Sea Lion Rock

About Sea Lion Rock

Sea Lion Rock is an outer-exposed rocky drop-off off Astoria, Oregon, where the bottom falls through 30 to 130 feet of water. Chinook Salmon run the strongest here, with peaks in March through April and again from May into September, while Coho Salmon follow from July through October, both taken by trolling cut-plug or whole herring behind flashers and worked with a mooching presentation on the same baits. Lingcod hold tight to the rock structure and peak January through March, responding to metal jigs and swimbaits or live greenling fished on the bottom. Black Rockfish stack up over the drop-off from May through August, best reached by jigging leadhead jigs and curly-tail grubs, and Pacific Halibut move through from March into August, taken by drifting herring, squid, or salmon bellies across the deeper edges. The exposed outer position and steep rock relief keep bait and predators concentrated along the break, with Blue Rockfish, Cabezon, and Kelp Greenling rounding out the catch.