Charter fishermen on the Betty Kay disembark from the boat in Charleston on Friday. Charter fishermen said the weather was rough but they had a good time and most would like to return to go fishing.-World Photo by Susan Chambers

CHARLESTON — The calm water of the inner basin was a welcome sight to several charter fishermen aboard the Betty Kay on Friday.

The weather on the ocean was anything but calm. It was cold and rough.  Some folks spent more time with their heads hanging over the side of the boat than fishing.

But once their catches of bottomfish — black rockfish, a quillback, a couple vermilion and some lingcod — were unloaded and the queasiness went away, most were thrilled.

“We caught a lot of fish,” fisherman Andy Manning, of Merlin, said. “We had fun.”

Manning and his friend, Ike Smith, of Rogue River, make visits to the coast a couple times a year. They stay with their other fishing buddy, Dave Price, of Myrtle Point, and take trips out on the Betty Kay.

Price was especially pleased: He caught a 17.5-pound lingcod, a monster compared with catches by others on the boat, which he proudly showed off to visitors at the dock.

It’s exactly that kind of fishing that will keep tourists coming to the coast.

Not just salmon

Headlines earlier this year put a damper on some charter businesses because of the closure of Chinook season.

But there’s still a coho season — OK, it’s 9,000 fish, not a lot by historical standards — and numerous others. Halibut. Tuna. Bottomfish. Surf perch. Flatfish, for the daring who want to try specialized techniques. Crabbing.

For those folks who get queasy on the ocean, lakes and rivers offer a plentiful supply of scaly critters that make for good camping meals or barbecue dinners. Trout. Bass. Crappie. Perch. Shad. Bluegill. And more.

“We’re confident people will come to the coast,” Betty Kay owner Marjorie Whitmer said. “There are still halibut openings and good catches.”

Whitmer referred to the 9,000-coho quota as a flash in the pan.

“It’s too small of a quota to work on,” she said, and didn’t deny that the economy and salmon closure isn’t having an effect on filling up her reservations book. These times call for a re-evaluation of the traditional business plan.

“We’re promoting tours of the dismantling of the New Carissa and the Cape Arago Lighthouse,” Whitmer said. “It’s so dramatic seeing Simpson’s Reef straight-on.”

The popular rocky reef is visible from shore at the overlook near Cape Arago, but seeing it from the ocean is a whole different perspective. There are bird rookeries and pelicans, Whitmer said.

On the supply side

“We’re trying to stay positive,” Englund Marine Supply Manager Mark Fleck said.

Englund, like other local tackle stores and shops, has all the gear to get people out on the water and knowledgeable staff that can help with fishing regulations and licenses.

Fleck expects this summer to heat up, fishing-wise, despite the lack of sport Chinook seasons on the ocean.

Take halibut, for example, he said.

Sport fishermen have made barely a dent in the halibut quota allowed this year. Charter boats are offering trips and many folks are taking their own boats across the bar to catch the giant flatfish that makes a terrific fish-and-chip platter.

Fleck said he’s not sure which is worse: This year, when the Chinook season is closed due to regulations or last year, when the season was open, but the salmon didn’t show up. Warm water during the summer helped bring in another popular fish.

“Albacore (tuna) came at the perfect time,” Fleck said.

Perfect timing

The timing couldn’t be any better for what is sure to bring in thousands of dollars to the South Coast this summer. Building on a year of good albacore fishing, local sport fishermen Jim Pex and Don Peabody are planning the Charleston leg of the four-stop Oregon Tuna Classic 2008 Tournament Series. It’s planned for the weekend of Aug. 9.

“It’s a neat deal,” Peabody said.

This is the first time the Charleston part is included. The Newport, Hammond and Garibaldi legs were the mainstays in years past.

Tuna fishing is considered non-traditional for this area, Peabody and Pex said, but that all could change quickly as the tournament may spotlight a fishery favored by only a few.

“It’s a part of fishing that’s not well-known outside of a very few fishermen,” Peabody said.

But oh, is it addictive, they said.

Most of the fishing takes place in August — that time of year with the South Coast is graced with warmer weather, calmer ocean waters and schools of albacore. Offshore, the waters are clearer, the fog bank is gone, the birds are different and more.

Peabody just loves it. So does Pex.

The real goal of the tournament is to benefit the Oregon Food Bank. The fish caught is donated as either fresh product or canned tuna. The Food Bank received about $32,000 from the classic, in 2007, Pex said.

“A lot of the benefit is to the local community,” Peabody said.

Festivities will kick off on Friday, Aug. 8, with fishing on Saturday and award ceremonies held after the day of fishing. Up to $15,000 in prizes and awards could be given away.

The Web site, http://www.oregontunaclassic.com, has all the details, Pex said, noting that the popularity of the Charleston tournament already is growing.

“This could be really, really big,” he said.