Best Time to Fish Neah Bay

When to fish Neah Bay

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

• Chinook Salmon. Neah Bay sits at the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, intercepting migrating Chinook headed to Columbia, Fraser, and Puget Sound systems, so abundance peaks in mid-to-late summer (weeks 25-28, roughly late June through mid-July) as feeder and mature kings stack along the coast and around Tatoosh/Swiftsure banks. A secondary tail through August reflects later stocks, while winter shows a low steady presence of resident/feeder Chinook rather than a true bimodal winter run.
• Halibut. Pacific halibut migrate onto shallower Neah Bay coastal banks and the shelf edge in spring and summer to feed after winter spawning in deeper offshore water, so abundance peaks from late April through July. Numbers taper through fall as fish move back to deeper wintering grounds, leaving the lowest (but never zero) presence in late fall and winter when many mature fish are offshore spawning.
• Coho Salmon. Neah Bay coho are feeder-absent through winter/spring, with immature fish beginning to stage in offshore waters by late spring and building steadily through summer as they feed off the mouth of the Strait. Peak abundance hits early-to-mid August through early September as mature ocean coho stack up near the entrance before their inshore migration, then drops sharply through late September as the run pushes past into Puget Sound and coastal rivers.
• Lingcod. Lingcod are resident, non-migratory bottomfish present in Neah Bay's rocky nearshore and offshore structure year-round, so abundance stays near baseline. The clear spring peak (late Feb–April) reflects spawning aggregations when males guard nests in shallow rocky habitat, concentrating fish and making them most abundant on the grounds before they disperse into summer/fall.
• Black Rockfish. Black rockfish are resident, non-migratory reef dwellers at Neah Bay, so they remain present year-round with only modest seasonal shifts. Abundance peaks in summer (late June–August) when warmer water and calm conditions concentrate fish in shallower nearshore reefs and feeding is most active, while winter storms and cooler temps push fish deeper and slightly reduce nearshore density.
• Cod. Pacific cod are a resident groundfish present year-round on the offshore banks and reefs off Neah Bay, so the curve stays broad and near baseline. A late-winter/early-spring peak reflects their spawning aggregation on rocky bottoms (Feb–Mar), with a milder secondary rise in fall as fish concentrate before winter dispersal.
• Surfperch. Surfperch (redtail/striped) are year-round residents in Neah Bay's surf and rocky shorelines, so abundance never drops to zero. A spring peak (April–May) reflects pre-spawn aggregations moving inshore, and a secondary fall bump (Sep–Oct) coincides with warmer nearshore water and active feeding before winter storms scatter fish into deeper, less accessible water.
• Flounder / Sole (Flatfish). Flatfish (English/sand/rock sole, starry flounder) are resident year-round in Neah Bay's sandy bays and nearshore flats, so abundance stays broad and flat. Modest peaks track spring/summer post-spawn feeding on the flats and a secondary early-fall bump as fish stage in shallower water before winter deepwater dispersal, when nearshore counts soften slightly.
• Herring. Pacific herring are present year-round near Neah Bay but concentrate in dense pre-spawn and spawning aggregations in late winter through spring (roughly Feb–May), peaking as they stage in nearshore waters. Summer and fall show steady baseline presence as fish disperse to feed, with a modest late-summer bump when schools reform along the strait.
• Squid - Opal. Opal (market) squid off Neah Bay peak in late summer through fall (Aug–Nov) when spawning aggregations move into nearshore Strait waters and cooler upwelling conditions concentrate them; abundance drops to a winter low as most squid disperse or complete their short annual life cycle, with a modest spring/early-summer buildup as new-year cohorts recruit.

Common questions about Neah Bay