Your Guide To..........
Washington Saltwater Fishing Areas
This directory is published In Washington State Fishing Guide, 9th Edition. To order your complete copy of the most comprehensive fishing guide available in Washington detailing 2500 fresh and saltwater fishing areas, best techniques, top fishing periods, campgrounds, resorts, ramps, piers and much more, click here.
From the British Columbia border south to Oregon, Washington anglers enjoy thousands of miles of saltwater shoreline, islands, sounds, harbors, bays, straits, inlets and estuaries. This state provides the most diverse saltwater salmon fishing areas anywhere south of Alaska.
You don't even need a boat. Chinook, coho, chums, pinks and sockeye can be caught from shore, jetties, piers, and by wading. If you do have a boat, depending on its size and your operating ability, it opens up all of Puget Sound, San Juan Islands, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Ocean Coastal waters from Neah Bay to Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay and the mouth of the Columbia River. And that's just in saltwater. Freshwater is a different story and just as diverse. See River Salmon Fishing section.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife manages coastal, strait and inland saltwater salmon fisheries on an emergency basis, with regulations changing to meet changing conditions and management goals. The federal Pacific Fisheries Management Council provides the guidelines and pays close attention to Endangered Species Act protections.
All saltwater salmon hooks must be barbless, except when fishing off the North Jetty at the mouth of the Columiba River.
Seasons and regulations listed in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife annual regulations booklet are
often modified by conservation closures and imposed federal regulations. As a general rule, the north and central seasons are shorter than the Tacoma-Olympia season which are the longest in the state.
The hot fishing periods recommended for the major saltwater areas listed here may not coincide with current legal fishing periods.
The publisher expects anglers to always review current regulations for area-specific emergency closings, openings, and tackle restrictions before any saltwater fishing trips. WDFW Olympia office provides a hot line recorded message of current rules, seasons and emergency regulations.
For Current Salmon Regulation Information:
WDFW Regulation Hotline
360-902-2500
Email: [email protected]
JOHNSON POINT
Once an outstanding winter blackmouth fishery Johnson Point has been a hard-luck place since the 1990s. inter blackmouth Nov. into early spring, a few Nisqually River spring chinook show in April-June, and fall chinook in Aug.-Sept. Trout-size resident coho and sea-run cutthroat provide a light-tackle fishery in spring and summer. Tide change bite is nearly always best. Mooching with herring bait is productive in winter but dogfish can make bait-fishing a terror. When the dogs are in the only option is to troll with flasher and squid, or bounce a jigging spoon down the decline on the Point.. Boat ramp, fuel, bait, tackle at Zittle’s Marina on the east side of the point.
ANDERSON ISLAND
Winter blackmouth and spring chinook. Possibly the best year-round salmon bet in the south Sound. Concentrate on the south side, especially Devil’s Head and Lyle Point. Mooch or troll. Flood tide best in summer, ebb in winter. Nisqually River salmon often pile up around the south and east side of the island before heading into the delta.
TOLIVIA SHOAL
Coho, chinook, blackmouth and pinks in odd years. Best salmon fishing takes place in April-June on the flood tide. Troll the rip lines. Decent bottom fishing for rockfish and ling cod in rocks.
SQUAXIN ISLAND
Winter blackmouth, chinook salmon, sea-run cutthroat and chums. Net pen rearing projects generate some fall returns of chinook. Troll spinner-cut herring. Winter and fall action best. Tough chum fishing, but they'll be rolling around the island from October-December.
MINTER CREEK
A public access/ramp at the head of Carr Inlet. Best in late summer for chinook, coho and sea-run cutthroat, and November for chums. Primarily an early-morning fishery, although a flood tide bite is worth fishing. Small lures, spinner cut herring work well here for almost all of the fish. Some anglers float spinner-cut herring under
large bobbers.
FOX ISLAND
A good spring, April-July, fishery for small blackmouth, resident coho, and winter blackmouth in Dec.-Jan. Hale Pass and Point Gibson are top prospects. The gravel shoreline can be a lot of fun with a fly rod and small streamers or shrimp patterns. You'll be tackling trout-size coho and cutthroat. Public ramps on the island, at
the head of Carr Inlet and at Narrow’s Marine in Tacoma. Mooch winter and run troll gear in summer.
POINT DEFIANCE
This saltwater bottleneck at the top of South Puget Sound at Tacoma is the top salmon spot in the South Sound area supporting year-round salmon, winter blackmouth, and attracting large runs of summer and fall coho, late summer chinook, odd year pinks and fall chums headed for the Puyallup and Nisqually rivers and Chambers Creek Hatchery. The hot fishing areas are almost always defined by a fleet of small boats.
Some of the most prominent areas include the clay banks towering off the Point, the light house eddies and whirlpools, rips south and north of the Point, the stretch between the Boat House and Point, Slag Pile breakwater east of Tacoma Yacht Club, and the south end of Vashon Island at Point Dalco, the drop-off at the mouth of Quartermaster Harbor, Piner Point and Point Robinson. On the Commencement Bay side Brown's Point is a favorite on tide changes and a hot spot for August-September coho. Salmon can be anywhere in Dalco Pass in the channel between Point Defiance Park and Vashon Island. The Pass is a staging are and migration route. The West Pass is a migrating route that rarely holds fish for any length of time but is a good spot to ambush fall migrants especially in the rips that form from Gig Harbor north to Point Richmond.
Shore fishing is available from a railing in the boathouse, and at Les Davis Public Fishing Pier on Ruston Way. Squid fishermen use the piers on winter nights. During summer low tides some foolhardy fishermen will walk the beach around the Point to the rocks below the cliff and cast jigs and spoons into deep water. Be aware. The shoreline south of the Point dips under water during average tides. Don’t get trapped between the cliffs and an incoming tide.
There is a public three-lane fee boat ramp with loading docks beside the Vashon Ferry dock. Point Defiance Marina and boat house has elevator launches, rental boats, bait, tackle, boat fuel, snacks and daily fishing information. It's one of the few places in the South Sound where you can buy live herring and the workers keep track of what's hot and where it's at.
COMMENCEMENT BAY
The mouth of the Puyallup River feeds into the southeast end of the bay, making it a concentration point for upriver bound salmon and a popular salmon fishing spot. However, in recent years, WDFW regulations have prohibited fishing very far inside the Bay or near the river mouth, focusing the majority of fishing effort on the riplines off Browns Point at the mouth of the Bay and the north shoreline up to the deadline. Check current WDFG regs on this one.
During summer and early fall, warm weather melts ice on the glaciers at Mount Rainier, and this glacial water flows from tributaries into the Puyallup River and eventually into Commencement Bay turning it the color of fresh concrete. The glacial discolored freshwater is usually just a few feet thick riding on top of the salt water and actually works in the anglers favor by providing overhead layer of cover for salmon to hide under. A common tactic is to troll right at the edge of the color breakline to pick off fish that are hiding under the gray lid. Cold weather in winter stops the glacial melt and the Bay water runs clear. Bay anglers troll or motor mooch for chinook, and odd-year pinks in Aug. and Sept. Target early morning and tide change bites. There are flounders, sand dabs and other resident bottomfish in Commencement Bay, but high pollution levels discourage
keeping these bottom-feeders for the table. Spring, summer and fall salmon are transient,and don't grub in the silt where the pollutants are concentrated, nor eat bait that does in this area and are good table fare.
Browns Point which forms the north rim of Commencement Bay is a good spot for everything that collects in the Bay, July-August kings, August odd-year pinks, Sept.-Oct. coho, chums and winter blackmouth. Troll or motor mooch the 90-110 foot line north and south between Browns Point and Redondo boat ramp. Current lines develop over 90 to 120 feet of water and mark the prime trolling route that follows a series of north-south running ledges. The water north of the point fishes best on an incoming tide, and rips south of the point hold more potential on the outgoing. Most experienced anglers scratch bottom for the kings, but run the coho and pink troll gear within 30 feet of the surface.
DASH POINT
Dash Point is just north of Brown's Point and in the last few years, as the Puyallup River pink salmon run has ballooned, both Dash and Brown's points t have developed into favorite August spots for fly fishermen hunting pink salmon just under the surface. Dash Point County Park has a fishing pier that offers high-tide access to passing silvers and pinks, plus some crabbing, and flounder fishing. Off shore from the pier, well away from pier anglers, is a 90 foot ledge that offers good small boat trolling and mooching for kings, silvers and pink salmon.
VASHON ISLAND
A massive, strawberry-growing land plug in Puget Sound between Tacoma and Seattle, the north, south and east sides of Vashon Island provide some of the finest salmon fishing available in South-Central Puget Sound. The northern tip of the island is within sight of Seattle and marks the WDFW regulatory division between Marine
Areas 10 and 11 and Area 11 is one of the few places left in the sound with a realistically long chinook salmon season. The south end of the island is directly offshore from downtown Tacoma and forms the north boundary of the popular Point Defiance salmon fishery.
Much of the island, especially the points and bays on the north and south ends, is good habitat for herring, squid, shrimp and other baitfish that attracts resident and migrating salmon year-round. The West Channel, as a rule, is much less productive for salmon and bottomfish, although the gravel shoreline can produce some surprisingly good sea-run cutthroat catches. Around the other three sides of the island, resident blackmouth and coho are caught winter and spring and incoming ocean chinook, coho and chums arrive in late July through November.
