Waterlands

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Kelp greenlingShoulder season

Bay · Washington

Kansas Cove

48.53°N · 122.98°W · Bay · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands

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Best score today · 7 AM · Coho salmon

78/100Great
Now
663 AM PDT
Best window
6-8 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing5.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 AM · now

Time3ANOW
Score66Great
Tide5.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward SSW
Wind4 kn SEgusts 4 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 3 s
Air temp57°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water55°FObserved

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

Kansas Cove

Depth
Up to 35 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
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 Kansas Cove

Kansas Cove is a bay in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth is up to 35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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

  • Pear Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    69
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 69
    • Kelp greenling 67
    • Cabezon 65

    4 kt SEL 9:09 AM · 0.8 ftH 4:54 PM · 7.0 ft

  • Danger Rock

    Bar · 0.6 mi

    68
    Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season
    • Kelp greenling 68
    • Cabezon 67
    • Lingcod 61

    4 kt SEL 9:09 AM · 0.8 ftH 4:54 PM · 7.0 ft

  • Turn Rock

    Bar · 0.7 mi

    68
    Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season
    • Kelp greenling 68
    • Cabezon 67
    • Lingcod 61

    4 kt SEL 9:09 AM · 0.8 ftH 4:54 PM · 7.0 ft

  • Boat Channel

    Bay · 0.2 mi

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

    4 kt SEL 9:09 AM · 0.8 ftH 4:54 PM · 7.0 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.