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Chinook salmonCatch & releaseChannel · Washington
Middle Reach
48.74°N · 122.50°W · Channel · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Chinook salmon
- Now
- 745 PM PDT
- Best window
- 5-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High7.9 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Middle Reach 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 · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
94Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt SSWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 60°F, hotLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Chinook salmon
Species seasonality
85Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Chinook salmon is best here
Last week of peak season for Chinook salmon · shoulder season next
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Middle Reach
- Depth
- 20-35 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
- 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 Middle Reach
Middle Reach is a channel in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth is 20-35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are Chinook salmon, cabezon and kelp greenling. It is peak season now for Chinook salmon and coho salmon, and shoulder season for cabezon, kelp greenling, surfperch and Pacific halibut. Chinook salmon peak from July through September. 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Inner Reach74
Channel · 0.3 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 74
- Cabezon 61
- Kelp greenling 61
6 kt SSWL 10:40 PM · 4.3 ftH 3:23 AM · 6.7 ft
- Whatcom Creek Waterway73
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 73
- Kelp greenling 66
- Cabezon 65
6 kt SSWL 10:40 PM · 4.3 ftH 3:23 AM · 6.7 ft
- I and J Street Waterway73
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 73
- Kelp greenling 65
- Surfperch 65
6 kt SSWL 10:40 PM · 4.3 ftH 3:23 AM · 6.7 ft
- Starr Rock69
Bar · 0.5 mi
Top: CabezonShoulder season- Cabezon 69
- Kelp greenling 68
- Chinook salmon 67
6 kt SSWL 10:40 PM · 4.3 ftH 3:23 AM · 6.7 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.