Washington Fishing Calendar

What's biting month by month, and how many Washington charters on Unreel target each fish.

Biting now in October:Salmon Steelhead Trout

Peak fishing months in Washington by species, with the number of charters that target each one
Fish	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Salmon86 charters · June to October	January: off peak	February: off peak	March: off peak	April: off peak	May: off peak	June: peak	July: peak	August: peak	September: peak	October: peak	November: off peak	December: off peak
Lingcod43 charters · May to September	January: off peak	February: off peak	March: off peak	April: off peak	May: peak	June: peak	July: peak	August: peak	September: peak	October: off peak	November: off peak	December: off peak
Halibut35 charters · May to August	January: off peak	February: off peak	March: off peak	April: off peak	May: peak	June: peak	July: peak	August: peak	September: off peak	October: off peak	November: off peak	December: off peak
Steelhead24 charters · June to October and December to March	January: peak	February: peak	March: peak	April: off peak	May: off peak	June: peak	July: peak	August: peak	September: peak	October: peak	November: off peak	December: peak
Trout21 charters · September to October and December to June	January: peak	February: peak	March: peak	April: peak	May: peak	June: peak	July: off peak	August: off peak	September: peak	October: peak	November: off peak	December: peak
Albacore15 charters · July to September	January: off peak	February: off peak	March: off peak	April: off peak	May: off peak	June: off peak	July: peak	August: peak	September: peak	October: off peak	November: off peak	December: off peak
Sturgeon11 charters · February to July	January: off peak	February: peak	March: peak	April: peak	May: peak	June: peak	July: peak	August: off peak	September: off peak	October: off peak	November: off peak	December: off peak
Rockfish7 charters · April to September	January: off peak	February: off peak	March: off peak	April: peak	May: peak	June: peak	July: peak	August: peak	September: peak	October: off peak	November: off peak	December: off peak

Shaded months are the typical peak for a charter trip. The outlined column is this month.

Washington fishing, month by month

January: Steelhead, Trout
February: Steelhead, Trout, Sturgeon
March: Steelhead, Trout, Sturgeon
April: Trout, Sturgeon, Rockfish
May: Lingcod, Halibut, Trout, Sturgeon, Rockfish
June: Salmon, Lingcod, Halibut, Steelhead, Trout, Sturgeon, Rockfish
July: Salmon, Lingcod, Halibut, Steelhead, Albacore, Sturgeon, Rockfish
August: Salmon, Lingcod, Halibut, Steelhead, Albacore, Rockfish
September: Salmon, Lingcod, Steelhead, Trout, Albacore, Rockfish
October: Salmon, Steelhead, Trout
November: Off season for most charters. Some captains still run trips, so it is worth asking.
December: Steelhead, Trout

Before you book

Halibut: Halibut opens on a few set days each season. Ask your captain for the dates.
Steelhead: Wild steelhead must be released, and some Washington coastal rivers close early in low-return years.
Trout: Winter steelhead run from December into spring. Wild steelhead must be released, and river closures change each year.
Sturgeon: Lower Columbia sturgeon is catch and release only, and sanctuary areas close to all sturgeon fishing May 1 to Aug 31.

How this calendar is built

The charter counts are live from the Unreel directory: each one is a Washington charter that lists that fish as a target. A fish only appears here if at least three local charters target it.

The shaded months are general peak windows for the Pacific Northwest, not fishing regulations. For ocean species, the spawning, migration and federal closure notes were checked against NOAA Fisheries species profiles, and for inshore and freshwater species against state wildlife agency guidance and rules. Seasons, closures and limits change every year and can differ by water, so check Washington's current regulations and ask your captain what is running before you book.