This was the week of the season. The non-selective coho season opened Tuesday, September 1, and Charleston boats made 796 salmon trips in seven days, the most of any week this year by a wide margin, and kept 732 coho and 22 Chinook. At the same time the warm water came back and the tuna came with it: seven albacore per angler for the Charleston boats that ran offshore, up from 0.08 the week before. Coastwide, the fleet kept 12,983 coho in the first six days, and by Wednesday, September 9, ODFW estimated 69 percent of the 25,700-fish quota was gone.
The week in numbers
| Charleston | This week | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Albacore per angler | 7.0 | Up from 0.08 the week before |
| Salmon angler trips | 796 | Season high; 3,562 for the year |
| Chinook kept | 22 | 373 for the season |
| Coho kept | 732 | 1,396 for the season; 12,983 coastwide this week |
| Swell, Port Orford buoy | 6.5 ft average, 11.8 ft peak, 10 seconds | One gust to 41 knots; Umpqua buoy peaked at 14.4 ft |
| Water temperature | 57 to 59.5 degrees | Tuna water again |
Salmon
Opening week of a non-selective coho season on the south coast is a bay full of boats before daylight, and this year the fish were there to meet them. 732 coho out of Charleston in a week is more than the port kept in the entire clipped-coho summer season. Winchester Bay boats kept 2,885. The Chinook stayed in the mix at 22 for the week. The season totals for Charleston now read 3,562 trips, 373 Chinook and 1,396 coho; last year at this point the port had 47 Chinook and 2,467 coho.
The quota math is the thing to understand. 25,700 coho for the whole area from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain, 17,705 caught by September 9. ODFW’s September 10 action notice said the quota would be exceeded by the scheduled September 30 end date at this pace and that in-season closure was coming. Fish it while it is open.
Tuna
Seven a rod. The buoy water temperature climbed back to 57 at Port Orford and 58 at the Umpqua with peaks near 60, and the albacore moved back inside the range of a day trip. September tuna are often the best of the year: bigger fish, calmer afternoons when the fronts stay away, and fewer boats because everyone is thinking about salmon. This week had both. Brookings boats were on them too.
Bottomfish and halibut
Not sampled in Charleston this week; nobody was bottomfishing with coho open and tuna at seven a rod. The reefs will be there. Summer all-depth halibut continues on quota, two a day, through October 31 at the latest.
Crab and clams
Ocean crab open through October 15. ODA shellfish line: 1-800-448-2474.
Ocean and bar
A big-water week wrapped around a few perfect days. One front came through with a 41-knot gust at Port Orford and a 14.4-foot peak at the Umpqua buoy; the weekly average swell was 6.5 feet at a 10-second period. The boats that made the 796 salmon trips picked their days, and the days they picked were good ones. On the big days the Coos Bay bar was no place for a small boat on the ebb.
Looking ahead
ODFW will act on the coho quota within days. Expect a closure announcement for mid-September, possibly with one-day reopenings if a little quota is left. Tuna should hold while the water stays warm. Chinook runs to October 31 regardless.
Neighbors
Winchester Bay: 1.23 salmon per angler and 2,885 coho kept. Florence: 1.71 salmon per angler. Bandon: 0.80 salmon per angler.
How this report is built: catch rates are ODFW Ocean Recreational Boat Survey dock-sample estimates for the week of August 31 to September 6, 2026, published September 10. Salmon counts are ODFW’s preliminary weekly estimates through statistical week 36. Quota figures from ODFW’s September 10 action notice. Ocean conditions from NOAA buoys 46015 off Port Orford and 46229 off the Umpqua. Photos are file photos from the Pacific Charter Services archive (2018) and were not taken during the week covered. Compiled by Pacific Charter Services, Charleston, Oregon.