August 31, 2023. The 4th Championship has ended. Thank you to all of those who attended. You can read about the results here.

Uploads will be slow as I'm dealing with health issues at the moment. I have videos from trips over the summer that I will edit and get them uploaded to my channel. But it will be slowing going for a little while with new content as I try to tend to my health.

Back to the Old Blog Layout

August 30, 2023. I'm bringing back the old blog. Can't believe the last blog post was back in 2018!

by: PK. 10/1/2018

The fish Goddess smiled upon me today, that's for sure! I did not expect to catch a salmon in the surf, and I caught TWO yesterday. What a pleasant surprise before I move down to .... uh .... California (just saying that state's name tightens my colon).

Anyhow, I was just testing out a new rod, Cabela's Fish Eagle 11'6", and these 2 salmon bit my lure. This immediately reminded me of the "mystery" fish I lost at Seal Rock. And thinking more, that might have been a steelhead or salmon.

Photos and pictures were quickly taken and both fish were released.

by: PK. 9/30/2018

The way to catch these perch are easy. Any, and I mean ANY, rod will work. I fished with my friend Alec today and he caught a redtail with a kid's pole - one of those Spider-Man, or Batman type kids poles. One tend to over think this and get too tied down with gear. All you need is a rod that feels "comfortable" to you and and your favorite reel. The other things you need is Gulp sand worms, or your favorite bait, a #4 or #2 hook (some use a 1/0), and a 2 oz weight (my preference).

Why do you want to use a rod that someone recommended, yet it doesn't feel comfortable to you? When you feel comfortable with a rod, you're going to be better at using it. You understand its limits. All those feelings build a lot of confidence, which is what you want.

The technique is another thing too. It's not hard to figure out - just cast it out into the ocean! Yup, I'm not kidding. Don't cast onto the beach! But wing it out as far as you can. Redtails live in the surf. I get a lot of this question: where do I cast? Don't worry about a trough, or a bar. Just cast it out. Oregon beach are pretty flat for the most part, so don't worry about those structures too much.

Cast it out, and you'll likely catch a hungry redtail as they dart around looking for food. Pretty simple.

Like all fishing, starting out surf fishing can be awkward and frustrating, but eventually as time goes on, you settle on your own techniques and gear preference.

The most important thing about surf fishing is making sure you check the swell report before each trip. I use magicseaweed.com and they've been super reliable.

by: PK. 9/27/2018

I've been contemplating the switch for a while now and it makes sense in planning for the future. I need a name that suggest a community atmosphere and passion. Thus, Surf Fishing Nation is born! I will be moving to a new server in the coming weeks. If there is a down time during this move, it will be very short.

by: PK. 9/27/2018

Kevin and I had a great time catching stocked trout at Foster Reservoir in Sweet Home. We got out limit and had a good trout dinner. With me moving to California in about 3 weeks, I'm going to miss places like these.

by: PK. 9/27/2018

I want to give a big thanks to all those who attended. I'm excited to have met everyone, and it's a great pleasure to be a part of this special event. This community we all are building will only get better and stronger. 84 People attended! I hope we can beat that record next year (which will have 2 events).

Thank you Jai Kim for helping me out. Next year, I will definitely seek volunteers to help me managed these events.

by: PK. 9/24/2018

A great day of surf fishing on the Oregon coast again! Limited out in 2 hours. Bite was still happening when I left. Super gorgeous weather to boot. It has been about 8 months since I had a trip like this. Super awesome. I want to thank my friend Alec for taking me.

by: PK. 9/23/2018

It's happening. I haven't decided when yet, but I know the "where". The first tournament will happen sometime in July, and the big Championship will happen sometime in September. It will start at 8 AM on both events since this will give people more time to prepare. I will also try to give out more prizes too, and if anyone wants to donate some stuff into the prize pool, let me know. I have a feeling that these next 2 events will be a decent size so I will need, oh ...... 2 volunteers should do it. You can help me weigh or take photos, or just try to help keep things flowing smoothly so everyone can have a great time.

Also, if the weather permits, we will try to have another cookout.

Please check back to this site often for updates.

by: PK. 9/23/2018

Here is a redesign of our logo. This will be incorporated onto future merchandise & events.

by: PK. 9/22/2018

September 22, 2018: 84 Competitors Show Up for the 1st Annual Oregon Surf Fishing Championship!!!

