Waterlands

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SurfperchOff season

Cape · Washington

Wiggins Head

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

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Best score today · 6 AM · Surfperch

80/100Great
Now
351 PM PST
Best window
9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing8.9 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 7 · 3 PM

Time3P
Score35Fair
Tide8.6 ftHigh
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward E
Wind6 kn SEgusts 12 · building
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 2 s
Air temp53°Cool
WeatherOvercast32% chance of rain
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 18 weeks

Surfperch season by week of the year. Out of season for Surfperch · shoulder season starts in 18 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, cabezon and lingcod. It is peak season now for kelp greenling and chum salmon, and shoulder season for cabezon, lingcod and rockfish. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Cabezon peak from May through August. Lingcod peak from April through June.

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.
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

  • Ev Henry Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    73
    Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season
    • Kelp greenling 73
    • Cabezon 63
    • Lingcod 51

    0 kt SL 7:18 PM · 6.5 ftH 8:41 PM · 6.6 ft

  • Snoring Bay

    Bay · 0.1 mi

    72
    Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season
    • Kelp greenling 72
    • Cabezon 57
    • Lingcod 51

    0 kt SL 7:18 PM · 6.5 ftH 8:41 PM · 6.6 ft

  • Mud Bay

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    72
    Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season
    • Kelp greenling 72
    • Cabezon 61
    • Lingcod 44

    0 kt SL 7:18 PM · 6.5 ftH 8:41 PM · 6.6 ft

  • Fossil Bay

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    72
    Top: Kelp greenlingPeak season
    • Kelp greenling 72
    • Cabezon 61
    • Lingcod 44

    0 kt SL 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.