Tillamook Bay Fishing
A coastal bay in Tillamook County, about 14,028 acres of tidal habitat.
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Opening notes on Tillamook Bay
Tillamook Bay covers about 5,677 hectares on the PMEP map of Tillamook County, near 14,028 acres. The class on file is riverine estuary. Past the bar lies the Central Oregon Coast Subarea. The nearest Census place is Bay City, about 2 miles from the estuary point.
Boaters can use 10 launch sites from the OSMB layer. Shore anglers get 9 dock, pier or jetty sites. Its crab and clam spots have an ODFW page.
Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership estuary extent (PMEP), read November 2, 2026. Census 2023 places.
Where boaters put in for Tillamook Bay
- Big Barn Marina and RV Park on Tillamook RiverTillamook River; trailered launch; parking, restrooms, use fee; Private
- Burtons Bridge Boat Launch on Tillamook RiverTillamook River; 1 lane, trailered launch; parking, restrooms, use fee; Tillamook County; OSMB note: Burton Boat Launch is open. The ramp is not usable by large boats at low tide.
- Carnahan City Park on Trask RiverTrask River; 2 lanes, trailered launch; parking, restrooms, use fee, short-term tie-up, marina; City of Tillamook
- Memaloose Point boat ramp on Tillamook BayTillamook Bay; 2 lanes, trailered launch; parking, restrooms, use fee; Tillamook County
- Old Mill Marina Resort on Tillamook BayTillamook Bay; 2 lanes, trailered launch; parking, restrooms; Private
- Parks Landing on Kilchis RiverKilchis River; 1 lane, trailered launch; parking, restrooms, use fee; Tillamook County
- Port of Garibaldi Ramp on Tillamook BayTillamook Bay; 4 lanes, trailered launch; parking, restrooms, use fee, marina, life jacket loaner station; Port of Garibladi
- Steiner Boat Launch on Trask RiverTrask River; 1 lane, trailered launch; parking, restrooms, use fee; Tillamook County
- Sue H Elmore Park on Tillamook BayHoquarten Slough; 1 lane, trailered launch; parking, non-motorized boats only; City of Tillamook
- Tillamook Bay Boathouse launchTillamook Bay; hand carry launch; parking, restrooms, use fee, short-term tie-up, fuel; Private
Public docks by Tillamook Bay
- Garibaldi Pier on Tillamook Bayfishing pier, Owner
- Garibaldi Pier on Tillamook Bayfishing pier, Owner
- Garibaldi Pier on Tillamook Bayfishing pier, Owner
- Biak Ave on Tillamook Bayfishing pier, Owner
- Port of Garibaldi on Tillamook Bayfishing pier, Port of Garibaldi
- Garibaldi Public Pier on Tillamook Bayfishing pier, Owner
- Transient Docks and Slips-East on Tillamook Bayfishing pier, Owner
- Hobsonville Point on Tillamook Bayjetty
- Beach Access, Cape Meares on Tillamook Bayshore site
Marinas on Tillamook Bay
- Port of Garibaldi Marinamarina (Oregon Certified Clean Marina), Garibaldi, 503-322-3292
- Tillamook Bay Boathouse
- Carnahan City Park
Oregon State Marine Board Boating Access Sites layer (OSMB ArcGIS), read November 2, 2026; status as OSMB publishes it. Oregon Coastal Management Program (DLCD) Shoreline Access Inventory (layer) and the ODFW shore access map, read November 2, 2026.
Smaller bays within Tillamook Bay
- Larson Covebay
- Main Channelchannel
- Seal Channelchannel
- South Channelchannel
- McCoys Covebay
- Squeedunk Sloughgut
- Tillamook Baybay
- Miami Covebay
- Bay City Channelchannel
- Crab Harborbay
GNIS names each of these inside Tillamook Bay.
USGS GNIS domestic names inside the PMEP estuary extent, read November 2, 2026.
ODFW shellfish notes for Tillamook Bay
In the words of ODFW on Tillamook Bay:
Crabbing can be good year-round but the best catches are in the winter. Tidal flats throughout the bay produce lots of gapers, cockles and softshell clams.
: These charts depict popular, productive shellfishing areas. Many other areas have these species but may be less popular to access. Additionally, many other species of shellfish, some popular for harvest (e.g., bait shrimp, razor clams, etc.) may be present, but not represented here. Printable Map
Area 1: Can be reached by either boat or bank/walk-in access. This area is rocky and a garden fork (heavy tined) works best, or a combination of fork and shovel. Bank access to this area is found at the end of the Bay Ocean Peninsula/Cape Mears Lake parking lot located off Bayocean Rd.
