Waterlands

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SurfperchShoulder season

Cape · Washington

Cypress Head

48.57°N · 122.67°W · Cape · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands

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Best score today · 7 PM · Surfperch

81/100Great
Now
513 AM PDT
Best window
7-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing6.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 AM · now

Time3ANOW
Score51Good
Tide6.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.6 kn · toward S
Wind1 kn SSEgusts 3 · building
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 2 s
Air temp55°Cool
WeatherMostly cloudy72% cloud
Water57°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)

IN EFFECT NOW

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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Surfperch is best here

Shoulder season for Surfperch · 1 more week at shoulder

Surfperch season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Surfperch · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Surfperch in Washington

Spot profile

Cypress Head

Depth
20-350 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Cypress Head

Cypress Head is a cape in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth in the nearest water is 20-350 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Secret Harbor

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    67
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 67
    • Kelp greenling 67
    • Cabezon 63

    1 kt SSEL 9:19 AM · 0.9 ftH 4:43 PM · 7.6 ft

  • Bellingham Channel

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    66
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 66
    • Kelp greenling 60
    • Coho salmon 59

    1 kt SSEL 9:19 AM · 0.9 ftH 4:43 PM · 7.6 ft

  • Clark Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    65
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 65
    • Cabezon 60
    • Kelp greenling 60

    1 kt SSEL 9:19 AM · 0.9 ftH 4:43 PM · 7.6 ft

  • Deepwater Bay

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    64
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 64
    • Kelp greenling 62
    • Coho salmon 59

    1 kt SSEL 9:19 AM · 0.9 ftH 4:43 PM · 7.6 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.