About Shirt Tail Reef

Shirt Tail Reef is a mid-exposure rocky flat off Anacortes, Washington, sitting in DFO subarea 7 with fishable depths running 15 to 40 feet. The reef supports a mix of salmon and bottomfish, with Chinook Salmon peaking June through August, Coho Salmon holding through June to October, and Pacific Halibut running March into July. Chinook and Coho respond to trolling with flashers, trolling spoons, and cut-plug herring across the structure, while mooching whole herring works the same water. The rock bottom holds Lingcod, best in February and March, along with Black Rockfish that peak May through August; both come to jigging with metal jigs and leadhead jigs, and swimbaits over the reef. For halibut, drift fishing herring, squid, and salmon bellies covers the shallower rock, with jigging as a follow-up along the same depths.