Proven salmon fishing areas from the north end and of the island and running clockwise are Allen Bank which is off the state park at Blake Island (exceptional blackmouth), Dolphin Point, Point Beales, Point Robinson (actually on adjoining Maury Island) Point Piner, mouth of Horseshoe Bay, Point Dalco, in Colvos Passage at Point Richmond, Olalla and Southworth. There is a bottomfish refuge/preserve in Colvos Pass north of Gig Harbor. Trolling for salmon is allowed in the preserve, not mooching or drifting.
Chinook are the first ocean migrants to return, arriving from the north at Blake Island generally in late July and moving south along the east side of Vashon toward Tacoma and the mouth of the Puyallup River. The first ocean coho show up about Labor Day although the main run often doesn’t arrive until the end of September. Chums and pinks don't spend much time in the Vashon island water, but it's possible to pick up a few strays while working the king and coho areas. Winter fishing for blackmouth chinook, when legal, can be excellent especially at Allen Bank, and Points Dalco, Dolphin and Robinson. Pile perch are found near the ferry docks and, along with flounders and sand dabs can be caught from most of the public piers. Point Dalco once was a premier area for large Pacific true cod, and a few are still found here, but the stocks were so severely over harvested that they have not recovered. Dalco continues, however, to be one of the top salmon areas, especially for migrant chinook.
Chinook in summer and blackmouth in the winter. Best bet is to troll or motor mooch along the 90 foot drop-off usually marked by a ripline on the tide change. Troll for Sept.-Oct. coho.
The island is easily accessed by boat from the mainland by a public ramp, dock and fishing pier in Poverty Bay on Redondo Beach Drive, a 4-ton sling is available at Des Moines Marina, and ramps at Point Defiance and Gig Harbor are a short run from the south end. Boat camping is available at Blake Island State Park on the north end and Dockton Marine Park on Maury Island inside Quartermaster Harbor. Piers provide good winter squid jigging and there is excellent Dungeness crabbing in island bays.
ALLEN BANK
The submerged Allen Bank off the north end of Vashon Island, is a favorite winter and spring chinook spot. There’s a ramp at Harper and hoist at Southworth, and the bank is an easy run from launches at Bremerton, West Seattle, Des Moines and Redondo. Bait, especially herring, collects in this area, and when bait's here, samon will be here. Motor mooching is very productive, followed by trolling flasher-squid or thin-blade spoons. An artificial reef attracts bottomfish, including ling cod. The bank also briefly attracts passing chinook salmon migrating south in July and August toward spawning rivers in the South Sound. A few coho and chums show up in late September early October, but they're a hit and miss fishery. Boat and tent camping at Blake Island State Park.
DUWAMISH HEAD-ELLIOTT BAY
Resident blackmouth available year-round. Green River bound kings, coho,chums, odd year pinks, and adult salmon migrating further south, will stage here in late July-Nov. Typically summer fishing starts the Head and slowly works inshore to the mouth of the Duwamish (Green) River as ocean-going spawners collect before heading upstream to hatcheries. Best mooching bite for kings is almost always the first crack of daylight. The old saying among Elliott Bay salmon moochers is that if you can cut bait without a flashlight, you're late. Don't however let that stop you from, working the tide changes whenever they occur. Hot spots are the Duwamish Head buoy, and mouth of the Duwamish River and on the 90-foot line along the moored barges at the back of Elliott Bay.
All of the bay and both sides of the head are always worth prospecting, especially when there's a lot of herring in the water. Trolling with flashers and squid (some use Coyote spoons and small herring style plugs) and jigging with chromed spoons, Stingsildas, Point Wilson Darts or Buzz Bombs is gaining popularity, especially near the river mouth and directly off Duwamish Head. Still, this area is one of the birthplaces of mooching herring from small boats and the tradition runs deep.
The pink salmon run is growing in the Green River and as it grows the pink fishery in Elliott Bay will expand. This is a new fishery, started in 2003 when so many pink salmon swarmed the Sound that many ended up spawning in non-natal rivers. The Green was one of the first to be cultivated by a new run of pinks.
There are sand dabs and flounders in the bay, a few rockfish and lingcod in deep water off Duwamish Head, but pollution levels on resident bottomfeeders is high and not recommended as tablefare. Upgraded multiple lane launch in West Seattle at Armenie Ramp on Harbor Avenue, and a smaller launch just inside the Duwamish River. Duwamish Head/Elliott Bay is the heart of the legendary Tengu salmon derby.
SHILSHOLE BAY
Chinook are present year-round and coho in Aug. and Sept.. Early morning and slack tide bite. Dogfish sharks can be a problem. Excellent multiple lane ramp at Golden Gardens Park.
POINT JEFFERSON
One of the most reliable salmon spots in central Puget Sound. Jeff Head has chinook year-round, coho and chums during the summer into early fall. While it used to be a hot spot for winter blackmouth regulations and shortened seasons have compromised the winter fishery, but the summer-fall action is still some of the best around, especially for hatchery-bound kings. Port Madison Bay between Jeff Head and Agate Pass is a famous herring hole and feeder salmon can jam in here. As a rule, anglers troll or motor mooch the high slack tide near Indianola working north. On the incoming tide, work the north shore from Jeff Head to President's Point, and at low slack the east edge at the shipping lane can be good. Drift and motor mooch, some jigging, along the long drift on the north side of Port Madison to Jeff Head (inside the point) in 90 to 120 feet of water. When the sun is glaring though, don't be afraid to run salmon gear 180 to 200 feet down. I've actually caught coho in 200 feet of water off Jeff Head in early October, so don't be afraid to prosepct. Some bottomfish in deeper areas, including sablefish (aka: black cod.) Port Madison used to be a wonderful true cod fishery, but that jig fishery has completely collapsed. For all salmon concentrate on daylight and the tide changes. Ramps at Suquamish.
POSSESSION POINT/BAR
Some may argue, but Possession Bar is in my estimation the number one salmon hole in Puget Sound.
The bar is a submerged ridge extending off the southern tip of Whidbey Island west of Edmonds and is one of the most consistently productive year-round salmon areas in the region.
Chinook are caught year-round, with blackmouth in the winter, springers arriving in May and summer chinook stacking up in July, Aug. and Sept. Small resident coho often swarm the bar in April when herring are spawning, and the first waves of mature ocean coho arrive in Aug.-Sept. The bar is one of the hottest coho trolling spots in the Sound, and for whatever reason these coho like a fast-trolled lure here. The Point is also an excellent fishery for surface-running pinks in August on odd numbered years ambushing these lightweight salmon before they jam into the Skykomish River mouth at Everett and Humpy Hollow south of Mukilteo. Possession pinks seem to have a fondness for white flashers or dodgers with small pink squid on short, 15 inch leaders. Work just under the surface at daylight and keep going deeper as the morning ages stopping at 75 feet. Occasionally you'll find pinks at 90 feet, but it's rare. Try trout rods on these little salmon and you'll have your hands full.
For chinook and coho anglers, there's good water for both mooch and troll tactics, but trolling off downriggers is the post popular and probably most consistently productive tactic. Jigging near bottom directly over the bar is gaining popularity during tide changes. On an ebb tide tradition is to fish the west side of the bar, then on the incoming switch over the east side, and concentrate on water that is 90 to 150 feet deep, even when trolling for surface running coho and pinks.
You'll find most anglers favor trolling with flashers and spoons leading. Coyote spoons in red, green and army truck are usually productive, and several plastic squid patterns have produced excellent catches. Matching the squid size to the dominate baitfish size can be critical, especially during the blackmouth fishery. Check at Ted's Sports Center in Lynnwood or John's Sporting Goods in Everett for hot Bar lures. They keep track. Some rockfish and flounder action and halibut numbers seem to be growing, especially up the northwest side of the point into Useless Bay.
A halibut fishery takes place in the spring up the west wide of Whidbey Island from the Bar. Good prospects are in 100 to 150 feet of water in Mutiny Bay and further north inside Admiralty Bay south of Admniralty Head.
Mainland launch ramps in Kingston, Hansville, Mukilteo and Everett. Sling at Edmonds Marina.
Decent crabbing in Cultus Bay and northeast of the Point in Possession Sound along the inside of Whidbey Island.
POINT NO POINT
Good for chinook salmon year-round, best in July-Aug. when incoming hatchery kings concentrate in the rips. Coho start to filter in in Sept. and Oct., and there will be pinks in the rips just offshore during August and Sept. in odd numbers years. For summer kings mooch herring on ebb tide directly off the point and on the incoming tide slip south to work the rip line that forms on the 90-foot line between 'No Point and President's Point. When blackmouth season is legal in the winter both the confusing tide whirls at 'No Point and President's Point are outstanding for herring moochers. Ramp at Eglon public access. The state is rennovating the historic Point No Point Resort. Always for kings and blackmouth keep the bait or lure within a few feet of the bottom.
HAT ISLAND
Also named Gedney, this little island is a favorite summer destination run due west from the Everett ramp for chinook, coho and pinks. Best bite is early morning and tide changes. North side best for coho on mooch or troll. Decent bottom fishing at artificial reef. Can also produce, when legal, spring chinook staging for a run up the Skykomish and Skagit rivers.
