When to fish Port Angeles

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

• Chinook Salmon. Chinook are bimodal in the Strait of Juan de Fuca off Port Angeles: resident 'blackmouth' feeder Chinook sustain modest winter presence (Jan–Apr), while the strong summer run of maturing adults migrating through the Strait toward Fraser and Puget Sound rivers peaks in July–August (weeks 26–29). Abundance tapers through September as fish push inland to spawn, with a low autumn trough before winter blackmouth rebuild.
• Coho Salmon. Port Angeles coho are a returning fall-run stock migrating through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with fish building from July as ocean feeders enter the strait, peaking late August through mid-September (weeks 34-36) during the strong staging run, then tapering into October as they push toward river spawning grounds. A minor early-summer resident/feeder presence begins around June, but the winter and spring months show biological absence since these anadromous fish are at sea or already spawned out.
• Halibut. Pacific halibut in the Strait of Juan de Fuca off Port Angeles are most abundant late spring through summer (May–July) as fish move onto shallower feeding banks with warming water and returning baitfish, peaking in May. Numbers thin through fall as fish migrate to deeper offshore wintering grounds, leaving lowest local presence in winter, though some fish remain year-round.
• Lingcod. Lingcod are resident year-round in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Port Angeles, so abundance stays near baseline with no biological absence. The pronounced late-winter/early-spring peak (Feb–Apr) reflects nearshore spawning aggregations when males guard egg nests on rocky reefs, while a modest late-summer bump reflects post-spawn recovery and feeding; the early-summer dip marks fish dispersing to deeper water after spawning.
• Dungeness Crab. Dungeness crab are resident year-round in the Strait of Juan de Fuca off Port Angeles, so abundance never hits zero. Legal-size biomass peaks in late summer through early fall (Aug–Sept) after the spring/summer molt when crabs harden and fill out, while late winter/early spring shows a dip as many males are soft-shelled and hollow following molt and mating.
• Black Rockfish. Black rockfish are non-migratory residents of the Strait of Juan de Fuca nearshore reefs and kelp beds year-round, so abundance stays relatively flat with no biological absences. The modest summer peak (July–September) reflects warmer water pulling fish shallower and more concentrated onto structure as they follow baitfish, while cold winter months push them deeper and more dispersed, slightly lowering local nearshore density.
• Surfperch. Surfperch are present year-round in Port Angeles Strait of Juan de Fuca waters, with a spring peak (April–May) when redtail and pile perch stage near shore to give live birth, and a stronger late-summer/early-fall peak (August–September) as warm water concentrates fish along beaches and jetties. Winter shows a mild dip as some fish move to deeper water, but they never fully leave.
• Flounder / Sole (Flatfish). Flatfish (starry flounder, English/rock sole) are resident year-round in the Strait of Juan de Fuca off Port Angeles, so abundance stays moderate with no true zeros. Numbers build through spring as fish move onto shallower sandy flats to feed and spawn (peaking April–May), with a secondary late-summer feeding uptick before dispersing to deeper, cooler water in winter.
• Herring. Pacific Herring are resident year-round in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Port Angeles but concentrate densely during the late-winter to spring spawning aggregation (roughly late February through May) when adults mass over eelgrass and kelp to deposit eggs. Abundance dips in mid-summer as post-spawn adults disperse into deeper feeding areas, with a modest fall rebuild as young-of-year and returning schools reoccupy nearshore waters.
• Squid - Opal. Opal (market) squid in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Port Angeles peak in fall through early winter (Sept–Dec) as squid move inshore to spawn and follow migrating baitfish, with a smaller secondary uptick in late spring/summer. Numbers thin out in late winter and early spring when water temperatures are lowest and squid move to deeper offshore water.
• Rockfish (Aggregate). Rockfish are highly resident, long-lived, non-migratory demersal fish in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, so biological abundance stays near baseline year-round with only slight seasonal variation. A gentle summer plateau reflects modestly higher activity and post-parturition young-of-year recruitment during warmer months, while late fall/winter shows minor dips as fish hold deeper and less active in colder water.

Before you go

Fishing Port Angeles

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