Waterlands

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Chinook salmonClosed

Cape · Oregon

Cape Falcon

45.77°N · 123.98°W · Cape · Coastal waters from Cape Falcon to Cape Foulweather OR out 10 nm

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Best score today · 12 PM · Chinook salmon

65/100Great
Now
208 AM PDT
Best window
8 AM-2 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding2.4 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score20Poor
Tide2.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward S
Wind4 kn SEgusts 6 · easing
Sea stateRough5.5 ft · 10 s
Air temp56°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water55°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco)

IN EFFECT NOW

Chinook salmon(hatchery-marked)

Closed
Daily limit
No retention
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
Sep 9 to Sep 30, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Check regulations from Oct 1
Other
Closed to salmon fishing. Possession of salmon on board a vessel is prohibited.

From WDFW emergency rule: Marine Area 1 salmon season update (Sept. 1, 2026), read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Cabezon Retention open (1 per day (9 bottomfish combined))
  • Chum salmon Closed (No retention)
  • Coho salmon Closed (No retention)
  • Kelp greenling Retention open (9 bottomfish combined per day)
  • Lingcod Retention open (2 per day (9 bottomfish combined))
  • Pacific cod Retention open (9 bottomfish combined per day)
  • Pacific halibut Retention open (1 per day)
  • Pink salmon Closed (No retention)
  • Rockfish Retention open (7 per day (9 bottomfish combined))
  • Sablefish Retention open (9 bottomfish combined per day)
  • Sockeye salmon Closed (No retention)
  • Surfperch Retention open (12 per day)

Source: WDFW · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Chinook salmon is best here

Peak season for Chinook salmon · 1 more week at peak

Chinook salmon season by week of the year. Peak season for Chinook salmon · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Chinook salmon in Oregon

Spot profile

Cape Falcon

Depth
Up to 50 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonChinook salmon

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below the DEM vertical datum, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Cape Falcon

Cape Falcon is a cape in Coastal waters from Cape Falcon to Cape Foulweather OR out 10 nm, Oregon. Depth in the nearest water is up to 50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are kelp greenling, lingcod and rockfish. It is peak season now for albacore tuna, Chinook salmon and coho salmon, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, lingcod, rockfish and cabezon. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Lingcod peak from April through June. Rockfish peak from May through August.

Tackle & technique

Chinook salmon
Chinook hold near bait off points, kelp edges and tide rips, usually suspended 20 to 120 feet down and deeper as the sun gets higher. Troll slowly, under 2 mph, with a flasher and herring, hoochie or spoon on a downrigger, or mooch a plug-cut herring at the depth where the sounder shows bait. Winter blackmouth and feeder kings sit within 10 feet of the bottom in 60 to 200 feet.
Kelp greenling
Kelp greenling are solitary bottom fish of rocky shores, jetties and kelp beds, usually in water shallower than 60 feet. Use a small number 4 to 6 hook with sand shrimp or marine worms, or a small lead-head grub, dropped to the bottom and reeled up slightly. Larger fish show in October and November when they spawn close to shore, and mornings tend to fish best.
Lingcod
Lingcod ambush prey from rock outcrops, reef edges and kelp where current runs, most often in 30 to 300 feet, and males move shallow to guard nests in winter. Drift over the reef bouncing a lead-head swimbait or metal jig on the bottom, or fish herring or squid on a heavy leader, since their teeth cut light line. From jetties and rocky shore, work bait or jigs along the rocks on the incoming tide.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Nehalem Bay

    Bay · 5.8 mi

    64
    Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season
    • Kelp greenling 64
    • Surfperch 58
    • Lingcod 57

    4 kt SEH 12:05 PM · 5.8 ftL 6:18 PM · 1.8 ft

  • Smuggler Cove

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    63
    Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season
    • Kelp greenling 63
    • Surfperch 58
    • Lingcod 56

    4 kt SEH 11:59 AM · 6.5 ftL 5:56 PM · 2.7 ft

  • Devils Cauldron

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    63
    Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season
    • Kelp greenling 63
    • Surfperch 58
    • Lingcod 56

    4 kt SEH 11:59 AM · 6.5 ftL 5:56 PM · 2.7 ft

  • Treasure Cove

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    63
    Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season
    • Kelp greenling 63
    • Surfperch 58
    • Lingcod 56

    4 kt SEH 11:59 AM · 6.5 ftL 5:56 PM · 2.7 ft

Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with WDFW before you keep a fish.