MISSION BAR
Best fished July-Oct. from mouth of Snohomish River to Tulalip. Chinook, coho present. This is a favorite trolling area for Snohomish River pinks on odd-numbered years.
TULALIP BUBBLE
The bubble off Tulaplip Bay and a little north is a chinook fishery, often open when nearby areas are closed. Kings hang at the mouth of the bay, and again a quarter mile north in the first bay north of Tulalip tight to the bank in 90 to 120 feet of water. The bite is almost always at daylight and just before dark. Opening days vary, but this is essentially an Aug.-Sept king fishery. Local experts recommend slow trolling flashers colored green or red towing greent and white 31/2-inch Coyote spoons or green and white squid. Special regulations apply here so check the regs carefully.
HUMPY HOLLOW
Humpy Hollow is a long troll paralleling the beach on the east side of Possession Sound. It extends roughly from north of the Shipwreck off Picnic Point to Elliot Point just south of the Mukilteo ferry dock. The hollow is a famous odd-year concentration point for pink salmon in August and September. Coho also like this area but tend to run further offshore from the Hollow in Aug -Oct. These silvers are mature fish, usually on the move and stay farther offshore than the pinks. Line up the midchannel buoy and Mulilteo Point and troll the shipping lane for coho. Silvers bite on trolled lures in the top 30 feet of water over the deeper water (200+ feet). The shipping lanes produce best on the incoming tide, and on the outgoing tide coho often move closer to shore. Pinks are thick in Humpy Hollow in late August. Troll, very slowly, white dodgers and tiny pink squid on 15 inch leaders between 30 and 60 feet deep. Go deeper when the sun is bright and high. Ramp at Mulilteo ferry dock park.
EDMONDS-POINT WELLS
Chinook year-round, coho in late summer, pinks mid-summer on odd-year runs. Best fishing July-Sept. Troll flashers/squid or motor mooch herring in 90 feet of water at the drop-off. Public pier and artificial reef north side of Edmonds Marina for salmon jigging, some flounder, pile perch, and popcorn shrimp. Fresh herring available at south end of marina. Sling launch.
BUSH POINT
Good late summer fishing for migrating chinook, coho and pinks that collect in the rips off the point to feed on herring balls and candlefish in the protected bay. This is a hot spot for odd-year pinks in Aug. In winter, there is a productive steelhead beach fishery casting Spin-n-Glos with hoochies. Rail launch may be closed. Beach carry available or ramps at Keystone Ferry Dock at Fort Casey SP and Mutiny Bay.
PORT TOWNSEND
Good winter blackmouth chinook jigging on Midchannel Bank’s candlefish spawning flats southeast of town. Summer troll/mooch the in rips and eddies at Point Wilson Lighthouse for migrating chinook, coho, and odd-year pinks. On some tides these fish can be reached by casting from beach. Best ramp is fee launch at Fort Worden SP. More ramps in town at Boat Haven Boatyard and Point Hudson.
OAK BAY/LIPLIP POINT
Winter blackmouth, and summer chinook in July-Aug.. Good daylight bite. Ramp at Hood Canal Bridge, Marrowstone Island. Decent ling cod fishery at offshore rocks.
DOUBLE BLUFF
Winter blackmouth and summer chinook and coho. Try ebb tide troll with spinner-cut herring. Launch at Mutiny Bay.
TSKUTSKO POINT
Located just north of Seabeck in Hood Canal, can offer decent winter blackmouth, and in late summer and coho are in offshore rips. Cross the mouth of Dabob Bay and troll north along the west shoreline for chinook and sea-run cutthroat. Launch at Seabeck.
MISERY POINT
Late spring spot for blackmouth. From late summer into fall tide rips between Misery Point and Oak Head sometimes provide good fishing for feeding coho, some chums. Ramp at Misery Point and sling at Seabeck Marina.
LILLIWAUP/HOODSPORT
Best known for Nov. chum salmon fishery near Hoodsport Hatchery. Beach casting or from small boats with green yarn flies or lures. From Aug.-Oct. there is sometimes a daylight bite for resident blackmouth and ocean chinook, and excellent July-August fishing for odd-year pink salmon. Sea-run cutthroat in shoreline shallows. Ramps at Hoodsport, Potlatch SP and Union. A public dock offers salmon casting and crabbing opportunties.
UNION/TAHUYA
Located at the elbow and socktoe of Hood Canal, these areas have seen their best days, but can still produce blackmouth and kings for trollers on ebb tide near the Skokomish Delta. A few coho show in late Oct. and Nov.
POTLACH STATE PARK
Late October and early November shoreline casting for silvers and chums.
DECEPTION PASS
Skagit River-bound chinook in July-Aug. in extreme shallows at West Beach. Go out to deeper water for coho and odd-year pinks. There is also decent king fishing in late summer in the ebb tide eddy just west of bridge. Rockfish and lings in rocky areas, some perch along shoreline structures. Ramps at Deception Pass SP and Coronet Bay.
HOPE ISLAND
Once a tremendous fishery for 40-pound plus Skagit River kings. Success mirrors the Skagit return which in recent years has been dismal. Diehard Hope Island traditionalists still pin their hopes on slow trolling large spoons and plugs May to early Aug. The east end of the island fishes best on the flood and the west side on the ebb.
GUEMES CHANNEL
Decent winter blackmouth fishery, mostly trolling with hoochies and flashers or flashers and herring. Also late summr coho and odd-year pinks. Ramp at Washington Park.
POINT LAWRENCE
A large peninsula on the east side of Orcas Island, Lawrence is good in late spring through early fall for blackmouth and coho. Lummi Rocks, east of Lawrence, produces chinook and coho during the summer, and offers fair bottom fishing including ling cod. Good odd year pinks. Ramps at Bellingham and Lummi Island.
EAST SOUND
Troll or mooch the entrance to this big Orcas Island bay in winter for blackmouth. Ramp at East Sound.
MOSQUITO PASS
Northwest end of San Juan Island. Large feeding chinook are in the shallows of the pass in late winter and early spring. In Sept., ocean coho arrive in the deep waters off the south end of the pass. Good bottomfish, ling cod area. Best access is from ramp at Snug Harbor Marina.
NORTH ORCAS ISLAND
Troll for summer chinook along north shore, then turn out to rips for passing coho in Aug. and Sept. Some pink fishing. Good bottom fishing in this area.
DALLAS and PARTRIDGE BANKS
Found north of Port Townsend and west of Whidbey Island these open water banks are favorites with spring halibut fishermen, and in July-Sept. there are chinook, coho and odd-year pinks. Mostly trolling for salmon, spreader bars and bait for halibut. Ramps at Point Wilson and west shore of Whidbey Island.
SEQUIM BAY
A lightly fished local spot for blackmouth in the winter. Herring trolled or mooched. Excellent ramp at John Wayne Marina. A good jump off to Strait of Juan de Fuca halibut holes.
DUNGENESS SPIT
Summer fishery for chinook tight to the north side of spit. Pinks in late July and coho from late Aug. to Oct. Spring chinook appear in the Bay in late April and May. Blackmouth and kings from July through Sept. and pinks in Aug., and halibut off Green Point between Dungeness Spit and Ediz Hook. Ramp on Dungeness Bay.
EDIZ HOOK
Summer fishery for mature kings, and winter for feeder blackmouth. Most fish are taken June through Sept. Almost always a morning bite. In late summer head offshore to rips for coho and pinks. Ramp on the hook.
PILLAR POINT
One of the best Strait of Juan de Fuca summer spots for kings and coho. Early morning and tide change bites. Coho are in the rips offshore, sometimes several miles, and kings tend to hug the steep shoreline. There’s also
pinks in July-Aug. Ramp at Pillar Point but often unusable at low tide. Bring an anchor.
SEKIU
There's a lot of good salmon fishing left in this one-time great Strait salmon port. Most popular for kings and coho in mid-summer to fall, but locals enjoy a decent winter blackmouth fishery for unusually large fish that move in to gorge on spawning candlefish. Top summer king spots are near shore at the Coal Mine in early morning, Mussolini Rock kelp beds, and The Caves, just west of Sekiu Point. There's also a red hot, odd year fishery for pink salmon.
These are the most popular spot for kings in July-Aug. Kings may be caught just under the surface at dawn, but quickly drop to the bottom in 100 to 150 feet of water during the day. Coho and odd-year pinks tend to run further offshore in the east-west rip lines and are caught on trolled lures in the top 30 feet of water. Coho fall for most standard coho rigs, but seem to have a fondness for Deep Six Divers and plug cut herring. Pinks peak in late July early August and coho run strong from Aug. through September. Most of the legal hatchery coho are caught in August. Ramps, docks, camping, motels, restaurants, fresh and frozen bait, tackle and great accomodations in Sekiu and Clallam Bay.
When salmon fishing is hot in mid-to late summer, this is one of the most popular spots in the state. Rockfish are available but only at fair levels, and most of that takes place west of town near the Hoko River. Plastic worms and the kelp beds often produce outstanding late evening evening catches of black rockfish. Some halibut fishing off the Hoko River flats and the Coal Mines.
