Fresh Washington Fishing Reports

Had a great time with spot prawns this season. We just missed the limit but everyone was able to bring home a nice bag of these tasty creatures. We are now shifting gears to Salmon. Should be a great season.

Lingcod fishing has been decent this year. Some days they are biting other days we have to work hard for the fish. There is a one fish per day per angler limit on these sea dragons. Lingcod are a slot limit fish. Meaning retention of fish is bracketed between 26" and 36". Outside of this slot the fish must be released for the future. Its a good rule for Puget Sound as the population of western washing has increased dramatically the past 20 years. If you head out to the coast of Washingtion to Westport the biomass of bottom fish is orders of magnitude higher than Puget Sound. We are looking forward to the Resident Coho Salmon opener June 1st

May is the month where lingcod is our primary tsrget species as we transition from our winter salmon fisheries to the summer salmon fishery that generally opens June 1st. Lingcod are grest eating fish, great fun for all ages! We primarily target lingcod with live bait. Come join us for a fun morning or afternoon charter on the Puget Sound.

The run is here and fishing has been great, it will continue to be good through April. Dont wait, book a day and lets make some memories!

Columbia River Spring Chinook Spring Chinook are being caught daily in the Columbia River right now. As the month goes on the fishing will get better by the day as more fish show up. I am sure you have heard they’re the best tasting Salmon found anywhere in the world. The nutritious fat reserve these fish build to make their journey is where they get their delicious, juicy flavor. Why do these fish build up their reserve? Many of these fish will swim up the Columbia and to the Snake River where they will continue into Idaho. They will do this all without eating. Once they get to the spawning grounds they will hold in the rivers until September and October, then begin to spawn. To live that long, and go that far is why the need all of their fat built up. Tributary Spring Salmon The Springer action does not stop when the lower Columbia River closes on April 7th. I will be fishing the Willamette River which is predicted to get a return of over 70,000 Spring Chinook. Here I use the trolling methods used in the Columbia. Prawn Spinners are usually very effective here also. The Lewis and Cowlitz Rivers are supposed to have improved runs over the last few years as well. This is some of my favorite fishing. Hover fishing, back bouncing and bobber fishing are my three most productive methods of fishing here. The absolute best bite in the world is a Spring Chinook chewing on a bait of eggs tipped with shrimp all while holding the rod in your hand. Later in the season, when the bulk of the run is above Bonneville Dam, I will fish the mouth of the Wind River. This place truly can live up to its name. If there’s one thing you can count on here, it’s wind. Prawn spinners behind a Pro Troll style flasher are my go to when fishing here.

Steelhead fishing is picking up and lots of big beautiful fish have been hitting the deck. Prime fishing is going to be soon. Schedule a trip before they are gone.