About Westport
Offshore fishing out of Westport starts at Westport Marina, at the mouth of Grays Harbor in WDFW Marine Area 2. The marina is described as Washington’s largest fish landing port, and WDFW says Marine Area 2 is accessed primarily from the Port of Westport. Bottomfish runs from March to October, salmon and Pacific halibut come in summer, and albacore sit well offshore in summer.
The species list covers chinook salmon, coho salmon, Pacific halibut, lingcod, rockfish and albacore, the core of Pacific Northwest offshore fishing. Below: how to get out and back across the Grays Harbor Bar, then what the offshore water holds by season.
Access and navigation
Tide and swell together set what the bar entrance does, so read both before committing to a crossing.
Launching and berthing
Trailer boats launch at the 28th Street Ramp, inside Grays Harbor in Marine Area 2-2. Westport Marina (Port of Grays Harbor) handles moorage, including transient moorage for visiting boats.
Fuel is listed at the marina, so plan albacore range from the fuel dock. Launch lines can run long on weekend mornings when the fishing is good, so build that into your departure time. WDFW recommends a local experienced guide for first trips.
The Grays Harbor Bar
The bar tends to stack up when peak ebb tide meets high swell. Plan the crossing around the tide rather than the clock; experienced boaters avoid crossing during peak outgoing tide.
The return matters as much as the run out. Conditions can change while you fish, and the ebb you avoided at dawn may be running when you come home.
Bar conditions come from three sources, collected on the Port of Grays Harbor safety page:
- Coast Guard bar conditions and weather on VHF Channel 16
- The NOAA bar camera images and latest observations
- NDBC Station 46211
Buoy 46211 reports what it measures at its position, not the break on the bar itself, and a forecast is only a forecast. Coast Guard bar restrictions can stop a crossing, so check VHF 16 before committing.
The bar is the only ocean entrance here. If conditions look wrong, wait for the tide or fish inside Grays Harbor (Marine Area 2-2), which runs under its own rules. On arrival, look at the water and read the official NOAA forecast. If it looks bigger than you want, wait out the ebb or stay inside.
Fishing conditions
Westport’s offshore grounds fall into three distance bands, all WDFW-sourced. The named nearshore ground is the Westport Jetty at Westport Light State Park.
| Grounds band | Distance | Species |
|---|---|---|
| Nearshore and jetty | 5 to 20 miles | Salmon and bottomfish |
| Halibut grounds | 25 to 50 miles | Pacific halibut |
| Blue water | 40 to 100 miles | Albacore |
The halibut grounds off Westport lie 25 to 50 miles out. Albacore water is 40 to 100 miles out, and the guide on how albacore set up off this coast covers the pattern.
Winter
Bottomfish is closed in Marine Areas 1 to 3 until the second Saturday in March. WDFW sets salmon and halibut seasons each year, so check WDFW before planning. Winter swell makes tide timing on the bar matter more.
Spring
Bottomfish opens on the second Saturday in March. Targets are chinook salmon, lingcod and rockfish.
A descending device must be on board and rigged for immediate use when fishing for or holding bottomfish or halibut. Lingcod depth lines apply in some months, so check WDFW before you fish.
Summer
Chinook and coho salmon are the targets, and WDFW sets salmon seasons each year.
Summer also brings Pacific halibut. The fishery is managed to a quota and closes when the quota is taken, so check WDFW for the current status. A halibut catch record card is required, and under the halibut catch record card rules every fish kept is recorded at once.
Albacore sit 40 to 100 miles out, so plan fuel from the marina. They tend to hold on temperature edges well offshore. The OBS SST and Chlorophyll layers in Breakpoint show where those edges sat on the last clear pass, though cloud can block a pass. Chart layers are not for navigation. To see how the layers read for this coast, find your port in the state and port guides on breakpointmaps.com.
Autumn
The target is chinook salmon, and WDFW sets the season. Bottomfish runs through the third Saturday in October. Per WDFW, albacore have a year-round legal season with no daily limit.
