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Albacore tunaPeak seasonChannel · Oregon
Main Channel
45.53°N · 123.91°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Cape Falcon to Cape Foulweather OR out 10 nm
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 AM · Albacore tuna
- Now
- 431 PM PDT
- Best window
- 1-3 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing5.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Main Channel scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
65Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 3 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
23Water temp: 56°F, coldLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.9 ftSeason & habitat · Albacore tuna
Species seasonality
89Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco)
No rule for Albacore tuna is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with WDFW before you keep a fish.
Species rules here
- Cabezon Retention open (1 per day (9 bottomfish combined))
- Chinook salmon Closed (No retention)
- 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Albacore tuna is best here
Peak season for Albacore tuna · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Main Channel
- Depth
- Up to 8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonAlbacore tuna
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 Main Channel
Main Channel is a channel in Coastal waters from Cape Falcon to Cape Foulweather OR out 10 nm, Oregon. Depth is up to 8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are surfperch, kelp greenling and cabezon. It is peak season now for albacore tuna, Chinook salmon and coho salmon, and shoulder season for surfperch, kelp greenling, cabezon and lingcod. Surfperch peak from April through June. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Cabezon peak from May through August.
Tackle & technique
- Albacore tuna
- Albacore hold 30 to 100 miles off Oregon and Washington in clear blue water around 60 to 65 degrees, usually along a temperature break. Troll clones, cedar plugs and diving plugs at 6 to 8 knots until a fish hits, then stop and work the school near the surface with live anchovies, swimbaits or iron. Bar conditions and the long run decide most trips before the fish do.
- Surfperch
- Surfperch feed in the troughs and holes within about 30 feet of the waterline, just outside the first set of breakers. Cast a two-hook high-low or Carolina rig with size 4 to 2 hooks and a 1 to 6 ounce pyramid sinker and let the surge work it through the trough. Fish the incoming tide on beaches with a steep drop, and switch to jetties, pilings and bays when the surf is too big.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Tillamook Bay62
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season- Kelp greenling 62
- Surfperch 58
- Cabezon 54
3 kt NL 6:22 PM · 2.0 ftH 11:45 PM · 6.4 ft
- Seal Channel58
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: SurfperchShoulder season- Surfperch 58
- Kelp greenling 57
- Cabezon 54
3 kt NL 6:22 PM · 2.0 ftH 11:45 PM · 6.4 ft
- South Channel58
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: SurfperchShoulder season- Surfperch 58
- Kelp greenling 57
- Cabezon 54
3 kt NL 6:22 PM · 2.0 ftH 11:45 PM · 6.4 ft
- Sibley Sands58
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: SurfperchShoulder season- Surfperch 58
- Kelp greenling 57
- Cabezon 54
3 kt NL 6:22 PM · 2.0 ftH 11:45 PM · 6.4 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.
