New to fishing in Washington. Any advise?

[EliDammit]

I've been fishing in the Gulf of Mexico in south Texas and Louisiana my whole life but I live in Seattle now and I finally picked up a rod n reel and it just seems I am totally out of my element fishing here. I've tried the Eliott bay fishing pier, a few spots in Lake Washington around U dub/ arboretum, Green Lake, Etc. Haven't been able to catch a damn thing. Anyone have any advise on where to fish around Seattle, what bait or tackle to use, time of the day to fish... Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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[hottip]

I spend my winters in Port Aransas, Texas and was unfamiliar with the fishing there so I understand what you are up against here. So what do you want to catch, fresh water or salt water? The best way to learn is to get a guided trip. Washington has the whole spectrum of fish so chose what you want to fish for and read up on tactics. Local newspapers have weekly fishing columns,so thats a start. Good luck.

 

[tacompton]

Find a friend with a boat or purchase one yourself. Personally I have just a 12ft aluminum, on a modified 4x8 utility trailer (dual use). 9.9hp motor and cheap electric motor. Another thing a downrigger is a must imo if you want to target more than just trout. We have a good trout, bass, kokanee, salmon, walleye, crappie, perch fishery if you spend some time on your local lakes you'll figure it out. This time of the year is perfect for bass, and trout. If you don't want a boat, river fishing is something you will need to get used to around here, not my favorite, alot of people typically during the heavy runs. I try to take a weekday off here and there to get on the rivers in strategic areas. Tons of fun when pinks run, coho, humpies, and of course kings. East of the mountains are my favorite, Reservoirs of the Columbia, like Lake Chelan, kokanee fishing is red hot, and my favorite eating fish, other than adult sockeye. Tight lines!

 

[Petro]

a few spots in Lake Washington around U dub/ arboretum

If you're stuck on the shore then do what the others have said and skip the saltwater fishing. Wait a few more weeks and the fishing in the Montlake cut and on Lake Washington will heat up as the bass start to spawn and the rest of the trout/perch/whatever else wake up. To start with use a worm and work edge of the weeds and lilly pads. Once you get the hang of that then you can get nutty with plastic baits and spinners.

Finally, I'm sure someone can come up with a better spot but Washington Lakes is a good place to look for creel reports and what's biting on what bait today. Good luck.

 

[budcat2]

I grew up in South Texas as well and find the fishing here to be a huge challenge. If you can find someone who knows how to fish on Lake Washington and want to join me sometime, I have a 16' OLD Bayliner with a 115 HP Johnson and a 9 HP kicker. It has 3 down riggers and a crapy fish finder. I am located about 150 yards from the Mercer Island Beach Club boat ramp, so putting in will take about 10 minutes.

If anyone else wants to come out and show us how to fish Lake Washington, I will pay for the gas! Any weekday works for me.