Best Fishing Spots in Washington: Five Waters and the Exact Place to Fish on Each

How these five were chosen

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife keeps a page for every lowland lake and marine area it manages, plus a directory of more than 60 public piers on Puget Sound. This page is built from those pages. A water made the list if WDFW describes a strong fishery there and names a specific public place we could put a pin on — a pier, a fill, a beach.

The result leans toward places you can fish without a boat. Two of the five are public piers, and a third is a shoreline WDFW singles out for walleye from the bank.

Washington requires a fishing licence from age 16 — there is no general pier exemption — and a catch record card for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, halibut and Puget Sound Dungeness crab, even for younger anglers.

Lake Washington — Gene Coulon Park piers

Why it is on the list. Lake Washington, nearly 22,000 acres between Seattle and Bellevue, is open year-round and holds dozens of species. WDFW names the main attractions as coastal cutthroat trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, yellow perch and black crappie, with Chinook, coho and sockeye in years when enough adults return.

Why this exact spot. WDFW lists Gene Coulon Memorial Park in Renton both as one of the lake’s principal boat ramps and as a place with public fishing piers. Its 2018 pier guide describes an “expansive dock complex that serves as spacious fishing platform,” over a mix of rock and weeds up to 30 feet deep. The pin is on the pier.

Target fish (WDFW). Yellow perch · largemouth and smallmouth bass · coastal cutthroat trout · black crappie · sockeye, Chinook and coho in open years.

Techniques by season.

• Cutthroat: best in spring and fall. WDFW notes a July–August lull, when fish move offshore to deeper, cooler water, and the lowest catches in late winter, when adults spawn in the tributaries.
• Bass: improve through spring as the water warms and fish move inshore, peaking around the spawn; summer slows, but dawn and dusk can be very good, and fall picks up again as weeds die back.
• Perch: a pier staple. WDFW’s guide singles out other south-end piers too — Lake Washington Boulevard Park as a great perch spot with 30 feet of water, Luther Burbank Park on Mercer Island as a good summer spot for bass and perch.
• Sockeye: only in some years. WDFW and its tribal co-managers open a recreational season only when the run is expected to carry enough surplus above the 350,000-fish escapement goal, judged from counts at the Ballard Locks in June and July.

Two-pole fishing is not allowed here, there are zone closures along the floating bridges, and a size rule protects juvenile steelhead in spring. The Department of Health advises against eating any northern pikeminnow from the lake and limits meals of larger perch, cutthroat and bass. Our yellow perch guide covers the fish.

Puget Sound — Edmonds Fishing Pier

Why it is on the list. WDFW points out that with more than 60 public piers from Tacoma to Bellingham, you don’t need a boat to fish Puget Sound. For Edmonds, WDFW lists parking, accessible access, restrooms, lights, rain cover, railings and a fish cleaning station, and tags it as good for squid jigging.

Why this exact spot. It is where the fall squid run starts in the central Sound. WDFW says squid “appear near the Edmonds waterfront starting around September,” then move down to Elliott Bay and Seattle. The pin is on the pier, north of the marina.

Target fish (WDFW, Marine Area 9). Market squid (fall and winter) · salmon in summer and fall · lingcod in spring and early summer · cabezon and kelp greenling.

Techniques.

• Squid: they feed mainly at night and are drawn to light, which is why lit public piers work. They usually start just after dark and often taper off by midnight; best odds come at high tide on a cloudy or rainy night.
• Squid gear: a light, long rod and 6- to 20-pound line, lighter being better. Luminous or reflective jigs of two to four inches, with a one-ounce weight under unweighted lures. WDFW notes that at Edmonds most successful anglers fish a single lure and cast farther out, because of the tall pole lights.
• The bite: set on any slight change and keep steady upward pressure — squid jigs are barbless, so slack loses squid. Squid can bite, and their ink washes out if you treat it before it dries.

Squid require a valid shellfish/seaweed licence; salmon need a catch record card. WDFW reminds anglers that many piers are run by local owners who set the hours, and that you fish there as an invited guest. Our night fishing guide covers the rest of the after-dark kit.

Moses Lake — Alder Street Fill

Why it is on the list. Moses Lake, about 6,700 acres in the middle of the town that shares its name, is open year-round for warmwater fish and rainbow trout. WDFW surveys show high numbers of walleye and smallmouth bass — walleye that “can reach and exceed the 10 pound mark,” and smallmouth that can top five pounds.

