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Fishing guides for Seattle area and Northwest
Washington at Neah Bay, on the Snohomish, Skykomish and nearby rivers.
WDFW
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
http://wdfw.wa.gov
June 2011
Contact: (Fish) 360-902-2700
(Wildlife) 360-902-2515
Catch trout, salmon, halibut
during Free Fishing Weekend
Anglers are reeling in
halibut from the ocean, chinook salmon from the Columbia River and trout
from lakes and ponds throughout the state. Starting June 4, hundreds of
rivers will also open for trout fishing, followed later in the month by
some of Washington’s premiere salmon fisheries.
Sound like fun? Those
interested in fishing but don’t have a fishing license will be able to
get in on the action during Free Fishing Weekend, scheduled June 11-12.
During those two days, no
license will be required to fish or gather shellfish in any waters open
to fishing in Washington state. Also, no vehicle use permit will be
required during Free Fishing Weekend to park at any of the 600
water-access sites maintained by the Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife (WDFW).
“Free Fishing Weekend is a
great time to revive an old hobby or to introduce friends and family to
fishing,” said Craig Burley, WDFW fish division manager. “Adults can
introduce kids to fishing on a wide variety of waters around the state.”
While no licenses are
required on Free Fishing Weekend, other rules such as season closures,
size limits and bag limits will still be in effect. For example, no crab
fishing will be allowed in Puget Sound during Free Fishing Weekend,
because no areas will be open for crabbing at that time.
In addition, all anglers will
be required to complete a catch record card for any salmon, steelhead,
sturgeon or halibut they catch that weekend. Catch record cards and
WDFW's Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet are available free at
hundreds of sporting goods stores and other license dealers throughout
the state. The rules pamphlet is also available online at
http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/
Catch big Salmon, Halibut, Tuna, Bottom fish and more
with Andrea K Charters offering
Garibaldi Fishing Charters near Tillamook Bay in Oregon.
Of course, the state’s
fishing opportunities don't begin or end with Free Fishing Weekend.
Several major fisheries open just days after free fishing is over for
the year:
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June 16
– Summer chinook season opens on the Columbia River upriver to
Priest Rapids Dam.
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June 18
– Selective fisheries for hatchery chinook begin off the Washington
coast from Ilwaco north to the Sekiu River.
-
June 26
– Coastal salmon fisheries expand to allow the retention of wild
chinook, hatchery coho and pink salmon.
-
July 1
– Crab fisheries open in most areas of Puget Sound. In addition,
salmon fisheries open in several areas of Puget Sound, including the
Strait of Juan de Fuca.
As many anglers and others
who enjoy the outdoors know, beginning July 1 a pass will be required
for motor-vehicle access to state recreation lands managed by WDFW, the
Department of Natural Resources or State Parks. The new Discover Pass
will go on sale later this month at recreational license dealers
statewide and online at
https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov
. The Discover Pass,
which costs $30 per year or $10 for a one-day pass, was recently
approved by the Legislature to keep parks and recreation lands open
despite steep budget cuts. Visit
www.discoverpass.wa.gov
for details.
But most anglers and hunters
will not need a Discover Pass to access WDFW lands or boat-launch sites.
That’s because a free Vehicle Access Pass comes with the purchase of a
saltwater, freshwater or combination fishing license; big-game or
small-game hunting license; western Washington pheasant permit; trapping
license; or Watchable Wildlife decal. These license holders must simply
display the free Vehicle Access Pass on WDFW lands.
For more information about
fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing available this month, see the
Weekender Regional Reports posted on WDFW’s website at
http://wdfw.wa.gov/weekender/
. These reports are
updated throughout the month to provide up-to-date information about
recreational opportunities around the state.
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