Waterlands

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SurfperchShoulder season

Bar · Oregon

Peacock Spit

46.27°N · 124.09°W · Bar · Columbia River Bar

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Best score today · 9 AM · Surfperch

74/100Great
Now
4811 AM PDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
High5.7 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
Score48Good
Tide5.7 ftHigh
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward N
Wind5 kn NWgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateRough5.8 ft · 11 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherClear14% cloud
Water60°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco)

IN EFFECT NOW

Surfperch

Retention open
Daily limit
12 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
No minimum size.
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Shiner perch daily limit 15. Surfperch do not count toward the bottomfish daily limit.

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))
  • Sablefish Retention open (9 bottomfish combined per day)
  • Sockeye salmon Closed (No retention)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Surfperch is best here

Shoulder season for Surfperch · 1 more week at shoulder

Surfperch season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Surfperch · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Surfperch in Oregon

Spot profile

Peacock Spit

Depth
25-30 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bar · Outer · ExposedBar · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonSurfperch

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 Peacock Spit

Peacock Spit is a bar in Columbia River Bar, Oregon. Depth is 25-30 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, outer water and 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, Pacific halibut and surfperch. Chinook salmon peak from July through September. Cabezon peak from May through August. Kelp greenling peak from October through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Ilwaco Channel

    Channel · 3.7 mi

    61
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 61
    • Pacific halibut 55
    • Cabezon 52

    5 kt NWL 5:24 PM · 2.5 ftH 10:57 PM · 6.4 ft

  • Deadmans Hollow

    Bay · 1.9 mi

    59
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 59
    • Cabezon 55
    • Kelp greenling 55

    5 kt NWL 4:23 PM · 2.7 ftH 10:26 PM · 6.2 ft

  • Dead Mans Cove

    Bay · 2.1 mi

    59
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 59
    • Cabezon 55
    • Kelp greenling 55

    5 kt NWL 4:49 PM · 3.1 ftH 10:40 PM · 6.8 ft

  • Middle Grounds

    Bar · 2.0 mi

    56
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 56
    • Chinook salmon 54
    • Cabezon 51

    5 kt NWL 4:40 PM · 3.6 ftH 10:37 PM · 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.