Waterlands

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SablefishRetention open

Bay · Washington

Neah Bay

48.37°N · 124.61°W · Bay · West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca

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Best score today · 9 AM · Sablefish

62/100Good
Now
236 AM PDT
Best window
7 AM-1 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score23Poor
Tide0.3 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentEbb1.5 kn · toward NW
Wind3 kn Wgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateRough5.2 ft · 10 s
Air temp52°Cool
WeatherOvercast62% chance of rain
Water58°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay)

IN EFFECT NOW

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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Sablefish is best here

Shoulder season for Sablefish · 1 more week at shoulder

Sablefish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Sablefish · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Sablefish in Washington

Spot profile

Neah Bay

Depth
25-40 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · slope
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 Neah Bay

Neah Bay is a bay in West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca, Washington. Depth is 25-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Koitlah Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    49
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 49
    • Lingcod 48
    • Rockfish 48

    6 kt WNWH 12:07 PM · 6.0 ftL 5:46 PM · 2.8 ft

  • Waadah Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    47
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 47
    • Lingcod 46
    • Rockfish 46

    1 kt SSEH 12:07 PM · 6.0 ftL 5:46 PM · 2.8 ft

  • Dtokoah Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    47
    Top: CabezonShoulder season
    • Cabezon 47
    • Kelp greenling 47
    • Rockfish 47

    3 kt WH 12:07 PM · 6.0 ftL 5:46 PM · 2.8 ft

  • Klachopis Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    47
    Top: CabezonShoulder season
    • Cabezon 47
    • Kelp greenling 47
    • Rockfish 47

    3 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.