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Chinook salmonRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 AM · Chinook salmon
- Now
- 604 AM PDT
- Best window
- 7-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High11.0 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when North Bay 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 · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
76Tide: High slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 3 kt SSWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC
19Water temp: 57°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Chinook salmon
Species seasonality
83Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Marine Area 13 (South Puget Sound)
Chinook salmon(hatchery-marked)
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 salmon combined per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 20 in. Minimum length for Chinook. See the WDFW pamphlet for how to measure.
- Season
- Jul 1 to Sep 30, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Check regulations from May 1
- Other
- Two-pole endorsement allowed. The Minter Creek mouth is closed and lower Budd Inlet has a closure zone through Oct. 31. Some bays, piers and creek mouths have separate rules or closures. Check the pamphlet. Barbless hooks required in Marine Areas 5 through 13. Season and limits as listed in WDFW's 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries. WDFW's adopted rule (WAC 220-313-060, WSR 26-13-052) sets the same rules for these dates.
From WDFW 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries (final), read Sep 13
Other species here
- Chum salmon Catch & release (No retention)
- Coho salmon Retention open (2 salmon combined per day)
- Lingcod Check regulations
- Pacific halibut Closed (No retention)
- Pink salmon Retention open (2 salmon combined per day)
- Rockfish Closed (No retention)
- Sockeye salmon Retention open (2 salmon combined per day)
Source: WDFW · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Chinook salmon is best here
Peak season for Chinook salmon · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
North Bay
- Depth
- 5-15 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · slope
- Season
- Peak seasonChinook salmon
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 North Bay
North Bay is a bay in Puget Sound and Hood Canal, Washington. Depth is 5-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are kelp greenling, cabezon and Chinook salmon. It is peak season now for Chinook salmon and coho salmon, and shoulder season for kelp greenling, cabezon, surfperch and lingcod. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Cabezon peak from May through August. Chinook salmon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Rocky Point64
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Chinook salmonPeak season- Chinook salmon 64
- Kelp greenling 63
- Cabezon 62
4 kt SL 10:15 AM · 1.1 ftH 5:19 PM · 13.5 ft
- Rocky Bay62
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season- Kelp greenling 62
- Chinook salmon 61
- Cabezon 60
4 kt SL 10:15 AM · 1.1 ftH 5:19 PM · 13.5 ft
- Vaughn Bay62
Bay · 3.3 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season- Kelp greenling 62
- Chinook salmon 61
- Cabezon 60
4 kt SL 10:15 AM · 1.1 ftH 5:19 PM · 13.5 ft
- Lynch Cove62
Bay · 4.3 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season- Kelp greenling 62
- Chinook salmon 60
- Coho salmon 59
3 kt SSWL 9:24 AM · 1.1 ftH 4:28 PM · 11.5 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.