About Whale Rock

Whale Rock is a rocky drop-off off Crescent City, California, where the bottom falls through 45 to 95 feet of water at a mid-exposure position. Chinook Salmon run through the warmer months with a peak from April to September, while Lingcod hold to the structure with peaks in February and March and again from August to October. Black Rockfish work the rock through much of spring and summer, peaking in March and from May to August, and Blue Rockfish follow a similar pattern with peaks in March, April, and June through August. Trolling anchovies, herring, spoons, or hoochies covers the salmon over the drop, and jigging with metal jigs, swimbaits, or leadhead jigs takes Lingcod and Black Rockfish along the rock face. For Blue Rockfish, bait fishing with shrimp flies, squid strips, or anchovies works the same broken bottom that concentrates fish across this depth range.