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Fishing in Winchester Bay

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Winchester Bay is located where the Umpqua River meets the Pacific Ocean, just north of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. While the timber, agriculture, and fishing industries have been a dominant contributor to the town’s economy throughout the 1900s, today, tourism is increasingly becoming more prominent. One thing in particular that is bringing in people is the great fishing opportunities. With its unique location, Winchester Bay is an ideal region for lake, river, and ocean fishing.

In the past, Winchester Bay has faced strict fishing regulations due to decreases in the salmon population. Regulations peaked in 2008 when all ocean salmon fishing was prohibited, leading to a $22 million in statewide losses to businesses that support recreational fishing with most of those losses occurring in coastal towns. In addition to this, commercial fishing businesses were projected to lose $23 million due to the closure. Fortunately for Winchester and the rest of the Oregon coast, sport salmon fishing was given the go-ahead by the Pacific Fishery management Council in early April 2017 under certain restrictions. To view a detailed account on season starting dates, areas open, and catch limits, click here.

 

From rock fish, to ling cod, to both the chinook and coho salmon, and even sturgeon, Winchester Bay is not lacking in fish species. There are a number of fishing charters that make full use of these unique fishing opportunities. Charters can be found on the Oregon Coast Visitor Association’s website. Crabbing is allowed year round in bays, estuaries, tide pools, piers, and jetties, with a license. So bring your crab pots and fishing lines over to Winchester Bay for a good time!

South Coast Tourism Steering Committee Meeting (7/18)

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Members of the South Coast Tourism Steering Committee met in Powers on July 18.

Kat Hoppe, Michelle Martin, and Kay Clayborn in Powers

The Outdoor Recreation Team shared information on the Coos Flow Trail, a 30 miles mountain biking trail that is currently under construction between Bandon and Coos Bay. The Team will be pursuing a Travel Oregon Rural Tourism Studio grant to support this and other efforts including a ribbon-cutting opening event for the completion of the first 11 mile segment which is expected to take place in the fall. The Marketing Action Team, discussed the Team’s two priority goals: 1) To create up-to-date information on the Travel Oregon website for businesses and restaurants and 2) To develop high quality photography to represent the South Coast. The logistics of both projects are still in the process of being finalized. The agritourism team also provide an update on efforts related to creating Farm Trails to help market local producers and farm experiences. The Team is looking to receive funding for a Farm Dinner, an agritourism development program that seeks to connect producers, buyers, hotels, and other businesses. The Committee will meet again on August 23rd in Coos Bay to finalize the details of the proposal and are planning to have the grant finalized and submitted mid-September.

South Coast Tourism Marketing Action Team Meeting

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Members of the South Coast Tourism Marketing Action Team met at the Wild Rivers Coast Alliance on Monday afternoon, July 10.

Members in attendance were Marie Simonds, Michael C, Tim Scahill, Marcie Nunnelly, with Sea Grant interns Catie Michel and Dustin James. Members to participate in the discussion over the phone were Fiona B, Julie M, Alexa, Andrew, and Kelda of Travel Oregon.

Julie Miller of the Bandon Chamber of Commerce provided a subcommittee report that expressed initiative to apply for a small grant to hire an individual to organize and update OTIS data and files. The goal is to establish an efficient, long term system to maintain management of the ORB/OTIS data.

Marcie Nunnelly of the photography subcommittee provided information about a Survey Monkey that was filled out by the 9 DMOs of the South Coast (including Florence). The results of the survey highlighted the DMOs need to have more professional media assets at their disposal, the desire for collaboration to market the region as a whole, and a training component to educate on how to access these assets. Sea Grant intern Dustin James provided an update on the current Wild Rivers Coast Photo Project which is expected to be completed by end of August. Members of the committee expressed a need for a similar photo project to take place in the northern portion of the South Coast.

Lastly, Marketing Action Team lead Marie Simonds discussed the small grant application for a Local DMO Collaboration and Capacity Development project. This grant would be used to conduct a survey of DMOs in Wildlife Rivers Coast and South Coast Regions to assess current staffing, desired training, desired use of new photo and video assets, marketing goals, as well as the use of OCVA and Travel Oregon resources. Creation of a promotional video showcasing cycling and mountain biking routes in the South Coast is also in the works.

To get more information about the Orb visit: http://industry.traveloregon.com/industry-resources/the-orb/