Favorite Fishing: WA Edition

[No_Regerts]

I was thinking about my favorite fishing in WA. This is based mostly on entertainment value, sport, and a little nostalgia. Here are mine, feel free to post yours.

1.) Jigging Coho on the coast: A 7'6" spinning rod, a 1/2 oz jig, and a Coho with plenty of energy and plenty of water to show it. Plus, no flashers or divers being slung around.

2.) Fly Fishing for Pinks: Pinks on a fly rod on one of the various Puget Sound rivers that has a decent run. Lots of fun!

3.) Near-Shore rockfish and lingcod: Same 7'6" spinning rod, 3/8 oz swim bait, lots of rockfish action with the occasional ling. Drop some crab pots and you have a chance of a real good haul.

4.) Snake River Smallmouth: Tons of fish, some pretty big, and amazing scenery. Especially where the WSU girls catch some rays. A great way to spend 4 years.

5.) Banks Lake Walleye: Not a lot of big fish, but plenty of fun on light tackle. Bring the deep frier and keep the beer cold.

6.) Puget Sound Flounder: Seriously! Easy fishery for kids. Just drop the rig to the bottom and something will come knocking shortly. It's how my Dad got me into fishing.

7.) Ocean Kings: Normally I hate trolling, but the reward is too much to ignore.

8.) Puget Sound Kings: It's a completely different game than the ocean and the fish are smaller, but it's rewarding to be one of 5 boats that lands a fish all day long.

9.) Shad below Bonneville: Another easy fishery that my Dad used to teach me to fish. Shad are great fun on light tackle. It also
tickles me to release them in front of Russians. Always get the stink-eye!

10.) Snake/Palouse River Channel Catfish: Show up in the evening, make a campfire, throw out a line and play "fishin' in the dark" on the guitar. Wake up with whichever girl fell for it, reel in a half-drowned catfish.

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[WAYNO]

My first thought, was I don't live there, so what experience would I have?

Then my way-back machine kicked on, and I remembered I fished a lot in Washington.

My earliest memories, was fishing for channel cats at Sacajawea Park near the Tri-Cities. I didn't know much what I was doing or what I was fishing for, but I hauled in a lot of catfish.

Same period of time, I used to tag along with my Bro-in-Law while he fished for steelhead and/or silvers on the Lewis River. Lucia Falls? That took more finesse than I had, so all I could really do is watch him catch fish. And he caught a lot.

While in the Army, I fished a lot in American Lake. They must've stocked it pretty heavy, as we could catch a limit really easy. And some of these trout were pretty respectable. During the same period, I fished a lot from Pt. Defiance boathouse. Never knew what we'd catch next, but it kept us busy. Some kind of Cod, and Flounder were most of the catch.

Oh, and how could I forget? Spanaway Lake. I caught more crappie there than I thought existed anywhere on the planet, as well as perch.

Gotta mention too... Chambers Lake on Ft. Lewis. I don't remember fishing it, but I remember being there multiple times to see the incredible dog salmon run. A person could truly walk across the little creek on the backs of these salmon, and not get his feet wet. These fish were mostly swimming dead. No skin on many of them, but they're still battling their way upstream.

Favorite places? These are all pretty great memories, so they're all my favorites.

Then of course years later, fishing the Columbia, (can I count that for Washington?), I spent most of my free time fishing for steelhead, salmon, sturgeon, shad, walleye, and squawfish.

Then one day, nobody could ever seem to go fishing with me any more, I sold my boat. Haven't fished much since.

 

[Nosferatu]

Winter Steelhead on the Washougal River. Nobody else around and enough feisty fish to make it worthwhile.

 

[Old Dog]

I am totally with you on the rockfish and ling cod. Some of my favorite fishing up here, still like taking a charter out of Neah Bay with the guys from work. My wife makes great fish tacos with rockfish.

But, I'm primarily a freshwater guy (born and raised in the MidWest), so bass, walleye, Northern Pike and muskie were my primary targets. Snake River smallmouth brings back memories (the smallmouth bass is the greatest fighting fish in North America).

