Cypress Island North Kelp is an outer-exposed kelp reef over rock bottom off Bellingham, Washington, running from 20 to 80 feet deep in DFO subarea 7. Lingcod hold on the rocky structure with peaks from November through February and again March through June, while Kelp Greenling stack up June through December and Cabezon work the reef from October through March. Rockfish move through in aggregate from March into September, and the same kelp edges draw Chinook Salmon June through September, Coho June through October, and Pacific Halibut on the deeper margins April through August. Anglers targeting lingcod and cabezon lean on jigging with leadhead jigs and swimbaits or metal jigs across the rock, dropping into the deeper end of the 20-to-80-foot range where fish sit tight to structure. For salmon over the same ground, downrigger trolling with whole herring, spoons, flashers, and hoochies covers water along the kelp line, and drifting herring or squid puts baits down to halibut holding near the bottom.

Cypress Island North Kelp is one of the spots we track around Bellingham. See every scored spot in Washington.

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