NEAH BAY
Located at the spectacular and lonely northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula on the Makah Reservation, Neah is a solid summer bet for kings and coho. Steep mountains dive into the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the north and the Pacific Ocean on the west and provides excellent mooching structure for kings. Coho school along rip lines anywhere from a few hundred yards offshore at Waadah Island to a mile or so at The Whistle Buoy. Odd year pinks swarm the rip lines off the mouth of the Strait.
Excellent near-shore, kelp bed fishing for black rockfish, ling cod and halibut. April, May and June are excellent months for light-tackle rockfish action at breakwater, Waadah, Sail, Seal and Tatoosh islands. Virtually untapped rockfishing is waiting In the sea stacks south of Tatoosh Island. Ramp, moorage, gas, bait, cleaning tables, and tackle at the marina. Motels, groceries, restaurant in town.
GRAYS HARBOR/WESTPORT
Best known for its offshore charter boat fishing out of Westport, but the harbor and boat basin are good bets in Sept. and Oct. Pen-reared coho and chinook, raised for sport-fishing, return to the Westport Boat Basin and provide a popular bank fishery in Oct. and Nov. Ocean charter boats are available for salmon, albacore tuna, halibut and bottomfish. Inside the harbor between the South Jetty to the Boat Basin is good for coho and kings when open in Sept. and Oct. Troll plug cut herring and rig for shallow water. Good bottom fishing around the Westport revetments and south jetty and from charter boats headed outside to rock pinnacles for black and blue rockfish and lings and to the flats for halibut. Late winter and spring rock fishing is exceptionally productive here. Launch ramp in Westport at the Coast Guard station. See Westport Revivial, In Saltwater Section.
WILLAPA BAY
Ocean salmon, winter steelhead and sea-run cutthroat surge into the bay from late Aug. well into early winter, most headed for the Willapa and Naselle rivers. Chinook arrive first, generally late Aug. through Sept. Mooch with 2-oz weights and herring on the incoming tide along the north side of the bay just inside the treacherous bar at the mouth. Water is often less than 12 feet deep. Washaway Beach is another good mooching bet. Salmon will ride the flood tide over the shallow bar. Coho arrive from late Sept. through Dec. The late run of coho is not widely publicized or heavily fished and it can produce exceptionally large ocean hooknose. A few anglers will brave the holiday season winds and rains to fish the incoming and flood tide at the bar. Most, (Don’t confuse most with many. There are never many anglers in this fishery.) however, will troll the more protected area off the river mouths. Sea-run cutthroat prowl the pilings, river mouths and island shorelines year-round, and winter steelhead are in the bay in late fall and early winter, especially near the Willapa and Naselle river mouths. There is also a pretty fair shallow-water winter/spring sturgeon fishery near the river mouths. The best access to the bar is from the ramp at Tokeland where you can also get bait, dock space and enjoy a restaurant or motel. Ramps are also available in Raymond, South Bend, Smith Creek, the mouth of the Willapa River and at the Palix River on Hwy. 101 at Bay Center.
ILWACO
At the mouth of the Columbia River, Ilwaco is a launching point for charter boats that fish the ocean for salmon, albacore tuna and some bottomfishing. This is also the launching point for a fleet of small boats that hit river salmon in the popular Columbia River Buoy 10 fishery in Aug. and Sept. Charters that run offshore as a rule, catch far more coho than kings, and in recent years the blue-water trips for albacore fishing have been productive. The Columbia River inside the mouth can be fished with most trailerable boats, but never be tempted to cross the bar into the ocean in a small boat. When ebb tides and onshore wind waves collide this can be one of the nastiest and deadliest bar crossings in the world. The U. S. Coast Guard comes here to practice rolling boats. Excellent summer sturgeon fishing in the river between Ilwaco and Astoria and on the flats a mile or so downstream from the Astoria Bridge. Not too much bottomfish action here, except for red-tail surf perch which feed in depressions along the sandy surf line of Long Beach Peninsula. Black rockfish and sometimes ling are taken from the rocks of the north jetty. Good launch ramps, docks in Ilwaco harbor and Fort Canby State Park.
Public Saltwater Fishing Piers
In recent years there has been a concerted effort to build piers that can be enjoyed year-round by saltwater fishermen. While still far short of ideal, there are now more than 60 public piers and docks available to boatless saltwater fishermen in the Straits of Juan de Fuca, Hood Canal, Puget Sound and Grays Harbor.
Just about any fish that swims Washington’s saltwater may be caught at the piers, and often pier fishermen are allowed to continue salmon fishing when seasons are closed for boaters. Check WDFW regs every year for pier fishing exceptions to salmon closures. Most salmon fishermen cast jigs (Buzz Bombs, Darts, etc) but in some areas feeder blackmouth and migrating chinook and coho are caught by dangling live or plug cut herring
several feet below a sliding bobber.
Most pier anglers stillfish on the bottom with bait. Popular baits are clam necks, shrimp, pile worms, herring chunks, and squid. Common catches are flounders, sole, greenling, pile and striped perch, ratfish, skates, dogfish sharks and occasionally—especially at night—black rockfish and ling cod. Piers are also productive spots to dangle traps for Dungeness and red rock crabs, dock and popcorn shrimp, and to jig winter nights for squid. Some piers are popular with smelt jiggers in the spring, especially in the North Sound. Some of the largest piers also have artificial reefs built nearby to attract feeding fish. Best fishing is almost always on an incoming or high slack tide, especially for salmon.
Most of the developed piers are wheelchair accessible, have railing rod holders, fish cleaning tables and running water. Piers attract everybody and all levels of expertise from gear-enhanced old pros to kids with soda can reels and handlines. You’ll see it all on a public fishing pier and enjoy great camaraderie and wonderful fish tales.
Try These Public Fishing Piers:
Port Angeles City Pier
Blaine Dock Port of Bellingham
Gooseberry Point Ferry Dock
Boulevard Park Pier (S. of Bellingham)
6th St. Dock, Bellingham
Anacortes Municipal Pier
Friday Harbor Marina (San Juan Is.)
LaConner Marina Dock
Bowman’s Bay Pier,(Deception Pass)
Cornet Bay Docks
Whidbey Naval Seaplane Base Pier
Oak Harbor Pier, Flintstone Park
Coupeville Pier,
Kayak Point Snohomish County Park
Langley City Pier
John Wayne Marina (Sequim)
Fort Worden (Port Townsend)
Port Hudson (Port townsend)
Fort Flagler (Marrowstone Is.)
Port of Everett Pier
Mukilteo Ferry Dock Pier
Meadowdale Pier (N. of Edmonds)
Edmonds Pier
Indianola Pier
Suquamish Pier
Keyport Pier
Brownsville Pier
Silverdale Pier
Illahee City Pier (Bainbridge Is.)
Point White/Gibson Pier
Illahee State Park Pier
Coal Dock Lion’s Community Park (Brem.)
Park Avenue Pier, Bremerton
Bremerton Pier/First Street Dock
Waterman Point Pier (Sinclair Inlet)
Annapolis Dock (Retsil Pier)
Port Orchard Pier
Shilshole Marina (A-Dock, Seattle)
Elliott Bay (Seattle, N. of Myrtle Edwards Pk., and on Elliott Ave.)
Duwamish Head, West Seattle
Spokane Street Bridge
Blake Island Pier
Harper Pier
Des Moines Marina Pier
Redondo Marina Pier
Dash Point County Park Pier
Tramp Harbor Pier
Port Defiance Park Pier
Les Davis Pier, Ruston Way
Old Town Dock (Tacoma)
Clyde Davidson Memorial Pier (Steilacoom)
Luhr’s Beach Pier (Nisqually Delta)
Twanoh Park Pier
Hoodsport Pier
Point Whitney Pier
Hood Canal Bridge Pier
Port Townsend City Dock
Westport Boat Basin Pier
Ilwaco Marina Docks
Where To Find Artificial Marine Reefs
Artificial reefs have been built on the bottom of Puget Sound and Hood Canal by WDFW to attract and provide habitat for a variety of bottomfish, including rockfish, ling cod, greenlings, cabezon, perch and flounders.
Reefs are made mostly of scrap concrete and rock, and are about 200 feet long around 50 feet wide in 45 to 100 feet of water. They may provide excellent bottomfishing fishing opportunities, mostly for boaters, but a few are within reach of public fishing piers. Because they support herring and other baitfish, the reefs also attract salmon.
The reefs are marked with two buoys, one at each end. Major artificial reef locations are:
Possession Point, 600 feet W. of buoy, 55-100 feet deep.
Gedney (Hat) Island, 3000 feet S. of the S. tip 45-70 feet deep.
Edmonds, 200 feet W. of public pier, 30-80 feet deep (no boat fishing).
Onamac Point, 1000 feet N. of navigation light, 45-100 feet deep
The Trees, 2.1 miles S. of Point Wells 45-100 feet deep.
Misery Point, 600 feet N. of navigation light, 45-100 feet deep.
Blake Island, 800 feet S. of S. tip, 60-90 feet deep.
Point Heyer, Vashon Is., 1000 feet SE of radio tower, 45-100 feet deep.
