Halibut fishing opens up in April of 2023 for the waters considered “Puget Sound”, which includes the Strait. The Washington Coast will open in May for halibut fishing. This blog post is all about sharing the previous year’s catch data and the current year’s effort and catch data to help you hone in on “where and when to fish” for halibut in 2023 for Marine Areas 5-9.
Also, here’s the official WDFW page on the halibut seasons in Puget Sound along with important regulations information.
So much of what defines our halibut season dealing with bad weather and marine weather forecasts. Some of us can plan our trips around the weather, but many folks, get the days off that they get, either weekends or time off from work they have to ask for well in advance.
With the season structure of specific days open for halibut fishing, this puts many halibut anglers in a difficult position of deciding a go/nogo scenario based on the quest for these wonderful table-fare fish versus risking our lives and those of our crew.
Anecdotally it seems that more bad marine weather accidents happen during halibut fishing and more lives are lost over the years, than in any other season.
I’ve put together what I think is one of the best free marine weather safety guides on the internet, you can read it here, to help you prepare for these go/nogo decisions that must be made each year.
Below / the main body of this post is each marine area as a section showing the catch success timing and the current catch updates for the halibut season in the Strait, Islands, and Admiralty Inlet.
The recent success/effort charts update automatically as creel checks are reported by WDFW.
Good luck this year and stay safe!
Sekiu / Marine Area 5 Halibut success timing and recent catches
With the Sekiu / MA5 season starting in April of 2023, I’m curious how the catches will be since it often starts slow in May and gets better in June.
Pillar Point and the mouth of the Sekiu / Hoko River areas near the MA4 boundary line are great halibut fishing locations to try around Sekiu.
Note, the above graph shows the anglers total, not just those fishing for halibut, so you will need to line up halibut dates to see the true effort vs success on those days.
Port Angeles / Marine Area 6 Halibut success timing and recent catches
Success can be tough to come by in the Strait, but May can be a peak month for the areas around Point Angeles. There are many “banks” (shallower areas in the middle of the straight with deep water around them) that you should locate on marine charts and target in your pursuit of Marine Area 6 halibut.
Note, the above graph shows the anglers total, not just those fishing for halibut, so you will need to line up halibut dates to see the true effort vs success on those days.
San Juan Islands / Marine Area 7 Halibut success timing and recent catches
Success can be sporadic in the San Juan Islands, I suspect this is heavily due to the learning curve of fishing the Islands. Those who know their way around can be quite successful in targeting halibut in some reliable locations.
Note, the above graph shows the anglers total, not just those fishing for halibut, so you will need to line up halibut dates to see the true effort vs success on those days.
Admiralty Inlet / Marine Area 9 Halibut success timing and recent catches
Want a bigger challenge in catching Halibut? Fish closer to home in places like MA9 and MA10. Every year it happens, but as you can see the catch odds are quite low.
Note, the above graph shows the anglers total, not just those fishing for halibut, so you will need to line up halibut dates to see the true effort vs success on those days.
