Fishing Winchester Bay Oregon: A Fisherman’s Guide
Fishing Winchester Bay was one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time. As a guy who lives for early mornings on the water and the chance to bring home something worth filleting, this coastal town had everything I wanted. From the freshwater of the Umpqua River to the saltwater of the Pacific, I found variety, action, and plenty of good local knowledge to lean on.
I started my trip chasing salmon in the bay and lower Umpqua. Around late summer into fall, you’ve got Chinook and Coho running thick through the system. I rigged up a medium-heavy trolling rod, spooled with 30-pound braid and a 25-pound mono leader. I ran a flasher and a cut-plug herring, trolling slow along the outgoing tide. Some mornings I fished with downriggers to get deep, especially near the jetties. That’s where I hooked a solid 15-pound Coho that went airborne twice before I got him in the net. Good fight, clean meat, and worth the time.
After the tide changed, I moved closer to the rocks and fished for lingcod and rockfish. I brought out a heavy-action jigging rod with 50-pound braid and dropped big leadhead jigs tipped with swimbaits straight to the bottom. The rockfish were hitting hard, and I pulled up two good-size blacks before the lingcod came in. One of them nailed my jig just off the rocks, a mean 27-incher with a mouth full of attitude. If you like bottom fishing, this is the spot.
On one calm day, I made a run outside the bay into deeper water, hoping for halibut. I dropped a heavy rig with a 10-ounce sinker and circle hook baited with squid. I felt the take on the second drift and fought in a nice keeper, probably around 20 pounds. I missed a second one on the way up. That’s halibut fishing for you—heavy gear, deep drops, but worth the haul if you can find them.
When the wind picked up and I couldn’t run out to the ocean, I focused on the estuary. That’s where I had a surprise run-in with a white sturgeon. I was set up with 65-pound braid, a heavy rod, and some sand shrimp. Thing took the bait and bent the rod in half. After about 20 minutes, he spit the hook, but it was the kind of battle that reminds you why you fish. I also had luck with striped bass and smallmouths further up the river using spinnerbaits and live shad. And along the shoreline, the surf perch were biting like crazy. All I needed was a small spinning setup and some shrimp on a jig head.
I ended most evenings with a cold beer and a crab pot. Winchester Bay is known for Dungeness, and they’re everywhere. I dropped my pots off the dock at Windy Cove, baited with chicken backs or fish carcasses. Within two hours, I was pulling up full pots. As long as you follow the rules—males only, 5.75 inches across the shell—you’ll eat like a king.
Now, about the local spots. If you’re looking for bait and gear, hit Stockade Market & Tackle. They’ve got licenses, bait, tackle, crab rings, ice—everything you forgot to pack. Winchester Bay Market & Deli is another good one for bait and snacks. Pelican Market also has solid tackle and marine supplies. You won’t go without around here.
As for charters, I checked out a few. Lucky Me Charters is top-notch—Captain Roy knows the water like the back of his hand and offers trips for salmon, halibut, tuna, bottom fish, and crab. Winchester Bay Charters is another local operation with a good reputation. For quick and affordable crabbing trips, Apocalypse Guide Service out of Mallard Bay runs some fun outings with everything you need. Bottom line, if you’re heading to Winchester Bay, come prepared with a mix of rods and rigs. You’ll be moving from river to ocean to estuary, and every part has its own action. You can fish for salmon at sunrise, rockfish and lingcod mid-morning, halibut offshore if it’s calm, sturgeon in the afternoon, and crab at sunset. That’s a full plate, and that’s the way I like it.