Northwest Fishing Reports

Hi everyone,

First of all, Happy New Year! I am relatively new to Seattle and saltwater fishing, and was wondering if you all could help me out and share some info on how to catch salmon near North Seattle from shore? I do not have a boat, but I have managed to catch a lot of flounder from shore. I normally fish at Golden Gardens Pier, and I catch a lot of small flounder and herring since it is close to home. I never see anyone catching SALMON THOUGH. Catching small flounder gets boring after a while, and I would like to cast for salmon from shore. Can anyone please tell me what I should use, and where I should fish? I heard that using a dead herring 6 ft under a bobber is good, is that true? What about casting spoons? Any info would be a great help, thank you all. Any type of salmon will work, just itching to catch some. Do I have to go at dawn/dusk to catch them, because supposedly they stop biting in the afternoon?

P.S. When is Lingcod season and where should I go to catch them? Is dead herring on the bottom a good bait?

Pink salmon will be coming this summer (they only come in fishable runs during odd years though) which can give you good fishing off the piers and from shore. Check the new rules pamphlet that wdfw releases at the end of the liscense year April 1st. For that you'll want to chuck pink buzz bombs and pink 3/8 oz. marabou or hootcie jigs, but pretty much anything pink that will get down to them will work. No, you do not neccesarily need to get there firstthing in the morning if you don't feel like it, but it is a good time to fish. As for the golden gardens pier I am not sure, but I know there are several other piers in the area that produce well. Also try the rivers in the area. The Green and Snohomish/Skykomish systems produce well using the same lures. Look for a deep, slow hole, toss in your gear, and hope for a fishie.

I'm not familiar with your area but down here in Tacoma, I've seen plenty of guys catch nice coho and chinook casting buzzbombs and cutplug herring off the peirs. One old man caught a king in the low 20lb range on nightcrawlers from Pt Defiance dock.

Like Dan boone said pink salmon are coming. Pink salmon come in huge numbers so they are fun and easy to catch and also quite tasty while still in the salt. I am also a bank bound angler so i know how it is. Pink salmon usually come into your area in late july and peaks in augaust. Your best bet for catching thse fish is to use a pink #2 buzz bomb. Herring under float can also be deadly for chum salmon but never tried it for the other salmon species. Best places around you are Dash point pier and lincoln park. Both of thse places are good for fishing. But be aware Dash point can get quite crowded when the fish are in. My favorite time to fish is early morning at sunrise or one hour before sunset. Tides can also be a huge factor. Best times are usually one hour before high tide and one hour after high tide.

Right now your best friend is the rules book.. you won't be catching any salmon from shore for about 8 months or more. look up the rules to find when the season is open..
also it will never be legal to catch salmon from the golden gardens pier.

when the Pinks are running hit the beach by Mukilteo ferry and throw smaller sized pink buzzbombs.. worked for me a few times and you might get lucky and pull in a coho as well..

oneshot wrote:when the Pinks are running hit the beach by Mukilteo ferry and throw smaller sized pink buzzbombs.. worked for me a few times and you might get lucky and pull in a coho as well..

This hold true many places..
3 Tree Point
Fishing pier @Alki (by Salty's)
Fishing Pier @Myrtle Edwards Park (just north of the grain elevators)
Carkeek Park
Fishing Pier @ Edmonds Marina
Picnic Point Park

You could try Deception Pass from shore. On whidbey there are some good choices too. But like someone said check the rule book for salmon retention. Fort Casey is a good choice.

once the pinks are in the rivers its a wild ride

How are pinks caught in rivers, if they're still pretty chrome are they decent table fare? Never caught one before but plan too this season. If they're not worth eating I'll just C&R though, I also have a smoker if they'll smoke up ok when caught in rivers.
If I get any in salt I'll keep them to eat or smoke (if legal to do so of course).

jd39 wrote:How are pinks caught in rivers, if they're still pretty chrome are they decent table fare? Never caught one before but plan too this season. If they're not worth eating I'll just C&R though, I also have a smoker if they'll smoke up ok when caught in rivers.
If I get any in salt I'll keep them to eat or smoke (if legal to do so of course).