Area 2: Can be reached by either boat or bank/walk-in access. This is one of the closest areas from the boat basin. Bank access to this area can be obtained through the boat basin, or from the parking area at the end of 12th St. in Garibaldi.
Area 3: A large sandy bar that can be reached by either boat or bank/walk-in. Bank access is the same as Area 1. This area is a good mix of softshell, gaper, and cockles. Shovels and clam guns will work best for digging gapers and softshell, while cockles can be raked or handpicked off the surface.
Where to crab & clam in Tillamook Bay, myodfw.com, read November 2, 2026.
Reading the tide at Tillamook Bay
NOAA CO-OPS water level, preliminary reading at retrieval; station page for live data.
- GaribaldiNOAA tide predictions
- BarviewNOAA tide predictions
- Dick PointNOAA tide predictions
- North Jetty, Tillamook BayNOAA tide predictions
- Tillamook, Hoquarten SloughNOAA tide predictions
- Netarts, Netarts BayNOAA tide predictions
The NOAA stations near Tillamook Bay show when the flats drain.
NOAA CO-OPS stations and tide predictions, read November 2, 2026.
Crab, clam and fish limits on Tillamook Bay
| Species | Daily limit as printed | Season |
|---|---|---|
| General Marine Species: Rockfish ("sea bass", "snapper"), Greenling (“. | Bag limits are set after this book is printed. Check current regulations before fishing on the Sport Bottomfish Seasons page. Retention of yelloweye and quillback rockfishes is prohibited. | Waters are open 24 hours per day. The offshore long-leader fishery is limited to fishing seaward of the 40-fathom regulatory line. |
| Lingcod (including green-colored lingcod) | 3 fish. | Waters are open 24 hours per day. The offshore long-leader fishery is limited to fishing seaward of the 40-fathom regulatory line. |
| Sablefish (black cod) | 10 fish. | Waters are open 24 hours per day. The offshore long-leader fishery is limited to fishing seaward of the 40-fathom regulatory line. |
| Flatfish (flounders, soles, sanddabs, turbots, and halibuts except Pac. | 25 fish in aggregate. | Waters are open 24 hours per day. The offshore long-leader fishery is limited to fishing seaward of the 40-fathom regulatory line. |
| Surfperch (includes all marine perch species) | 15 fish in aggregate. | Waters open all year, 24 hours per day, unless noted under Management Designations for Marine Areas. |
| Herring, Anchovy, Sardine, Topsmelt, Jacksmelt, and true smelts | 25 pounds in aggregate. | Waters open all year, 24 hours per day, unless noted under Management Designations for Marine Areas. |
| Offshore Pelagic Species: Includes all tuna and mackerel species, swor. | 25 fish in aggregate. White shark, basking shark, mega-mouth shark, and oceanic whitetip shark are prohibited and must be immediately released unharmed. | Waters open all year, 24 hours per day, unless noted under Management Designations for Marine Areas. |
| Striped Bass and/or Hybrid Bass | No limit | Waters open all year, 24 hours per day, unless noted under Management Designations for Marine Areas. |
| Sturgeon | Catch-and-release only. | Open all year. |
| Salmon and Steelhead | Ocean salmon and steelhead seasons and restrictions are set each April by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. Regulations are published each May and are available from license agents. | Ocean salmon and steelhead seasons and restrictions are set each April by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. |
| Pacific Halibut | May be taken by angling with a single line, no more than 2 hooks; and by spear. Pacific halibut seasons are managed and enforced based on port of landing. | May be taken by angling with a single line, no more than 2 hooks; and by spear. Pacific halibut seasons are managed and enforced based on port of landing. |
| Razor Clams | First 15 dug (no sorting or releasing). | Waters open all year, 24 hours per day Exceptions: Razor clams are closed Jul 15 to Sep 30 north of Tillamook Head (Clatsop County) Shellfish harvests may be cl. |
Open dates offshore in Tillamook Bay
| Fishery and area | Season | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| crab, Bays, beaches, estuaries, tide pools, piers and jetties | Open for crabbing all year, 24 hours per day. | Dungeness crab 12 (males only); 5-3/4" minimum size |
Ocean seasons as published by ODFW (myodfw.com, myodfw.com, dfw.state.or.us, eregulations.com), read November 2, 2026; ODFW changes ocean seasons in season.
The Marine Zone rows set the bag at Tillamook Bay unless a river exception says otherwise.
