Washington fishing reports
191 reports for Washington — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Chinook and Halibut Season Hits Stride on Washington's Sound and Coast
With the new moon arriving June 13, NOAA buoys 46041 and 46087 are recording light winds — 4 m/s and 2 m/s respectively — and cool air temperatures around 52–56°F along the Washington outer coast, though water-temperature sensors at both stations returned no readings this cycle. Direct bite reports for Puget Sound and the Pacific coast were limited in this reporting period; the WA WDFW Fishing Reports page is active with statewide creel and stocking data, but specific current species notes were not available. WA Sea Grant flags the annual Salish Sea-wide Molt Blitz on June 26, a signal that Dungeness crab activity is well underway across Puget Sound. Absent specific on-water intel, seasonal patterns for mid-June typically bring Chinook salmon into the straits and passages of Puget Sound, Pacific halibut holding on sandy offshore flats, and lingcod staying tight to deep rocky structure. Verify current retention rules and any emergency closures with WDFW before heading out.
Columbia Basin Bass in Full Swing as Summer Tournament Season Arrives
USGS gauge 14113000 logged 62°F water and 984 cfs on June 12, placing Washington's mid-Columbia tributary system squarely in the productive mid-season range. Outdoor Hub reports that bass season is rolling across the Columbia Basin, with a full summer tournament calendar already running at Moses Lake, Potholes Reservoir, and Banks Lake through August — a strong signal that both smallmouth and largemouth are active on structure and open water. Field & Stream's temperature guide for trout puts 62°F near the upper edge of the ideal window, making early mornings the priority session before afternoon heat pushes fish deeper or into cover. Flow at the gauge sits at a moderate, navigable level that tends to concentrate fish on predictable current seams and ledge edges. Direct shop or charter reports for Puget Sound river tributaries are sparse in this reporting cycle; consult WA WDFW Fishing Reports for the latest creel surveys and active stocking locations before making the drive.
Bass season heats up across the Columbia Basin as Eastern WA summer kicks off
Bass season is rolling across Eastern Washington's Columbia Basin, with Outdoor Hub reporting a packed summer 2026 tournament calendar at Moses Lake, Potholes Reservoir, and Banks Lake running now through August — a strong indicator that largemouth and smallmouth are active and the season is in full swing. The Yakima River (USGS gauge 12484500) was logged at 2,720 cfs on June 12, a moderately elevated late-runoff flow as Cascade snowmelt continues to taper. Water temperatures were not captured at the gauge at time of reporting. Wired 2 Fish flagged prolonged western drought as a growing threat to reservoir fisheries across the West, making it worth checking local water levels before launching at any impoundment. The waning crescent moon through the weekend favors low-light bites at dawn and dusk. WA WDFW Fishing Reports tracks active stocking schedules statewide for anglers planning a mid-week trout outing.
Puget Sound Kings and Pacific Halibut in Season as Washington Boating Opens
Washington Sea Grant confirmed this week that the Pacific Northwest boating season is officially underway, with activity building across the Salish Sea. WA WDFW is actively monitoring catch through angler interviews at access sites statewide, though no specific creel data was available in this report cycle. No current buoy or gauge readings are in hand, so conditions here are drawn from mid-June seasonal norms. Resident Chinook (king) salmon typically reach their late-spring peak in Puget Sound this month, concentrated near deepwater points, ferry corridors, and nearshore drop-offs. On the Pacific coast, summer halibut access continues in open IPHC management areas — verify current WA WDFW area rules and quotas before launching. WA Sea Grant's citizen-science Molt Blitz data signals Dungeness crab are actively molting across the Salish Sea, a normal mid-June pattern that typically precedes improved crab quality once shells harden. The waning crescent moon phase this weekend favors early-morning low-light bites on both sides of the Olympic Peninsula.
Olympic Peninsula Rivers in Position as Summer Chinook Season Opens
USGS gauge 12041200 logs 993 cfs on June 12 — moderate, late-spring flow well below the spring runoff peak — while USGS gauge 12035000 shows a second Olympic Peninsula drainage at 614 cfs. No water temperature data accompanied either reading. WA WDFW Fishing Reports lists active statewide creel monitoring but provided no Olympic Peninsula-specific salmon field reports for this week. Absent direct angler intel from the Peninsula, conditions are read from gauge levels and seasonal patterns: flows in the 600–1,000 cfs range typically mean defined holding pools and gradually improving clarity through mid-June. June marks the traditional start of summer chinook opportunity on major Peninsula drainages, with hatchery summer steelhead also beginning their upstream entry around this time. Anglers should verify current WDFW emergency rules before targeting chinook — quota-based closures can be called with short notice on these rivers.
Columbia Basin bass season heats up as Eastern WA tournament circuit opens
The Columbia Basin is loaded with bass tournament action this summer, with events scheduled at Moses Lake, Potholes Reservoir, and Banks Lake running through August, per Outdoor Hub citing the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Inland Empire Bass Club. The USGS gauge on the Yakima River (site 12484500) is registering 2,650 cfs as of June 12 — a moderate late-spring flow that typically precedes the slower summer taper when wading windows open up. Broader western drought conditions flagged by Wired 2 Fish are worth monitoring; prolonged dry spells have triggered fish kills at reservoirs across the West this season. Field & Stream's trout temperature guide highlights that early-summer stress windows are approaching, making dawn and dusk sessions increasingly critical for Yakima trout anglers. With the waning crescent moon dampening surface activity overnight, mid-morning bites on the Columbia Basin impoundments should be the focus heading into the weekend.
