Species guide · Washington
Chum salmon fishing in Washington
Oncorhynchus keta, a sea-run species also called dog salmon, dogs and keta. Listed for the Pacific Northwest region. Off season, about 1 more week.
Right now it scores best in Admiralty Inlet at 35, one of 8 Washington bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.
Season now
Off seasonSeason by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
Pacific Northwest
Off season, about 1 more week- Jan: Not present
- Feb: Not present
- Mar: Not present
- Apr: Not present
- May: Not present
- Jun: Not present
- Jul: Not present
- Aug: Not present
- Sep: Off season
- Oct: Shoulder season
- Nov: Peak season
- Dec: Shoulder season
Peak: Nov. In season (shoulder or peak): Oct to Dec.
Research notes, Pacific Northwest region
Fall chum fisheries in Hood Canal (Hoodsport Hatchery terminal area, open November) and South Puget Sound (Kennedy Creek and Carr Inlet, Nov 1 to early December). Hood Canal summer chum are ESA listed and not a target. Oregon chum are mostly catch and release.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 8
Washington bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's chum salmon score this hour.
Best window today 11 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 12 AM (35) · 23 named spots
Best window today 11 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 3 at 7 PM (65) · 11 named spots
Best window today 11 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Fri, Oct 2 at 6 PM (63) · 22 named spots
Best window today 11 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 3 at 7 AM (61) · 20 named spots
Best window today 11 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 12 AM (35) · 308 named spots
Best window today 11 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Sat, Oct 3 at 7 AM (67) · 268 named spots
Best window today 11 AM-12 AM (30) · Best day Sat, Oct 3 at 7 PM (66) · 8 named spots
Best window today 11 AM-12 AM (20) · Best day Sat, Oct 3 at 7 AM (66) · 27 named spots
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 42°F to 60°F, best between 46°F and 55°F.
- Water depth
- 3 to 40 ft of water.
- Structure
- Estuary, beach, bay, inlet, channel and point, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers incoming tide and high tide, with light current.Chum stage off stream mouths and hatchery beaches before moving into fresh water. Anglers at terminal areas generally do best as the flood pushes new fish toward the beach and at high water. This is guide consensus; agency pages describe the locations and dates, not tide stage.
- Light
- Some lift around dawn and dusk.
- Pressure
- Little response to pressure changes.
- Wind and sea limits
- 18 kt of wind and 3 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
Chum stage off stream mouths and hatchery beaches in late fall in Puget Sound and Hood Canal and in midsummer in Southeast Alaska. Fish from the beach or a skiff in 5 to 30 feet with a green or cerise jig under a float, a large fly or a spoon. They fight hard, so step up to 12 to 20 pound line.
- Methods
- casting from the beach, float fishing, fly fishing, trolling in terminal areas
- Lures
- green or cerise marabou jigs under a float, chartreuse and cerise flies, spoons, spinners, green hoochie behind a flasher
- Bait
- herring strip, cured shrimp
Regulations
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Synced with WDFW Sep 21, 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
2 salmon combined per day · No minimum size.
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 chum. 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
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
No retention
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
No retention
Season: Sep 1 to Sep 30, 2026
Changes to retention open 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 retention open on Oct 1, 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
No retention
Season: Aug 1 to Sep 30, 2026
Changes to retention open on Oct 16, 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
No retention
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