Waterlands

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Chinook salmonRetention open

Cape · Oregon

Leadbetter Point

46.64°N · 124.05°W · Cape · Columbia River Bar

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 AM · Chinook salmon

74/100Great
Now
7011 AM PDT
Best window
11 AM-1 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High6.6 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
Score70Great
Tide6.6 ftHigh
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward WNW
Wind6 kn NWgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateRough4.5 ft · 12 s
Air temp61°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water62°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Marine Area 2-1 (Willapa Bay)

IN EFFECT NOW

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)

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

Leadbetter Point

Depth
Up to 7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
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 Leadbetter Point

Leadbetter Point is a cape in Columbia River Bar, Oregon. Depth is up to 7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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 Pacific halibut. 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

  • Nahcotta Channel

    Bay · 2.5 mi

    66
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 66
    • Pacific halibut 58
    • Surfperch 56

    6 kt NWL 4:13 PM · 4.0 ftH 9:57 PM · 7.4 ft

  • Leadbetter Channel

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    65
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 65
    • Pacific halibut 57
    • Surfperch 55

    6 kt NWL 4:13 PM · 4.0 ftH 9:57 PM · 7.4 ft

  • Bay Center Channel

    Bay · 3.7 mi

    65
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 65
    • Pacific halibut 58
    • Surfperch 55

    6 kt NWL 4:35 PM · 4.1 ftH 10:06 PM · 7.7 ft

  • Ellen Sands

    Bar · 3.9 mi

    58
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 58
    • Chinook salmon 57
    • Surfperch 48

    6 kt NWL 4:13 PM · 4.0 ftH 9:57 PM · 7.4 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.