Best Time to Fish Friday Harbor

When to fish Friday Harbor

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 fair, February fair, March good, April good, May poor, June good, July peak, August peak, September good, October poor, November poor, December fair. Lingcod: January good, February good, March fair, April fair, May fair, June good, July good, August good, September fair, October fair, November fair, December good. Rockfish (Aggregate): January fair, February fair, March fair, April good, May good, June good, July good, August good, September good, October fair, November fair, December fair. Coho Salmon: January none, February none, March none, April none, May none, June excellent, July peak, August peak, September peak, October poor, November none, December none. Halibut: January none, February poor, March good, April peak, May peak, June peak, July peak, August good, September poor, October none, November none, December none. Dungeness Crab: January fair, February fair, March fair, April poor, May fair, June fair, July excellent, August peak, September excellent, October good, November fair, December fair. Kelp Greenling: January fair, February fair, March fair, April fair, May good, June good, July good, August good, September good, October good, November good, December fair. Surfperch: January poor, February fair, March fair, April good, May good, June excellent, July excellent, August excellent, September excellent, October fair, November poor, December poor. Flounder / Sole (Flatfish): January poor, February fair, March good, April good, May good, June good, July good, August excellent, September good, October fair, November fair, December fair. Herring: January good, February peak, March peak, April fair, May poor, June poor, July poor, August fair, September fair, October fair, November fair, December good. Squid - Opal: January peak, February poor, March poor, April good, May fair, June poor, July poor, August fair, September excellent, October excellent, November peak, December peak. Cabezon: January good, February good, March fair, April fair, May fair, June fair, July fair, August fair, September fair, October fair, November good, December good.

• Chinook Salmon. Friday Harbor (San Juan Islands) sees a strong summer peak in July–August as maturing Fraser and Puget Sound Chinook stage and migrate through Haro Strait and adjacent waters. A secondary winter/spring presence reflects resident 'blackmouth' (immature feeder Chinook) that overwinter in the San Juans, dipping in late spring as they disperse and post-spawn adults exit the system.
• Lingcod. Lingcod are resident ambush predators in the San Juans year-round, so abundance never drops to zero. The curve peaks May–July when males guard nests on rocky reefs and post-spawn females recover in shallower water, with a slight late-winter dip during deep spawning migrations.
• Rockfish (Aggregate). Rockfish (copper, quillback, black, yelloweye, etc.) in the San Juan Islands are long-lived, highly site-attached residents of rocky reefs and pinnacles. Biological abundance is essentially flat year-round with no migratory pulse, though winter storms and summer thermoclines can shift depth distribution without changing total presence.
• Coho Salmon. Coho returning to Puget Sound and Fraser systems transit San Juan Channel and surrounding Friday Harbor waters with resident 'bluebacks' building through early summer and peak ocean-run adults staging late July through mid-September. Abundance collapses by mid-October as fish push into natal rivers, with no meaningful saltwater presence November through May.
• Halibut. Pacific Halibut in the San Juan Islands show a clear bi-modal abundance pattern driven by spawning migration: fish move offshore to deep water (>200 fathoms) in winter to spawn, return inshore in spring with a peak in late April–May, briefly thin in early summer, then peak again in mid-summer (July) as feeding fish concentrate on banks like Hein and Salmon Bank. Abundance tails off through fall as fish drift back to deeper shelf waters.
• Dungeness Crab. Dungeness crab are resident year-round in the San Juans, so abundance never drops to zero; the summer peak (July–early August) reflects post-molt hardened adults filling out after the spring/early-summer molt, while a mid-spring dip corresponds to the soft-shell molting period when many crabs are buried and vulnerable. Legal-size abundance eases slightly in fall as fished-down populations recover before winter.
• Kelp Greenling. Kelp Greenling are year-round residents in San Juan Island kelp and rocky reef habitats, so abundance stays near baseline most of the year. A modest late-summer through early-fall peak (Aug–Oct) reflects post-spawn aggregation on shallow reefs and increased juvenile recruitment to nearshore kelp, with adult males guarding nests in fall further concentrating fish in accessible inshore zones.
• Surfperch. Surfperch are resident in San Juan waters year-round, so abundance stays broadly near baseline with no true absences. A modest late-winter/early-spring bump reflects shiner and pile perch aggregating to give live birth in nearshore eelgrass, and the strongest peak comes in late summer/early fall (Aug–Sep) when warm water, abundant crustacean forage, and juvenile recruitment maximize local numbers around docks and rocky shorelines.
• Flounder / Sole (Flatfish). Flatfish (English/sand/rock sole, starry flounder) are resident year-round in San Juan Channel and Friday Harbor's sandy/muddy flats, so abundance stays broad and never drops to zero. Peaks occur in late spring and again in late summer as fish move onto shallower nearshore flats to feed in warmer water, with a slight winter dip when many disperse to deeper, cooler holding areas.
• Herring. Pacific herring in the San Juan Islands show a strong late-winter/early-spring spawning aggregation (roughly late Feb through April) when adults mass in nearshore eelgrass and kelp to spawn, driving the peak around weeks 6–10. Outside spawning, herring remain present as resident and feeding schools year-round with a mild summer dip as fish disperse offshore, so the curve stays near baseline rather than dropping to zero.
• Squid - Opal. Opal (market) squid in the San Juan Islands around Friday Harbor show a bimodal inshore spawning aggregation, with a spring peak (May-June by some cycles shifted here to late winter/spring warming) and a stronger fall run (Sept-Oct) as squid move into shallower protected waters to spawn near light and structure. Deep-water summer dispersal and cold mid-winter reduce nearshore abundance, though squid never fully vanish from regional waters.
• Cabezon. Cabezon are highly resident, non-migratory ambush predators on rocky reefs around the San Juan Islands, so biological abundance is essentially flat year-round. Localized aggregations occur during the winter/early-spring spawn when males guard nests, but total stock presence in Friday Harbor waters does not meaningfully change week to week.

Common questions about Friday Harbor