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Pacific halibutRetention openCape · Washington
Point of Arches
48.25°N · 124.70°W · Cape · West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Pacific halibut
- Now
- 4611 AM PDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding7.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Point of Arches 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
81Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 7 kt WPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
45Water temp: 57°F, hotLight: Bright sunSolunar: Major periodSeas: 5.9 ftSeason & habitat · Pacific halibut
Species seasonality
38Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay)
Pacific halibut
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- 2 in possession
- Size
- No minimum size.
- Season
- Aug 16 to Sep 30, 2026
- Annual quota
- 6 halibut per year
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 1
- Other
- Annual limit 6 halibut. Record each halibut on your WDFW catch record card right away. Only one daily limit may be on board the vessel. The fishery can close early when the quota is taken. The C-shaped yelloweye rockfish conservation area off the north coast is closed to halibut and bottomfish fishing. Annual limit 6. Vessels fishing for bottomfish or halibut must carry a descending device rigged for immediate use.
From WDFW emergency rule: Summer halibut fishery 2026 (Aug. 5, 2026), 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)
- Pink salmon Closed (No retention)
- Rockfish Retention open (7 per day (9 bottomfish combined))
- Sablefish Retention open (9 bottomfish combined per day)
- Sockeye salmon Closed (No retention)
- Surfperch Retention open (12 per day)
Source: WDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Pacific halibut is best here
Shoulder season for Pacific halibut · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Point of Arches
- Depth
- 1-15 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonPacific halibut
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 Point of Arches
Point of Arches is a cape in West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca, Washington. Depth in the nearest water is 1-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are cabezon, kelp greenling and rockfish. It is peak season now for Chinook salmon and coho salmon, and shoulder season for cabezon, kelp greenling, rockfish and lingcod. Cabezon peak from May through August. Kelp greenling peak from October through November. Rockfish peak from May through August.
Tackle & technique
- Pacific halibut
- Halibut sit on sand and gravel bottoms near drop-offs, bars and pinnacles, most often in 90 to 500 feet in Alaska and on the shelf off Washington, Oregon and far northern California. Anchor up-current of a likely edge and fish herring, squid, octopus or a salmon head on a circle hook with 24 to 32 ounces of weight, or bounce a large jig on the bottom. The best bite usually comes in the hour around slack tide.
- 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.
- 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
- Spike Rock63
Bar · 1.0 mi
Top: CabezonShoulder season- Cabezon 63
- Kelp greenling 62
- Rockfish 58
7 kt WL 5:22 PM · 2.9 ftH 11:17 PM · 8.0 ft
- Strawberry Rock63
Bar · 4.9 mi
Top: CabezonShoulder season- Cabezon 63
- Kelp greenling 62
- Rockfish 58
7 kt WL 5:22 PM · 2.9 ftH 11:17 PM · 8.0 ft
- Makah Bay60
Bay · 5.3 mi
Top: Kelp greenlingShoulder season- Kelp greenling 60
- Surfperch 58
- Cabezon 55
7 kt WL 5:22 PM · 2.9 ftH 11:17 PM · 8.0 ft
- Father and Son56
Bar · 1.5 mi
Top: RockfishShoulder season- Rockfish 56
- Cabezon 55
- Kelp greenling 55
7 kt WH 11:46 AM · 7.2 ftL 5:30 PM · 2.6 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.