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Chinook salmonCatch & releaseBar · Washington
Boulder Reef
48.63°N · 122.69°W · Bar · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 AM · Chinook salmon
- Now
- 593 PM PDT
- Best window
- 3-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding6.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Boulder Reef 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 · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
84Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 4 kt SSWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
46Water temp: 58°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Chinook salmon
Species seasonality
68Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Catch & release
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)
Chinook salmon(hatchery-marked)
Catch & release- Daily limit
- No retention
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- Sep 1 to Sep 30, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 1
- Other
- Bellingham Bay has a separate daily limit through Sept. 30. Some bays, piers and creek mouths have separate rules or closures. Check the pamphlet. Barbless hooks required in Marine Areas 5 through 13. Season and limits as listed in WDFW's 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries. WDFW's adopted rule (WAC 220-313-060, 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 Catch & release (No retention)
- Coho salmon Retention open (2 salmon combined per day)
- Lingcod Check regulations
- Pacific halibut Retention open (1 per day)
- Pink salmon Retention open (2 salmon combined per day)
- Rockfish Closed (No retention)
- Sockeye salmon Catch & release (No retention)
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
Boulder Reef
- Depth
- 15-70 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Reef · Outer · ExposedReef · drop-off
- Season
- Peak seasonChinook salmon
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Boulder Reef
Boulder Reef is a bar in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth is 15-70 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, kelp greenling and lingcod. It is peak season now for coho salmon and Chinook salmon, and shoulder season for cabezon, kelp greenling, lingcod and Pacific halibut. Cabezon peak from May through August. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Lingcod peak from April through June.
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
- Eagle Harbor74
Bay · 3.2 mi
Top: Coho salmonPeak season- Coho salmon 74
- Chinook salmon 70
- Kelp greenling 68
4 kt SWH 4:43 PM · 7.6 ftL 10:21 PM · 4.3 ft
- Lawrence Point69
Cape · 2.9 mi
Top: Coho salmonPeak season- Coho salmon 69
- Chinook salmon 68
- Cabezon 55
4 kt SSWH 4:48 PM · 8.3 ftL 10:49 PM · 4.4 ft
- Cypress Reef68
Bar · 1.9 mi
Top: CabezonShoulder season- Cabezon 68
- Coho salmon 68
- Kelp greenling 67
4 kt SWH 4:40 PM · 7.5 ftL 10:10 PM · 4.3 ft
- Buckeye Shoal66
Bar · 2.0 mi
Top: Coho salmonPeak season- Coho salmon 66
- Chinook salmon 62
- Lingcod 58
4 kt SWH 4:40 PM · 7.5 ftL 10:10 PM · 4.3 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.