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SurfperchShoulder seasonBar · Washington
Chuckanut Rock
48.68°N · 122.50°W · Bar · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Surfperch
- Now
- 483 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 Chuckanut Rock 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
98Wind: 7 kt SSWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
71Water temp: 60°F, primeLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Surfperch
Species seasonality
24Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)
No rule for Surfperch is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with WDFW before you keep a fish.
Species rules here
- Chinook salmon Catch & release (No retention)
- 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 Surfperch is best here
Shoulder season for Surfperch · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Chuckanut Rock
- Depth
- 40-60 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · drop-off
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSurfperch
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 Chuckanut Rock
Chuckanut Rock is a bar in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth is 40-60 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are lingcod, cabezon and kelp greenling. It is peak season now for coho salmon and Chinook salmon, and shoulder season for lingcod, cabezon, kelp greenling and Pacific halibut. Lingcod peak from April through June. 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.
- Lingcod
- Lingcod ambush prey from rock outcrops, reef edges and kelp where current runs, most often in 30 to 300 feet, and males move shallow to guard nests in winter. Drift over the reef bouncing a lead-head swimbait or metal jig on the bottom, or fish herring or squid on a heavy leader, since their teeth cut light line. From jetties and rocky shore, work bait or jigs along the rocks on the incoming tide.
- 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
- Governors Point69
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 69
- Coho salmon 69
- Cabezon 64
7 kt SSWH 4:52 PM · 7.9 ftL 10:40 PM · 4.3 ft
- Chuckanut Point69
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 69
- Coho salmon 69
- Cabezon 64
7 kt SSWH 4:52 PM · 7.9 ftL 10:40 PM · 4.3 ft
- Chuckanut Bay66
Bay · 0.2 mi
Top: Coho salmonPeak season- Coho salmon 66
- Chinook salmon 65
- Lingcod 64
7 kt SSWH 4:52 PM · 7.9 ftL 10:40 PM · 4.3 ft
- Pleasant Bay66
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Coho salmonPeak season- Coho salmon 66
- Chinook salmon 65
- Lingcod 64
7 kt SSWH 4:52 PM · 7.9 ftL 10:40 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.
