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Rating depth structure for pacific chinook salmon.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
2,067-acre Inner Elliott Bay fishing map with native-MLLW NOAA hydrographic survey contours (98.6% measured/assessed), measured fishing spots, exact EPA/WDFW/King County fish evidence, two exact forage calendars, two verified Seattle access sites, Marine Area 10 rules and current consumption guidance. The water tops out around 551 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to MLLW; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The channels, holes and drop-offs come from the source data, not a distance-from-shore model. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
The outline encloses 2,062 acres, worked by 19 miles of shoreline, broken up by 9 islands. A development index of 3 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. About 0% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Tip to tip the water measures near 3.5 mi with a 2.4-mi widest point. If the bite dies, Green Lake is 5 mi to the north.
Spring pacific chinook salmon on Inner Elliott Bay hold shallow, usually 30 to 120 ft. They move out to 20 to 150 ft in summer and finish the year down in 50 to 180 ft. Put WEST WATERWAY channel edge first on the milk run — a channel edge near 61 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a herring or sand-lance spoon or a baitfish hoochie behind a flasher.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 30 to 120 ft | dawn | WEST WATERWAY channel edge (61 ft) | Herring-pattern spoon, Three-to-four-inch baitfish swimbait |
| Summer | 20 to 150 ft | dawn & dusk | WEST WATERWAY channel edge (61 ft) | Herring or sand-lance spoon, Baitfish hoochie behind a flasher |
| Fall | 10 to 100 ft | dawn & dusk | WEST WATERWAY channel edge (61 ft) | Compact spoon, Baitfish spinner where legal |
| Winter | 50 to 180 ft | midday | WEST WATERWAY channel edge (61 ft) | Slow-trolled spoon, Deep baitfish plug |
Early season pacific coho salmon use the shallows, holding in 10 to 70 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 100 ft, then a winter hold in 30 to 100 ft. Put WEST WATERWAY channel edge first on the milk run — a channel edge near 61 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small hoochie behind a flasher or a slim spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | WEST WATERWAY channel edge (61 ft) | Small silver spoon, Slim baitfish fly |
| Summer | 10 to 100 ft | dawn & dusk | WEST WATERWAY channel edge (61 ft) | Small hoochie behind a flasher, Slim spoon |
| Fall | 5 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | WEST WATERWAY channel edge (61 ft) | Small spinner where legal, Compact spoon |
| Winter | 30 to 100 ft | midday | WEST WATERWAY channel edge (61 ft) | Slow small spoon, Compact trolling fly |
Come spring, look for lingcod tight to the bank in 25 to 140 ft. They move out to 20 to 180 ft in summer and finish the year down in 60 to 240 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA charted underwater rock: a rock pile around 15 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is midday and early morning. A heavy swimbait or a metal jig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 140 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (15 ft) | Heavy swimbait, Metal jig |
| Summer | 20 to 180 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (15 ft) | Heavy swimbait, Metal jig |
| Fall | 30 to 200 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (15 ft) | Heavy metal jig, Large swimbait |
| Winter | 60 to 240 ft | midday | WEST WATERWAY channel edge (61 ft) | Heavy slow-pitch jig |
Spring cabezon on Inner Elliott Bay hold shallow, usually 8 to 80 ft. By summer they slide out to 6 to 100 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 140 ft. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted underwater rock — rock pile, 15 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and midday. The summer box starts with a crab-pattern jig or a heavy tube.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 80 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (15 ft) | Crab-pattern jig, Compact swimbait |
| Summer | 6 to 100 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (15 ft) | Crab-pattern jig, Heavy tube |
| Fall | 10 to 120 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (15 ft) | Compact metal jig, Crab-pattern jig |
| Winter | 20 to 140 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (15 ft) | Slow compact jig |
Come spring, look for english sole tight to the bank in 30 to 120 ft. Through summer count on 10 to 90 ft; the winter hold is 40 to 180 ft. Start at WEST WATERWAY channel edge. It's a channel edge holding about 61 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in early morning. A small scented jig or a light grub on bottom is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 30 to 120 ft | midday | WEST WATERWAY channel edge (61 ft) | Small scented bottom jig, Light bucktail |
| Summer | 10 to 90 ft | dawn | WEST WATERWAY channel edge (61 ft) | Small scented jig, Light grub on bottom |
| Fall | 25 to 140 ft | midday | WEST WATERWAY channel edge (61 ft) | Slow bucktail, Small bottom jig |
| Winter | 40 to 180 ft | midday | WEST WATERWAY channel edge (61 ft) | Slow scented bottom jig |
47 pieces of structure are mapped here — NOAA charted wreck, around 426 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: City of Seattle Boat Ramps FeatureServer (OBJECTID 49) and Don Armeni page. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Washington waters are set by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (Marine Area 10 — Seattle/Bremerton) — and special regulations can apply to Inner Elliott Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Washington fishing regulations →
Inner Elliott Bay is about 551 ft (168 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to MLLW; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.
Anglers target pacific chinook salmon, pacific coho salmon, lingcod, cabezon, english sole on Inner Elliott Bay.
NOAA charted underwater rock is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 15 ft of water that rates prime for cabezon in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For pacific chinook salmon, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Inner Elliott Bay is regulated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (Marine Area 10 — Seattle/Bremerton). Check the official Washington regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Green Lake 5 mi · Shilshole Bay 5 mi · Lake Washington 6 mi · Blakely Harbor 7 mi · Eagle Harbor 7 mi · Bitter Lake 8 mi · Larsen Lake 10 mi · Angle Lake 13 mi · Lake Sammamish 13 mi · Long Lake 14 mi · Sinclair Inlet 14 mi · Island Lake 15 mi
See how Inner Elliott Bay stacks up: best pacific chinook salmon lakes in Washington · best pacific coho salmon lakes in Washington · best english sole lakes in Washington · best lingcod lakes in Washington
Browse all Washington fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA Office of Coast Survey and National Centers for Environmental Information Inner Elliott Bay NOAA hydrographic survey composite (MLLW; 99% measured, 0% source-interpolated). How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.