Contributed by Mark Yuasa, WDFW SEATTLE – The Pacific Fishery Management Council week-long meeting wrapped up on Thursday, April 11, thus setting the tentative salmon fishing seasons and anglers should find statewide opportunities that’ll likely mirror last season. That long winding road in the two-month season-setting process known as North of Falcon, is a term referring to waters north of Oregon’s Cape Falcon, which marks the southern border of management of Washington’s salmon stocks. During this process, state and tribal fishery managers use a suite of scientific data, including watershed ..read more

Lingcod! By Jason Brooks One of the most sought-after fish for eating is the lingcod. Known for their flakey white fillets and aggressive bite lingcod are not an actual cod at all but their own species. One of the most vicious fish that swims in the ocean grows fast and once they reach adulthood have few predators. There are a few things that can help anglers catch more of the “bucket heads” as they are often called due to their large head compared to their body. Here are some things to consider when targeting lingcod.  Kelp Greenling make fantastic lingod bait-Jason Brooks Live Bait. Ji ..read more

Bottom Fishing Basics By Jason Brooks If you have been listening to the radio show these past few weeks then you have heard Nelly, Joey and myself talking about upcoming fisheries. One specifically keeps getting mentioned and that is bottom fishing, also known as rockfish or sea bass.  It is a great fishery as well as provides some of the best tasting fish for the table. Rockfish can be plentiful and fun to catch but also a bit frustrating when you don’t find them. Here are some basic tips to find and catch good eating rockfish.  Look for rock piles and pinnacles to find rockfis ..read more

Initial salmon forecasts are just the first step during this long two-month salmon season setting process where fishery managers create 2024-25 fisheries Contributed by Mark Yuasa, WDFW The Upper Columbia River should provide some decent fishing for Chinook and sockeye salmon. (Photo by Mark Yuasa) All eyes are focused on what the future holds for the 2024-25 recreational salmon fishing seasons, and while anglers should find opportunities there’ll likely issues to overcome due to low forecasts that will limit time on the water. WDFW fishery managers today (March 1) unveiled the 2024 salmon for ..read more

Joe Hymer of Vancouver, Wash., retired state Fish and Wildlife biologist, reels in a spring chinook salmon on the Lower Columbia River. Contributed by Mark Yuasa, WDFW What better way to celebrate the upcoming holidays than relishing some possible early good news for 2024 Columbia River salmon returns! The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) this past week released the Columbia River spring and early summer salmon forecasts and indications continue to point toward plenty of fishing opportunity excitement along many points of the Big-C. The wild and hatchery spring Chinook forecas ..read more

Tegan Yuasa and UCF fighter Valentina Shevchenko hold up a pair of pink salmon caught during the 2021 season off the south side of Whidbey Island. Contributed by Mark Yuasa, WDFW We’ve turned the corner on summer and are now heading into one of the most bustling and exciting times for salmon anglers. Salmon fishing options in August are highlighted by the robust pink salmon catches happening right now with hot action around Puget Sound for a robust predicted return of nearly 4 million pinks. Other great fishing options include statewide lakes producing fun for warmwater fish species like bass ..read more

Contributed by Mark Yuasa, WDFW The first official day of summer is a little more than a week away and some locations have produced some decent early action with more looming on the near horizon that includes the much-anticipated summer coastal salmon fishery. A few marine areas that were generating some fair to good fishing for salmon in June were the Tulalip Bubble Fishery, central Puget Sound (Marine Area 10) and south-central Puget Sound (Marine Area 11) which just closed this week and reopens on July 1. The coastal ports of Neah Bay (Marine Area 4) and La Push (Marine Area 3) open for Ch ..read more

Contributed by Mark Yuasa, WDFW WDFW fishery managers unveiled the 2023 salmon forecasts at a public meeting today (March 3) in Lacey, and it appears a decent number of pinks will arrive in late summer and in general Puget Sound, and the coast and Columbia River could see similarities to 2022. Despite an improvement compared to 2022, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) fishery managers are cautious as some runs continue to struggle including those listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. “Every year, our primary goal going into the North of Falco ..read more

Aaron Peterson, owner of Peterson’s Northwest Guide, with a happy client holding a nice hatchery Chinook salmon caught on the Columbia River in 2022. Photo by Mark Yuasa Contributed by Mark Yuasa, WDFW Here’s an early gift that’ll surely bring joy to many salmon anglers holiday wish list! The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) this past week released their Columbia River spring Chinook salmon forecast and early indications point toward a blissful fishing opportunity. A total of 307,800 wild and hatchery spring Chinook salmon are expected to return to the Columbia River, compared ..read more

Contributed by Mark Yuasa Squid jigging is mainly a night-time affair around Puget Sound and much of this season has been a head scratcher for pier anglers although action ramped up this week and those in boats continue to find better catches mainly in Elliott Bay and a few surrounding areas. “Squid fishing has picked up for the pier folks in Edmonds and some evenings in downtown Seattle piers,” said Paul Kim, owner of Seattle Squid charter service in Seattle (https://www.facebook.com/SeattleSquid/). “We did very well last Sunday with limits for five boat anglers.” Squid jiggers in boats hav ..read more