Westport / Marine Area 2 Fishing

Marine Area 2 Definition: From Leadbetter Point north to the Queets River, excluding Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor

Marine Area 2-1 (Willapa Bay) Definition: east of a line from Leadbetter Point (46°39.20′ N, 124° 3.516′ W) due west to 46°39.20′ N, 124° 5.3′ W then due north to the westerly most landfall on Cape Shoalwater (46°44.66′ N, 124° 5.3′ W)

Marine Area 2-2 (Grays Harbor) Definition: east of a line from the tip of the north jetty to exposed end of the south jetty

Table of Contents

Westport / Marine Area 2 – Recent Posts and WDFW News

Westport / Marine Area 2 Salmon Fishing 2023

Every year, the State of Washington represented by WDFW engages with federal regulatory bodies and tribal co-managers to figure out appropriate salmon seasons on stocks of salmon bound for their natal streams.

The process begins in March and culminates towards the end of June as salmon seasons are finalized and communicated to the public.

During this period, one needs to consult emergency regulations more so than permanent regulations for any salmon openers in that time period of March – June. I’ve described this topic extensively in my guide to understanding WDFW saltwater salmon regulations.

As the forecasts for the salmon seasons are released and made public I will post them to this page.

limits of westport chinook and coho 14 11 and 10

Much of the salmon caught out of Westport are headed for the Columbia River, so those forecasts will reveal a lot about what to expect fishing the Ocean in Marine Area 2.

Typically, a season for salmon out of Westport / Marine Area 2 will kick off in early July and go until the quota is exhausted, though some years it could open in late June as well.

Typically, allowing retention of 2 salmon, 1 of which can be a chinook, and a requirement to release wild coho.

Again, the above are not the actual 2023 fishing regulations, but to give you an idea if you’re making trip planning decisions.

Chinook retention was modified to close Fridays and Saturdays on July 17th, 2022 due to 30% of the quota being consumed in those first two weeks of July.

So unless the chinook are hard to find, that first week of July can be a good bet.

A lot of salmon fishing out of Westport in Marine Area 2 and saltwater locations, in general, is done with downriggers. I’ve written an extensive guide to fishing for salmon with downriggers and also posted a how-to video for beginners to help you get started:

Westport / Marine Area 2 Bottom Fishing 2023

Fishing for a variety of bottom fish out of Westport in Marine Area 2 can be fantastic when the season is open. This typically occurs from the second Sat. in March until the Third Sat. in October.

Note: Halibut is different, and has special opening days linked below and a quota system.

For Lingcod, you should refer to the permanent regulations as there are a variety of day periods such as the deepwater lingcod fishery, which determines what depths and areas can be fished throughout the season.

For ideas on how to fish for lingcod off Washington coastal waters see this link.

Catching rockfish in our nearshore waters off of the Washington coast provides some of the best and easiest angling opportunities.

Look for any rock piles in water depths typically < 100 ft and you will find significant populations of rockfish. I wrote this blog post in early 2022 to help you prepare a variety of riggings to get super-efficient limits of rockfish.

I’ve also completed a very comprehensive page on how to catch rockfish.

The below video was shot in Marine Area 2 with a trip in April, 2022 out of Westport.

Halibut Fishing out of Westport / Marine Area 2

Here’s a link to the WDFW page on halibut fishing in Marine Area 2. It should get updated as seasons and quota are announced, but there’s a good description of what you can expect if you are trying to make trip planning decisions.

Staying safe while fishing out of Westport / Marine Area 2

While the Columbia River bar is the more dangerous bigger brother of river bars, the Westport / Grays Harbor bar should not be taken lightly in any way.

In the wrong conditions, this bar can absolutely sink boats.

I highly recommend booking a charter if it’s your first time going over a serious river bar, and even if it’s just your first time going over the Grays Harbor bar, a charter can give you an idea of how a professional navigates this critical stretch of water.

I’ve written a page on marine weather safety that’s extensive and one of the best references I’ve found that’s free on the internet, which attempts to explain many of the concepts you need to understand heading over river bars and making trip planning decisions to fish the ocean.

Here’s a video I posted about going over the Westport bar in a smaller boat:

I now own a more serious offshore boat, but I still take trip planning extremely seriously whenever venturing over a river bar or into big water in general.

Tides / Marine Forecast for Westport / Point Chehalis and coastal waters from Point Grenville to Cape Shoalwater out 10 nm

Please use caution regarding the below information as this feature is new and may encounter bugs that result in inaccurate or stale information being displayed.

