Species guide · Washington
Chinook salmon fishing in Washington
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, a sea-run species also called king salmon, king and blackmouth. Listed for the Pacific Northwest region. Peak season, about 1 more week.
Right now it scores best in Admiralty Inlet at 72, one of 2 Washington bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.
Season now
Peak seasonSeason by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
Pacific Northwest
Peak season, about 1 more week- Jan: Shoulder season
- Feb: Shoulder season
- Mar: Shoulder season
- Apr: Shoulder season
- May: Shoulder season
- Jun: Shoulder season
- Jul: Peak season
- Aug: Peak season
- Sep: Peak season
- Oct: Shoulder season
- Nov: Off season
- Dec: Shoulder season
Peak: Jul to Sep. In season (shoulder or peak): Dec to Oct.
Research notes, Pacific Northwest region
Winter and early spring blackmouth (resident immature Chinook) in Puget Sound Nov to Apr. Ocean and Puget Sound summer Chinook July and August. Buoy 10 at the Columbia mouth opens Aug 1 with Chinook peaking through late August. Oregon coastal bay fall Chinook (Tillamook, Nehalem and others) run August through October. Seasons are set each spring through North of Falcon and PFMC.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 2
Washington bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's chinook salmon score this hour.
Best window today 4-9 PM (79) · Best day Sun, Sep 20 at 9 AM (81) · 23 named spots
Best window today 2-9 PM (74) · Best day Sun, Sep 20 at 8 AM (81) · 22 named spots
Not scored in this forecast: Central U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca, Coastal Waters From James Island To Point Grenville Out 10 Nm, Grays Harbor Bar, Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands, Puget Sound and Hood Canal and West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 42°F to 60°F, best between 46°F and 54°F.
- Water depth
- 10 to 300 ft of water.
- Structure
- Point, rip, kelp, channel, open water, estuary and bay, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers incoming tide, high tide and moving water, with moderate current.In Puget Sound and Southeast Alaska, Chinook gather where tidal current runs past points and over underwater ridges, forming rips that stack herring and needlefish. At estuary mouths like Buoy 10 the incoming tide brings cooler ocean water, bait and salmon in, and ODFW names the first hour after high slack as the tide starts out as a prime window. Ocean trolling is less tide driven than inside waters.
- Light
- Bites best around dawn and dusk.
- Pressure
- Little response to pressure changes.
- Wind and sea limits
- 20 kt of wind and 7 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
Chinook hold near bait off points, kelp edges and tide rips, usually suspended 20 to 120 feet down and deeper as the sun gets higher. Troll slowly, under 2 mph, with a flasher and herring, hoochie or spoon on a downrigger, or mooch a plug-cut herring at the depth where the sounder shows bait. Winter blackmouth and feeder kings sit within 10 feet of the bottom in 60 to 200 feet.
- Methods
- downrigger trolling, trolling with flasher, mooching, motor mooching, casting from shore
- Lures
- 11-inch flasher with hoochie, trolling spoons, plugs, bucktail flies, large spinners and spoons from shore
- Bait
- plug-cut herring, whole herring, herring strip, anchovy
Regulations
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Synced with WDFW Sep 20, 2026. Rules shown verified Sep 13, 2026.
No retention
Season: Sep 9 to Sep 30, 2026
Changes to check regulations on Oct 1, 2026
Closed to salmon fishing. Possession of salmon on board a vessel is prohibited.
WDFW emergency rule: Marine Area 1 salmon season update (Sept. 1, 2026) · verified Sep 13, 2026
No retention
Season: Aug 22 to Sep 30, 2026
Changes to check regulations on Oct 1, 2026
Possession of Chinook on board a vessel is prohibited.
WDFW emergency rule: Marine Area 2 salmon season update (Aug. 17, 2026) · verified Sep 13, 2026
6 salmon combined per day · Minimum 12 in. Minimum length for Chinook. See the WDFW pamphlet for how to measure.
Season: Aug 1, 2026 to Jan 31, 2027
Changes to check regulations on Feb 1, 2027
Two-pole endorsement allowed. Some waters in the bay have separate closures. Check the pamphlet. Up to 2 may be adult salmon. Season and limits as listed in WDFW's 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries. WDFW's adopted rule (WAC 220-313-070, WSR 26-13-052) sets the same rules for these dates.
WDFW 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries (final) · verified Sep 13, 2026
No retention
Season: Sep 16 to Sep 30, 2026
Changes to check regulations on Feb 1, 2027
West of the Buoy 13 line: Marine Area 2 rules through Sept. 30, daily limit 2, release Chinook and wild coho. East Grays Harbor: daily limit 2, release Chinook. Westport and Ocean Shores boat basins: daily limit 6 with up to 4 adults, release Chinook. Humptulips North Bay is closed. Minimum size 12 inches inside the harbor. Rules as listed in WDFW's 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries, which match WDFW's adopted rule (WAC 220-313-070). Waters west of the Buoy 13 line follow Marine Area 2 rules.
WDFW 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries (final) · verified Sep 13, 2026
2 salmon combined per day · Minimum 24 in. Minimum length for Chinook. See the WDFW pamphlet for how to measure.
Season: Aug 1 to Sep 30, 2026
Changes to check regulations on Oct 1, 2026
WDFW manages this season to a Chinook guideline and a hatchery coho quota and can close it early by emergency rule.
WDFW emergency rule: Marine Area 3 salmon seasons (June 10, 2026) · verified Sep 13, 2026
No retention
Season: Aug 24 to Sep 30, 2026
Changes to check regulations on Oct 1, 2026
Closed to salmon fishing. Possession of salmon on board a vessel is prohibited, except that from Aug. 26 salmon legally caught in Canada or Marine Areas 5 to 13 may be carried through Marine Area 4 and landed in Neah Bay.
