Waterlands

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SablefishRetention open

Bar · Oregon

Sibley Sands

45.52°N · 123.91°W · Bar · Coastal waters from Cape Falcon to Cape Foulweather OR out 10 nm

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Best score today · 8 AM · Sablefish

63/100Good
Now
3511 AM PDT
Best window
11 AM-12 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding5.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score35Fair
Tide5.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.7 kn · toward SE
Wind3 kn Sgusts 5 · building
Sea stateRough5.7 ft · 10 s
Air temp58°Mild
WeatherOvercast55% chance of rain
Water56°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco)

IN EFFECT NOW

Sablefish

Retention open
Daily limit
9 bottomfish combined per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
Mar 14 to Oct 17, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Oct 18
Other
On all-depth halibut days with halibut on board, only certain bottomfish may be kept. Counts toward the 9 bottomfish daily limit. WDFW's page lists no separate limit for this species; check the pamphlet.

From WDFW Columbia River halibut and bottomfish seasons page, read Sep 13

Other species 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))
  • Sockeye salmon Closed (No retention)
  • Surfperch Retention open (12 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Sablefish is best here

Shoulder season for Sablefish · 1 more week at shoulder

Sablefish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Sablefish · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Sablefish in Oregon

Spot profile

Sibley Sands

Depth
Up to 3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bar · Inner · ProtectedBar · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonSablefish

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 Sibley Sands

Sibley Sands is a bar in Coastal waters from Cape Falcon to Cape Foulweather OR out 10 nm, Oregon. Depth is up to 3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, 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

Sablefish
Sablefish live on soft bottoms along the continental slope, and sport anglers find adults in 700 to 2,000 feet. Fish a multi-hook deep-drop rig with glow squid skirts and squid or herring on circle hooks, using several pounds of weight and an electric reel. It takes a long run offshore and a calm day to keep the line near vertical, so most trips happen in summer.
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

  • Main Channel

    Channel · 1.1 mi

    64
    Top: SurfperchShoulder season
    • Surfperch 64
    • Kelp greenling 55
    • Lingcod 54

    3 kt SH 12:03 PM · 6.0 ftL 5:48 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Tillamook Bay

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    63
    Top: SurfperchShoulder season
    • Surfperch 63
    • Kelp greenling 59
    • Cabezon 51

    3 kt SH 12:21 PM · 5.8 ftL 6:22 PM · 2.0 ft

  • Seal Channel

    Channel · 0.8 mi

    63
    Top: SurfperchShoulder season
    • Surfperch 63
    • Lingcod 56
    • Kelp greenling 54

    3 kt SH 12:21 PM · 5.8 ftL 6:22 PM · 2.0 ft

  • South Channel

    Channel · 1.4 mi

    63
    Top: SurfperchShoulder season
    • Surfperch 63
    • Lingcod 57
    • Kelp greenling 54

    3 kt SH 12:21 PM · 5.8 ftL 6:22 PM · 2.0 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.