Waterlands

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Coho salmonRetention open

Bay · Washington

New Channel

48.64°N · 123.13°W · Bay · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands

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Best score today · 7 AM · Coho salmon

82/100Great
Now
633 PM PDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Low6.5 ft

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Sep 26 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score70Great
Tide5.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb2.4 kn · toward W
Wind2 kn Wgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 2 s
Air temp51°Cool
WeatherClear14% cloud
Water60°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)

IN EFFECT NOW

Coho salmon(hatchery-marked)

Retention open
Daily limit
2 salmon combined per day
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

  • Chinook salmon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Chum salmon Catch & release (No retention)
  • 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 Coho salmon is best here

Peak season for Coho salmon · 1 more week at peak

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

Coho salmon in Washington

Spot profile

New Channel

Depth
70-190 ftDrop-off
Structure
Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonCoho 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 New Channel

New Channel is a bay in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth is 70-190 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

Coho salmon
Coho feed in the top 30 to 50 feet along tide rips, kelp edges and bait schools, and often hit within a few feet of the surface. Troll faster than for Chinook, 2 to 4 mph, with a small flasher and hoochie, bucktail fly or herring, or cast spinners and flies from beaches near stream mouths as fish stage in late summer. The hour around a tide change is often the best window.
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.
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

  • Spieden Channel

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    63
    Top: Coho salmonPeak season
    • Coho salmon 63
    • Chinook salmon 56
    • Lingcod 50

    5 kt NNEL 4:35 PM · 6.4 ftH 8:32 PM · 6.3 ft

  • Gull Reef

    Bar · 1.0 mi

    57
    Top: CabezonShoulder season
    • Cabezon 57
    • Kelp greenling 56
    • Lingcod 56

    5 kt NNEL 4:35 PM · 6.4 ftH 8:32 PM · 6.3 ft

  • Sentinel Rock

    Bar · 1.3 mi

    57
    Top: Coho salmonPeak season
    • Coho salmon 57
    • Cabezon 56
    • Chinook salmon 55

    5 kt NNEL 4:35 PM · 6.4 ftH 8:32 PM · 6.3 ft

  • Center Reef

    Bar · 1.6 mi

    57
    Top: Coho salmonPeak season
    • Coho salmon 57
    • Cabezon 56
    • Chinook salmon 55

    5 kt NNEL 4:35 PM · 6.4 ftH 8:32 PM · 6.3 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.