Species at Depoe Bay
Chinook salmon
Fall stock stages in bays, bites the incoming on tide change
Coho salmon
Silvers school the bay mouth on a moving tide, dawn best
Lingcod
Spring spawners move shallow to rocks, bite the first of the incoming
Black rockfish
Schools on the jetty year-round; moving water turns them on
Redtail surfperch
Pre-spawn fish stack in bays, feed the hour before high
Kelp greenling
Holds tight to kelp and rock; moving water brings the bite
White sturgeon
Stack in deep estuary holes; bite hardest on a strong moving tide
Striped bass
Spring pre-spawn and fall fish feed tidewater on moving water
Sea-run cutthroat trout
Late-summer harvest trout chase fry in low light on a moving tide
Starry flounder
Winter-spring spawners feed the estuary bottom, peak February
Pile perch
Works pilings and rock structure, moving water feeds them
Cabezon
Rocky-reef ambusher; takes bait on the bottom in moving water
Sand sole
Sandy bay-mouth flatfish; feeds the incoming over sand
Dungeness crab
Post-molt fall crab forage and walk on the slack, high best
What's biting at Depoe Bay, month by month
| January | Starry flounder |
|---|---|
| February | Starry flounder |
| March | Lingcod, Starry flounder, Cabezon |
| April | Lingcod, Black rockfish, Redtail surfperch, Kelp greenling, White sturgeon, Striped bass, Starry flounder, Cabezon |
| May | Lingcod, Black rockfish, Redtail surfperch, Kelp greenling, White sturgeon, Striped bass, Pile perch, Cabezon, Sand sole |
| June | Lingcod, Black rockfish, Redtail surfperch, Kelp greenling, White sturgeon, Striped bass, Pile perch, Cabezon, Sand sole |
| July | Black rockfish, Redtail surfperch, Kelp greenling, White sturgeon, Sea-run cutthroat trout, Pile perch, Cabezon, Sand sole |
| August | Chinook salmon, Black rockfish, Kelp greenling, Sea-run cutthroat trout, Pile perch, Cabezon, Sand sole |
| September | Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, Black rockfish, Kelp greenling, Striped bass, Sea-run cutthroat trout, Pile perch, Cabezon, Sand sole, Dungeness crab |
| October | Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, Black rockfish, Kelp greenling, Striped bass, Sea-run cutthroat trout, Cabezon, Dungeness crab |
| November | Coho salmon, Dungeness crab |
| December | Starry flounder, Dungeness crab |
Typical seasons for this stretch of coast — a warm or late year shifts them by a few weeks. The live forecast scores today's actual conditions.
How Depoe Bay fishes
Open water lies to the west of Depoe Bay. A wind out of the west is onshore here — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes stirred-up water inshore, while an east wind flattens the surface and tends to clean it up.
This is an inshore station — bay, river or lagoon water rather than an open ocean mouth. Tide stage and water temperature drive the bite here far more than swell does.
Tides here are read from NOAA station 9435827 at 44.8100, -124.0580 — see it on NOAA CO-OPS.
Shops & partners near Depoe Bay
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Run a bait shop, guide service, restaurant or tackle brand here? We'll feature you on this page and in the live app — free, with a line about what you do. Email hello@what-inlet.com.
Common questions about Depoe Bay
- What fish can you catch at Depoe Bay?
- Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, Lingcod, Black rockfish, Redtail surfperch, Kelp greenling, White sturgeon, Striped bass, Sea-run cutthroat trout, Starry flounder, Pile perch, Cabezon and 2 more. Each has its own season, preferred tide and water-temperature window at Depoe Bay.
- When is the best time to fish Depoe Bay?
- September has the most species in season (10 of 14) — Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, Black rockfish, Kelp greenling, Striped bass, Sea-run cutthroat trout, Pile perch, Cabezon. Seasons shift by a few weeks in a warm or late year.
- What tide is best for fishing Depoe Bay?
- 8 of the 14 species here feed best on moving water. Moving water is what pulls bait through the mouth, so the hours either side of a tide change usually beat dead slack.
- Which wind is bad for Depoe Bay?
- Open water lies to the west, so a west wind is onshore — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes dirty water inshore. An east wind flattens and cleans it up.
- Where are the tides for Depoe Bay measured?
- NOAA CO-OPS station 9435827, at 44.8100, -124.0580. What Inlet? scores the live tide, current, solunar and weather for that station.
Inlets near Depoe Bay
- Taft, Siletz Bay
- Nestucca Bay entrance
- Waldport, Alsea Bay
- Netarts, Netarts Bay
- Bay City
- Miami Cove
- North Jetty, Tillamook Bay
- Siuslaw River Entrance
Fishing a different inlet today? Every one has its own species roster and bite pattern.
Browse every inlet in Oregon, or the full inlet directory.