Charleston saw the largest total volume of albacore landed of any Oregon port this week, according to ODFW’s dock samplers. Bandon boats averaged 10.5 fish a rod, Gold Beach and Winchester Bay five. When the whole south coast is catching tuna at once, the dock in Charleston looks like a different place: pickups backed down the ramp, fish totes everywhere, people who have never seen an albacore up close asking what it is.
The week in numbers
| Charleston | This week | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Albacore | Largest total volume on the coast | ODFW dock sampling; Bandon 10.5 per angler, Winchester Bay 5 |
| Salmon angler trips | 363 | Season high so far; 1,568 for the year against 987 in 2025 |
| Chinook kept | 36 | 301 for the season |
| Coho kept | 95 | 422 for the season |
| Swell, Port Orford buoy | 5.2 ft average, 8.5 ft peak, 12 seconds | Wind 10 knots average, gusts to 26 |
| Water temperature | 54 degrees average, 58.5 peak | Dropped from last week |
Tuna
The volume number tells you how many boats went and how heavy they came back. Charleston has a deep fleet of tuna-capable boats for a port its size, and when the fish are within 40 miles the whole fleet goes. Bandon’s 10.5 per angler is a number you do not see every year; the Coquille boats were sitting on the same water from the south side.
One thing to watch: the water temperature at the buoy averaged 54 degrees this week, down from 57 the week before, even though it peaked at 58.5. That is upwelling. The northwest wind pushes the warm surface water offshore and pulls cold water up along the beach, and the tuna move out with the warm water. Boats this week were running farther than last week to find the blue, and that is the pattern for the next stretch.
Salmon
363 salmon trips out of Charleston in a week is the highest weekly count of the season for this port, and it came with 36 Chinook and 95 coho kept. The season totals are now 1,568 trips, 301 Chinook and 422 coho. For comparison, at this point in 2025 Charleston had 987 trips and four Chinook. The king fishing off Coos Bay this year is as good as anyone here can remember for July.
Coastwide, boats kept 1,985 Chinook and 8,237 coho this week. The fin-clipped coho quota is being eaten quickly and ODFW reviews it every week; when it closes, the fishery stays open for Chinook.
Bottomfish and halibut
Not sampled in Charleston this week with the fleet offshore. Black rockfish and lingcod do not go anywhere in July, and the long-leader rockfish fishery outside 40 fathoms is open for anyone who would rather fill a limit of yellowtail and canary on light gear than run 40 miles for tuna. Four rockfish, three lingcod, two canary within the four.
Halibut: this is the last week of the spring all-depth season. Summer all-depth days begin August 1 and run on the remaining Central Coast quota through October. Nearshore halibut inside 40 fathoms stays open daily.
Crab and clams
Ocean crab is open through October 15, bays year-round. Call the ODA shellfish line at 1-800-448-2474 before clamming.
Ocean and bar
A better week than the last one. Wind averaged 10 knots with a top gust of 26, and the swell, while a little taller at 5.2 feet, came in at a 12-second period, which is a long, rolling swell that a 30-foot boat barely notices. The bar at Coos Bay runs best on that kind of water. Expect the afternoon northwesterly every day in July and plan the return crossing before it builds.
Looking ahead
August 1 opens the summer all-depth halibut days. Tuna should continue, with the fish sitting farther out while the upwelling holds. Coho quota is the number to watch.
Neighbors
Bandon: 10.5 albacore per angler. Winchester Bay: 5 albacore per angler. Gold Beach: 5 albacore per angler. Florence: 0.89 salmon per angler.
How this report is built: catch rates are ODFW Ocean Recreational Boat Survey dock-sample estimates for the week of July 20 to 26, 2026, published July 30. Salmon counts are ODFW’s preliminary weekly estimates through statistical week 30. Ocean conditions are from NOAA buoy 46015 off Port Orford. Season rules are ODFW’s 2026 regulations. Photos are file photos from the Pacific Charter Services archive (2025) and were not taken during the week covered. Compiled by Pacific Charter Services, Charleston, Oregon.