You can target them in the river the same as in the salt. Pink 2" Buzz Bombs or pink jigs or, depending where on the river you're fishing, drifting pink corkie and yarn works too.. If you catch them low in the sytem, they'll be as chrome as from the salt and taste just the same. The longer they're in the fresh water, the further they degrade. My family likes them just fine. They're best eaten fresh, meaning cook them the same day they're caught. And it helps to bleed them right away and put on ice. I've never smoked one, but plenty of people do. They're plentiful, so keep a few and try them. If you don't like them C&R the rest.

a lot of people seem to dislike the pinks but like bentrod say, the closer to the salt the better shape they are in. I've smoked and grilled them and seen nice ones in the puke, and up into the mountains I've seen them in river not more than 6" deep where they are spawned out. obviously leave those ones alone but late in the season it is cool to see them doing their thing up past greenwater.

If you stick to the tidal influenced part of the rivers (lower Sno, Duwi, Puy) then your going to find fresh ones, you will also find some pretty humped up ones as well. For me, if they've been in the fresh water long enough to drop their sea lice then they go back to finish thier business.

If you are going to keep em, just be sure to follow this routine..
1.) Hook
2.) land
3.) Bonk
4.) Bleed
5.) Ice
if you don't bleed and ice them right away, the meat turns to mush.

Pinks have a blander taste. If you put a pink and a coho on the BBQ, the pink's meat will cook up white, like a triploid, where the coho will have the classic "salmon" color.

Pinks do take up brine and smoke up well.

My method of choice is twitching jigs.

jigs, spinners, spoons, dick nites, cut pieces of your sister's favorite shirt on a hook, whatever as long as it is pink, go for it.

Gringo Pescador wrote:
Pinks have a blander taste. If you put a pink and a coho on the BBQ, the pink's meat will cook up white, like a triploid, where the coho will have the classic "salmon" color.

Pinks do take up brine and smoke up well.

a buddy and I noticed one time that smoked salmon at the store had food coloring as an ingredient. we did the same for fun with the brine and found the pink looked more like coho after, lol

Sweet, thanks everyone! Looking forward to the pink season coming up, already picked up some buzz bombs and jigs for them! Good luck all.

mmmmm. humpies... hello 50 fish days!!

Why does everyone think only pink works for pinks? Caught maybe a couple hundred on herring cutplugs. The last time they were in purple blue fox vibrax with silver blade was the hot color in my boat by the mouth of the puyallup river and thea foss waterway. Black leach flies caught several also. Pink vibraxes and orange ones did about the same off the south end of Vashon Island. Can't think of the name of the park but the one Dock street in Tacoma was a good place for bank fisherman. Id avoid the bottom fish there though. Others keep them.

obryan214 wrote:Why does everyone think only pink works for pinks? Caught maybe a couple hundred on herring cutplugs. The last time they were in purple blue fox vibrax with silver blade was the hot color in my boat by the mouth of the puyallup river and thea foss waterway. Black leach flies caught several also. Pink vibraxes and orange ones did about the same off the south end of Vashon Island. Can't think of the name of the park but the one Dock street in Tacoma was a good place for bank fisherman. Id avoid the bottom fish there though. Others keep them.

You are right, they hit other colors, I've got em on green hootchie jigs as well.

do pinks come down to Olympia? thanks

Outlaw

Steelheadin360 wrote:mmmmm. humpies... hello 50 fish days!!

Sheesh! Where do you fish man?

NimmunDay wrote:

Steelheadin360 wrote:mmmmm. humpies... hello 50 fish days!!

Sheesh! Where do you fish man?

Snohomish, Stilly, Skagit.

3/8 oz glow jig head and a hot pink hoochie. Cast, jig, catch, repeat. Not saying it happens every day. but it will and has happened