An Oregon angling license ($50 resident, $138 nonresident for 2026) covers anglers 12 and older; ocean fishing from boats, beaches and jetties now also needs the Ocean Endorsement ($9 annual) unless you fish only for salmon or steelhead.
Limits as printed in the 2026 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations (ODFW, eRegulations edition) (Marine Zone page), read November 2, 2026.
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The Central Oregon Coast Subarea sets the ocean seasons off Tillamook Bay; for halibut ODFW says: Spring All-Depth Season: May 1 through July 31, seven days per week, or until the quota is caught.
Tillamook Bay in a table with nearby estuaries
| Bay or estuary | Distance | Acres (PMEP) | OSMB launches | Shore sites | Marinas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tillamook Bay | 14,028 | 10 | 9 | 3 | |
| Netarts Bay | 9 miles south | 2,634 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Nehalem Bay | 12 miles north | 5,253 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| Sand Lake | 17 miles south | 1,177 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Nestucca Bay | 24 miles south | 2,766 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Ecola Creek estuary | 26 miles north | 54 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
PMEP extents, OSMB launches, DLCD and ODFW shore sites, Clean Marina list; read November 2, 2026.
Freshwater and Oregon towns inland of Tillamook Bay
Rivers neighbouring the Tillamook Bay
- Miami River3 miles
- Tillamook River3 miles
- Kilchis River4 miles
- Wilson River4 miles
Charter docks bound for Tillamook Bay
- Port of GaribaldiTillamook County
Reservoirs and lakes that neighbour Tillamook Bay
- Cape Meares Lake2 miles southwest
- Lake Lytle7 miles north
- Nedonna Lake8 miles north
- Town Lake21 miles south
Tackle and bait counters close to Tillamook Bay
- Port of Garibaldi Harbormarina, Garibaldi, 2 miles
- Tillamook Sporting Goodsbait and tackle shop, Tillamook, 5 miles
- Tillamook Bait Cobait and tackle shop, Tillamook, 6 miles
- Wyld Edge Outfittersbait and tackle shop, Tillamook, 10 miles
- Wheeler Marinabait and tackle shop, Wheeler, 11 miles
- Garibaldi Marinamarina, Garibaldi
Paid trips on Tillamook Bay
- Garibaldi Charterscharter, Garibaldi, (503) 322-0007
- Haystack Fishingcharter, Pacific City, (503) 679-9028
- Jb and Water Sport Fishing Charterscharter, Garibaldi, (503) 322-3474
- Kerri Lin Charterscharter, Rockaway Beach, (503) 355-2439
- Meanwhile Charters LLCcharter, Garibaldi, (503) 410-0289
- Nor'wester Charterscharter, Cloverdale, (503) 965-2238
- Siggi-G Ocean Charterscharter, Garibaldi, (503) 322-3285
Beds and campgrounds handy to Tillamook Bay
- Bay City2 miles
- Rockaway Beach6 miles
- Tillamook7 miles
Tillamook Bay by county
- Tillamook Countyseat: Tillamook
Piscifun tackle that suits a trip to Tillamook Bay
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Shorelines and riffles near Tillamook Bay, photographed
Photo: Rick Obst, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Luke Detwiler, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Pacific Fishery Management Council, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Michael Cornelius, CC BY-SA 2.0
Answers on Tillamook Bay from the Oregon sources
How do I reach Tillamook Bay on the Oregon coast?
Point the car toward Tillamook County, about 2 miles from Bay City.
What area does PMEP map for Tillamook Bay?
Some 5,677 hectares on the PMEP extent.
Is there an OSMB boat ramp at Tillamook Bay?
There are 10 launch sites; Big Barn Marina and RV Park on Tillamook River is a start.
Can I crab or clam at Tillamook Bay?
ODFW writes up its crab and clam areas; see the shellfish band. Buy the shellfish license first.
Does the Marine Zone cover Tillamook Bay?
Razor Clams: First 15 dug (no sorting or releasing).
What should I buy before fishing Tillamook Bay?
An Oregon angling license ($50 resident, $138 nonresident for 2026) covers anglers 12 and older; ocean fishing from boats, beaches and jetties now also needs the Ocean Endorsement ($9 annual) unless you fish only for salmon or steelhead.
Can I fish Tillamook Bay without a boat?
Garibaldi Pier on Tillamook Bay is one of 9 shore sites.
Where can I rent crab rings near Tillamook Bay?
Port of Garibaldi Harbor, roughly 2 miles away, is where our list starts.
Which NOAA station covers Tillamook Bay?
Garibaldi is the nearest prediction station listed.
Pick a minus tide for Tillamook Bay
Check the in-season updates before a fish goes in the cooler.