Waterlands

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Pacific halibutRetention open

Cape · Washington

Slip Point

48.27°N · 124.25°W · Cape · West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca

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Best score today · 8 AM · Pacific halibut

71/100Great
Now
606 AM PDT
Best window
7 AM-2 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.5 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
Score60Good
Tide0.5 ftLow
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward N
Wind2 kn SSWgusts 6 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.8 ft · 10 s
Air temp54°Cool
WeatherOvercast69% chance of rain
Water58°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Marine Area 5 (Sekiu and Pillar Point)

IN EFFECT NOW

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. Annual limit 6. Barbless hooks required in Marine Areas 5 through 13. Vessels fishing for bottomfish or halibut must carry a descending device rigged for immediate use.

From WDFW Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca halibut seasons page, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Chinook salmon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Chum salmon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Coho salmon Retention open (2 salmon combined per day)
  • Lingcod Check regulations
  • Pink salmon Retention open (2 salmon combined per day)
  • Rockfish Check regulations
  • Sockeye salmon Catch & release (No retention)

Source: WDFW · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Pacific halibut is best here

Shoulder season for Pacific halibut · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Pacific halibut in Washington

Spot profile

Slip Point

Depth
15-110 ftDrop-off
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Shoulder seasonPacific halibut

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 Slip Point

Slip Point is a cape in West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca, Washington. Depth is 15-110 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

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

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

  • Clallam Bay

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    60
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 60
    • Kelp greenling 52
    • Lingcod 51

    2 kt SSWH 12:43 PM · 5.9 ftL 6:08 PM · 3.3 ft

  • Sekiu Point

    Cape · 2.1 mi

    60
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 60
    • Cabezon 53
    • Kelp greenling 53

    2 kt SSWH 12:43 PM · 5.9 ftL 6:08 PM · 3.3 ft

  • Eagle Point

    Cape · 4.2 mi

    60
    Top: Pacific halibutShoulder season
    • Pacific halibut 60
    • Cabezon 53
    • Kelp greenling 53

    2 kt SSWH 12:43 PM · 5.9 ftL 6:08 PM · 3.3 ft

  • Middle Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    53
    Top: CabezonShoulder season
    • Cabezon 53
    • Kelp greenling 53
    • Pacific halibut 52

    2 kt SSWH 12:43 PM · 5.9 ftL 6:08 PM · 3.3 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.