Waterlands

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SurfperchShoulder season

Bar · Washington

Undertakers Reef

48.52°N · 122.83°W · Bar · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands

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Best score today · 9 AM · Surfperch

74/100Great
Now
531 PM PDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMHigh slack
Tide now
High6.9 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score53Good
Tide6.9 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind6 kn NWgusts 14 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherClear8% cloud
Water54°FObserved

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

  • Lingcod Check regulations
  • Pacific halibut Check regulations

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

Undertakers Reef

Depth
20-140 ftDrop-off
Structure
Reef · Inner · ProtectedReef · 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 Undertakers Reef

Undertakers Reef is a bar in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth is 20-140 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads reef, inner water and protected.

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

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.
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.
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

  • Thatcher Pass

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    73
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 73
    • Kelp greenling 67
    • Coho salmon 63

    6 kt NWL 5:07 PM · 6.4 ftH 7:54 PM · 6.7 ft

  • Sylvan Cove

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    72
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 72
    • Kelp greenling 67
    • Surfperch 65

    6 kt NWL 5:07 PM · 6.4 ftH 7:54 PM · 6.7 ft

  • Brigantine Bay

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    72
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 72
    • Kelp greenling 67
    • Surfperch 65

    6 kt NWL 5:07 PM · 6.4 ftH 7:54 PM · 6.7 ft

  • Lopez Sound

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    66
    Top: Chinook salmonPeak season
    • Chinook salmon 66
    • Pacific halibut 64
    • Kelp greenling 63

    6 kt NWL 5:07 PM · 6.4 ftH 7:54 PM · 6.7 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.