Waterlands

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RockfishRetention open

Bar · Washington

Sail Rock

48.36°N · 124.55°W · Bar · West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca

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Best score today · 8 AM · Rockfish

68/100Great
Now
526 AM PDT
Best window
7 AM-12 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
Score52Good
Tide0.3 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentEbb1.5 kn · toward NW
Wind3 kn Wgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateRough4.3 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

Rockfish

Retention open
Daily limit
7 per day (9 bottomfish combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
No minimum size.
Season
Mar 14 to Oct 17, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Special rules from Oct 18
Other
West of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line: canary sublimit 5, and copper, quillback and vermilion rockfish may not be possessed in May, June and July. East of the line: only black, blue/deacon, yellowtail and widow rockfish may be kept. Yelloweye may not be kept anywhere. The C-shaped yelloweye rockfish conservation area off the north coast is closed to halibut and bottomfish fishing. Vessels fishing for bottomfish or halibut must carry a descending device rigged for immediate use.

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)
  • Sablefish Retention open (9 bottomfish combined per day)
  • Sockeye salmon Closed (No retention)
  • Surfperch Retention open (12 per day)

Source: WDFW · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Rockfish is best here

Shoulder season for Rockfish · 31 more weeks at shoulder

Rockfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Rockfish · 31 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Rockfish in Washington

Spot profile

Sail Rock

Depth
7-40 ftSlope
Structure
Ledge · Outer · Semi-exposedLedge · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonRockfish

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 Sail Rock

Sail Rock is a bar in West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca, Washington. Depth is 7-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are rockfish, cabezon and kelp greenling. It is peak season now for Chinook salmon and coho salmon, and shoulder season for rockfish, cabezon, kelp greenling and lingcod. Rockfish peak from May through August. Cabezon peak from May through August. Kelp greenling peak from October through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
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

  • Seal Rock

    Bar · 0.3 mi

    52
    Top: RockfishShoulder season
    • Rockfish 52
    • Cabezon 51
    • Kelp greenling 51

    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

  • Dtokoah Point

    Cape · 2.0 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

  • Waadah Point

    Cape · 3.1 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

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.