Waterlands

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Kelp greenlingShoulder season

Bay · Washington

Fox Cove

48.75°N · 122.91°W · Bay · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands

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Best score today · 7 AM · Kelp greenling

74/100Great
Now
593 AM PDT
Best window
6-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High6.5 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
Score59Good
Tide6.5 ftHigh
CurrentEbb0.6 kn · toward S
Wind4 kn SEgusts 4 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 2 s
Air temp57°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water61°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Kelp greenling 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 Kelp greenling is best here

Shoulder season for Kelp greenling · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Kelp greenling in Washington

Spot profile

Fox Cove

Depth
4-50 ftDrop-off
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · drop-off
Season
Shoulder seasonKelp greenling

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 Fox Cove

Fox Cove is a bay in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth is 4-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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.
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

  • Shallow Bay

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    64
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 64
    • Kelp greenling 59
    • Surfperch 58

    4 kt SEL 10:01 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:10 PM · 8.1 ft

  • Ev Henry Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    63
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 63
    • Pacific halibut 59
    • Cabezon 57

    4 kt SEL 10:01 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:10 PM · 8.1 ft

  • Fossil Bay

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    60
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 60
    • Kelp greenling 56
    • Cabezon 55

    4 kt SEL 10:01 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:10 PM · 8.1 ft

  • Mud Bay

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    60
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 60
    • Kelp greenling 56
    • Cabezon 55

    4 kt SEL 10:01 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:10 PM · 8.1 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.