Toliva Shoal, 1300 feet NW of navigation buoy, 60-90 feet deep.
Itsami Ledge, Johnson Pt., 1100 feet NW of South Bay nav. light., 50-70 feet deep.
From the British Columbia border south to Oregon, Washington anglers enjoy thousands of miles of saltwater shoreline, islands, sounds, harbors, bays, straits, inlets and estuaries. This state provides the most diverse saltwater salmon fishing areas anywhere south of Alaska.
You don't even need a boat. Chinook, coho, chums, pinks and sockeye can be caught from shore, jetties, piers, and by wading. If you do have a boat, depending on its size and your operating ability, it opens up all of Puget Sound, San Juan Islands, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Ocean Coastal waters from Neah Bay to Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay and the mouth of the Columbia River. And that's just in saltwater. Freshwater is a different story and just as diverse. See River Salmon Fishing section.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife manages coastal, strait and inland saltwater salmon fisheries on an emergency basis, with regulations changing to meet changing conditions and management goals. The federal Pacific Fisheries Management Council provides the guidelines and pays close attention to Endangered Species Act protections.
All saltwater salmon hooks must be barbless, except when fishing off the North Jetty at the mouth of the Columiba River.
Seasons and regulations listed in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife annual regulations booklet are
often modified by conservation closures and imposed federal regulations. As a general rule, the north and central seasons are shorter than the Tacoma-Olympia season which are the longest in the state.
The hot fishing periods recommended for the major saltwater areas listed here may not coincide with current legal fishing periods.
The publisher expects anglers to always review current regulations for area-specific emergency closings, openings, and tackle restrictions before any saltwater fishing trips. WDFW Olympia office provides a hot line recorded message of current rules, seasons and emergency regulations.
For Current Salmon Regulation Information:
WDFW Regulation Hotline
360-902-2500
Email: [email protected]
JOHNSON POINT
Once an outstanding winter blackmouth fishery Johnson Point has been a hard-luck place since the 1990s. inter blackmouth Nov. into early spring, a few Nisqually River spring chinook show in April-June, and fall chinook in Aug.-Sept. Trout-size resident coho and sea-run cutthroat provide a light-tackle fishery in spring and summer. Tide change bite is nearly always best. Mooching with herring bait is productive in winter but dogfish can make bait-fishing a terror. When the dogs are in the only option is to troll with flasher and squid, or bounce a jigging spoon down the decline on the Point.. Boat ramp, fuel, bait, tackle at Zittle’s Marina on the east side of the point.
ANDERSON ISLAND
Winter blackmouth and spring chinook. Possibly the best year-round salmon bet in the south Sound. Concentrate on the south side, especially Devil’s Head and Lyle Point. Mooch or troll. Flood tide best in summer, ebb in winter. Nisqually River salmon often pile up around the south and east side of the island before heading into the delta.
TOLIVIA SHOAL
Coho, chinook, blackmouth and pinks in odd years. Best salmon fishing takes place in April-June on the flood tide. Troll the rip lines. Decent bottom fishing for rockfish and ling cod in rocks.
SQUAXIN ISLAND
Winter blackmouth, chinook salmon, sea-run cutthroat and chums. Net pen rearing projects generate some fall returns of chinook. Troll spinner-cut herring. Winter and fall action best. Tough chum fishing, but they'll be rolling around the island from October-December.
MINTER CREEK
A public access/ramp at the head of Carr Inlet. Best in late summer for chinook, coho and sea-run cutthroat, and November for chums. Primarily an early-morning fishery, although a flood tide bite is worth fishing. Small lures, spinner cut herring work well here for almost all of the fish. Some anglers float spinner-cut herring under
large bobbers.
FOX ISLAND
A good spring, April-July, fishery for small blackmouth, resident coho, and winter blackmouth in Dec.-Jan. Hale Pass and Point Gibson are top prospects. The gravel shoreline can be a lot of fun with a fly rod and small streamers or shrimp patterns. You'll be tackling trout-size coho and cutthroat. Public ramps on the island, at
the head of Carr Inlet and at Narrow’s Marine in Tacoma. Mooch winter and run troll gear in summer.
POINT DEFIANCE
This saltwater bottleneck at the top of South Puget Sound at Tacoma is the top salmon spot in the South Sound area supporting year-round salmon, winter blackmouth, and attracting large runs of summer and fall coho, late summer chinook, odd year pinks and fall chums headed for the Puyallup and Nisqually rivers and Chambers Creek Hatchery. The hot fishing areas are almost always defined by a fleet of small boats.
Some of the most prominent areas include the clay banks towering off the Point, the light house eddies and whirlpools, rips south and north of the Point, the stretch between the Boat House and Point, Slag Pile breakwater east of Tacoma Yacht Club, and the south end of Vashon Island at Point Dalco, the drop-off at the mouth of Quartermaster Harbor, Piner Point and Point Robinson. On the Commencement Bay side Brown's Point is a favorite on tide changes and a hot spot for August-September coho. Salmon can be anywhere in Dalco Pass in the channel between Point Defiance Park and Vashon Island. The Pass is a staging are and migration route. The West Pass is a migrating route that rarely holds fish for any length of time but is a good spot to ambush fall migrants especially in the rips that form from Gig Harbor north to Point Richmond.
Shore fishing is available from a railing in the boathouse, and at Les Davis Public Fishing Pier on Ruston Way. Squid fishermen use the piers on winter nights. During summer low tides some foolhardy fishermen will walk the beach around the Point to the rocks below the cliff and cast jigs and spoons into deep water. Be aware. The shoreline south of the Point dips under water during average tides. Don’t get trapped between the cliffs and an incoming tide.
There is a public three-lane fee boat ramp with loading docks beside the Vashon Ferry dock. Point Defiance Marina and boat house has elevator launches, rental boats, bait, tackle, boat fuel, snacks and daily fishing information. It's one of the few places in the South Sound where you can buy live herring and the workers keep track of what's hot and where it's at.
COMMENCEMENT BAY
The mouth of the Puyallup River feeds into the southeast end of the bay, making it a concentration point for upriver bound salmon and a popular salmon fishing spot. However, in recent years, WDFW regulations have prohibited fishing very far inside the Bay or near the river mouth, focusing the majority of fishing effort on the riplines off Browns Point at the mouth of the Bay and the north shoreline up to the deadline. Check current WDFG regs on this one.
During summer and early fall, warm weather melts ice on the glaciers at Mount Rainier, and this glacial water flows from tributaries into the Puyallup River and eventually into Commencement Bay turning it the color of fresh concrete. The glacial discolored freshwater is usually just a few feet thick riding on top of the salt water and actually works in the anglers favor by providing overhead layer of cover for salmon to hide under. A common tactic is to troll right at the edge of the color breakline to pick off fish that are hiding under the gray lid. Cold weather in winter stops the glacial melt and the Bay water runs clear. Bay anglers troll or motor mooch for chinook, and odd-year pinks in Aug. and Sept. Target early morning and tide change bites. There are flounders, sand dabs and other resident bottomfish in Commencement Bay, but high pollution levels discourage
keeping these bottom-feeders for the table. Spring, summer and fall salmon are transient,and don't grub in the silt where the pollutants are concentrated, nor eat bait that does in this area and are good table fare.
Browns Point which forms the north rim of Commencement Bay is a good spot for everything that collects in the Bay, July-August kings, August odd-year pinks, Sept.-Oct. coho, chums and winter blackmouth. Troll or motor mooch the 90-110 foot line north and south between Browns Point and Redondo boat ramp. Current lines develop over 90 to 120 feet of water and mark the prime trolling route that follows a series of north-south running ledges. The water north of the point fishes best on an incoming tide, and rips south of the point hold more potential on the outgoing. Most experienced anglers scratch bottom for the kings, but run the coho and pink troll gear within 30 feet of the surface.
DASH POINT
Dash Point is just north of Brown's Point and in the last few years, as the Puyallup River pink salmon run has ballooned, both Dash and Brown's points t have developed into favorite August spots for fly fishermen hunting pink salmon just under the surface. Dash Point County Park has a fishing pier that offers high-tide access to passing silvers and pinks, plus some crabbing, and flounder fishing. Off shore from the pier, well away from pier anglers, is a 90 foot ledge that offers good small boat trolling and mooching for kings, silvers and pink salmon.
VASHON ISLAND
A massive, strawberry-growing land plug in Puget Sound between Tacoma and Seattle, the north, south and east sides of Vashon Island provide some of the finest salmon fishing available in South-Central Puget Sound. The northern tip of the island is within sight of Seattle and marks the WDFW regulatory division between Marine
Areas 10 and 11 and Area 11 is one of the few places left in the sound with a realistically long chinook salmon season. The south end of the island is directly offshore from downtown Tacoma and forms the north boundary of the popular Point Defiance salmon fishery.
Much of the island, especially the points and bays on the north and south ends, is good habitat for herring, squid, shrimp and other baitfish that attracts resident and migrating salmon year-round. The West Channel, as a rule, is much less productive for salmon and bottomfish, although the gravel shoreline can produce some surprisingly good sea-run cutthroat catches. Around the other three sides of the island, resident blackmouth and coho are caught winter and spring and incoming ocean chinook, coho and chums arrive in late July through November.