End of Tournament Weigh-In

What an awesome turn-out to have 84 people for the 1st Championship! The highest number of anglers in any previous tournament over the last 3 years has been 37 people. So, this high number of participants shows how popular Surf Fishing is becoming! I was so excited to see so many people at the Championship!
The swells were a bit higher than desired at 5-7 ft vs 3-5 ft, which are ideal conditions. Although it threatened to pour down hard, the weather gave us a small break by only drizzling here and there. The larger than desired swells drove anglers up the beach. This coupled with the wind in their faces resulted in casts that didn’t hit the water depth where the perch were. So, not many weigh-ins given 84 people fishing.

The lack of fish didn’t seem to dampen the mood as most people who watched the weigh-in, didn’t catch any fish as there were about 10 weigh-ins. Lots of smiles and clapping for the winners – great sportsmanship!

The first Oregon Surf Fishing Champion is Hiep Nguyen and he almost doubled the 2nd place finisher. Let’s see if he can repeat his success next year as the defending champion. With his prize money, it looks like he can get a lot of new fishing gear to defend his title next year! Congratulations on beating out over 80 other anglers to be the Champion. No small feat and obviously a very knowledgeable fisherman based on his results!

Hiep Nguyen - First Place

Todd Holmy took home the “Biggest Fish” honors with a catch of 1.49 lbs. He said he got it on one of his first few casts and felt “This one is going to be the Biggest Fish” and he was absolutely right. He also took home 4th place honors but due to the one prize per angler rule, he elected to take the title of “Biggest Fish of the 1st Annual Surf Fishing Championship”. He is now the official record holder until at least next year ! What great bragging rights to be able to say “I hold the Biggest Fish record in the Oregon Coast Surf Fishing Championship !” Congratulations !

After awarding of the top 8 finishers and Biggest Fish, several random drawings were held for a rod, 2 reels and 2 cash awards. So, these 5 people got awards despite not winning any of the top prizes – you don’t have to catch fish to win at the Championship ! I am hoping over time, I can increase the number of random drawing winners.
Overall, 9 people won awards for weigh-ins and 5 people got random awards so total of 14 people out of 84 got something for participating in the tournament. As I stated, I hope to grow the number of people winning a prize over the next several years as our participation grows.
The other great outcome was that everyone who wanted the souvenir hats got one at the tournament !

I would just like to thank everyone who came today. I know many of you had to get up at 3am or 4am to get here. I talked to one person who rented a hotel room in Astoria and some others who came from California. This just shows the passion we all have for Surf Fishing. It was an awesome way to end this year for me before I move to California but be assured, I will be back next year. I plan on holding two tournaments next year with the Championship continuing on ! I hope we can grow the Championship to 200-300 anglers in the next few years ! That would be so awesome and whoever wins, would absolutely be recognized as the Oregon Surf Champion if you can beat out that many people.

I would like to ask for help from all the participants today. In my excitement of the high participation numbers and the tension during weigh-in, I forgot to turn on my Go-Pro on. I would really appreciate it if you could send me any videos or pictures you took during the weigh-in and tournament today that I can use on my social media. Please send any material to pk@everylist.com. I realized today that with over 80 people participating, I need to get some help to pull these types of events off smoothly in the future.

In the meantime, keep watching my Youtube Channel and my website, EVERYLIST.COM, for updates on next year’s tournaments. I expect to announce the tournament dates early in the year and maybe sooner.

Finally, I will keep my channel updated during my move to California and I plan to show you how I am going to scope out a place I have never been to for fishing. I am also working on how to keep uploading Oregon videos while I am gone.

I really am going to miss Oregon terribly but know that moving to California gives me new opportunities for new fishing experiences. I really want to catch a monster striper in the surf!

Keep tuned in to my Youtube channel and my website, EVERYLIST.COM for next year’s tournaments and Championship updates which will start next in the next few months.

I want to thank all of my subscribers and the kind words you have had for me. You have inspired me to keep uploading and I know that without your interest and participation, my channel would not be as successful as it is. THANK-YOU for all your support ! You made my send off more awesome than I could possibly tell you!
Will get a video up in the next days.

