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RockfishRetention openBay · Washington
Jefferson Cove
47.76°N · 124.45°W · Bay · Coastal Waters From James Island To Point Grenville Out 10 Nm
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Rockfish
- Now
- 395 PM PDT
- Best window
- 6-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low2.7 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Jefferson Cove 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
29Tide: Low slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 6 kt WNWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
43Water temp: 57°F, primeLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 6.7 ftSeason & habitat · Rockfish
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Marine Area 3 (La Push)
Rockfish
Retention open- Daily limit
- 7 per day (9 bottomfish combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- No minimum size.
- Season
- Mar 14 to Oct 17, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 18
- Other
- Copper, quillback and vermilion rockfish may not be possessed in May, June and July. The C-shaped yelloweye rockfish conservation area off the north coast is closed to halibut and bottomfish fishing. Canary rockfish sublimit 5. Yelloweye may not be kept. Vessels fishing for bottomfish or halibut must carry a descending device rigged for immediate use.
From WDFW North Coast halibut and bottomfish seasons page, read Sep 13
Other species here
- Cabezon Retention open (1 per day (9 bottomfish combined))
- Chinook salmon Retention open (2 salmon combined per day)
- Chum salmon Catch & release (No retention)
- Coho salmon Retention open (2 salmon combined per day)
- 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 Retention open (2 salmon combined per day)
- Sablefish Retention open (9 bottomfish combined per day)
- Sockeye salmon Retention open (2 salmon combined per day)
- Surfperch Retention open (12 per day)
Source: WDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Rockfish is best here
Shoulder season for Rockfish · 31 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Jefferson Cove
- Depth
- About 15 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposed
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRockfish
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 464 m grid. Depths are feet below mean sea level, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Jefferson Cove
Jefferson Cove is a bay in Coastal Waters From James Island To Point Grenville Out 10 Nm, Washington. Depth in the nearest water is about 15 ft. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 12 species here; the best right now are coho salmon, Chinook salmon and Pacific halibut. It is peak season now for coho salmon, Chinook salmon and albacore tuna, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, surfperch, rockfish and lingcod. Coho salmon peak from July through September. Chinook salmon peak from July through September. Pacific halibut peak from May through July.
Tackle & technique
- Rockfish
- Rockfish live on rocky reefs, pinnacles and kelp from the shoreline out past 300 feet, with black and blue rockfish schooling mid-water over shallow reefs and copper, quillback, yelloweye and vermilion sitting tight to deeper bottom. Drift over the structure with a shrimp fly above a lead-head grub or metal jig, or a squid strip, and reel up a few cranks after touching bottom to cut snags. Use a descending device to release any fish brought up from deep water.
- Coho salmon
- Coho feed in the top 30 to 50 feet along tide rips, kelp edges and bait schools, and often hit within a few feet of the surface. Troll faster than for Chinook, 2 to 4 mph, with a small flasher and hoochie, bucktail fly or herring, or cast spinners and flies from beaches near stream mouths as fish stage in late summer. The hour around a tide change is often the best window.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Toleak Point57
Cape · 6.3 mi
Top: Coho salmonPeak season- Coho salmon 57
- Chinook salmon 56
- Rockfish 47
6 kt WNWH 11:10 PM · 7.7 ftL 5:42 AM · 0.3 ft
- North Rock56
Bar · 1.4 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 56
- Coho salmon 54
- Chinook salmon 51
6 kt WNWH 11:05 PM · 7.9 ftL 5:27 AM · 0.4 ft
- Perkins Reef56
Bar · 2.4 mi
Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season- Pacific halibut 56
- Coho salmon 53
- Chinook salmon 50
6 kt WNWH 11:05 PM · 7.9 ftL 5:27 AM · 0.4 ft
- Browns Point55
Cape · 9.5 mi
Top: Albacore tunaPeak season- Albacore tuna 55
- Chinook salmon 52
- Coho salmon 51
6 kt WNWH 11:05 PM · 7.9 ftL 5:27 AM · 0.4 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.