Proven salmon fishing areas from the north end and of the island and running clockwise are Allen Bank which is off the state park at Blake Island (exceptional blackmouth), Dolphin Point, Point Beales, Point Robinson (actually on adjoining Maury Island) Point Piner, mouth of Horseshoe Bay, Point Dalco, in Colvos Passage at Point Richmond, Olalla and Southworth. There is a bottomfish refuge/preserve in Colvos Pass north of Gig Harbor. Trolling for salmon is allowed in the preserve, not mooching or drifting.
Chinook are the first ocean migrants to return, arriving from the north at Blake Island generally in late July and moving south along the east side of Vashon toward Tacoma and the mouth of the Puyallup River. The first ocean coho show up about Labor Day although the main run often doesn’t arrive until the end of September. Chums and pinks don't spend much time in the Vashon island water, but it's possible to pick up a few strays while working the king and coho areas. Winter fishing for blackmouth chinook, when legal, can be excellent especially at Allen Bank, and Points Dalco, Dolphin and Robinson. Pile perch are found near the ferry docks and, along with flounders and sand dabs can be caught from most of the public piers. Point Dalco once was a premier area for large Pacific true cod, and a few are still found here, but the stocks were so severely over harvested that they have not recovered. Dalco continues, however, to be one of the top salmon areas, especially for migrant chinook.
Chinook in summer and blackmouth in the winter. Best bet is to troll or motor mooch along the 90 foot drop-off usually marked by a ripline on the tide change. Troll for Sept.-Oct. coho.
The island is easily accessed by boat from the mainland by a public ramp, dock and fishing pier in Poverty Bay on Redondo Beach Drive, a 4-ton sling is available at Des Moines Marina, and ramps at Point Defiance and Gig Harbor are a short run from the south end. Boat camping is available at Blake Island State Park on the north end and Dockton Marine Park on Maury Island inside Quartermaster Harbor. Piers provide good winter squid jigging and there is excellent Dungeness crabbing in island bays.
ALLEN BANK
The submerged Allen Bank off the north end of Vashon Island, is a favorite winter and spring chinook spot. There’s a ramp at Harper and hoist at Southworth, and the bank is an easy run from launches at Bremerton, West Seattle, Des Moines and Redondo. Bait, especially herring, collects in this area, and when bait's here, samon will be here. Motor mooching is very productive, followed by trolling flasher-squid or thin-blade spoons. An artificial reef attracts bottomfish, including ling cod. The bank also briefly attracts passing chinook salmon migrating south in July and August toward spawning rivers in the South Sound. A few coho and chums show up in late September early October, but they're a hit and miss fishery. Boat and tent camping at Blake Island State Park.
DUWAMISH HEAD-ELLIOTT BAY
Resident blackmouth available year-round. Green River bound kings, coho,chums, odd year pinks, and adult salmon migrating further south, will stage here in late July-Nov. Typically summer fishing starts the Head and slowly works inshore to the mouth of the Duwamish (Green) River as ocean-going spawners collect before heading upstream to hatcheries. Best mooching bite for kings is almost always the first crack of daylight. The old saying among Elliott Bay salmon moochers is that if you can cut bait without a flashlight, you're late. Don't however let that stop you from, working the tide changes whenever they occur. Hot spots are the Duwamish Head buoy, and mouth of the Duwamish River and on the 90-foot line along the moored barges at the back of Elliott Bay.
All of the bay and both sides of the head are always worth prospecting, especially when there's a lot of herring in the water. Trolling with flashers and squid (some use Coyote spoons and small herring style plugs) and jigging with chromed spoons, Stingsildas, Point Wilson Darts or Buzz Bombs is gaining popularity, especially near the river mouth and directly off Duwamish Head. Still, this area is one of the birthplaces of mooching herring from small boats and the tradition runs deep.
The pink salmon run is growing in the Green River and as it grows the pink fishery in Elliott Bay will expand. This is a new fishery, started in 2003 when so many pink salmon swarmed the Sound that many ended up spawning in non-natal rivers. The Green was one of the first to be cultivated by a new run of pinks.
There are sand dabs and flounders in the bay, a few rockfish and lingcod in deep water off Duwamish Head, but pollution levels on resident bottomfeeders is high and not recommended as tablefare. Upgraded multiple lane launch in West Seattle at Armenie Ramp on Harbor Avenue, and a smaller launch just inside the Duwamish River. Duwamish Head/Elliott Bay is the heart of the legendary Tengu salmon derby.
SHILSHOLE BAY
Chinook are present year-round and coho in Aug. and Sept.. Early morning and slack tide bite. Dogfish sharks can be a problem. Excellent multiple lane ramp at Golden Gardens Park.
POINT JEFFERSON
One of the most reliable salmon spots in central Puget Sound. Jeff Head has chinook year-round, coho and chums during the summer into early fall. While it used to be a hot spot for winter blackmouth regulations and shortened seasons have compromised the winter fishery, but the summer-fall action is still some of the best around, especially for hatchery-bound kings. Port Madison Bay between Jeff Head and Agate Pass is a famous herring hole and feeder salmon can jam in here. As a rule, anglers troll or motor mooch the high slack tide near Indianola working north. On the incoming tide, work the north shore from Jeff Head to President's Point, and at low slack the east edge at the shipping lane can be good. Drift and motor mooch, some jigging, along the long drift on the north side of Port Madison to Jeff Head (inside the point) in 90 to 120 feet of water. When the sun is glaring though, don't be afraid to run salmon gear 180 to 200 feet down. I've actually caught coho in 200 feet of water off Jeff Head in early October, so don't be afraid to prosepct. Some bottomfish in deeper areas, including sablefish (aka: black cod.) Port Madison used to be a wonderful true cod fishery, but that jig fishery has completely collapsed. For all salmon concentrate on daylight and the tide changes. Ramps at Suquamish.
POSSESSION POINT/BAR
Some may argue, but Possession Bar is in my estimation the number one salmon hole in Puget Sound.
The bar is a submerged ridge extending off the southern tip of Whidbey Island west of Edmonds and is one of the most consistently productive year-round salmon areas in the region.
Chinook are caught year-round, with blackmouth in the winter, springers arriving in May and summer chinook stacking up in July, Aug. and Sept. Small resident coho often swarm the bar in April when herring are spawning, and the first waves of mature ocean coho arrive in Aug.-Sept. The bar is one of the hottest coho trolling spots in the Sound, and for whatever reason these coho like a fast-trolled lure here. The Point is also an excellent fishery for surface-running pinks in August on odd numbered years ambushing these lightweight salmon before they jam into the Skykomish River mouth at Everett and Humpy Hollow south of Mukilteo. Possession pinks seem to have a fondness for white flashers or dodgers with small pink squid on short, 15 inch leaders. Work just under the surface at daylight and keep going deeper as the morning ages stopping at 75 feet. Occasionally you'll find pinks at 90 feet, but it's rare. Try trout rods on these little salmon and you'll have your hands full.
For chinook and coho anglers, there's good water for both mooch and troll tactics, but trolling off downriggers is the post popular and probably most consistently productive tactic. Jigging near bottom directly over the bar is gaining popularity during tide changes. On an ebb tide tradition is to fish the west side of the bar, then on the incoming switch over the east side, and concentrate on water that is 90 to 150 feet deep, even when trolling for surface running coho and pinks.
You'll find most anglers favor trolling with flashers and spoons leading. Coyote spoons in red, green and army truck are usually productive, and several plastic squid patterns have produced excellent catches. Matching the squid size to the dominate baitfish size can be critical, especially during the blackmouth fishery. Check at Ted's Sports Center in Lynnwood or John's Sporting Goods in Everett for hot Bar lures. They keep track. Some rockfish and flounder action and halibut numbers seem to be growing, especially up the northwest side of the point into Useless Bay.
A halibut fishery takes place in the spring up the west wide of Whidbey Island from the Bar. Good prospects are in 100 to 150 feet of water in Mutiny Bay and further north inside Admiralty Bay south of Admniralty Head.
Mainland launch ramps in Kingston, Hansville, Mukilteo and Everett. Sling at Edmonds Marina.
Decent crabbing in Cultus Bay and northeast of the Point in Possession Sound along the inside of Whidbey Island.
POINT NO POINT
Good for chinook salmon year-round, best in July-Aug. when incoming hatchery kings concentrate in the rips. Coho start to filter in in Sept. and Oct., and there will be pinks in the rips just offshore during August and Sept. in odd numbers years. For summer kings mooch herring on ebb tide directly off the point and on the incoming tide slip south to work the rip line that forms on the 90-foot line between 'No Point and President's Point. When blackmouth season is legal in the winter both the confusing tide whirls at 'No Point and President's Point are outstanding for herring moochers. Ramp at Eglon public access. The state is rennovating the historic Point No Point Resort. Always for kings and blackmouth keep the bait or lure within a few feet of the bottom.
HAT ISLAND
Also named Gedney, this little island is a favorite summer destination run due west from the Everett ramp for chinook, coho and pinks. Best bite is early morning and tide changes. North side best for coho on mooch or troll. Decent bottom fishing at artificial reef. Can also produce, when legal, spring chinook staging for a run up the Skykomish and Skagit rivers.
