Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Chinook salmonCatch & release

Bay · Washington

Cascade Bay

48.64°N · 122.87°W · Bay · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 5 PM · Chinook salmon

73/100Great
Now
674 PM PDT
Best window
5-9 PMDusk
Tide now
High7.3 ft

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

Notify me when Cascade Bay scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 PM · now

Time4PNOW
Score67Great
Tide7.3 ftHigh
CurrentEbb0.5 kn · toward WNW
Wind6 kn SSWgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.2 ft · 2 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy53% cloud
Water61°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)

IN EFFECT NOW

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)

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 Washington

Spot profile

Cascade Bay

Depth
25-90 ftDrop-off
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Cascade Bay

Cascade Bay is a bay in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth is 25-90 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are Chinook salmon, kelp greenling and surfperch. It is peak season now for Chinook salmon and coho salmon, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, surfperch, Pacific halibut and cabezon. Chinook salmon peak from July through September. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Surfperch 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Rosario Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    71
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 71
    • Cabezon 63
    • Kelp greenling 62

    6 kt SSWL 9:53 PM · 5.1 ftH 1:25 AM · 5.7 ft

  • Buck Bay

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    69
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 69
    • Kelp greenling 67
    • Cabezon 66

    6 kt WSWL 9:31 PM · 4.8 ftH 2:10 AM · 6.3 ft

  • East Sound

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    68
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 68
    • Kelp greenling 59
    • Pacific halibut 59

    10 kt SSWL 9:53 PM · 5.1 ftH 1:25 AM · 5.7 ft

  • Dolphin Bay

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    64
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 64
    • Pacific halibut 62
    • Kelp greenling 58

    10 kt SSWL 9:53 PM · 5.1 ftH 1:25 AM · 5.7 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.