Oregon Vs California, input please

[Scotthmt]

Looking for input from people who have fished california and oregon. I have been fishing california for a few years and it seems we are in a downswing of things, coupled with chopped down seasons, an ever increasing cost of living, and ridiculous liberal bs. I am exploring my options to keep fishing, I am hearing oregon may be a better option than what we have going down here. I can get housing for 1/2 the price there for double what I have here, the cost of living is much lower. I am wondering what the salmon fishing is like. I have looked at the season schedule and it appears north of blanco there are a lot of days to fish, though I have heard that weather is a factor. I fish a small power troller that is only 25', it is set to trip fish for 3-4 days and holds 800# of fish properly slushed. So I have to pick my days, even down here. Permit prices seem reasonable for oregon, and I hear south of blanco the weather is much better, although according to the season schedule there are very limited days to fish in that region. If anyone has some input, other than quit and get a land job, id really appreciate it.

[Lulu]

I've spent a lot of time considering the same question. The issues are OR's kings are, for the most part, CA born and raised. So, restrictions in CA on the Klamath or Sac are felt in OR. There are seasons when OR wacks em, but that is not the norm. And, your second consideration, a good deal of OR's salmon are offshore fishing 60-80 F of wire and drifting at night. Doesn't sound like you have the equipment to do a stick and stay which is the only way to make money

Best bet is have licenses for both states and move with the fish. If you want a less expensive place to live and stay in CA, move to Ft. Bragg area. Coos Bay and Newport are wonderful communities. You can't go wrong unless you need sunshine in the winter

[Scotthmt]

Thanks John, I'll likely pick up an Oregon license. Best bet would be to move out of the Bay Area and go north a bit. I sure wouldn't mind be closer to bodega bay.

And fishing that deep on such a small boat isn't doable, I might be able to bounce the bottom in 50fa, before the weird currents start, but I know if I try and put out that much wire in the 60+ I'm asking to spin some wires together. I have never tried drifting either with the amount of anchorages we have in CA.

[lassie]

I live and fish a 40 footer out of Coos Bay (Charleston) and happen to be asking the same kind of question. Mine is more like - should I sell and go to school, hope I can catch enough Tuna, or purchase an Alaska trolling or perhaps Oregon crab permit? The salmon fishery here looks pretty bleak. I dont know the exact percentage, but yes - probably 98% of southern Oregon troll caught kings are from California waters. That's not just guess work either - but based on my yearly tag data. As for the weather, below Cape Blanco is terrible. It seems to almost always be 10+ knots stronger than Coos Bay - which is frequently called a blowhole as well - frequently 5+ kts worse than Newport and farther North. Right now I'm trying to stay home, but its looking as if better tuna fishing is going to be Newport and up, in addition to being able to get out more frequently up there. The last couple years have seen lots of trolling done between 55 and 70 fa and my best trip last year was during 9' of wind wave alone. Unless you're kind of doing like the dory guys up here (take down mast/poles/trailerable to the hot bite) I can't see a 25 footer really making much - and that's assuming we're allowed to try.

[GaribaldiFisher]

I recently picked up a Oregon troll permit and transferred it to my 24 foot trailer boat. My plan is to fish more like a dory, some fixed rod an reels in nearshore "bubble" areas. I have done very well sport fishing in these areas in the years past. I am also trying to figure a way to run a couple of spreads on each of my electric down riggers. I think small boat fishing could really work and I am going to give it a serious try for a couple years. I have no prior commercial salmon trolling experience and could really use some help getting some questions on gear deployment ideas and ways I can adapt some commercial gear to my boat and fishing style. If anyone has a few minutes to answer some general questions to help get a newbie up and running I would be grateful and I am happy to share anything I know about Oregon fisheries. Thanks and good luck!

[Scotthmt]

If you aren't relying on catching fish to pay your bills go ahead have a blast fishing rod and reel. If you really want to catch fish get rid of all that junk and copy the other guys, don't try to reinvent the wheel, many have tried in the past, just copy the guys who are successful. And downriggers for gurdies and running multiple spreads will not work. Sorry to be bling only speaking the truth.

[Once and Future]

I think the reason gurdies exist is because you can't run a heavy enough cannonball on a downrigger for multiple spreads. If the stainless wire isn't running down close to vertical, you have no idea what your depth is. And if you want to run full size flashers, the drag is even greater.

On top of that, consider tangling in turns when your gear is too close together. Vertical wires maintain separation.

I hear some guys do OK in Alaska with rods in winter when the value is high. They have productive days, anyway. Don't know if there are enough good days for it to accumulate, though.

[Big Chinook]

One thing Oregon has if you have a commercial Troll permit is that your allowed to take halibut, black cod and lingcod. For halibut it is based off the size of boat and if you have like a 48' boat I think it is like 5800# of halibut. There are set dates for this. Black cod you can get 2000-3000 lbs. and lingcod like 2000 lbs. every two months. Just a thought but no IFQ type thing needed. All adds up.

[GaribaldiFisher]

If you aren't relying on catching fish to pay your bills go ahead have a blast fishing rod and reel. If you really want to catch fish get rid of all that junk and copy the other guys, don't try to reinvent the wheel, many have tried in the past, just copy the guys who are successful. And downriggers for gurdies and running multiple spreads will not work. Sorry to be bling only speaking the truth.

Thanks for in the input. I would like to copy the other guys however it is just not practical right now for me. I do have a old set of hand gurdies in good condition if I could find a rigid enough spot to mount the davits I could use them. From what I know of past seasons Oregon allows something like 4 spreads per wire and 4 wires total. Can a hand gurdie fish 4 spreads? I am not relying on fish to pay my bills (won't complain if they do) I would like to be successful enough to scratch up some fun money and pay off my boat faster or take a trip somewhere. I can fish 3 days a week and I have 3 weeks of vacation to use. I have a slip that is a 2 minute walk from my house and I can trailer my boat if I need to be more mobile. Mostly I just want to have some fun and enjoy my time off doing something I enjoy. Thanks again and I welcome any input good or bad.