WDFW emergency rule: Marine Area 4 salmon season closes Aug. 24 (Aug. 21, 2026) · verified Sep 13, 2026
No retention
Season: Aug 16 to Sep 24, 2026
Changes to closed on Oct 16, 2026
Some bays, piers and creek mouths have separate rules or closures. Check the pamphlet. Barbless hooks required in Marine Areas 5 through 13. Season and limits as listed in WDFW's 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries. WDFW's adopted rule (WAC 220-313-060, WSR 26-13-052) sets the same rules for these dates.
WDFW 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries (final) · verified Sep 13, 2026
No retention
Season: Aug 16 to Sep 24, 2026
Changes to closed on Oct 16, 2026
Dungeness Bay is closed to salmon through Sept. 30. Some bays, piers and creek mouths have separate rules or closures. Check the pamphlet. Barbless hooks required in Marine Areas 5 through 13. Season and limits as listed in WDFW's 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries. WDFW's adopted rule (WAC 220-313-060, WSR 26-13-052) sets the same rules for these dates.
WDFW 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries (final) · verified Sep 13, 2026
No retention
Season: Sep 1 to Sep 30, 2026
Changes to closed on Oct 1, 2026
Bellingham Bay has a separate daily limit through Sept. 30. Some bays, piers and creek mouths have separate rules or closures. Check the pamphlet. Barbless hooks required in Marine Areas 5 through 13. Season and limits as listed in WDFW's 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries. WDFW's adopted rule (WAC 220-313-060, WSR 26-13-052) sets the same rules for these dates.
WDFW 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries (final) · verified Sep 13, 2026
No retention
Season: Aug 1 to Oct 11, 2026
Changes to closed on Oct 12, 2026
Some bays, piers and creek mouths have separate rules or closures. Check the pamphlet. Barbless hooks required in Marine Areas 5 through 13. Season and limits as listed in WDFW's 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries. WDFW's adopted rule (WAC 220-313-060, WSR 26-13-052) sets the same rules for these dates.
WDFW 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries (final) · verified Sep 13, 2026
No retention
Season: Aug 1 to Sep 25, 2026
Changes to closed on Sep 26, 2026
The Tulalip Terminal Area has separate rules. Some bays, piers and creek mouths have separate rules or closures. Check the pamphlet. Barbless hooks required in Marine Areas 5 through 13. Season and limits as listed in WDFW's 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries. WDFW's adopted rule (WAC 220-313-060, WSR 26-13-052) sets the same rules for these dates.
WDFW 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries (final) · verified Sep 13, 2026
No retention
Season: Sep 19 to Sep 30, 2026
Changes to closed on Oct 1, 2026
Edmonds Fishing Pier has separate rules. Some bays, piers and creek mouths have separate rules or closures. Check the pamphlet. Barbless hooks required in Marine Areas 5 through 13. Season and limits as listed in WDFW's 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries. WDFW's adopted rule (WAC 220-313-060, WSR 26-13-052) sets the same rules for these dates.
WDFW 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries (final) · verified Sep 13, 2026
Season: Sep 1 to Sep 30, 2026
Changes to catch & release on Oct 1, 2026
Hatchery Chinook may be kept only in Sinclair Inlet (south of the Manette Bridge, south of a line true west from Battle Point, and west of a line true south from Point White), where the daily limit is 3, Chinook minimum 22 inches, release wild Chinook and chum. Elsewhere release all Chinook. Year-round piers (Seacrest, Pier 86, Waterman, Bremerton Boardwalk and Illahee State Park) have separate rules. Barbless hooks required in Marine Areas 5 through 13. Season and limits as listed in WDFW's 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries. WDFW's adopted rule (WAC 220-313-060, WSR 26-13-052) sets the same rules for these dates.
WDFW 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries (final) · verified Sep 13, 2026
No retention
Season: Aug 15 to Sep 30, 2026
Changes to closed on Nov 16, 2026
Year-round piers (Des Moines, Les Davis, Point Defiance Boathouse Dock and Redondo) have separate rules. Barbless hooks required in Marine Areas 5 through 13.
WDFW emergency rule: Marine Area 11 salmon fishery update (Aug. 12, 2026) · verified Sep 13, 2026
Season: Aug 1 to Sep 30, 2026
Changes to catch & release on Oct 1, 2026
South of Ayock Point: hatchery Chinook may be kept (Chinook minimum 20 inches), release wild Chinook, chum and sockeye. North of Ayock Point: release all Chinook, chum and sockeye. Some bays, piers and creek mouths have separate rules or closures. Check the pamphlet. Barbless hooks required in Marine Areas 5 through 13. Season and limits as listed in WDFW's 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries. WDFW's adopted rule (WAC 220-313-060, WSR 26-13-052) sets the same rules for these dates.
WDFW 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries (final) · verified Sep 13, 2026
2 salmon combined per day · Minimum 20 in. Minimum length for Chinook. See the WDFW pamphlet for how to measure.
Season: Jul 1 to Sep 30, 2026
Changes to check regulations on May 1, 2027
Two-pole endorsement allowed. The Minter Creek mouth is closed and lower Budd Inlet has a closure zone through Oct. 31. Some bays, piers and creek mouths have separate rules or closures. Check the pamphlet. Barbless hooks required in Marine Areas 5 through 13. Season and limits as listed in WDFW's 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries. WDFW's adopted rule (WAC 220-313-060, WSR 26-13-052) sets the same rules for these dates.
WDFW 2026-27 List of Agreed Fisheries (final) · verified Sep 13, 2026