Angler Larry Ellis holds an average-size Brookings ocean salmon. Photo by Andy Martin.

Because of plentiful numbers of coho returning to the Columbia River, the northern and central Oregon Coast produces the bulk of the state’s ocean salmon catch.

But the south coast -- from Port Orford to Brookings -- has developed a reputation as the best area to target big chinook in salt water.

Last year, half of Oregon’s total ocean chinook catch was caught by Brookings anglers.

The average chinook, often called “kings” by anglers, weigh three times as much as a coho. When they feed in salt water, they are among the West Coast’s most prized fish for eating.

More and more anglers are discovering the south coast of Oregon as one of the premier destinations to catch big salmon in salt water, outside of Alaska.

Eric Schindler, a biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the chinook catch is high on the south coast because of the cold ocean waters offshore.

These cool areas are prime feeding grounds for salmon from the Sacramento, Klamath and Rogue rivers, which produce hundreds of thousands of salmon each year.

Salmon from these three rivers spend most of their lives in the ocean off the southern Oregon and Northern California coasts, feasting on anchovies, herring and sardines.

Salmon from the Columbia River, the rivers that enter Tillamook Bay and Puget Sound, head north when they reach salt water to feed off the coasts of British Columbia and Alaska.

“Southern Oregon is closer to the center of the distribution, so they are more likely to catch more,” Schindler said. “The Sacramento River is the biggest part of our fishery. We see more fish come out of the Sacramento than any other system.”

The hard fight the kings put up, plus their ability to reach 50 or even 60 pounds, keeps drawing anglers to the south coast in search of a trophy.

GEARING UP
While coho will often be caught just below the surface, chinook tend to be found deeper.

Most boaters use downriggers to get their baits down to the depths where chinook feed.

Because downriggers are popular, a rod with a slower action is crucial.

A fish pulled tight, with a substantial bend in the rod, is more likely to be hooked as the rod pops out of the downrigger, compared to a stiff, heavy rod.

Ugly Stiks have long been the go-to rod for offshore salmon trolling. The new 8 1/2-foot Ugly Stik Lite, rated for 12- to 30-pound-test, is the ideal chinook rod for salt water.

Combine it with a level-wind reel, like a Pflueger Contender, and spool it full of 25-pound-test monofilament.

For trolling, mono works better than braid because it won’t twist up when using a flasher.

It also stays in a downrigger snap better than braid will.

Flashers and hoochies are common for trolling for silvers, and work for kings as well. But large baits work better for kings.

Plug-cut or whole herring, fished with a small chrome dodger 4 feet up the leader, is a popular bait for kings off the southern Oregon coast.

When fishing plug-cut herring, brine them in a saltwater solution to toughen them, while also brightening them. A simple way to make brine is by combining rock salt with bottled water.

Use bottled water because it contains no chlorine, which could deter salmon from striking your bait.