Washington fishing reports
486 reports for Washington — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Columbia migration counts hit record low as fall turn begins
Hatch Magazine reports that this year's Columbia River migration count at Bonneville Dam is the smallest ever recorded, with counting running since July 1. Plan trips around fewer fish than usual and treat a solid bite as a bonus. Early October is the seasonal turn from summer to fall, and the next few days are when that shift starts to show on the water.
Olympic Peninsula rivers ease into their fall transition
Early October marks the seasonal pivot for Olympic Peninsula freshwater river systems, with shortening daylight and a Last Quarter moon easing tidal pull on lower-river stretches this week.
Fall Cooldown Sets Up Walleye, Smallmouth Season in Eastern WA
Early October marks the real start of fall on Eastern Washington's Yakima and Spokane-area waters. As daytime highs ease and overnight lows drop, lake and river temperatures are sliding into the range that pulls walleye and smallmouth bass out of their late-summer holding patterns and onto more active, predictable feeding structure. This is the window regional anglers wait for all summer, when shortening days trigger a baitfish push and both species start feeding harder to build reserves ahead of winter.
Morning Tide Swing Frames Early Fall Window on Puget Sound
Water temperature at NOAA CO-OPS station 9443090 reads 51.3°F this morning, right in line with Puget Sound's steady fall cooldown. The station's predictions put the next high tide at 6:22 a.m. and the next low around 10:29 a.m. local time, a tight morning swing worth building a trip around. WDFW continues its creel and catch interviews at access sites around the state, the backbone of how conditions and activity get tracked region-wide.
Puget Sound tides set the pace as fall chill settles in
Water temperatures sit at 52.7°F per the NOAA CO-OPS station covering Puget Sound and the outer coast, a reading that marks the steady seasonal slide toward winter and is right on track for early October. WA WDFW Fishing Reports tracks angler effort and catch statewide through access-site creel surveys, the backbone of how the department reads activity across the region's waters. This week favors timing over any single pattern to chase: a moving tide and cooling water are the levers worth working.
Puget Sound settles into a cooling fall pattern this week
Puget Sound water measured 50.2°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 9443090 Tuesday afternoon, confirming the region has moved past summer highs and into its fall cooling trend. WDFW's ongoing creel-check program continues tracking angler effort around the state's waters, per WA WDFW Fishing Reports. On-the-water chatter this week from IFish.net Fishing Reports skewed toward gear lost and found near popular access points and Buoy 10, a sign that boat traffic in that corridor remains steady even as the season turns.
Columbia steelhead anglers brace for the smallest run on record
This year's Columbia and Snake river steelhead run is shaping up to be the smallest ever recorded, according to Hatch Magazine. Since counting began at Bonneville Dam on July 1, fisheries managers have tallied just over 52,000 fish moving upstream, the lowest total documented for the migration. For anglers working Columbia system tributaries and connected Puget Sound river drainages this week, that means a thinner push of fish moving through than a typical late-September count, and outings are better planned around patience and precise timing than volume. Check state regulations before targeting steelhead, as conservation restrictions can follow a run this far below historic norms.
Olympic Peninsula rivers enter fall transition as WA steelhead runs lag
Washington's steelhead numbers carry an unusual headline into this fall: Hatch Magazine reports the Columbia and Snake river run is tracking as the smallest ever recorded, with just over 52,000 fish counted above Bonneville Dam since July 1 counting began. That watershed sits well south of the Olympic Peninsula, but it's the reference point anglers statewide are weighing as fall runs develop. On the Peninsula, late September sits in the seasonal turn between summer activity and the fall push that defines this region's river fishing calendar.
Record-low steelhead run keeps Eastern WA rivers quiet
Hatch Magazine reports this year's Columbia and Snake river steelhead run is shaping up as the smallest ever recorded, with just over 52,000 fish tallied above Bonneville Dam since counting began July 1. For Eastern Washington anglers working Yakima and Spokane-area steelhead water, that run-size signal points to fewer fish moving upstream through the system than in any prior recorded year.
Afternoon high tide sets the pace as Puget Sound eases into fall
Puget Sound's water read 50.9°F this morning at NOAA's CO-OPS station 9443090, in line with the seasonal slide from summer highs. Today's next high tide lands at 2:07 PM local, giving the early-afternoon hours the day's strongest current push.
Rolling Pacific ground swell frames a wide tide swing off Washington
Buoy 46041 measured a 6.9-foot swell this morning with water at 60°F, while buoy 46087 to the north showed a smaller 4.6-foot swell and cooler 53°F water, both under light wind near 2 m/s. That's a solid, well-organized ground swell running with calm air on top of it. Closer to shore, the NOAA CO-OPS station at Neah Bay reads a notably cooler 50.9°F, underscoring the temperature split between open coastal water and the entrance to the Strait this time of year. WDFW's statewide creel and catch survey program continues tracking angler effort and stocking activity across Washington waters through the fall.
Columbia steelhead run tracks toward a record low this fall
This year's Columbia and Snake river steelhead run is shaping up to be the smallest ever recorded, per Hatch Magazine, with just over 52,000 fish tallied above Bonneville Dam since counting began July 1. That puts the run well behind a typical fall pace. The full moon this week points toward early and late-day windows mattering more than midday effort. WDFW's statewide creel and stocking reports remain the go-to for current lake and river-specific numbers this time of year.