Waterlands

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SablefishShoulder season

Bay · Oregon

Deadmans Hollow

46.30°N · 124.08°W · Bay · Columbia River Bar

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Best score today · 9 AM · Sablefish

73/100Great
Now
2811 PM PDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing6.1 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Sep 29 · 7 PM

Time7P
Score30Fair
Tide1.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.2 kn · toward SSW
Wind9 kn WNWgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateRough6.2 ft · 9 s
Air temp57°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy32% chance of rain
Water57°FModel

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

Deadmans Hollow

Depth
3-9 ftNearest water
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Deadmans Hollow

Deadmans Hollow is a bay in Columbia River Bar, Oregon. Depth in the nearest water is 3-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are Chinook salmon, kelp greenling and cabezon. It is peak season now for Chinook salmon and coho salmon, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, cabezon, Pacific halibut and surfperch. Chinook salmon peak from July through September. 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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Peacock Spit

    Bar · 1.9 mi

    64
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 64
    • Cabezon 57
    • Coho salmon 57

    5 kt SSEL 5:01 AM · 0.2 ftH 11:43 AM · 6.1 ft

  • Ilwaco Channel

    Channel · 2.5 mi

    62
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 62
    • Pacific halibut 55
    • Cabezon 52

    5 kt SSEL 6:02 AM · -0.0 ftH 12:14 PM · 6.3 ft

  • Dead Mans Cove

    Bay · 1.8 mi

    60
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 60
    • Kelp greenling 56
    • Cabezon 55

    5 kt SSEL 5:17 AM · 0.4 ftH 11:59 AM · 6.5 ft

  • Middle Grounds

    Bar · 2.3 mi

    57
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 57
    • Chinook salmon 55
    • Cabezon 51

    5 kt SSEL 5:07 AM · 0.6 ftH 11:48 AM · 7.0 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.