Loved some of the lakes on Whidbey Island when I lived up there.

I also enjoyed some of the smaller lakes in Central and Eastern Washington, ultra-light rod/reel with 4 lb test, even the little rainbows were great fun.

Now that I'm finally retired, fishing is gonna become my primary activity again.

 

[Flymph]

I haven't done much fishing around the sound area, but those all sound like a lot of fun. I'll have to time a trip to Seattle to make the missus happy; I'll go anywhere as long as there is fishing!
I'm going to buy a jigging rod now!

My favorite memories are fishing the rivers around Spokane and the lakes around Chewelah. We used to catch bass, trout and crappie all the time. I have a lot of good memories swinging wet flies on the Spokane near Bowl & Pitcher. Otherwise I've been pretty into rockfish, but the North Jetty near Illwaco doesn't seem to be the hottest spot; great place to see dolphins and sea lions tho!

 

[No_Regerts]

I haven't done much fishing around the sound area, but those all sound like a lot of fun. I'll have to time a trip to Seattle to make the missus happy; I'll go anywhere as long as there is fishing!
I'm going to buy a jigging rod now!

My favorite memories are fishing the rivers around Spokane and the lakes around Chewelah. We used to catch bass, trout and crappie all the time. I have a lot of good memories swinging wet flies on the Spokane near Bowl & Pitcher. Otherwise I've been pretty into rockfish, but the North Jetty near Illwaco doesn't seem to be the hottest spot; great place to see dolphins and sea lions tho!

I've done well drifting along the south jetty out of Garibaldi. The trick is to keep the jig drifting along the rocks without snagging up. I use a 3/8 to 1/2 oz jig with a 4 inch Gulp! Minnow or a swim bait.

 

[Flymph]

I've done well drifting along the south jetty out of Garibaldi. The trick is to keep the jig drifting along the rocks without snagging up. I use a 3/8 to 1/2 oz jig with a 4 inch Gulp! Minnow or a swim bait.

I've fished every bay from Winchester up to the Columbia North Jetty, and Barview is by my favorite. The 3" pogi's and 5"-6" curly tails made by gulp are killer. Using a bobber when the current gets ripping is pretty good for keeping in the strike zone. Gray's harbor is on the bucket list this year, but I'll be hitting Tillamook as soon as the swell goes down.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Where to start….
I was raised in the South so warm water species were what we caught till I migrated to the PNW.
My logger neighbor took me steelhead fishing in December of 1987, I'd never fished a fast water river before but was enjoying the view from the from the front of the funny looking drift boat. Did I mention it was CAF???
Nothing like fighting a fresh winter steelhead on a light fiberglass plug rod. My first that day was a 17.5# hatchery fish, I was hooked!

Float and drift fishing for summer steelhead using noodle rods is a kick in the pants. I upgraded from an 8 1/2' Lamiglas graphite drift rod to a 10 1/2' boron Certified Pro rod, what a difference it made to telegraph that subtle egg take. FISHON!!!

Mooching out of Pt. Defiance was another way to enjoy fishing…. The catching was always a challenge but you can't catch anything sitting on the couch. I hooked Galloping Gertty more than a few times trying for bottom fish, what a hoot respooling the reel in a small boat that's tossing about in the ripping currents under the replacement bridge…

My first trip to Bouy 10 was on a charter out of Long Beach, I was more than a little intimidated by all the boats that were lined up at the boundary line on the incoming tide facing the ocean. When legal fishing time sounded it was like a blur and nets were flying and salmon were hitting the decks on every boat. WOW!!!

I answered an open seat ad on cryfish (Ifish) back in 2001 for Springers on Drano lake, I'd never been there but I do love a new challenge to rip some lips. I thought Bouy 10 was crowded!!! The guy that made the ad (Starfish) had been fishing this fishery since he was a kid knew what and where the fish were but plenty of fish were hooked but we kept loosing them. WTH??? There were 5 people aboard and only netted 1 fish before noon. One guy had to leave for work and another took his place, he was the smart one and let us know not to swing for the fences when the reels are spooled with braided line… in just 2 hours after HalfFast joins the flotilla and following his instructions we had 19 more fish in the boat. We used everything from prawn spinners, flatfish and herring dipping the baits in a tub of 5 different scents, starfish called it a chum line oil slick.

