Species at Steller Cove
King Salmon (Chinook)
feeder/migrant kings stage off points, bite the tide change
Sockeye Salmon (Red)
plankton feeder; salt bite genuinely weak/incidental near stream mouths
Pink Salmon (Humpy)
even-year hordes pile into warm bay heads before spawning, snap small spoons
Silver Salmon (Coho)
aggressive late-summer migrants chase bait on the flood
Chum Salmon (Dog)
schools stage at bay heads, hit bright flies and spoons
Pacific Halibut
ambush flatfish; you can hold bottom only near slack
Lingcod
reef ambusher; season opens Jul 1, fish the slack to hold bottom over the rocks
Black Rockfish
schools over reef tops feed all day on moving water
Yelloweye Rockfish
deep, slow-growing; retention closed through June, hold bottom on rough structure near slack
Kelp Greenling
nearshore kelp resident, picks bait off the bottom in current
Pacific (Gray) Cod
schools move shallow into bays in cool water, easy bottom bite
Starry Flounder
estuary flatfish rides the flood up onto mudflats to feed
Sea-run Dolly Varden
spring char gorge on salmon smolt along beaches and estuaries
Coastal (Sea-run) Cutthroat Trout
estuary trout chase smolt and fry on the rising tide
Salmon Shark
warm-bodied predator follows salmon schools into the sounds
What's biting at Steller Cove, month by month
| January | Off-season — nothing on the roster is in its window. |
|---|---|
| February | Off-season — nothing on the roster is in its window. |
| March | Pacific (Gray) Cod |
| April | Pacific (Gray) Cod, Sea-run Dolly Varden, Coastal (Sea-run) Cutthroat Trout |
| May | King Salmon (Chinook), Pacific Halibut, Black Rockfish, Kelp Greenling, Pacific (Gray) Cod, Starry Flounder, Sea-run Dolly Varden, Coastal (Sea-run) Cutthroat Trout |
| June | King Salmon (Chinook), Sockeye Salmon (Red), Pacific Halibut, Black Rockfish, Kelp Greenling, Starry Flounder, Sea-run Dolly Varden, Coastal (Sea-run) Cutthroat Trout, Salmon Shark |
| July | King Salmon (Chinook), Sockeye Salmon (Red), Pink Salmon (Humpy), Chum Salmon (Dog), Pacific Halibut, Lingcod, Black Rockfish, Yelloweye Rockfish, Kelp Greenling, Starry Flounder, Salmon Shark |
| August | Sockeye Salmon (Red), Pink Salmon (Humpy), Silver Salmon (Coho), Chum Salmon (Dog), Pacific Halibut, Lingcod, Black Rockfish, Yelloweye Rockfish, Kelp Greenling, Starry Flounder, Salmon Shark |
| September | Pink Salmon (Humpy), Silver Salmon (Coho), Chum Salmon (Dog), Pacific Halibut, Lingcod, Black Rockfish, Yelloweye Rockfish, Kelp Greenling, Pacific (Gray) Cod, Starry Flounder, Sea-run Dolly Varden, Coastal (Sea-run) Cutthroat Trout |
| October | Lingcod, Black Rockfish, Pacific (Gray) Cod, Coastal (Sea-run) Cutthroat Trout |
| November | Pacific (Gray) Cod |
| December | Pacific (Gray) Cod |
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 Steller Cove fishes
Open water lies to the east of Steller Cove. A wind out of the east is onshore here — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes stirred-up water inshore, while a west 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 TWC2319 at 52.9667, 172.9000 — see it on NOAA CO-OPS.
Shops & partners near Steller Cove
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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 Steller Cove
- What fish can you catch at Steller Cove?
- King Salmon (Chinook), Sockeye Salmon (Red), Pink Salmon (Humpy), Silver Salmon (Coho), Chum Salmon (Dog), Pacific Halibut, Lingcod, Black Rockfish, Yelloweye Rockfish, Kelp Greenling, Pacific (Gray) Cod, Starry Flounder and 3 more. Each has its own season, preferred tide and water-temperature window at Steller Cove.
- When is the best time to fish Steller Cove?
- September has the most species in season (12 of 15) — Pink Salmon (Humpy), Silver Salmon (Coho), Chum Salmon (Dog), Pacific Halibut, Lingcod, Black Rockfish, Yelloweye Rockfish, Kelp Greenling. Seasons shift by a few weeks in a warm or late year.
- Is there anything biting at Steller Cove in winter?
- January, February are the quiet stretch — none of the species we track are in their window then. The bite picks back up in March.
- What tide is best for fishing Steller Cove?
- 6 of the 15 species here feed best on the incoming tide. 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 Steller Cove?
- Open water lies to the east, so an east wind is onshore — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes dirty water inshore. A west wind flattens and cleans it up.
- Where are the tides for Steller Cove measured?
- NOAA CO-OPS station TWC2319, at 52.9667, 172.9000. What Inlet? scores the live tide, current, solunar and weather for that station.
Inlets near Steller Cove
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