Most anglers talk about dates—late April, May, early June—and sure, that’s roughly when spring Chinook show up. But the calendar doesn’t catch fish. Conditions do.

Spring on the Oregon Coast… damn… the wind has teeth, the water’s icy cold and the ocean doesn’t hand out favors. But if you’re willing to deal with it, this is when the real prize shows up—Pacific halibut. Big, flat, yummy stubborn fish that hit like a freight train. If you don't mind early mornings, heavy gear and patience go and snag you one of these giants.

Winter’s chaos starts to settle—at least enough to fish safely—and greenling move into accessible water. They’re feeding hard after colder months, and bait is everywhere: small crabs, shrimp, mussels, and anything getting knocked loose in the surge.

Each spring and early summer, the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) releases thousands of hatchery-raised trout into lakes, ponds, and other public waters across Oregon — including in the famed Southern Oregon Coast zone. These stockings create excellent opportunities for family fishing trips, weekend outings, and trophy trout hunts. Trout stocking schedules are published online and list the week a waterbody is expected to be stocked (the week starting on Monday), not exact days.