Salish Sea Molt Blitz June 26 as Summer Chinook Season Takes Hold
Washington Sea Grant reports that Dungeness and other crab species are actively molting across the Salish Sea ahead of the June 26 community science Molt Blitz — the third annual shoreline survey of shed exoskeletons that also marks peak transition into summer conditions. Soft-shell crabs encountered now are in the vulnerable post-molt window; check WA WDFW regulations before retaining any. On the salmon side, WA WDFW's statewide creel survey program continues at marine access sites, though specific catch breakdowns from this reporting cycle were not available. Based on typical mid-June patterns, summer Chinook are beginning to concentrate in the sound's deeper marine channels, and Pacific halibut remains open along the coast under quota management. No NOAA buoy data was available this cycle; water temperatures are unconfirmed. Verify current conditions and marine-area bag limits through WA WDFW before launching.
Olympic Peninsula rivers in early summer shape as chinook season builds
The Hoh River is running at 1,250 cfs and the Queets River at 697 cfs as of pre-dawn June 11 (USGS gauge 12041200 and USGS gauge 12035000), moderate early-summer flows driven by ongoing Olympic Mountain snowmelt. Water temperatures were unavailable from both gauges this morning. WA WDFW Fishing Reports monitors Olympic Peninsula rivers through creel surveys, but no site-specific bite data was available in today's feed. Based on seasonal patterns typical for this region, early June marks the opening window for summer chinook staging in lower river tidewater reaches, while resident cutthroat trout hold throughout the system and summer steelhead are present in select rivers. Both rivers appear fishable at current levels for bank and drift-boat anglers, though flow conditions should be verified close to launch time. Check WDFW regulations carefully before heading out. Olympic Peninsula chinook and steelhead fisheries carry tight in-season rules that vary by river. A waning crescent moon keeps early-morning hours dark, typically a favorable window for fresh-run salmon moving upriver.
Columbia bass and steelhead move into position as early-June flows moderate
At 58°F and 1,060 cfs as of June 10 (USGS gauge 14113000), the Columbia River is logging favorable early-summer conditions. WA WDFW Fishing Reports tracks creel activity statewide, though no species-specific bite data appeared in this feed cycle — conditions here draw on gauge readings and typical seasonal patterns for the drainage. Water in the upper 50s sits squarely in the productive range for post-spawn smallmouth bass holding on the Columbia's rocky mid-river structure, and for summer steelhead beginning to stage in the system's lower tributaries. On Puget Sound tributary rivers, summer steelhead hatchery returns vary considerably by drainage; check current schedules directly with WDFW before making the trip. The waning crescent moon this week dims overnight ambient light, likely pushing the most productive windows toward mid-morning and early afternoon for both bass and steelhead across the region.
Trout and smallmouth primed as Eastern WA rivers ease toward summer flows
USGS gauge 12484500 recorded 2,760 cfs on June 10 — elevated early-summer runoff with no temperature reading available. At these flows, Eastern WA trout rivers push fish off open riffles and into slower holding water: eddy seams, inside bends, and tributary confluences are the spots to target. WA WDFW Fishing Reports confirms the department is actively stocking lakes and streams statewide, making stillwaters a productive fallback while main-stem levels remain high. Post-spawn smallmouth bass in Columbia tributaries and Spokane-area rivers are the other strong play this week: Wired 2 Fish notes bronzebacks in this phase favor rocky structure and feed most aggressively during low-light windows, moving shallow at dawn before dropping to deeper edges in full sun. Tactical Bassin identifies swing jigs and wobble heads as the top early-summer producers for river bass. With the waning crescent moon, morning and evening windows are worth prioritizing for both species.
Dungeness Crab in Molt Season, Early Chinook Stirring in Puget Sound
Washington Sea Grant's announcement of the third annual Salish Sea-wide Molt Blitz, scheduled for June 26 and designed to capture the largest single-day crab molt dataset in state history, signals that Dungeness and rock crabs are entering a peak molt window across Puget Sound. WA Sea Grant also notes that Washington's boating season is officially underway, with docks busy and conditions drawing anglers back to the water. Direct on-water fishing intelligence was limited this reporting cycle from WA WDFW's monitoring network, but June historically marks the opening stretch of summer chinook windows in the Sound, with fish moving through inside-water feed grounds. Pacific coast targeting of halibut continues during open quota periods, while rockfish and lingcod remain reliable at rocky structure on both inside and outside waters. No NOAA buoy readings were available this cycle; verify current temperatures and tidal tables locally before departing.
Olympic Peninsula Salmon Rivers Ease Into Summer Steelhead Window
USGS gauges on Olympic Peninsula river systems recorded flows of 1,530 cfs (gauge 12041200) and 697 cfs (gauge 12035000) as of the afternoon of June 10 — moderate readings consistent with the tail end of snowmelt runoff draining off the Olympic Range. No water temperature data was available from either gauge. Angler-specific reporting for this corridor was limited in this week's intel cycle; WA WDFW Fishing Reports confirms the department conducts statewide creel monitoring via angler interviews, but no granular Olympic Peninsula conditions appeared in the current feed. Based on seasonal norms for early June, late-running spring Chinook opportunities are winding down across most drainages while early summer steelhead are beginning to push into lower river reaches. Resident cutthroat trout offer the most consistent alternative action through this transition window. Waning crescent moon conditions favor low-light sessions at dawn and dusk for steelhead holding in tailouts and deeper mid-river seams.