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SurfperchShoulder seasonCape · Washington
Sunset Point
48.55°N · 123.17°W · Cape · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Surfperch
- Now
- 522 AM PDT
- Best window
- 4-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing5.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sunset Point 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
87Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 3 kt SEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
59Water temp: 61°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.3 ftSeason & habitat · Surfperch
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Sunset Point
- Depth
- 6-200 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Sunset Point
Sunset Point is a cape in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth in the nearest water is 6-200 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, 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, 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
- Smugglers Cove63
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 63
- Kelp greenling 59
- Pacific halibut 57
3 kt SEL 8:46 AM · 0.7 ftH 4:41 PM · 6.9 ft
- Mitchell Bay63
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 63
- Kelp greenling 59
- Cabezon 58
3 kt SEL 8:46 AM · 0.7 ftH 4:41 PM · 6.9 ft
- Andrews Bay60
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 60
- Pacific halibut 59
- Kelp greenling 58
3 kt SEL 8:46 AM · 0.7 ftH 4:41 PM · 6.9 ft
- Haro Strait60
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 60
- Pacific halibut 59
- Kelp greenling 58
3 kt SEL 8:46 AM · 0.7 ftH 4:41 PM · 6.9 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.