Willapa Bay had plenty of fish back in the day but it was managed exclusively for the commercial gill netter so you had to get there before the fleet set their nets. The eel grad was horrible to especially on big flood tides.
We used medium-heavy rods, 20# test line with a triangle flasher, 2 chain swivels on the 30# leaders with 4-5/0 hooks and brined plug cut green label herring.

Grays Harbor was also a great fishery once you got it figured out. Like Willapa, trolling is the most productive technique for fresh Kings and hooked nosed Coho. Bouy 13 was a fast and furious time when a school of 10-18# Coho came in, charter boats woul literally run smaller boats out of the oval trolling lanes!!!
Same gear.

Bringing up two kids out in the sticks involved keeping them busy hooking fish and I pretty much got them tired by the end of the day at area lakes. My young daughter would outfish her older brother all the time, she even made me step up my game when it was just us.

I've fished for about every species of fish in Washington except shad and walleye, I need to bust my cherry on halibut out of Neah Bay.

 

[User 1234]

If anyone wants to PM me a lead on areas for Pike or Muskie, guided or not, I'd appreciate it. My son would go nuts.

 

[Flymph]

If anyone wants to PM me a lead on areas for Pike or Muskie, guided or not, I'd appreciate it. My son would go nuts.

I'll second that! I hear Pend O'reile has some decent fishing if you ever wander up there.

 

[Caveman Jim]

If anyone wants to PM me a lead on areas for Pike or Muskie, guided or not, I'd appreciate it. My son would go nuts.

Convo started.

 

[Jay Walk]

East fork of the Lewis just below Lucia falls. Grew up there, dad would catch a steelhead nearly every cast after he got home from hanging sheetrock in the early sixties.

 

[ar addict]

Last year at Neah Bay. Going again June 6th to 8th.

 

[MakarovManiac]

I grew up in central Massachusetts so I did a lot of Largemouth, bluegill, catfish, perch and pickerel fishing. Pretty much caught anything in freshwater that bit! Lol. Never did any saltwater while I was out there. But once my family and I moved out here I started saltwater fishing and oh man im hooked. I absolutely love slaying the rockfish, lings and greenlings. Super fun! Went last year with my father in law to sekiu for a few days to go fishing and caught the biggest fishe ive ever caught! Huge ling by Seal rock. Great spot.

 

[JohnnyMac]

I like a little Lower Columbia sturgeon fishing. But it ain't easy....

 

[DirectDrive]

I grew up in central Massachusetts so I did a lot of Largemouth, bluegill, catfish, perch and pickerel fishing. Pretty much caught anything in freshwater that bit! Lol. Never did any saltwater while I was out there. But once my family and I moved out here I started saltwater fishing and oh man im hooked. I absolutely love slaying the rockfish, lings and greenlings. Super fun! Went last year with my father in law to sekiu for a few days to go fishing and caught the biggest fishe ive ever caught! Huge ling by Seal rock. Great spot.

View attachment 1378356

I grew up in Chicopee.
Did the warm water stuff and trout.
Except for Stripas, the PNW beats it.

 

[MakarovManiac]

I grew up in Chicopee.
Did the warm water stuff and trout.
Except for Stripas, the PNW beats it.

Oh im sorry haha. Just kidding. Never actually got to do any saltwater fishing back home, but I wish I did. My dad used to all the time and would catch all kinds of cool stuff. When I visit ill have to go check it out.

 

[DirectDrive]

Oh im sorry haha. Just kidding

LOL
It is dank.
I would not volunteer for it.

 

[MakarovManiac]

I grew up around the brookfields. Fished quabbin, quaboag, etc etc

 

[DirectDrive]

Same
Gate 8 and the Quaboag River
Swift River and the CT river for shad and stripas.