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SablefishShoulder seasonBay · Washington
Shoal Bight
48.46°N · 122.81°W · Bay · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 AM · Sablefish
- Now
- 352 AM PDT
- Best window
- 10 AM-4 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing4.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Shoal Bight 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 · 2 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
68Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
80Wind: 1 kt SWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
45Water temp: 55°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · Sablefish
Species seasonality
22Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)
No rule for Sablefish 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 Sablefish is best here
Shoulder season for Sablefish · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Shoal Bight
- Depth
- 15-30 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSablefish
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 Shoal Bight
Shoal Bight is a bay in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth is 15-30 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, Pacific halibut and surfperch. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Chinook salmon peak from July through September. Cabezon peak from May through August.
Tackle & technique
- Sablefish
- Sablefish live on soft bottoms along the continental slope, and sport anglers find adults in 700 to 2,000 feet. Fish a multi-hook deep-drop rig with glow squid skirts and squid or herring on circle hooks, using several pounds of weight and an electric reel. It takes a long run offshore and a calm day to keep the line near vertical, so most trips happen in summer.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Kellett Ledge65
Bar · 1.4 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season- Kelp greenling 65
- Cabezon 64
- Chinook salmon 58
1 kt SWL 8:21 AM · 0.5 ftH 4:11 PM · 5.7 ft
- Telegraph Bay64
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season- Kelp greenling 64
- Chinook salmon 62
- Coho salmon 59
1 kt SWL 8:21 AM · 0.5 ftH 4:11 PM · 5.7 ft
- Lopez Pass62
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 62
- Kelp greenling 62
- Coho salmon 57
1 kt SWL 8:21 AM · 0.5 ftH 4:11 PM · 5.7 ft
- Mud Bay62
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season- Kelp greenling 62
- Chinook salmon 61
- Cabezon 59
1 kt SWL 8:21 AM · 0.5 ftH 4:11 PM · 5.7 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.