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Chinook salmonCatch & releaseBar · Washington
Gull Reef
48.65°N · 123.15°W · Bar · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Chinook salmon
- Now
- 544 AM PDT
- Best window
- 6 AM-4 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing5.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Gull Reef 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 · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
77Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
88Wind: 2 kt SPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
38Water temp: 61°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.2 ftSeason & habitat · Chinook salmon
Species seasonality
68Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Catch & release
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)
Chinook salmon(hatchery-marked)
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
- 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 Chinook salmon is best here
Peak season for Chinook salmon · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Gull Reef
- Depth
- 60-300 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · drop-off
- Season
- Peak seasonChinook 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 Gull Reef
Gull Reef is a bar in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth is 60-300 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads reef, 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 Chinook salmon and coho 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
- 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.
- 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
- New Channel65
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 65
- Coho salmon 65
- Lingcod 60
2 kt SL 9:14 AM · 0.9 ftH 4:42 PM · 7.2 ft
- Sentinel Rock61
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: LingcodShoulder season- Lingcod 61
- Cabezon 59
- Chinook salmon 59
2 kt SL 9:14 AM · 0.9 ftH 4:42 PM · 7.2 ft
- Center Reef61
Bar · 1.5 mi
Top: LingcodShoulder season- Lingcod 61
- Cabezon 59
- Chinook salmon 59
2 kt SL 9:14 AM · 0.9 ftH 4:42 PM · 7.2 ft
- Johns Pass60
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 60
- Coho salmon 59
- Lingcod 59
2 kt SL 9:14 AM · 0.9 ftH 4:42 PM · 7.2 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.