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SablefishRetention openBay · Washington
Makah Bay
48.32°N · 124.67°W · Bay · West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Sablefish
- Now
- 489 AM PDT
- Best window
- 9 AM-12 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding4.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Makah 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 · 9 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 7 kt WNWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
22Water temp: 58°F, hotLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.6 ftSeason & habitat · Sablefish
Species seasonality
45Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay)
Sablefish
Retention open- Daily limit
- 9 bottomfish combined per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- Mar 14 to Oct 17, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Special rules from Oct 18
- Other
- East of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line, bottomfish fishing is prohibited seaward of the Bottomfish Closure line. The C-shaped yelloweye rockfish conservation area off the north coast is closed to halibut and bottomfish fishing. Counts toward the 9 bottomfish daily limit. WDFW's page lists no separate limit for this species; check the pamphlet.
From WDFW North Coast halibut and bottomfish seasons page, read Sep 13
Other species here
- Cabezon Retention open (1 per day (9 bottomfish combined))
- Chinook salmon Closed (No retention)
- Chum salmon Closed (No retention)
- Coho salmon Closed (No retention)
- Kelp greenling Retention open (9 bottomfish combined per day)
- Lingcod Retention open (2 per day (9 bottomfish combined))
- Pacific cod Retention open (9 bottomfish combined per day)
- Pacific halibut Retention open (1 per day)
- Pink salmon Closed (No retention)
- Rockfish Retention open (7 per day (9 bottomfish combined))
- Sockeye salmon Closed (No retention)
- Surfperch Retention open (12 per day)
Source: WDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Sablefish is best here
Shoulder season for Sablefish · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Makah Bay
- Depth
- 4-50 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · drop-off
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSablefish
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below the DEM vertical datum, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Makah Bay
Makah Bay is a bay in West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca, Washington. Depth is 4-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are lingcod, rockfish and kelp greenling. It is peak season now for Chinook salmon and coho salmon, and shoulder season for lingcod, rockfish, kelp greenling and surfperch. Lingcod peak from April through June. Rockfish peak from May through August. Kelp greenling peak from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- Sablefish
- Sablefish live on soft bottoms along the continental slope, and sport anglers find adults in 700 to 2,000 feet. Fish a multi-hook deep-drop rig with glow squid skirts and squid or herring on circle hooks, using several pounds of weight and an electric reel. It takes a long run offshore and a calm day to keep the line near vertical, so most trips happen in summer.
- 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.
- Rockfish
- Rockfish live on rocky reefs, pinnacles and kelp from the shoreline out past 300 feet, with black and blue rockfish schooling mid-water over shallow reefs and copper, quillback, yelloweye and vermilion sitting tight to deeper bottom. Drift over the structure with a shrimp fly above a lead-head grub or metal jig, or a squid strip, and reel up a few cranks after touching bottom to cut snags. Use a descending device to release any fish brought up from deep water.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Strawberry Rock65
Bar · 1.2 mi
Top: RockfishShoulder season- Rockfish 65
- Lingcod 64
- Cabezon 63
7 kt WNWH 11:42 AM · 7.3 ftL 5:22 PM · 2.9 ft
- Bahobohosh Point62
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: CabezonShoulder season- Cabezon 62
- Kelp greenling 62
- Rockfish 62
7 kt WNWH 11:42 AM · 7.3 ftL 5:22 PM · 2.9 ft
- Waatch Point62
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: CabezonShoulder season- Cabezon 62
- Kelp greenling 62
- Rockfish 62
7 kt WNWH 11:42 AM · 7.3 ftL 5:22 PM · 2.9 ft
- Neah Bay62
Bay · 4.6 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season- Kelp greenling 62
- Cabezon 61
- Surfperch 59
4 kt WH 12:07 PM · 6.0 ftL 5:46 PM · 2.8 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.