MISSION BAR
Best fished July-Oct. from mouth of Snohomish River to Tulalip. Chinook, coho present. This is a favorite trolling area for Snohomish River pinks on odd-numbered years.
TULALIP BUBBLE
The bubble off Tulaplip Bay and a little north is a chinook fishery, often open when nearby areas are closed. Kings hang at the mouth of the bay, and again a quarter mile north in the first bay north of Tulalip tight to the bank in 90 to 120 feet of water. The bite is almost always at daylight and just before dark. Opening days vary, but this is essentially an Aug.-Sept king fishery. Local experts recommend slow trolling flashers colored green or red towing greent and white 31/2-inch Coyote spoons or green and white squid. Special regulations apply here so check the regs carefully.
HUMPY HOLLOW
Humpy Hollow is a long troll paralleling the beach on the east side of Possession Sound. It extends roughly from north of the Shipwreck off Picnic Point to Elliot Point just south of the Mukilteo ferry dock. The hollow is a famous odd-year concentration point for pink salmon in August and September. Coho also like this area but tend to run further offshore from the Hollow in Aug -Oct. These silvers are mature fish, usually on the move and stay farther offshore than the pinks. Line up the midchannel buoy and Mulilteo Point and troll the shipping lane for coho. Silvers bite on trolled lures in the top 30 feet of water over the deeper water (200+ feet). The shipping lanes produce best on the incoming tide, and on the outgoing tide coho often move closer to shore. Pinks are thick in Humpy Hollow in late August. Troll, very slowly, white dodgers and tiny pink squid on 15 inch leaders between 30 and 60 feet deep. Go deeper when the sun is bright and high. Ramp at Mulilteo ferry dock park.
EDMONDS-POINT WELLS
Chinook year-round, coho in late summer, pinks mid-summer on odd-year runs. Best fishing July-Sept. Troll flashers/squid or motor mooch herring in 90 feet of water at the drop-off. Public pier and artificial reef north side of Edmonds Marina for salmon jigging, some flounder, pile perch, and popcorn shrimp. Fresh herring available at south end of marina. Sling launch.
BUSH POINT
Good late summer fishing for migrating chinook, coho and pinks that collect in the rips off the point to feed on herring balls and candlefish in the protected bay. This is a hot spot for odd-year pinks in Aug. In winter, there is a productive steelhead beach fishery casting Spin-n-Glos with hoochies. Rail launch may be closed. Beach carry available or ramps at Keystone Ferry Dock at Fort Casey SP and Mutiny Bay.
PORT TOWNSEND
Good winter blackmouth chinook jigging on Midchannel Bank’s candlefish spawning flats southeast of town. Summer troll/mooch the in rips and eddies at Point Wilson Lighthouse for migrating chinook, coho, and odd-year pinks. On some tides these fish can be reached by casting from beach. Best ramp is fee launch at Fort Worden SP. More ramps in town at Boat Haven Boatyard and Point Hudson.
OAK BAY/LIPLIP POINT
Winter blackmouth, and summer chinook in July-Aug.. Good daylight bite. Ramp at Hood Canal Bridge, Marrowstone Island. Decent ling cod fishery at offshore rocks.
DOUBLE BLUFF
Winter blackmouth and summer chinook and coho. Try ebb tide troll with spinner-cut herring. Launch at Mutiny Bay.
TSKUTSKO POINT
Located just north of Seabeck in Hood Canal, can offer decent winter blackmouth, and in late summer and coho are in offshore rips. Cross the mouth of Dabob Bay and troll north along the west shoreline for chinook and sea-run cutthroat. Launch at Seabeck.
MISERY POINT
Late spring spot for blackmouth. From late summer into fall tide rips between Misery Point and Oak Head sometimes provide good fishing for feeding coho, some chums. Ramp at Misery Point and sling at Seabeck Marina.
LILLIWAUP/HOODSPORT
Best known for Nov. chum salmon fishery near Hoodsport Hatchery. Beach casting or from small boats with green yarn flies or lures. From Aug.-Oct. there is sometimes a daylight bite for resident blackmouth and ocean chinook, and excellent July-August fishing for odd-year pink salmon. Sea-run cutthroat in shoreline shallows. Ramps at Hoodsport, Potlatch SP and Union. A public dock offers salmon casting and crabbing opportunties.
UNION/TAHUYA
Located at the elbow and socktoe of Hood Canal, these areas have seen their best days, but can still produce blackmouth and kings for trollers on ebb tide near the Skokomish Delta. A few coho show in late Oct. and Nov.
POTLACH STATE PARK
Late October and early November shoreline casting for silvers and chums.
DECEPTION PASS
Skagit River-bound chinook in July-Aug. in extreme shallows at West Beach. Go out to deeper water for coho and odd-year pinks. There is also decent king fishing in late summer in the ebb tide eddy just west of bridge. Rockfish and lings in rocky areas, some perch along shoreline structures. Ramps at Deception Pass SP and Coronet Bay.
HOPE ISLAND
Once a tremendous fishery for 40-pound plus Skagit River kings. Success mirrors the Skagit return which in recent years has been dismal. Diehard Hope Island traditionalists still pin their hopes on slow trolling large spoons and plugs May to early Aug. The east end of the island fishes best on the flood and the west side on the ebb.
GUEMES CHANNEL
Decent winter blackmouth fishery, mostly trolling with hoochies and flashers or flashers and herring. Also late summr coho and odd-year pinks. Ramp at Washington Park.
POINT LAWRENCE
A large peninsula on the east side of Orcas Island, Lawrence is good in late spring through early fall for blackmouth and coho. Lummi Rocks, east of Lawrence, produces chinook and coho during the summer, and offers fair bottom fishing including ling cod. Good odd year pinks. Ramps at Bellingham and Lummi Island.
EAST SOUND
Troll or mooch the entrance to this big Orcas Island bay in winter for blackmouth. Ramp at East Sound.
MOSQUITO PASS
Northwest end of San Juan Island. Large feeding chinook are in the shallows of the pass in late winter and early spring. In Sept., ocean coho arrive in the deep waters off the south end of the pass. Good bottomfish, ling cod area. Best access is from ramp at Snug Harbor Marina.
NORTH ORCAS ISLAND
Troll for summer chinook along north shore, then turn out to rips for passing coho in Aug. and Sept. Some pink fishing. Good bottom fishing in this area.
DALLAS and PARTRIDGE BANKS
Found north of Port Townsend and west of Whidbey Island these open water banks are favorites with spring halibut fishermen, and in July-Sept. there are chinook, coho and odd-year pinks. Mostly trolling for salmon, spreader bars and bait for halibut. Ramps at Point Wilson and west shore of Whidbey Island.
SEQUIM BAY
A lightly fished local spot for blackmouth in the winter. Herring trolled or mooched. Excellent ramp at John Wayne Marina. A good jump off to Strait of Juan de Fuca halibut holes.
DUNGENESS SPIT
Summer fishery for chinook tight to the north side of spit. Pinks in late July and coho from late Aug. to Oct. Spring chinook appear in the Bay in late April and May. Blackmouth and kings from July through Sept. and pinks in Aug., and halibut off Green Point between Dungeness Spit and Ediz Hook. Ramp on Dungeness Bay.
EDIZ HOOK
Summer fishery for mature kings, and winter for feeder blackmouth. Most fish are taken June through Sept. Almost always a morning bite. In late summer head offshore to rips for coho and pinks. Ramp on the hook.
PILLAR POINT
One of the best Strait of Juan de Fuca summer spots for kings and coho. Early morning and tide change bites. Coho are in the rips offshore, sometimes several miles, and kings tend to hug the steep shoreline. There’s also
pinks in July-Aug. Ramp at Pillar Point but often unusable at low tide. Bring an anchor.
SEKIU
There's a lot of good salmon fishing left in this one-time great Strait salmon port. Most popular for kings and coho in mid-summer to fall, but locals enjoy a decent winter blackmouth fishery for unusually large fish that move in to gorge on spawning candlefish. Top summer king spots are near shore at the Coal Mine in early morning, Mussolini Rock kelp beds, and The Caves, just west of Sekiu Point. There's also a red hot, odd year fishery for pink salmon.
These are the most popular spot for kings in July-Aug. Kings may be caught just under the surface at dawn, but quickly drop to the bottom in 100 to 150 feet of water during the day. Coho and odd-year pinks tend to run further offshore in the east-west rip lines and are caught on trolled lures in the top 30 feet of water. Coho fall for most standard coho rigs, but seem to have a fondness for Deep Six Divers and plug cut herring. Pinks peak in late July early August and coho run strong from Aug. through September. Most of the legal hatchery coho are caught in August. Ramps, docks, camping, motels, restaurants, fresh and frozen bait, tackle and great accomodations in Sekiu and Clallam Bay.
When salmon fishing is hot in mid-to late summer, this is one of the most popular spots in the state. Rockfish are available but only at fair levels, and most of that takes place west of town near the Hoko River. Plastic worms and the kelp beds often produce outstanding late evening evening catches of black rockfish. Some halibut fishing off the Hoko River flats and the Coal Mines.
