken Ranch = small fish. Thumb and points further south are sometimes dead, sometimes red hot, based on what food is around. When the fish are present, the size tends to run medium to larger.

 

First and foremost it's good to hear talk about targeting bigger fish. Pretty sad to see some of the juvenile fish being kept the last few years. Many kept in the low to mid 20" range. Not much meat on one of those.

To answer your question.
My experience is mid to late summer for the biggest fish. We used to never keep a fish under 42". A few years ago you couldn't hardly find a fish that size do to the abundance of juveniles in the area. A good rule of thumb is 40" or better if ya can hold out.

We have experienced big fish from near shore to 800 to 900ft deep.

The rockpile has structure and feed. It can be a long time between bites at times. It can have some big fish, but you will earn them
Nearshore out from the lighthouse has kicked out big fish.

As mentioned the chicken ranch is known for just that, but last year we got some of our best fish around the ranch. It's a big area. Lots of spots that can hold fish and do.

Big fish are where ya find them, and tend to move together in my experience.

I will try and post a length size chart it is a great tool for seeing the benefits of bigger/longer fish versus there weight/inch.

I have a sticker on the dash of my boat and an app on my phone to look at for reference.

 

Great info Randy. Thanks for the chart. I’ll have the wife laminate and post on the boat.

 

I thought the yield was better than 75%, but that’s still a lot better than a deer or elk.



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Here’s a timing question: do halibut show up in size classes? For example, do larger halibut show up early?

We only get 6, when is the best time to target larger fish? Or is it just a crapshoot?




P

‘I’m a cheap SOB, I was thinking about fuel costs.




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it’s worth it just to not have to babysit. Contact me and I will talk to you about large halibut as I cannot seem to send you a private message for some reason.

 

I sent you a pm a while ago.




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Thanks for the info Randy….. I do find this cart to be off…. We got a 55” from
The lighthouse and it dressed at 39lbs. I’m not that bad at cutting fish🤣

 

I think the chart is showing gutted and gilled as dressed, not filleted?

 

That forecast for the opener is looking pretty fantastic! Be nice Mother Nature

 

It looked good then bad now good again.. 🤞

 

It looked like Thursday and Friday would fish, now it's down to just Thursday, but it looks decent!

 

The wind forecast on Windfinder for Thursday has been increasing again since last night, and big wind wed and fri. I’m not holding my breath…

 

I like multiple day weather windows since I like trailering over for 3-day trips. We’ve done over ‘n back trips, but it really kicks my butt to do single days. I love the 10 minute drives from the campground to the launch ramps and being able to switch up the game plan if Mother Nature has different ideas. Looking forward to seeing the ocean lay down and the fan turning off. I’m so grateful that we’re not forced to fish on Thursday/Friday and Saturdays (like in prior years) and have a 7-day per/week access to the safest weather days! 🍀

 

Thursday still looks fishable offshore but it’s trending worse than it looked yesterday.

 

Yeah the afternoon update went downhill 😢 Still got my fingers crossed

 

The inside still looks pretty good?

 

Ya nearshore looks great

 

This is by far my favorite “official thread” of all the yearly official threads to watch.
commenting to follow.
good luck gents!

 

I've got Thursday and Friday in for vacation, hopefully we'll get to fish at least the opener. Good luck everyone and keep fingers crossed 🤞

 

^ Follow this guy and you'll get into fish.

 

Boat finally got the shakedown trip today. Good thing, too. Had several kinks to iron out with the trailer and boat wiring after a winter full of work on all those things. Should be all ready now.

If only I could get more than the occasional 2 day window to hope for the forecast landing on a day I can go in May. But if it's June when I get the first trip, then so be it.

 

Shoot we didn’t get our first until 6/18 last year. Between work, weather and new (used) motor issues we just couldn’t do it. Better luck this year.

 

Wind finder looks pretty good for the opener. Good luck to all who go. I’m gonna keep my powder dry. Need to get the boat out and make sure everything is a go. Won’t be long though and the Miss D will be charging hard with the rest of the fleet. Hammer on em boys!

 

 

110 fow off Depoe today.....go get em on Thursday!