Best Fishing Times in Washington This Week
Near Westport, Ilwaco and Wenatchee: today on a 24 hour timeline and the next seven days rated Fair to Best.
Working out the moon and the sun for Westport, WA, and reading the forecast.
Fishing somewhere else? Enter any ZIP for your own spot
Photo: “Fall fishing on the Madison River at sunrise”, Jacob W. Frank, Yellowstone National Park (NPS), Public domain
Washington at a glance
Solunar windows plus the agency calendarWhen fish bite in Washington
Washington's fishing year runs from spring rainbow trout in stocked lakes to midsummer coho on the outer straits, October coho in South Puget Sound and blackmouth Chinook in winter and spring.
Each entry below is from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife or its published guides, quoted word for word and linked. Line the season up with the week above: a run in its prime and a Great day with a window at first light is the morning to take off.
- Spring
Rainbow trout
Rainbow trout fishing is generally best in spring, when thousands of fish are stocked statewide, though they can be caught year round in most waters.
“Fishing success for Rainbow Trout is generally best in the spring when thousands of fish are stocked statewide, but they can be caught year-round in most waters with a little patience and persistence.”
Rainbow trout | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, read October 9, 2026 - Midsummer
Coho salmon
In midsummer on the outer straits, anglers troll a skipping bucktail fly behind the boat for feeding coho.
“For years some of the most exciting fishing in Washington has been “bucktailing” during the mid-summer period on the outer straits. This entails trolling a skipping bucktail fly in the wake of the boat for the activity feeding coho.”
Salmon fishing in marine areas | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, read October 9, 2026 - October
Coho salmon
In South Puget Sound, returning net pen coho are caught in October on spinners, cut plug herring and clousers.
“Blue fox spinners, cut-plug herring set-up or clousers work well to catch returning net pen Coho in October.”
Marine Area 13 - South Puget Sound | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, read October 9, 2026 - Winter and spring
Resident Chinook (blackmouth)
Resident Chinook, known as blackmouth, offer off season fishing in South Puget Sound in winter and spring before other marine areas open.
“Fishing for resident Chinook (also known as blackmouth) can provide great off-season opportunity in the winter and spring before other marine areas open.”
Marine Area 13 - South Puget Sound | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, read October 9, 2026
License, stocking and tides in Washington
Reading the Washington timeline
Each day has two major solunar periods of about two hours, centered on the moon overhead and underfoot, and two minor periods of about an hour at moonrise and moonset. A window within an hour of sunrise or sunset is marked in gold. The rating adds the moon phase, the gold windows and a capped nudge from the National Weather Service forecast for each town. Every factor and its points.
Dawn and dusk are the reliable part; the moon windows are the old angler’s rule.
