Yaquina Bay Charters

Yaquina Bay Charters sails from South Beach Marina on the south side of the bridge in Newport, Oregon, with the office at the Newport Marina Store. The family-owned fleet is the CrackerJack, Gracie K and Miss Raven, all 43 footers, and the 38 foot Spindrift. Loads stay small: up to 16 people on bottom fishing, 12 on salmon and halibut, and 10 on tuna.

The 5 hour nearshore rockfish and lingcod trip runs all year and is their most popular and most beginner-friendly. The 8 hour offshore bottom trip fishes reefs 10 to 15 miles out for lingcod, cabezon and kelp greenling, and the 8 hour long leader trip targets shelf rockfish like yellowtail, widow, canary and bocaccio. From June through September they add half and full day coho salmon trips, 12 hour halibut trips 20 to 30 miles out in 400 to 600 feet of water, 12 hour albacore trips when the tuna come within range, and 12 hour black cod trips 30 to 40 miles out. There are also flatfish trips for sand dabs and petrale sole.