Coos Bay Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Coos Bay: ODFW calls it Oregon's largest bay, with salmon seasons in the estuary and gaper and butter clam beds across the lower bay.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
High 11:13 PM
Air / High
58 / 58 F
Wind
N 10 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 9432780, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Coos Bay is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 10 mph, steady pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 58. Tides: high 10:48 AM and 11:13 PM, low 4:24 AM and 5:07 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 53 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:56 AM-11:56 AM and 10:26 PM-12:26 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rockfish (Pacific)Good

Much of the open season along the coast falls in this band. Fish through suspended schools of black, blue and other midwater rockfish, and closer to the rocks for vermilion, copper and China rockfish.

Chinook salmonSlow

Runs enter the rivers: drift roe or sand shrimp through travel lanes, plunk a wrapped plug, or float eggs in eddies and tidewater.

Tomorrow: Similar at 58 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Oregon requires a fishing licence from age 12, from $50.00 for residents. What a Oregon licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing chinook salmon here? Check the size and bag limits with ODFW before you keep anything. The season dates for Oregon, read off the agency, are on the Oregon seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 9432780 (Charleston, Coos Bay). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
LOW4:24 AM1.4 ft
HIGH10:48 AM7.5 ft
LOW5:07 PM1.1 ft
HIGH11:13 PM6.7 ft
Sat
LOW5:01 AM1.6 ft
HIGH11:18 AM8.0 ft
LOW5:47 PM0.2 ft

Coos Bay tide chart: the week and the month β†’

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp58 F
High / Low58 / 42 F
WindN 10-16 mph
Pressure1026.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain6% cloud, 3%
Sunrise / Sunset07:41 / 18:21
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~53 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Coos Bay this week

The best day on Coos Bay this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:56 AM-11:56 AM and 10:26 PM-12:26 AM
Minor period
4:22 AM-5:22 AM
Sun
07:41 to 18:21
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 12 mph
Rain chance
3%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Coos Bay: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Chinook salmon illustration

Chinook salmon

Seasons follow the runs: spring, summer and fall runs on the West Coast, and late summer into fall in Great Lakes rivers

The largest Pacific salmon, caught by trolling and mooching at sea and by drifting and plunking in rivers as adults return to spawn; also stocked in the Great Lakes. Runs enter the rivers: drift roe or sand shrimp through travel lanes, plunk a wrapped plug, or float eggs in eddies and tidewater.

Rockfish (Pacific) illustration

Rockfish (Pacific)

Seasons and depth limits vary by state and zone

Pacific rockfish are about 60 Sebastes species managed under the federal groundfish plan, from black and blue rockfish schooling over shallow reefs to yelloweye that live more than a century in deep water. Much of the open season along the coast falls in this band. Fish through suspended schools of black, blue and other midwater rockfish, and closer to the rocks for vermilion, copper and China rockfish.

When to come: the Coos Bay calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Chinook salmon
Rockfish (Pacific)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 53 F (estimated, not a reading).

405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~53 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Coos Bay today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rockfish (Pacific) led the card at good. High of 57 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rockfish (Pacific) led the card at excellent. High of 61 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rockfish (Pacific) led the card at good. High of 62 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Oregon requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Oregon angling license; shellfish license for clams and crabs. ODFW 2026 in-season rules for Coos Bay: 2 salmon a day in the bay and river (a third if hatchery); wild coho Sept. 19-Oct. 18, 1 a day and 3 a year. Check ODFW's southwest zone regulations and the Oregon Department of Agriculture's shellfish safety status before harvesting.

Access

ODFW lists two launches: Charleston Boat Ramp in the Charleston Marina complex (fee) and Empire Boat Ramp at the end of Michigan Ave. off Cape Arago Highway (free). ODFW notes that a temporary dock may be moored at the Chandler Bridge on the Coos River during bridge maintenance.

About this water

An estuary in Coos County, Oregon; ODFW calls it the state's largest bay. Tide predictions on this page come from NOAA station 9432780, Charleston.

Fishing Coos Bay: the full guide

The bay

ODFW calls Coos Bay Oregon's largest bay. Its lower bay, from the ocean entrance to the airport, is marine dominated with little freshwater influence, and ODFW says it offers some of the state's most productive shellfishing.

Salmon in the bay

ODFW's southwest zone report (updated Sept. 8, 2026) says the bay and river limit is 2 salmon a day, hatchery or wild, with a third fish allowed if it is a hatchery fish. Coos River basin Chinook were entering the bay from the ocean, the bite was usually best from a couple of hours before through the high slack, and the wild coho season in Coos Bay runs Sept. 19-Oct. 18 with 1 a day and 3 a year.

Jetties and bottomfish

Rockfish can be caught around the jetties in the lower estuary, best near slack tide, on a jig with a twister tail or on sand shrimp, though ODFW notes you may have to move between spots. Striped perch are also taken around the jetties. ODFW warns that sneaker waves make the jetties dangerous.

Clams and crabs

ODFW's Coos Bay map marks the main beds: the North Spit (4x4 road or boat only), Clam Island (boat only, with the bay's highest densities of gaper and butter clams), Pigeon Point near the county easement opposite Grinnel Rd., Fossil Point off Beacon Ln., the Empire tideflats, and the Charleston Triangle and Charleston Flat. Dock crabbing is open throughout Charleston's commercial docks, at the Charleston Visitor Center and on the T-docks south of the bridge.

Common questions

What is the salmon limit in Coos Bay?

ODFW's 2026 in-season rule is 2 salmon a day in the bay and river, hatchery or wild, plus a third if it is a hatchery fish; wild coho are open Sept. 19-Oct. 18 at 1 a day and 3 a year.

Where are the best clam beds?

ODFW says Clam Island, reached only by boat, has the highest densities of gaper and butter clams in Coos Bay; Pigeon Point, Fossil Point, Empire and the Charleston flats can be reached from shore.

Where can I crab from a dock?

Throughout Charleston's commercial docks, at the Charleston Visitor Center and on the T-docks south of the bridge, according to ODFW.

Is fishing good at Coos Bay right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Where this page's numbers come from

Tide predictions
NOAA CO-OPS 9432780 β€” Charleston, Coos Bay
Harmonic predictions, datum MLLW, local time. 11 high and low events returned for today and the next two days. A prediction, not a measured water level: wind and surge move the real thing.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 43.3500, -124.3200 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.