UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Chum salmonCatch & releaseBar · Washington
Shark Reef
48.47°N · 122.95°W · Bar · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 AM · Chum salmon
- Now
- 3510 AM PDT
- Best window
- 10 AM-1 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Shark Reef 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
85Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 6 kt SPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 54°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Chum salmon
Species seasonality
27Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Catch & release
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)
Chum salmon
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
- Chinook 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 Chum salmon is best here
Out of season for Chum salmon · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Shark Reef
- Depth
- 5-250 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · drop-off
- Season
- Off seasonChum 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 Shark Reef
Shark Reef is a bar in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth is 5-250 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads reef, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are kelp greenling, cabezon and lingcod. It is peak season now for Chinook salmon and coho salmon, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, cabezon, lingcod and Pacific halibut. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Cabezon peak from May through August. Lingcod peak from April through June.
Tackle & technique
- Chum salmon
- Chum stage off stream mouths and hatchery beaches in late fall in Puget Sound and Hood Canal and in midsummer in Southeast Alaska. Fish from the beach or a skiff in 5 to 30 feet with a green or cerise jig under a float, a large fly or a spoon. They fight hard, so step up to 12 to 20 pound line.
- 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.
- 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
- Davis Point81
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 81
- Coho salmon 81
- Kelp greenling 71
6 kt SH 4:01 PM · 6.4 ftL 9:20 PM · 4.4 ft
- Rowboat Cove78
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 78
- Coho salmon 78
- Kelp greenling 70
6 kt SH 4:01 PM · 6.4 ftL 9:20 PM · 4.4 ft
- Rock Point75
Bar · 1.5 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 75
- Coho salmon 74
- Kelp greenling 70
6 kt SH 4:01 PM · 6.4 ftL 9:20 PM · 4.4 ft
- Harbor Rock73
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Coho salmonPeak season- Coho salmon 73
- Chinook salmon 72
- Kelp greenling 72
6 kt SH 4:01 PM · 6.4 ftL 9:20 PM · 4.4 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.