UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Chinook salmonRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 PM · Chinook salmon
- Now
- 787 PM PDT
- Best window
- 7-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High7.7 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Riddle Spit 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
Monday, Sep 28 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt SPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
58Water temp: 60°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Chinook salmon
Species seasonality
88Season: PeakHabitat: Prime 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
Riddle Spit
- Depth
- 1-25 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · 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 Riddle Spit
Riddle Spit is a bar in Columbia River Bar, Oregon. Depth is 1-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are Chinook salmon, cabezon and Pacific halibut. It is peak season now for Chinook salmon and coho salmon, and shoulder season for cabezon, Pacific halibut, kelp greenling and surfperch. Chinook salmon peak from July through September. Cabezon peak from May through August. Pacific halibut peak from May through July.
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.
- Pacific halibut
- Halibut sit on sand and gravel bottoms near drop-offs, bars and pinnacles, most often in 90 to 500 feet in Alaska and on the shelf off Washington, Oregon and far northern California. Anchor up-current of a likely edge and fish herring, squid, octopus or a salmon head on a circle hook with 24 to 32 ounces of weight, or bounce a large jig on the bottom. The best bite usually comes in the hour around slack tide.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Nemah Spit78
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 78
- Cabezon 67
- Pacific halibut 66
4 kt SWL 2:10 AM · 1.3 ftH 9:10 AM · 5.9 ft
- Willapa Bay75
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 75
- Cabezon 65
- Kelp greenling 64
4 kt SWL 2:10 AM · 1.3 ftH 9:10 AM · 5.9 ft
- Nemah River Channel75
Bay · 3.2 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 75
- Kelp greenling 67
- Surfperch 66
4 kt SWL 2:10 AM · 1.3 ftH 9:10 AM · 5.9 ft
- Long Island Shoal70
Bar · 1.8 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 70
- Pacific halibut 66
- Surfperch 61
4 kt SWL 2:07 AM · 1.3 ftH 9:14 AM · 6.4 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.