ReelCaster

Best Time to Fish Florence

Months come from each species' own season curve around Florence. A strong month is strong for that fish, not a ranking against the others. Time of day, when it is shown, is today's forecast and moves with the tide.

When to fish Florence

Each row is shaded against that species' own best month here, so a dark cell means a good month for that fish rather than a comparison between them.

Relative abundance by month for each species around Florence
SpeciesJanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
Chinook Salmon
Coho Salmon
Lingcod
Black Rockfish
Halibut
Dungeness Crab
Cabezon
Cod

Chinook Salmon: January none, February none, March none, April none, May fair, June peak, July peak, August peak, September peak, October good, November none, December none. Coho Salmon: January none, February none, March none, April none, May none, June poor, July peak, August peak, September peak, October peak, November poor, December none. Lingcod: January good, February excellent, March excellent, April good, May fair, June fair, July fair, August fair, September fair, October fair, November fair, December good. Black Rockfish: January poor, February fair, March fair, April good, May excellent, June excellent, July excellent, August excellent, September good, October fair, November poor, December poor. Halibut: January none, February none, March fair, April excellent, May peak, June peak, July peak, August peak, September good, October poor, November none, December none. Dungeness Crab: January fair, February fair, March poor, April fair, May fair, June fair, July good, August good, September excellent, October excellent, November excellent, December good. Cabezon: January fair, February fair, March fair, April fair, May good, June good, July good, August good, September good, October fair, November fair, December fair. Cod: January excellent, February excellent, March good, April poor, May poor, June fair, July poor, August poor, September fair, October good, November excellent, December excellent.

  • Chinook Salmon. Florence sits at the Siuslaw River mouth on the central Oregon coast, where Chinook show a dominant fall run staging offshore and entering the bay from late July through October, peaking late August through September (weeks 30-34) as adults gather before spawning migration. A modest spring shoulder (weeks 6-12) reflects early ocean-feeding Chinook and light spring-run presence, while winter weeks are near-absent as fish are on spawning grounds upriver or dispersed far offshore.
  • Coho Salmon. Coho off Florence (Siuslaw/central Oregon coast) build through late summer as ocean fish stage, peaking mid-September to early October before fish enter the Siuslaw River to spawn. Weeks 22-32 show a modest early ocean presence of feeding fish, while the deep winter and spring months are biologically absent as the stock is either spawned out in freshwater or too young/dispersed offshore.
  • Lingcod. Lingcod are resident bottomfish present year-round off Florence, Oregon, so abundance never hits zero. The peak occurs late winter to spring (Feb–Apr) when mature fish move onto nearshore reefs and males guard nests in shallow rocky structure, making them more concentrated and catchable; summer and fall show slightly lower nearshore density as fish disperse to deeper reefs.
  • Black Rockfish. Black rockfish are resident, long-lived nearshore reef fish off Florence (central Oregon coast) and are present year-round, so the curve stays broad without true zeros. Abundance peaks in late spring through summer (May–August) when calmer seas, upwelling-driven baitfish, and fish moving shallower onto reefs concentrate them, while winter storms push fish deeper and disperse them, lowering catchable nearshore density.
  • Halibut. Pacific halibut off Florence (central Oregon coast) migrate onto the nearshore/offshore banks from late spring through summer, with peak abundance May–July as fish move shallow to feed after offshore winter spawning; a secondary late-summer bump reflects returning feeding fish before they retreat to deeper offshore waters in fall/winter, when nearshore abundance drops sharply.
  • Dungeness Crab. Dungeness are resident in Florence's estuary and nearshore waters year-round, so no true zeros. Abundance peaks in fall (Sept–Nov) when crabs are hard-shelled, filled out, and freshly molted-recovered before winter; a soft-shell/molt lull in late spring-early summer dips the curve as crabs shed and hide.
  • Cabezon. Cabezon are resident nearshore reef/rocky-structure fish off Florence (central Oregon coast) present year-round, so the curve stays near baseline. Abundance rises through spring and summer as fish move onto shallow reefs and jetties to feed and spawn (males guard nests spring into summer), with a secondary fall bump before winter storms push fish deeper and slightly reduce accessible nearshore density.
  • Cod. Pacific cod are near the southern edge of their range off Florence, Oregon, so abundance is low overall and strongly seasonal; cooler winter water pushes fish inshore and onto the shelf (Nov–Mar peak), while warmer summer conditions drive them deeper and offshore, thinning nearshore presence from June through September.

