Fishing Information

Saltwater Fly Fishing in Washington State


When most people think of saltwater fly fishing their minds drift to tropical climates and fish species such as tarpon and bonefish. While the Pacific Northwest lacks the hot weather and the typical saltwater gamefish, it more than makes up for it with outstanding fly fishing and spectacular scenery.

I have spent some time fishing in warmer climates, but I always want to return back to Washington State. Whether it's casting along the beaches of Hood Canal for sea-run cutthroat or fighting the swells and currents casting flies for coho salmon in the Pacific Ocean, I cannot get enough of the saltwater fly fishing opportunities available right here.

Much of my summer is spent fly fishing the Pacific Ocean for salmon and bottomfish. Bottomfishing is targeting fish such as rockfish and lingcod. This is fishing right up near the rugged rocks and shorelines that line the Northern coast of Washington. The fishing is often fast and furious. Once you find the schools of black rockfish, you will catch them one after another. They are aggressive, and can even be caught on poppers occasionally. While fishing along the coast, you will see sea lions, seals, tons of birds, and possibly a whale.

The other primary saltwater fly fishing target in the Pacific Ocean is the coho salmon. Neah Bay is located in a perfect place to intercept millions of salmon as they return to rivers from Oregon, British Columbia, and Washington. The strong currents concentrate the fish as they feed on baitfish and shrimp. This is incredible saltwater fly fishing, with 10-30 fish days possible. Most coho salmon run between 4-6 pounds, but fish in the high teens are landed every year. Casting baitfish patterns on sinking lines is the primary way to catch salmon, but fishing on the surface is becoming more popular. Pink salmon are also available every other year, and they only add to the fun.

The offshore fishery requires a sturdy boat and some experience, but Washington State also offers great saltwater fly fishing right around the Seattle metro area. Stretching from Bellingham to Olympia, Puget Sound is a large protected body of water. Draining into Puget Sound are numerous rivers and creeks. These watersheds produce annual runs of coho, pink, and chum salmon that are available to not only anglers with boats, but can be caught from shore. Along with the salmon, Puget Sound and Hood Canal offer outstanding habitat for the sea-run cutthroat trout. This native trout moves into the saltwater to feed. Casting flies along the beaches is a popular fishery for these trout.

The cutthroats are like ghosts as they cruise along the beaches. The beaches I like to fish typically are rocky or have large amounts of oysters. This habitat supports the feed, such as sculpins, baitfish and shrimp that cutthroat love to eat. Fishing surface patterns such as Gurglers is becoming much more popular, and is a great way to search for fish. The cutthroat will often show themselves boiling at the dry, and then switching to a subsurface baitfish pattern will result in a solid hookup.

If you are traveling through the Pacific Northwest, you might want to remember that where there is saltwater, there is saltwater fly fishing.

Chris Bellows, owner of Topwater Charters, Inc, which runs fly fishing charters off the Washington Coast. His websites offer more information about Saltwater Fly Fishing and Neah Bay Halibut Fishing


MORE RESOURCES:


MSN News UK

Mother bear rescues cub from a fishing net in Alaska
BBC News
Amateur video has captured footage of a mother bear saving her cub from a fishing net in Anchorage, Alaska. The mother desperately struggled to save her cub ...
Neighbors help bear cub trapped in fishing netKTVB

all 20 news articles »


Northern California fishing report
San Jose Mercury News
Bass fishing is slow. Catfish will be planted weekly. (925) 284-9669. LOS VAQUEROS: Striped-bass bite is back on. Frozen shad or anchovies work best. ...
OUTDOORS: Weekly fishing report, July 29North County Times

all 4 news articles »


Taylor Lake offers anglers good opportunity for bass and blue gill
Bend Bulletin
BIG LAVA LAKE: No recent report but fishing for rainbow trout has been good throughout spring and early summer. The fish have been in great condition ...
Fishing reportDetroit Free Press
fishing reportLas Vegas Review-Journal
Fishing Line: 07/29/10Sacramento Bee
ConnectMidMichigan.com -Mail Tribune -MLive.com
all 15 news articles »


DE Spears likes Louisiana fishing
Fort Worth Star Telegram
But back to fishing, here are five thoughts from Spears: 1"I'm from Louisiana. I like to fish in pits. They are off the bayou of the Mississippi River. ...

and more »


Action remains fine as fishing effort down
Seattle Times
Heading into the heart of summer the wide variety of fishing opportunities continue to offer decent action. By Mark Yuasa Seattle native and lifelong angler ...

and more »


Final two Overnight Fishing Opportunities of the summer are Aug. 21 and 28
Kansas City Star
7/28/10 - The second of two overnight fishing opportunities planned this summer at Kill Creek Park Lake and the fourth of four at Shawnee Mission Park Lake ...

and more »


The Hindu

Iceland tells EU: "We keep control of fishing"
Fish Update
ICELAND has told the European Union that its fishing grounds are not open to negotiation and must remain under the control of the Reykjavik Government. ...
Iceland defies EU fishing rulesBBC News
Iceland wants to stay out of EU fishing policyBusinessWeek
Iceland seeks EU membership benefits, but fishing and Icesave remain thorny issuesInternational Business Times
Winnipeg Free Press -UPI.com -EUobserver.com
all 149 news articles »


msnbc.com

BP Oil Spill: Fisherman Say It's Time to Reopen Some Fishing Grounds
ABC News
Bobby Jindal and Gulf Residents Want to Begin Fishing Again By JEFFREY KOFMAN On day 99 of BP's oil spill crisis, almost a quarter of the Gulf of Mexico ...
NBC's Anne Thompson Reflects On 100 Days In The GulfHuffington Post (blog)
100 Days After Spill Gulf Still at RiskFOXNews (blog)
100 days of oil: Gulf life will never be the sameThe Associated Press
Natural Resources Defense Council (blog) -Voice of America -Albany Times Union
all 4,441 news articles »


Fishing derby rescheduled to this weekend
Suburban Life Publications
By Anonymous The annual Clarendon Hills Park District fishing derby, postponed last week due to heavy rains, will take place at 8 am Saturday, ...

and more »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006