Named spots
| Spot | Type | Depth | From nearest port |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astoria Canyon | canyon | 295 fm | – |
| Juan de Fuca Canyon | canyon | 583 fm | – |
| Lapérouse Bank | bank | 39 fm | – |
| Nitinat Fan | canyon | 1383 fm | – |
Nearby buoys
2026-10-19 12:10 UTC · NOAA NDBC 46029
2026-10-19 12:20 UTC · NOAA NDBC 46041
2026-10-19 12:20 UTC · NOAA NDBC 46087
2026-10-19 12:20 UTC · NOAA NDBC 46089
2026-10-19 10:50 UTC · NOAA NDBC 46099
2026-10-19 12:00 UTC · NOAA NDBC 46146
Latest NOAA NDBC observations. Satellite and in water readings may differ.
Fishing Washington
Washington offshore fishing is cold, green, upwelling water, and the chart is built to help you read it. The coast here runs from the mouth of the Columbia up past Westport and Neah Bay, and the continental shelf is fairly wide before it drops off into deep water. Summer northwest wind drives cold, nutrient rich water up from depth along the coast, it turns green with life, and it meets the cleaner, warmer offshore water along a temperature and color break. That seam is the edge you are hunting, and it can sit anywhere from the shelf out to the drop depending on how hard the wind has been blowing.
Structure matters even where the shelf is broad. The shelf edge and the canyons that cut the slope, including the Quinault and Guide area features, funnel cold water and stack bait when the current hits them. A temperature break or color change sitting over the drop is far more productive than the same seam over flat bottom, which is why pairing the SST and chlorophyll layers with the depth contours tells you more than either one alone.
Seasonally, albacore tuna are the offshore headline when the warm blue water pushes within range in late summer and into fall. That run can be a long way out and it moves year to year, so watching where the warm water and the break set up before you burn fuel is the whole point. Closer in, salmon, bottomfish and Dungeness crab anchor the fishery through their seasons. None of this is a promise. Seasons and regulations change every year, so always check current rules before you run.
This is exposed, often rough water a long way from the ramp, and the bar crossings demand respect. Treat the weather window as seriously as the temperature break. Before you leave the dock, read where the edge is sitting, line it up against the shelf and the color change, and plan your run so you are fishing the seam instead of searching for it.
What you get with ReelTemps
- Sea surface temperatureFind the temperature break
- Chlorophyll-aSpot the green-to-blue color seam
- Composite & single passBlended picture or the freshest overpass
- CompareTemperature and color side by side
- Depth readoutFathoms and feet on hover, tap or mark
- Currents & buoysSee the water move and ground-truth it
- Route, ruler & waypointsPlan the run and save your spots
From the water
I've tried every temp map out there and they all feel like they were built ten years ago. I'm not exactly a tech guy, but this one actually makes sense the second you open it. First time using it, I marked a break in about 30 seconds the night before and boated bluefin right on it the next morning.
Used to burn half a tank driving around looking for color change or a solid temp break. Now I check ReelTemps before I leave the dock and I know exactly where I'm going. Less time driving around guessing, more time with lines in the water.
Albacore season used to mean a couple hours of homework the night before and just hoping it held up. Now I do most of my research that morning and pull it up on my phone if things change once we're out there. Makes calling an audible a lot easier.