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326-acre Shilshole Bay fishing map with native-MLLW NOAA survey contours (92.87% measured, 95.76% assessed), 25 source-traceable measured fishing spots, six sourced fish profiles, exact mapped forage habitat, two public access sites, Marine Area 10 rules and consumption guidance. The water tops out around 146 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Drawn out, this is 325 acres of water rimmed by 4.3 miles of bank, with a single island in the mix. The shoreline is moderately structured (index 1.7) — enough points and pockets to pattern. 32% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 1.1 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.8 mi at the beam. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Green Lake, 4 mi east of here.
Start shallow in spring: pacific chinook salmon sit in 30 to 120 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 19 to 146 ft; cold water stacks them in 41 to 146 ft. Top water on the chart: LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge, a channel edge in the 22 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a herring or sand-lance spoon or a baitfish hoochie behind a flasher until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 30 to 120 ft | dawn | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (31 ft) | Herring-pattern spoon, Three-to-four-inch baitfish swimbait |
| Summer | 19 to 146 ft | dawn & dusk | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (22 ft) | Herring or sand-lance spoon, Baitfish hoochie behind a flasher |
| Fall | 10 to 100 ft | dawn & dusk | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (22 ft) | Compact spoon, Baitfish spinner where legal |
| Winter | 41 to 146 ft | midday | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (34 ft) | Slow-trolled spoon, Deep baitfish plug |
Spring puts pacific coho salmon in skinny water — 10 to 70 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 100 ft; cold water stacks them in 30 to 100 ft. LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge is the standout, a channel edge at roughly 22 ft, rated prime for summer pacific coho salmon. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A small hoochie behind a flasher or a slim spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (22 ft) | Small silver spoon, Slim baitfish fly |
| Summer | 10 to 100 ft | dawn & dusk | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (22 ft) | Small hoochie behind a flasher, Slim spoon |
| Fall | 5 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (22 ft) | Small spinner where legal, Compact spoon |
| Winter | 30 to 100 ft | midday | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (31 ft) | Slow small spoon, Compact trolling fly |
In spring, chum salmon run shallow here, mostly 10 to 70 ft. Summer keeps them at 4 to 70 ft, and they winter in 25 to 100 ft. Spring chum salmon concentrate at LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge, a prime-rated channel edge around 22 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a chartreuse or pink hoochie or a bright spoon most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (22 ft) | Chrome spoon, Compact baitfish jig |
| Summer | 4 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (22 ft) | Chartreuse or pink hoochie, Bright spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (3 ft) | Bright spinner, Pink or chartreuse jig |
| Winter | 25 to 100 ft | midday | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (31 ft) | Compact vertical jig |
Start shallow in spring: lingcod sit in 25 to 140 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 16 to 146 ft, and winter fish settle into 37 to 146 ft. The spot to know is NOAA charted underwater rock, a rock pile in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for lingcod in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around midday and early morning. Throw a heavy swimbait or a metal jig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 140 ft | dawn | NOAA charted wreck (85 ft) | Heavy swimbait, Metal jig |
| Summer | 16 to 146 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Heavy swimbait, Metal jig |
| Fall | 22 to 146 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Heavy metal jig, Large swimbait |
| Winter | 37 to 146 ft | midday | NOAA charted wreck (85 ft) | Heavy slow-pitch jig |
When the water first warms, pink salmon slide up into 8 to 60 ft. Summer is a 3 to 70 ft game here, winter a 20 to 90 ft one. Start at LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge. It's a channel edge holding about 22 ft of water and rates prime come fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a pink or orange casting spoon or a small hoochie rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (22 ft) | Small chrome spoon, Compact herring-pattern jig |
| Summer | 3 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (22 ft) | Pink or orange casting spoon, Small hoochie |
| Fall | 2 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (22 ft) | Small bright spoon, Pink jig |
| Winter | 20 to 90 ft | midday | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (22 ft) | Small vertical jig |
Spring puts english sole in skinny water — 30 to 120 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 10 to 90 ft, and winter fish hold in 32 to 146 ft. Summer english sole concentrate at LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge, a prime-rated channel edge around 22 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. A small scented jig or a light grub on bottom covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 30 to 120 ft | midday | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (31 ft) | Small scented bottom jig, Light bucktail |
| Summer | 10 to 90 ft | dawn | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (22 ft) | Small scented jig, Light grub on bottom |
| Fall | 25 to 140 ft | midday | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (31 ft) | Slow bucktail, Small bottom jig |
| Winter | 32 to 146 ft | midday | LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge (31 ft) | Slow scented bottom jig |
Count 27 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, NOAA hydrographic-survey measured inlet-channel depth, sits near 142 ft.
Access data: Seattle Parks Eddie Vine Boat Ramp and WDFW Shilshole Marina Pier pages. 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 Shilshole Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Washington fishing regulations →
Shilshole Bay is about 146 ft (45 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, chum salmon, lingcod, pink salmon, english sole on Shilshole Bay.
LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL channel edge is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 22 ft of water that rates prime for pacific chinook salmon in summer. 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 Shilshole 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 4 mi · Bitter Lake 5 mi · Inner Elliott Bay 5 mi · Eagle Harbor 6 mi · Blakely Harbor 7 mi · Lake Washington 9 mi · Liberty Bay 11 mi · Island Lake 11 mi · Browns Bay 12 mi · Dyes Inlet 13 mi · Port Gamble Bay 13 mi · Larsen Lake 14 mi
See how Shilshole Bay stacks up: best pink salmon lakes in Washington · best chum salmon lakes in Washington · best pacific chinook salmon lakes in Washington · best pacific coho salmon lakes in Washington
Browse all Washington fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information and Office of Coast Survey NOAA Shilshole Bay hydrographic survey composite (MLLW; 93% measured, 3% 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.