Best Time to Fish Garibaldi

When to fish Garibaldi

Each row is shaded against that species' own best month here, so a dark cell means a good month for that fish rather than a comparison between them.

Chinook Salmon: January none, February none, March poor, April good, May good, June peak, July peak, August peak, September peak, October good, November none, December none. Coho Salmon: January none, February none, March none, April none, May poor, June excellent, July peak, August peak, September peak, October excellent, November none, December none. Lingcod: January good, February excellent, March excellent, April good, May fair, June fair, July fair, August fair, September fair, October fair, November fair, December fair. Halibut: January none, February poor, March excellent, April peak, May peak, June peak, July peak, August excellent, September fair, October poor, November none, December none. Black Rockfish: January fair, February fair, March fair, April good, May excellent, June excellent, July excellent, August good, September good, October fair, November fair, December poor. Cabezon: January fair, February fair, March good, April good, May excellent, June good, July fair, August fair, September fair, October fair, November fair, December fair.

• Chinook Salmon. Garibaldi Chinook peak in late summer (Aug–early Sep) as ocean and Tillamook Bay fall runs stage before the fall river push into the Trask, Wilson, and Kilchis systems. A modest spring shoulder (May–June) reflects offshore/nearshore ocean-caught Chinook, while winter shows lowest abundance as adults have spawned and migrated out.
• Coho Salmon. Coho are absent through winter/early spring, then ocean-feeding fish build offshore of Garibaldi through summer as they stage near Tillamook Bay. Abundance peaks sharply in September (weeks 36-38) during the fall run into the bay and Trask/Wilson river systems, then tapers off by late October as spawners move upriver and out of the fishery.
• Lingcod. Lingcod are resident year-round on Garibaldi's nearshore reefs and jetty structure, so abundance never drops to zero. The strongest peak is late winter through spring (Feb–Apr) when males guard nests in shallow rocky habitat and fish concentrate on structure, with a secondary bump in early fall as cooling water and bait pushes draw actively feeding fish back to accessible reefs; midsummer and late fall are slightly lower as some fish disperse to deeper offshore rock.
• Halibut. Pacific halibut off Garibaldi are most abundant in late spring through early summer (roughly May–July) as fish move onto nearshore feeding grounds after spawning in deeper offshore waters over winter. Peak abundance occurs May–June (weeks 18–24) with a gradual decline through fall as fish return to deeper offshore banks; some fish remain nearshore year-round, so abundance never drops fully to zero.
• Black Rockfish. Black rockfish are resident, structure-oriented fish off Garibaldi and are present year-round, so the curve stays relatively flat. Abundance rises through spring and summer as fish move shallower onto nearshore reefs with warming water and stable ocean conditions (peak mid-summer), then eases in fall/winter as some fish shift deeper and winter storms scatter aggregations, but they never fully leave.
• Cabezon. Cabezon are resident, non-migratory nearshore reef and jetty dwellers around Garibaldi and the Tillamook jetties, so abundance stays fairly flat year-round with no true absence. The spring peak (roughly April–June) reflects males moving shallow to guard nest sites during the winter-spring spawn and post-spawn feeding, while slightly lower late-winter numbers reflect fish holding deeper in colder, rougher water.

Common questions about Garibaldi