Beneath an inky-blue sky, a few stars still glow as I make my way toward a cluster of fishing boats perched just off the beach in Pacific City near a protected headland on the Pacific Ocean. The air smells of salt and doughnuts, and the low rumble of the ocean plays on repeat. I’m joining Haystack Fishing, a dory-boat charter booked through the Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa’s adventure center.
There’s no other marine fishery quite like this anywhere in the world. Even as similar operations have faded or disappeared, Oregon’s beach-launched fleet has adapted and endured. For more than a century, the dories of Pacific City have navigated the waters around Cape Kiwanda, a stunning sandstone headland. Today more than 300 vessels keep the tradition alive and call this fishing village home. Here’s how the experience unfolded, and how to plan for your own dory fishing trip.
An Exhilarating Launch from the Sand
After sealing myself into rain gear from head to toe, I’m still half asleep and dreaming of another cup of coffee. My senses snap awake the second I climb aboard the 22-foot, flat-bottomed boat.
Moments later, our six-person charter rattles across the beach, the boat still perched atop its trailer as we near the ocean’s edge. The driver arcs the pickup over the hard-packed sand, then smoothly backs straight into the surging surf. Our captain, Joe Hay, runs one of the longest-standing dory-boat charters in Pacific City, and his calm ease suggests he’s done this hundreds or maybe thousands of times before.
Hay’s crew — cheerful, efficient and definitely morning people — sprint into the waist-high waves, turning the boat and guiding it into the freezing, foamy sea. Dory boats are uniquely suited for this kind of drama. With flat bottoms designed to launch straight from the beach, they’re built to charge directly into rolling swells.
Once the boat is perfectly positioned, Hay grins. “Time for the launch song,” he booms over the roar of the ocean. “Hang on.” Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” blasts from the speakers, and we hurl bow-first into the breakers.
Keeping the Dory Tradition Afloat
Wind whips through my hair as the dory rockets across white-capped waves. Around me, a couple from Eugene swaps fishing tales with Southern Oregon-based Adam Glick, an adventure chef in town for a foraging-inspired dinner. Everyone wears the same look of exhilaration.
About 30 years ago, Hay traded the Portland suburbs for this stretch of coast. “Within a week of moving here, I went out in a dory and absolutely fell in love with ocean fishing and launching through the surf,” he says. “A week later I bought my first dory, and the rest is history.”
As we approach Haystack Rock, a 327-foot-tall sea stack rising from the sea (not to be confused with the other Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach), pink streaks spread across the sky. Hay throttles back, switches the soundtrack to Bob Marley, and his deckhand rigs our baited rods. “I never get tired of the early-morning launch,” Hay says. “Watching the sun come up over the ocean is my favorite part of the day.”
Rockfish, Whales and Waves
Within minutes the adventure chef reels in three lingcod, a popular groundfish with mild white flesh. Another guest follows with a trio of rockfish. After a brief lull, Hay suggests checking the crab and steers toward his red-and-yellow buoys bobbing in the sea. Using a winch, he hauls up a pot brimming with Oregon Dungeness crab, their shells tinged purple-red. Females and undersize crabs are quickly returned to the sea; the legal keepers are saved for dinner.
At first the rhythm of the waves feels soothing, and I’m easily distracted by the high-soprano cries of seagulls and the possibility of spotting a whale or two. Depending on the season, gray whales may spout offshore or flash the glimmering flick of a tail during migration. Then the swell builds. My focus blurs, my rod drifts and I wonder if it’s too late for dramamine. It’s my first time on a small boat, and the choppy sea proves a hardy test.
Hay hands me a pair of thick white goggles, their four rims ringed with blue liquid—a quirky, decidedly unstylish device he declares a modern cure for seasickness. Ten minutes later, I feel steadier and reel in three glistening rockfish, marveling at their perfection. After that, I’m content to stop fishing, while the rest of the boat works toward its quota, which we meet sooner than expected.
Soon it’s time for the eagerly anticipated high-speed beach landing. I’ve seen dory boats charging toward the shore, air horns blasting to alert surfers and swimmers, but actually being aboard is something else entirely. Hay makes sure we’re braced and holding on before cueing the music — and yes, we’re landing to Ozzy Osbourne.
I grip the gunwales as the boat barrels toward the beach, and the air horn blares like a one-note trumpet player on repeat. It’s invigorating and, without question, the most wildly exciting thing I’ve experienced in years. Riding the crest of the waves at roughly 20 miles per hour, Hay lifts the outboard just in time. In what feels like a small miracle, the dory slides gracefully onto the sand.
Blessing of the Fleet and Pacific City Dory Days
After my dory-boat charter, I became a super fan. I’m already planning two return trips this summer to Pacific City to dive deeper into the rich heritage of the dory fleet.
In June the community gathers for the annual Blessing of the Dory Fleet, a time-honored ceremony in which fishing families and boat captains honor those lost at sea and bless the local fleet and upcoming season. Around 50 to 70 boats cluster on the shore as a local musician plays traditional tunes.
Each July thousands of visitors travel from across the state and rally for Pacific City Dory Days, a beloved family-friendly celebration dating back to 1959. The weekend-long festivities include a parade of colorful dories through town, a firehouse pancake-breakfast fundraiser and a classic fish fry. In 2025 the parade was followed by a live storytelling session inspired by an oral history project that captures stories of the dory fleet of Pacific City.
Stay tuned for the Dorymen’s Heritage Center, an exciting project in its beginning phases that’s dedicated to dory fishing families and generations of Indigenous coastal stewards.
If You Go:
Join one of many excellent dory fishing charters to experience the thrill of launching from and landing directly on the beach. Make a weekend of it by staying just steps away from the boat launch at options like the cozy Inn at Cape Kiwanda or Hart’s Camp, where you can bring an RV, stay in a cottage or make sleeping an adventure in a restored vintage trailer. Guests at luxe Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa can have a dory charter arranged through the hotel’s adventure concierge.