Time of day on October 31, 2026

These are today's forecast windows, taken at the spot leading each species. They are not a standing schedule.

  • Chinook Salmon4 PM to 7 PM · 5 fishable hours
  • Lingcod1 PM to 7 PM · 8 fishable hours
  • Black Rockfish11 AM to 3 PM · 5 fishable hours
  • Dungeness Crab11 AM to 3 PM · 5 fishable hours
  • Cabezon11 AM to 3 PM · 5 fishable hours

By species

Chinook Salmon

Peaks in June, July, August and September.

Florence sits at the Siuslaw River mouth on the central Oregon coast, where Chinook show a dominant fall run staging offshore and entering the bay from late July through October, peaking late August through September (weeks 30-34) as adults gather before spawning migration. A modest spring shoulder (weeks 6-12) reflects early ocean-feeding Chinook and light spring-run presence, while winter weeks are near-absent as fish are on spawning grounds upriver or dispersed far offshore.

Coho Salmon

Peaks in July, August, September and October.

Coho off Florence (Siuslaw/central Oregon coast) build through late summer as ocean fish stage, peaking mid-September to early October before fish enter the Siuslaw River to spawn. Weeks 22-32 show a modest early ocean presence of feeding fish, while the deep winter and spring months are biologically absent as the stock is either spawned out in freshwater or too young/dispersed offshore.

Lingcod

Excellent in February and March.

Lingcod are resident bottomfish present year-round off Florence, Oregon, so abundance never hits zero. The peak occurs late winter to spring (Feb–Apr) when mature fish move onto nearshore reefs and males guard nests in shallow rocky structure, making them more concentrated and catchable; summer and fall show slightly lower nearshore density as fish disperse to deeper reefs.

Black Rockfish

Excellent in May, June, July and August.

Black rockfish are resident, long-lived nearshore reef fish off Florence (central Oregon coast) and are present year-round, so the curve stays broad without true zeros. Abundance peaks in late spring through summer (May–August) when calmer seas, upwelling-driven baitfish, and fish moving shallower onto reefs concentrate them, while winter storms push fish deeper and disperse them, lowering catchable nearshore density.

Halibut

Peaks in May, June, July and August.

Pacific halibut off Florence (central Oregon coast) migrate onto the nearshore/offshore banks from late spring through summer, with peak abundance May–July as fish move shallow to feed after offshore winter spawning; a secondary late-summer bump reflects returning feeding fish before they retreat to deeper offshore waters in fall/winter, when nearshore abundance drops sharply.

Dungeness Crab

Excellent in September, October and November.

Dungeness are resident in Florence's estuary and nearshore waters year-round, so no true zeros. Abundance peaks in fall (Sept–Nov) when crabs are hard-shelled, filled out, and freshly molted-recovered before winter; a soft-shell/molt lull in late spring-early summer dips the curve as crabs shed and hide.

Cabezon

Good in May, June, July, August and September.

Cabezon are resident nearshore reef/rocky-structure fish off Florence (central Oregon coast) present year-round, so the curve stays near baseline. Abundance rises through spring and summer as fish move onto shallow reefs and jetties to feed and spawn (males guard nests spring into summer), with a secondary fall bump before winter storms push fish deeper and slightly reduce accessible nearshore density.

Cod

Excellent in January, February, November and December.

Pacific cod are near the southern edge of their range off Florence, Oregon, so abundance is low overall and strongly seasonal; cooler winter water pushes fish inshore and onto the shelf (Nov–Mar peak), while warmer summer conditions drive them deeper and offshore, thinning nearshore presence from June through September.

Common questions about Florence

›What is the best time of year to fish Florence?

It depends on the species. Chinook Salmon peaks in June, July, August and September. Coho Salmon peaks in July, August, September and October. Lingcod is excellent in February and March. Black Rockfish is excellent in May, June, July and August. Halibut peaks in May, June, July and August. Dungeness Crab is excellent in September, October and November.

›What time of day is best to fish Florence?

On October 31, 2026, the forecast windows are Chinook Salmon 4 PM to 7 PM, Lingcod 1 PM to 7 PM, Black Rockfish 11 AM to 3 PM, Dungeness Crab 11 AM to 3 PM and Cabezon 11 AM to 3 PM. These are today's model windows, not a standing schedule.