Waterlands

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Coho salmonRetention open

Cape · Washington

Deer Point

48.60°N · 122.80°W · Cape · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands

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Best score today · 7 PM · Coho salmon

81/100Great
Now
761 PM PDT
Best window
5-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding5.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score76Great
Tide5.3 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.2 kn · toward E
Wind4 kn WSWgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.2 ft · 3 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherClear17% cloud
Water57°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)

IN EFFECT NOW

Coho salmon(hatchery-marked)

Retention open
Daily limit
2 salmon combined per day
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

  • Chinook salmon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Chum salmon Catch & release (No retention)
  • 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 Coho salmon is best here

Peak season for Coho salmon · 1 more week at peak

Coho salmon season by week of the year. Peak season for Coho salmon · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Coho salmon in Washington

Spot profile

Deer Point

Depth
9-170 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonCoho 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 Deer Point

Deer Point is a cape in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth in the nearest water is 9-170 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

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.
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

  • Obstruction Pass

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    73
    Top: Coho salmonPeak season
    • Coho salmon 73
    • Chinook salmon 69
    • Kelp greenling 64

    4 kt WSWH 4:26 PM · 7.8 ftL 9:31 PM · 4.8 ft

  • Buoy Bay

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    73
    Top: Coho salmonPeak season
    • Coho salmon 73
    • Chinook salmon 68
    • Kelp greenling 64

    4 kt WSWH 4:26 PM · 7.8 ftL 9:31 PM · 4.8 ft

  • Lydia Shoal

    Bar · 0.9 mi

    68
    Top: Coho salmonPeak season
    • Coho salmon 68
    • Chinook salmon 63
    • Lingcod 63

    4 kt WSWH 4:26 PM · 7.8 ftL 9:31 PM · 4.8 ft

  • Spindle Rock

    Bar · 1.0 mi

    68
    Top: Coho salmonPeak season
    • Coho salmon 68
    • Cabezon 67
    • Kelp greenling 66

    4 kt WSWH 4:26 PM · 7.8 ftL 9:31 PM · 4.8 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.