Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

SurfperchShoulder season

Cape · Washington

Point Francis

48.69°N · 122.62°W · Cape · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Surfperch

76/100Great
Now
483 AM PDT
Best window
6-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing6.6 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Point Francis scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 AM · now

Time3ANOW
Score48Good
Tide6.6 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward SE
Wind1 kn Sgusts 3 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 2 s
Air temp58°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water60°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Surfperch 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 Surfperch is best here

Shoulder season for Surfperch · 1 more week at shoulder

Surfperch season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Surfperch · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Surfperch in Washington

Spot profile

Point Francis

Depth
4-90 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · drop-off
Season
Shoulder seasonSurfperch

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 Point Francis

Point Francis is a cape in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth in the nearest water is 4-90 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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, Pacific halibut and lingcod. Chinook salmon peak from July through September. Cabezon peak from May through August. Kelp greenling peak from October through November.

Tackle & technique

Surfperch
Surfperch feed in the troughs and holes within about 30 feet of the waterline, just outside the first set of breakers. Cast a two-hook high-low or Carolina rig with size 4 to 2 hooks and a 1 to 6 ounce pyramid sinker and let the surge work it through the trough. Fish the incoming tide on beaches with a steep drop, and switch to jetties, pilings and bays when the surf is too big.
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

  • Portage Bay

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    61
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 61
    • Cabezon 60
    • Kelp greenling 60

    3 kt SEL 9:37 AM · 0.9 ftH 4:50 PM · 8.3 ft

  • Reil Harbor

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    61
    Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season
    • Kelp greenling 61
    • Cabezon 60
    • Chinook salmon 59

    1 kt SL 9:37 AM · 0.9 ftH 4:50 PM · 8.3 ft

  • Hale Passage

    Bay · 1.8 mi

    61
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 61
    • Cabezon 60
    • Kelp greenling 60

    3 kt SEL 9:37 AM · 0.9 ftH 4:50 PM · 8.3 ft

  • Inati Bay

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    59
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 59
    • Kelp greenling 58
    • Pacific halibut 56

    1 kt SL 9:37 AM · 0.9 ftH 4:50 PM · 8.3 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.