Marine Forecast for Coastal Waters From Point Grenville To Cape Shoalwater Out 10 Nm as of 0 days and 4 hours ago

Forecast published on 04/26/2024 03:12:00 Synopsis: SYNOPSIS FOR THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL WASHINGTON COASTAL AND INLAND WATERS...Surface low pressure continues to move inland with relatively benign conditions over the area waters. The next frontal system is poised to move across the area waters on Saturday with additional headlines possible. An active weather pattern will continue into next week with additional rounds of headlines possible.

You should always check the forecast on the NWS Marine Forecast Page, the text below is added for your convenience:

Question about how to read a marine forecast to stay safe? Check out our comprehensive guide on Marine Weather Safety here

Yesterday's last tide

Tide Time (24H)	Predicted (ft)	High-Low	Tide Delta	Avg ft / hour
20:15	3.06 ft	L	NA	NA

04/26/2024 Fri

Hazardous Weather:

Daytime Marine Forecast: S wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft. SW swell 6 ft at 9 seconds.

Tide Time (24H)	Predicted (ft)	High-Low	Tide Delta	Avg ft / hour
02:22	9.27 ft	H	6.21	1.02
09:01	-0.58 ft	L	-9.85	-1.48
15:47	7.45 ft	H	8.03	1.19
20:47	3.46 ft	L	-3.99	-0.80

Nighttime Marine Forecast: W wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds.

04/27/2024 Sat

Daytime Marine Forecast: SW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming S 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft building to 2 to 4 ft in the afternoon. W swell to 5 ft at 4 seconds building to 2 to 6 ft at 7 seconds in the afte

Tide Time (24H)	Predicted (ft)	High-Low	Tide Delta	Avg ft / hour
02:52	9.20 ft	H	5.74	0.94
09:40	-0.50 ft	L	-9.7	-1.43
16:33	7.15 ft	H	7.65	1.11
21:21	3.82 ft	L	-3.33	-0.69

Nighttime Marine Forecast: S wind 15 to 25 kt becoming W 5 to 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 1 to 2 ft after midnight. W swell 2 to 7 ft at 7 seconds building to 4 to 7 ft at 9 seconds after midnigh

04/28/2024 Sun

Daytime Marine Forecast: SW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft at 10 seconds.

Tide Time (24H)	Predicted (ft)	High-Low	Tide Delta	Avg ft / hour
03:27	9.03 ft	H	5.21	0.85
10:25	-0.31 ft	L	-9.34	-1.34
17:25	6.84 ft	H	7.15	1.02
22:03	4.13 ft	L	-2.71	-0.58

Nighttime Marine Forecast: W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft at 11 seconds.

04/29/2024 Mon

Daytime Marine Forecast: SW wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft.

Tide Time (24H)	Predicted (ft)	High-Low	Tide Delta	Avg ft / hour
04:10	8.72 ft	H	4.59	0.75
11:18	-0.05 ft	L	-8.77	-1.23
18:25	6.62 ft	H	6.67	0.94
23:04	4.35 ft	L	-2.27	-0.49

04/30/2024 Tue

Daytime Marine Forecast: S wind to 10 kt becoming W. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 7 ft.

Tide Time (24H)	Predicted (ft)	High-Low	Tide Delta	Avg ft / hour
05:07	8.29 ft	H	3.94	0.65
12:19	0.19 ft	L	-8.1	-1.13
19:30	6.63 ft	H	6.44	0.90

05/01/2024 Wed

Tide Time (24H)	Predicted (ft)	High-Low	Tide Delta	Avg ft / hour
00:27	4.32 ft	L	-2.31	-0.47
06:21	7.83 ft	H	3.51	0.59

Looking for more tides? Checkout the NOAA Tide Prediction page for Westport, Point Chehalis here

Westport / Marine Area 2 Fishing Regulations 2023

Here’s a link to WDFW’s marine area rules and definitions.

Marine Area permanent regulations are updated in late June / early July of the year as salmon seasons are finalized, and you can access the current Marine Area 2 regulations here.

Emergency Fishing Regulations for Westport / Marine Area 2 2023

The above permanent regulations for Marine Area 2 are subject to change at any time and without being updated on this blog. One must consult the WDFW Emergency Regulations before any trips to ensure they are in full compliance with state laws regulating fisheries.

Full time PNW fisherman, hunter and harvester of local foods.

Kyle

Sharing content and insights on sustainable harvest through fishing, hunting, foraging, and shellfish gathering. I have 20+ years of experience building technology solutions and my goal is to build digital solutions to help you, on your learning journey toward more successful harvest recreation. I’ve lived in the PNW most of my life and I have 30+ years of angling experience to share.