In the meantime, have fun fishing, be safe, and TIGHT LINES!

by: PK. 9/21/2018

I will be in the parking lot until about 9:30 AM. I know some of you have contacted me about arriving late, so I'll wait for them there before heading out on the beach.

by: PK. 9/20/2018

I've drawn on the map below where we will meet at the end of the tournament. So don't go back to the parking lot - as I think that is too small an area for a gathering.

by: PK. 9/19/2018

The tournament will start @ 6:30 AM and end at 11:30 AM. Please meet back at the parking lot at 11:30, so depending on your proximity from the meeting spot, give yourself extra time to make it back. Please try not to be late!

Here are some general rules:

1. You can only keep 15 surf perch maximum - that is state law. Once you caught 15 fish, you must stop fishing immediately
2. You cannot pool/share your catch with another person
3. You can keep either male or female, don't matter
4. A valid Oregon fishing license is required (in Oregon, there is no separate saltwater tag required)
5. If you are a minor, you are required to bring your parent(s) - If you are a parent, I advise that you don't let your child go into the surf!
6. Contestants can only win ONE prize - just to let others have a chance of winning
7. Biggest fish rule: Because of (6) above, the biggest fish rule means the biggest fish prize will go to someone who has not won a prize yet. Example: if the 2nd place person caught the biggest fish (say a 30# redtail), then he/she cannot win the biggest fish prize. However, that 2nd place person who caught the 30# redtail will still earn the title (just not the prize)

Some safety tips:

• The surf for this coming Saturday is looking pretty rough, so please be careful!
• Shin deep water should be the maximum you should venture into the surf
• Please fish close to other people for safety reasons, and
• always keep your eyes on the ocean
• Never turn your back to the ocean! (sneaker waves are common along the Oregon coast)
• help keep an eye out for your fellow fisher person
• waders are highly recommended as Oregon waters are pretty cold
• wear a belt with your waders!
• wear gloves - their fins are super sharp!

fishing tips:

• pre-tie your rigs to save time - I tie one backup rig with hooks, sandworm, and weight all rigged up and put it in a ziploc bag
• move around! 5/5 rule (5 fan casts or 5 minutes; move if no bite) - the rising (and lowering) tide moves these fish around a lot. Being mobile is key when the bites are slow
• carry a rice sack around your neck - bringing your catch back to your bucket on the beach wastes precious time
• if you get a bite, remember that spot well, and cast to it again
• fast, rapid taps are usually silver surf perch so don't focus too much on those types of bites (the big ones will take your bait and run!)
• cast as far as you can, you will cover more water -- which increases your chance of catching more fish (the vast majority of my fish come halfway between me and where I cast to)
• Gulp Sandworms are not always the best choice. Try Gulp grubs, Gulp mole crabs, or sand shrimps, clam necks, sand (mole) crabs found right on the beach, frozen shrimp, lures. More bait options is always a plus

by: PK. 9/19/2018

You wanna win it?? Looks pretty sweet, I think. There were many styles to choose from, and I ended up liking this one the most. I couldn't find a trophy with a redtail, but I think this will suffice.

by: PK. 9/19/2018

The fish goddess frowned upon me today. I had 3 fish total, 1 was released because it was foul-hooked. I kept 2 for dinner. This has been the theme for me all this year with surf fishing.

by: PK. 9/18/2018

I'm going to Lost Creek again tomorrow, 9/19, to see if I can slay some redtails. I haven't surf fished in 2 weeks and I need to get my fix before I go crazy. Hopefully, the fish goddess brings me luck. I haven't had redtails in so long I've forgotten what they taste like.

by: PK. 9/18/2018

My wife and I have found a house, and we are closing in on it in CA. I plan to leave Oregon in mid October. I'm not looking forward to it at all, trying to prolong this move as much as I can. But it's sadly imminent :(

I've always been a positive guy, and always point my eyes toward the distant horizon. But for some reason, this move doesn't feel ...... comfortable. It's like chewing on broken glass.

I guess in life, sometimes one must step back a few steps in order to progress forward. It's the thought of returning that's going to keep me sane and not let me lose focus.

In my dreams, I even hear the redtails along the Oregon coast chanting for me to leave! They're saying, "The Great Perch King is leaving! Hurray! We are saved, my brothers!"