Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

SurfperchOff season

Cape · Washington

Wiggins Head

48.75°N · 122.89°W · Cape · Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · Surfperch

80/100Great
Now
355 PM PST
Best window
9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing7.0 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Wiggins Head scores 75+

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

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions

Monday, Nov 2 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score35Fair
Tide1.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward E
Wind2 kn Egusts 4 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 2 s
Air temp44°Cold
WeatherMostly cloudy73% cloud
Water52°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 Closed (No retention)
  • Chum salmon Closed (No retention)
  • Coho salmon Closed (No retention)
  • Lingcod Check regulations
  • Pacific halibut Closed (No retention)
  • Pink salmon Closed (No retention)
  • Rockfish Closed (No retention)
  • Sockeye salmon Closed (No retention)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Surfperch is best here

Out of season for Surfperch · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks

Surfperch season by week of the year. Out of season for Surfperch · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Surfperch in Washington →

Spot profile

Wiggins Head

Depth
10-300 ftDrop-off
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Off 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 Wiggins Head

Wiggins Head is a cape in Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Washington. Depth is 10-300 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 8 species here; the best right now are kelp greenling, lingcod and cabezon. It is peak season now for kelp greenling and chum salmon, and shoulder season for lingcod, cabezon and rockfish. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Lingcod peak from April through June. Cabezon peak from May through August.

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.
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.
Lingcod
Lingcod ambush prey from rock outcrops, reef edges and kelp where current runs, most often in 30 to 300 feet, and males move shallow to guard nests in winter. Drift over the reef bouncing a lead-head swimbait or metal jig on the bottom, or fish herring or squid on a heavy leader, since their teeth cut light line. From jetties and rocky shore, work bait or jigs along the rocks on the incoming tide.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Ev Henry Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    68
    Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season
    • Kelp greenling 68
    • Lingcod 62
    • Cabezon 58

    2 kt SSWL 7:18 PM · 6.5 ftH 8:41 PM · 6.6 ft

  • Snoring Bay

    Bay · 0.1 mi

    67
    Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season
    • Kelp greenling 67
    • Lingcod 62
    • Cabezon 52

    2 kt SSWL 7:18 PM · 6.5 ftH 8:41 PM · 6.6 ft

  • Mud Bay

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    67
    Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season
    • Kelp greenling 67
    • Cabezon 56
    • Lingcod 55

    2 kt SSWL 7:18 PM · 6.5 ftH 8:41 PM · 6.6 ft

  • Fossil Bay

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    67
    Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season
    • Kelp greenling 67
    • Cabezon 56
    • Lingcod 55

    2 kt SSWL 7:18 PM · 6.5 ftH 8:41 PM · 6.6 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.