NEAH BAY
Located at the spectacular and lonely northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula on the Makah Reservation, Neah is a solid summer bet for kings and coho. Steep mountains dive into the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the north and the Pacific Ocean on the west and provides excellent mooching structure for kings. Coho school along rip lines anywhere from a few hundred yards offshore at Waadah Island to a mile or so at The Whistle Buoy. Odd year pinks swarm the rip lines off the mouth of the Strait.
Excellent near-shore, kelp bed fishing for black rockfish, ling cod and halibut. April, May and June are excellent months for light-tackle rockfish action at breakwater, Waadah, Sail, Seal and Tatoosh islands. Virtually untapped rockfishing is waiting In the sea stacks south of Tatoosh Island. Ramp, moorage, gas, bait, cleaning tables, and tackle at the marina. Motels, groceries, restaurant in town.
GRAYS HARBOR/WESTPORT
Best known for its offshore charter boat fishing out of Westport, but the harbor and boat basin are good bets in Sept. and Oct. Pen-reared coho and chinook, raised for sport-fishing, return to the Westport Boat Basin and provide a popular bank fishery in Oct. and Nov. Ocean charter boats are available for salmon, albacore tuna, halibut and bottomfish. Inside the harbor between the South Jetty to the Boat Basin is good for coho and kings when open in Sept. and Oct. Troll plug cut herring and rig for shallow water. Good bottom fishing around the Westport revetments and south jetty and from charter boats headed outside to rock pinnacles for black and blue rockfish and lings and to the flats for halibut. Late winter and spring rock fishing is exceptionally productive here. Launch ramp in Westport at the Coast Guard station. See Westport Revivial, In Saltwater Section.
WILLAPA BAY
Ocean salmon, winter steelhead and sea-run cutthroat surge into the bay from late Aug. well into early winter, most headed for the Willapa and Naselle rivers. Chinook arrive first, generally late Aug. through Sept. Mooch with 2-oz weights and herring on the incoming tide along the north side of the bay just inside the treacherous bar at the mouth. Water is often less than 12 feet deep. Washaway Beach is another good mooching bet. Salmon will ride the flood tide over the shallow bar. Coho arrive from late Sept. through Dec. The late run of coho is not widely publicized or heavily fished and it can produce exceptionally large ocean hooknose. A few anglers will brave the holiday season winds and rains to fish the incoming and flood tide at the bar. Most, (Don’t confuse most with many. There are never many anglers in this fishery.) however, will troll the more protected area off the river mouths. Sea-run cutthroat prowl the pilings, river mouths and island shorelines year-round, and winter steelhead are in the bay in late fall and early winter, especially near the Willapa and Naselle river mouths. There is also a pretty fair shallow-water winter/spring sturgeon fishery near the river mouths. The best access to the bar is from the ramp at Tokeland where you can also get bait, dock space and enjoy a restaurant or motel. Ramps are also available in Raymond, South Bend, Smith Creek, the mouth of the Willapa River and at the Palix River on Hwy. 101 at Bay Center.
ILWACO
At the mouth of the Columbia River, Ilwaco is a launching point for charter boats that fish the ocean for salmon, albacore tuna and some bottomfishing. This is also the launching point for a fleet of small boats that hit river salmon in the popular Columbia River Buoy 10 fishery in Aug. and Sept. Charters that run offshore as a rule, catch far more coho than kings, and in recent years the blue-water trips for albacore fishing have been productive. The Columbia River inside the mouth can be fished with most trailerable boats, but never be tempted to cross the bar into the ocean in a small boat. When ebb tides and onshore wind waves collide this can be one of the nastiest and deadliest bar crossings in the world. The U. S. Coast Guard comes here to practice rolling boats. Excellent summer sturgeon fishing in the river between Ilwaco and Astoria and on the flats a mile or so downstream from the Astoria Bridge. Not too much bottomfish action here, except for red-tail surf perch which feed in depressions along the sandy surf line of Long Beach Peninsula. Black rockfish and sometimes ling are taken from the rocks of the north jetty. Good launch ramps, docks in Ilwaco harbor and Fort Canby State Park.
Public Saltwater Fishing Piers
In recent years there has been a concerted effort to build piers that can be enjoyed year-round by saltwater fishermen. While still far short of ideal, there are now more than 60 public piers and docks available to boatless saltwater fishermen in the Straits of Juan de Fuca, Hood Canal, Puget Sound and Grays Harbor.
Just about any fish that swims Washington’s saltwater may be caught at the piers, and often pier fishermen are allowed to continue salmon fishing when seasons are closed for boaters. Check WDFW regs every year for pier fishing exceptions to salmon closures. Most salmon fishermen cast jigs (Buzz Bombs, Darts, etc) but in some areas feeder blackmouth and migrating chinook and coho are caught by dangling live or plug cut herring
several feet below a sliding bobber.
Most pier anglers stillfish on the bottom with bait. Popular baits are clam necks, shrimp, pile worms, herring chunks, and squid. Common catches are flounders, sole, greenling, pile and striped perch, ratfish, skates, dogfish sharks and occasionally—especially at night—black rockfish and ling cod. Piers are also productive spots to dangle traps for Dungeness and red rock crabs, dock and popcorn shrimp, and to jig winter nights for squid. Some piers are popular with smelt jiggers in the spring, especially in the North Sound. Some of the largest piers also have artificial reefs built nearby to attract feeding fish. Best fishing is almost always on an incoming or high slack tide, especially for salmon.
Most of the developed piers are wheelchair accessible, have railing rod holders, fish cleaning tables and running water. Piers attract everybody and all levels of expertise from gear-enhanced old pros to kids with soda can reels and handlines. You’ll see it all on a public fishing pier and enjoy great camaraderie and wonderful fish tales.
Try These Public Fishing Piers:
Port Angeles City Pier
Blaine Dock Port of Bellingham
Gooseberry Point Ferry Dock
Boulevard Park Pier (S. of Bellingham)
6th St. Dock, Bellingham
Anacortes Municipal Pier
Friday Harbor Marina (San Juan Is.)
LaConner Marina Dock
Bowman’s Bay Pier,(Deception Pass)
Cornet Bay Docks
Whidbey Naval Seaplane Base Pier
Oak Harbor Pier, Flintstone Park
Coupeville Pier,
Kayak Point Snohomish County Park
Langley City Pier
John Wayne Marina (Sequim)
Fort Worden (Port Townsend)
Port Hudson (Port townsend)
Fort Flagler (Marrowstone Is.)
Port of Everett Pier
Mukilteo Ferry Dock Pier
Meadowdale Pier (N. of Edmonds)
Edmonds Pier
Indianola Pier
Suquamish Pier
Keyport Pier
Brownsville Pier
Silverdale Pier
Illahee City Pier (Bainbridge Is.)
Point White/Gibson Pier
Illahee State Park Pier
Coal Dock Lion’s Community Park (Brem.)
Park Avenue Pier, Bremerton
Bremerton Pier/First Street Dock
Waterman Point Pier (Sinclair Inlet)
Annapolis Dock (Retsil Pier)
Port Orchard Pier
Shilshole Marina (A-Dock, Seattle)
Elliott Bay (Seattle, N. of Myrtle Edwards Pk., and on Elliott Ave.)
Duwamish Head, West Seattle
Spokane Street Bridge
Blake Island Pier
Harper Pier
Des Moines Marina Pier
Redondo Marina Pier
Dash Point County Park Pier
Tramp Harbor Pier
Port Defiance Park Pier
Les Davis Pier, Ruston Way
Old Town Dock (Tacoma)
Clyde Davidson Memorial Pier (Steilacoom)
Luhr’s Beach Pier (Nisqually Delta)
Twanoh Park Pier
Hoodsport Pier
Point Whitney Pier
Hood Canal Bridge Pier
Port Townsend City Dock
Westport Boat Basin Pier
Ilwaco Marina Docks
Where To Find Artificial Marine Reefs
Artificial reefs have been built on the bottom of Puget Sound and Hood Canal by WDFW to attract and provide habitat for a variety of bottomfish, including rockfish, ling cod, greenlings, cabezon, perch and flounders.
Reefs are made mostly of scrap concrete and rock, and are about 200 feet long around 50 feet wide in 45 to 100 feet of water. They may provide excellent bottomfishing fishing opportunities, mostly for boaters, but a few are within reach of public fishing piers. Because they support herring and other baitfish, the reefs also attract salmon.
The reefs are marked with two buoys, one at each end. Major artificial reef locations are:
Possession Point, 600 feet W. of buoy, 55-100 feet deep.
Gedney (Hat) Island, 3000 feet S. of the S. tip 45-70 feet deep.
Edmonds, 200 feet W. of public pier, 30-80 feet deep (no boat fishing).
Onamac Point, 1000 feet N. of navigation light, 45-100 feet deep
The Trees, 2.1 miles S. of Point Wells 45-100 feet deep.
Misery Point, 600 feet N. of navigation light, 45-100 feet deep.
Blake Island, 800 feet S. of S. tip, 60-90 feet deep.
Point Heyer, Vashon Is., 1000 feet SE of radio tower, 45-100 feet deep.
Toliva Shoal, 1300 feet NW of navigation buoy, 60-90 feet deep.
Itsami Ledge, Johnson Pt., 1100 feet NW of South Bay nav. light., 50-70 feet deep.
