Waterlands

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Chinook salmonCatch & release

Bay · Washington

Inati Bay

48.67°N · 122.62°W · Bay · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands

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Best score today · 7 AM · Chinook salmon

72/100Great
Now
6310 PM PDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing6.9 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 PM · now

Time10PNOW
Score63Good
Tide6.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.2 kn
Wind4 kn SSEgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 2 s
Air temp58°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy22% cloud
Water60°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)

IN EFFECT NOW

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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Chinook salmon is best here

Peak season for Chinook salmon · 1 more week at peak

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

Chinook salmon in Washington

Spot profile

Inati Bay

Depth
20-100 ftDrop-off
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Inati Bay

Inati Bay is a bay in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth is 20-100 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, Pacific halibut and kelp greenling. It is peak season now for Chinook salmon and coho salmon, and shoulder season for Pacific halibut, kelp greenling, surfperch and cabezon. Chinook salmon peak from July through September. Pacific halibut peak from May through July. 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.
Pacific halibut
Halibut sit on sand and gravel bottoms near drop-offs, bars and pinnacles, most often in 90 to 500 feet in Alaska and on the shelf off Washington, Oregon and far northern California. Anchor up-current of a likely edge and fish herring, squid, octopus or a salmon head on a circle hook with 24 to 32 ounces of weight, or bounce a large jig on the bottom. The best bite usually comes in the hour around slack tide.
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

  • Echo Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    67
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 67
    • Cabezon 60
    • Kelp greenling 58

    2 kt EL 5:45 AM · 0.7 ftH 2:48 PM · 8.1 ft

  • Point Francis

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    66
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 66
    • Cabezon 61
    • Pacific halibut 61

    4 kt SSEL 5:45 AM · 0.7 ftH 2:48 PM · 8.1 ft

  • Carter Point

    Cape · 2.3 mi

    66
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 66
    • Cabezon 61
    • Pacific halibut 61

    4 kt SSEL 5:45 AM · 0.7 ftH 2:48 PM · 8.1 ft

  • Reil Harbor

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    63
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 63
    • Cabezon 62
    • Pacific halibut 61

    4 kt SSEL 5:45 AM · 0.7 ftH 2:48 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.