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Seattle fishing seasons: what bites, when

Puget Sound gives you something worth catching in every month of the year. Here is the honest calendar, and what to book if you only get one day on the water.

The short version

If you only get one trip

You want the biggest fish

Come in summer for Chinook. King salmon are the reason people fish Puget Sound. Understand that salmon fishing can be slow — you are trading a high chance of a small catch for a real chance at a great one. See our salmon charter page.

You are bringing kids

Come whenever you like and book flounder. It is open year-round and the fish actually bite. A child who catches six flounder had a great day. A child who sits through six hours of salmon fishing with no bites did not, and will not want to come again.

You want to fill a freezer

July to September, and go crabbing. A limit of five Dungeness per person is a genuinely large amount of excellent meat.

You want a fight

May to mid-June, lingcod. See the lingcod page. Six-week window, and they hit like a truck.

You want something you have never done

Autumn and winter, squid jigging at night. Strange, easy, and the best calamari of your life.

Why "it depends" is the honest answer

Charter websites like to print tidy season charts because they convert well. The reality is that Puget Sound salmon regulations are re-set every single year, area by area, based on run forecasts and treaty allocations. A page that promises you Chinook on a specific weekend eleven months out is guessing.

What we can promise is that we will tell you the truth about your date before you pay, and that if the species you wanted is closed, we will put you on one that is open.

Common questions

When is the best month to go fishing in Seattle?

July through September offers the widest choice — salmon and Dungeness crab are both typically open. May to mid-June is the lingcod window. Flounder is open year-round.

What can you fish for in Seattle in winter?

Flounder is open year-round, squid jigging is best in the colder months, and winter blackmouth (resident Chinook) may be open depending on the year's regulations.

When is salmon season in Puget Sound?

Salmon openings are set annually by WDFW and vary by marine area and species. Summer is typically the main Chinook window, with Coho into the fall. Confirm before booking.