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Chinook salmonRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 PM · Chinook salmon
- Now
- 718 PM PDT
- Best window
- 8-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing8.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Chetlo Harbor 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
Tuesday, Sep 29 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 4 kt SPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
58Water temp: 63°F, hotLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Chinook salmon
Species seasonality
77Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Marine Area 2-1 (Willapa Bay)
Chinook salmon(hatchery-marked)
Retention open- Daily limit
- 6 salmon combined per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 12 in. Minimum length for Chinook. See the WDFW pamphlet for how to measure.
- Season
- Aug 1, 2026 to Jan 31, 2027
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Check regulations from Feb 1
- Other
- Two-pole endorsement allowed. Some waters in the bay have separate closures. Check the pamphlet. Up to 2 may be adult salmon. Season and limits as listed in WDFW's 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries. WDFW's adopted rule (WAC 220-313-070, WSR 26-13-052) sets the same rules for these dates.
From WDFW 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries (final), read Sep 13
Other species here
- Chum salmon Retention open (6 salmon combined per day)
- Coho salmon Retention open (6 salmon combined per day)
- Pink salmon Retention open (6 salmon combined per day)
- Sockeye salmon Retention open (6 salmon combined per day)
Source: WDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Chinook salmon is best here
Peak season for Chinook salmon · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Chetlo Harbor
- Depth
- 7-25 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · slope
- 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 Chetlo Harbor
Chetlo Harbor is a bay in Columbia River Bar, Oregon. Depth is 7-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are Chinook salmon, cabezon and kelp greenling. It is peak season now for Chinook salmon and coho salmon, and shoulder season for cabezon, kelp greenling, surfperch and rockfish. Chinook salmon peak from July through September. Cabezon peak from May through August. Kelp greenling peak from October through November.
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.
- Cabezon
- Cabezon sit in rock crevices, kelp beds and jetty boulders from the intertidal zone to about 100 feet and feed mostly on crabs and small fish. Fish a fish-finder rig with sand shrimp, squid or crab right on the bottom in the rocks, or drag a lead-head grub slowly through the kelp. Expect snags, and do not eat the roe, which is toxic.
- 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
- Paradise Point75
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 75
- Cabezon 67
- Coho salmon 65
3 kt SWL 2:20 AM · 1.4 ftH 9:28 AM · 6.5 ft
- Kaffee Slough73
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 73
- Surfperch 64
- Cabezon 63
3 kt SWL 2:20 AM · 1.4 ftH 9:28 AM · 6.5 ft
- Lewis Slough72
Bay · 2.6 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 72
- Coho salmon 63
- Surfperch 63
3 kt SWL 2:20 AM · 1.4 ftH 9:28 AM · 6.5 ft
- Long Island Slough71
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 71
- Cabezon 65
- Kelp greenling 65
3 kt SWL 2:16 AM · 1.4 ftH 9:27 AM · 6.9 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.