The last week of August was flat calm and nearly empty. The Port Orford buoy averaged four feet of swell and ten knots of wind, the kind of week that would have filled the tuna grounds in July, but the Charleston boats that ran offshore averaged 0.08 albacore per angler, which is to say one fish for every dozen people. Salmon trips fell to 89 for the week with nine Chinook kept and no coho, because coho has been closed since August 18. The news is the reopening: the non-selective coho season from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain opened September 1, no fin-clip requirement, on a quota ODFW set at 25,700 fish.
The week in numbers
| Charleston | This week | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Albacore per angler | 0.08 | Winchester Bay 0.43 |
| Salmon angler trips | 89 | 2,766 for the season against 2,321 in 2025 |
| Chinook kept | 9 | 351 for the season; 7 at this point last year |
| Coho kept | 0 | Closed August 18; season at 664 |
| Swell, Port Orford buoy | 4.0 ft average, 6.9 ft peak, 9 seconds | Wind 10 knots average, gusts to 26 |
| Water temperature | 55.5 degrees at Port Orford, 59.3 at the Umpqua buoy | Warming from the north |
Salmon
The non-selective coho opener on September 1 is the event of the month for the south coast. Any coho, clipped or wild, counts toward the two-salmon daily bag, and Chinook continues alongside it with the 24-inch minimum. ODFW started the season on 27,500 fish and trimmed the quota to 25,700 to account for an overage in the summer clipped-coho fishery. The agency reviews the catch every week and this one will go quickly if the fish are there; Charleston boats kept 153 coho in a single week in late July when the bite was on.
For the record, the week of August 24 was the quietest salmon week of the summer out of Charleston: 89 trips, nine Chinook. The season total of 351 Chinook is still fifty times last year’s seven.
Tuna
Nothing to report except that boats went and did not find them. The buoy off the Umpqua read 59.3 degrees while Port Orford read 55.5, which says the warm water was north of us and offshore. Winchester Bay boats did a little better at 0.43 per angler, which is still not a tuna trip. The season is not over; September often brings a second push when the wind quits for good. But this week was not it.
Bottomfish
Calm water and no tuna means the reefs. Black rockfish off Cape Arago and the Simpson Reef area are a four-fish limit most days in late August, lingcod take some looking, and the long-leader grounds outside 40 fathoms give up yellowtail and canary for anyone who wants bigger fish on light gear. Four rockfish, three lingcod, canary two within the four, descending device on board, cabezon one per day.
Halibut
Summer all-depth days continue on the remaining Central Coast quota, two a day. ODFW’s halibut table was updated September 4 through August 30 and the summer season is nowhere near its quota, so expect it to run to October 31.
Crab and clams
Ocean crab open through October 15. Flat water is crab water; the pots outside the bar are the easiest limit of the week. ODA shellfish line: 1-800-448-2474.
Ocean and bar
The best bar week of the summer. Four feet of swell at nine seconds, ten knots of wind, a peak day under seven feet. Every boat that wanted to fish, fished.
Looking ahead
Coho is open again as of September 1. Watch ODFW’s weekly quota update; the first two weeks will tell whether this runs into October or closes mid-September. Watch the buoy water temperature for the tuna.
Neighbors
Winchester Bay: 0.43 albacore per angler. Tillamook Bay, to the north, is starting to see its first fall Chinook in the bay.
How this report is built: catch rates are ODFW Ocean Recreational Boat Survey dock-sample estimates for the week of August 24 to 30, 2026, published September 3. The week of August 17 to 23 was not captured in our records. Salmon counts are ODFW’s preliminary weekly estimates through statistical week 35. Ocean conditions are from NOAA buoys 46015 off Port Orford and 46229 off the Umpqua. Coho quota from ODFW’s September 4 action notice. Photos are file photos from the Pacific Charter Services archive (2023) and were not taken during the week covered. Compiled by Pacific Charter Services, Charleston, Oregon.