Why this exact spot. WDFW names it in one line: “In April, shore fishing at the Alder Street Fill can be excellent for Walleye.” The fill carries a road across the lake in town; the pin is on the water beside it.

Target fish (WDFW). Walleye · smallmouth bass · largemouth bass · yellow perch · black crappie and bluegill in good years · lake whitefish.

Techniques by season.

• Walleye: the April shore bite at the fill is the headline. WDFW’s general pattern for walleye is best fishing before and after the spawn, good summer fishing with a lull in the heat, improvement in fall, and deeper fish in winter. It links a video on shoreline walleye fishing from the lake’s page.
• Perch: WDFW says they are usually very good from fall through winter, when fish gather in large schools — and through the ice when the lake freezes. The most popular ice fishing spot is near Blue Heron Park.
• Lake whitefish: peak in summer over the deepest water, and again along the shoreline in early to mid-December.

Two-pole fishing is allowed here. One local oddity: WDFW says you do not need a licence to fish for common carp in Moses Lake. Our walleye fishing guide covers jigs and night tactics.

Potholes Reservoir — Medicare Beach

Why it is on the list. Potholes is a 14,000-acre reservoir about seven miles south of Moses Lake, open year-round. WDFW says most anglers come for walleye, smallmouth and largemouth bass, and that “during the winter, early-spring, and fall months, trout fishing can be very good for rainbows up to and exceeding 20 inches.”

Why this exact spot. WDFW names Medicare Beach as a very popular area for rainbow trout, and it is one of nine WDFW water access areas on the reservoir. A cooperative net-pen project releases 50,000 small rainbows here each year, which grow to 12 inches or more by fall. The pin is on the water off the beach.

Target fish (WDFW). Rainbow trout · walleye · smallmouth bass · largemouth bass · yellow perch · panfish in good years.

Techniques by season.

• Rainbows: winter, early spring and fall are the windows; summer heat pushes trout deeper and offshore.
• Walleye and bass: the reservoir’s main draw through the warm months; WDFW’s lake page carries its survey results.
• Ice: in years when the reservoir freezes, WDFW says the Lind Coulee Arm is a popular ice fishing spot for perch, walleye and rainbow trout. Ice is never guaranteed here — check it yourself.

WDFW’s other access areas include Blythe, Glen Williams, Sampson’s Pit, Warden Outfall and four at Lind Coulee; a state park sits on the reservoir too. Two-pole fishing is allowed. Our ice fishing basics guide covers ice safety.

Lake Chelan — lower lake at Manson

Why it is on the list. Stretching more than 50 miles from Chelan to Stehekin, Lake Chelan is the largest natural lake in Washington. WDFW says the state lake trout record has been broken here several times — most recently in February 2013, at 35.63 pounds — and the lake also carries kokanee, planted cutthroat and landlocked Chinook.

Why this exact spot. For smallmouth, WDFW points to “the lower portion of the lake near Chelan and Manson.” It also notes numerous boat launches and public docks for fishing from shore. The pin is on Manson Bay, where the town waterfront meets the lower lake.

Target fish (WDFW). Kokanee · smallmouth bass · cutthroat trout · lake trout · landlocked Chinook salmon.

Techniques by season.

• Kokanee: usually best from mid-April through June; later in summer they hold deeper, near the thermocline.
• Cutthroat: catchable fish are planted in June and July; WDFW says anglers have done well in recent years on fish averaging 12 inches, some over 17.
• Lake trout: deep water and patience; landlocked Chinook turn up now and then while fishing for lake trout and kokanee.
• Smallmouth: the lower lake near Manson and Chelan — rocky shoreline, docks and points.

WDFW notes that the upper lake’s shoreline is mostly Forest Service land, with shore access. The Department of Health issues consumption advisories for Lake Chelan; check them before keeping fish. Our thermocline explainer covers why kokanee and lake trout go deep in summer.

Before you go

Licences. A fishing licence from age 16, a shellfish/seaweed licence for squid, and a catch record card for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, halibut and Puget Sound Dungeness crab — even for anglers under 16. Free Fishing Weekend is the first weekend after the first Monday in June. Our licences and regulations guide explains where to look.

Salmon. Seasons are set and changed in-season by WDFW’s emergency rules. Check them before any salmon trip, including Lake Washington sockeye.

Pick the day. Squid want dark, high-tide, wet nights; walleye want low light and a change in the weather. Our tides and best time to fish pages cover both.