Rougher weather and sneaker wave warnings warrant caution when fishing along the jetties, however, rockfish can be caught around the jetties in the lower Coos Bay estuary, but you may need to move around to several spots to find actively biting fish. Best fishing is typically near slack tides with good fishing one day and fair fishing the next. A jig fished with a twister tail trailer is always a good option to catch bottom fish.

For the general marine fish regulations, please visit the sport bottomfish seasons page.

On occasion stray feeder Chinook from the ocean may be caught in the lower Coos Bay during off-season months. The salmon bite is typically best a couple hours before and through the high slack tide. Regulations have defaulted to standard regs of 2 fish per day.

Steelhead have finished their spawning run for 2026 and fishing has ended in the Coos River basin. 06/08/26

Choose a day when the surf is not at a dangerous level, and it is possible to catch a few striped perch around the jetties. Some of the more popular spots to fish for red-tailed surfperch are along beaches like Horsefall Beach and Whiskey Run. Anglers have the best success fishing with sand shrimp weighted gear on the bottom although power grubs can also work. 

ODFW stocking of coastal lakes in the district (Saunders, Bradley, Butterfield, Empire Lakes, Powers) has been curtailed until fall. There continue to be decent numbers of trout to be caught, however. Trout fishing has been fair in those locations. Trout season is now open in streams. 

THERE MAY BE A TEMPORARY DOCK MOORED TO THE CHANDLER BRIDGE TO ALLOW FOR BRIDGE MAINTENANCE. BOATERS IN THIS REACH OF RIVER NEED TO BE AWARE OF THIS BOATING RISK.