Species at Kanaka Bay, San Juan Island
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 Kanaka Bay, San Juan Island, 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 Kanaka Bay, San Juan Island fishes
Open water lies to the west of Kanaka Bay, San Juan Island. 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 9449856 at 48.4850, -123.0830 — see it on NOAA CO-OPS.
Shops & partners near Kanaka Bay, San Juan Island
🏪 No partners at Kanaka Bay, San Juan Island yet — be the first!
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 Kanaka Bay, San Juan Island
- What fish can you catch at Kanaka Bay, San Juan Island?
- 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 Kanaka Bay, San Juan Island.
- When is the best time to fish Kanaka Bay, San Juan Island?
- 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 Kanaka Bay, San Juan Island?
- 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 Kanaka Bay, San Juan Island?
- 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 Kanaka Bay, San Juan Island measured?
- NOAA CO-OPS station 9449856, at 48.4850, -123.0830. What Inlet? scores the live tide, current, solunar and weather for that station.
Inlets near Kanaka Bay, San Juan Island
- Friday Harbor, San Juan Island
- Hanbury Point, Mosquito Pass, San Juan I.
- Roche Harbor, San Juan Island
- Aleck Bay, Lopez Island
- Telegraph Bay, Puget Sound
- Armitage Island, Thatcher Pass
- Waldron Island, Puget Sound
- Rosario, East Sound, Orcas Island
Fishing a different inlet today? Every one has its own species roster and bite pattern.
Browse every inlet in Washington, or the full inlet directory.