Waterlands

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Chum salmonCatch & release

Bar · Washington

Eliza Rock

48.64°N · 122.58°W · Bar · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands

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Best score today · 11 AM · Chum salmon

71/100Great
Now
3510 AM PDT
Best window
11 AM-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.9 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score35Fair
Tide0.9 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentEbb0.7 kn · toward SE
Wind8 kn Sgusts 14 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 2 s
Air temp58°Mild
WeatherOvercast96% cloud
Water60°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)

IN EFFECT NOW

Chum salmon

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

  • Chinook 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 Chum salmon is best here

Out of season for Chum salmon · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks

Chum salmon season by week of the year. Out of season for Chum salmon · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Chum salmon in Washington

Spot profile

Eliza Rock

Depth
30-150 ftDrop-off
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · drop-off
Season
Off seasonChum 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 Eliza Rock

Eliza Rock is a bar in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth is 30-150 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

Chum salmon
Chum stage off stream mouths and hatchery beaches in late fall in Puget Sound and Hood Canal and in midsummer in Southeast Alaska. Fish from the beach or a skiff in 5 to 30 feet with a green or cerise jig under a float, a large fly or a spoon. They fight hard, so step up to 12 to 20 pound line.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Carter Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    69
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 69
    • Coho salmon 69
    • Pacific halibut 61

    8 kt SH 4:50 PM · 8.3 ftL 10:39 PM · 4.4 ft

  • Reil Harbor

    Bay · 2.6 mi

    66
    Top: Coho salmonPeak season
    • Coho salmon 66
    • Chinook salmon 65
    • Kelp greenling 62

    8 kt SH 4:50 PM · 8.3 ftL 10:39 PM · 4.4 ft

  • Inati Bay

    Bay · 2.9 mi

    66
    Top: Coho salmonPeak season
    • Coho salmon 66
    • Chinook salmon 65
    • Pacific halibut 61

    8 kt SH 4:50 PM · 8.3 ftL 10:39 PM · 4.4 ft

  • Bellingham Bay

    Bay · 3.2 mi

    66
    Top: Coho salmonPeak season
    • Coho salmon 66
    • Chinook salmon 65
    • Cabezon 58

    8 kt SH 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.