October Is Here! And With It Lots Of Fishing Opportunities

With the changing of the season perhaps the best fishing opportunities of the entire year are upon us this month. There are litterally tons of various fisheries that are at their peak. Here's just a few different ideas for you!

Crabbing here in Puget Sound through December 31st this year, with the exception of Marine Area 10.

Squidding off the various piers in Puget Sound, from Edmonds south to Tacoma. The squidding has been outstanding so far this season and perhaps the best we have seen during the summer.

Fall tout fishing both in Western and Eastern Washington. As the water cools in the Fall the trout fishing picks up. Though the fishing may not be as fast and furious as it was in the Spring what the Fall brings is larger carry over fish and no crowds making for a more enjoyable fishery. Just remember many lakes close at the end of the month - read your regulations.

Great salmon fishing in many of the rivers here in Western Washington. There are good numbers of silvers in most of our coastal streams as well as here in Puget Sound. Many coastal streams have Chinook fishing opportunites and some have outstanding fishing. Many streams are open for salmon through December and some even to the end of January. There are many streams that receive bright ocean fish very late into the year.

Salmon fishing here in Puget Sound continues, with good numbers of Coho still being caught and many areas opening up to Chinook retention on hatchery fish. We have heard of numerous good sized blackmouth having to be released this pass month by Coho anglers. Now hatchery Chinook are fair game in many areas. Make sure to read those regulations well before you venture forth as not all areas are open for retention. We also will be seeing increasing numbers of Chums this month. These are a great fighting fish that generally will be in the 7 - 13 pound range with many individuals pushing the 20 pound mark. Once again, check your regulations as many areas do not allow retention of these fish. In most areas Chums are an incidental catch by those targeting Coho or Chinook. There are a few anglers that have been able to target Chums with some varied success. Stop by and we'll be glad to fill you in on some of these techniques.

If you are looking to put up some eating fish for the freezer you might think about doing a little fresh water perch fishing. These are an outstanding table fish that are generally very willing to provide a good days fishing. There are numerous lakes in both Western and Eastern Washington that provide great perch jerking. This is a good fishery to take young anglers on, as it provides good action and some great eating afterword. For those of you here in the Seattle area you can give Lake Washington a try as it has fantastic numbers of perch. If smaller waters are your choice then there are multitudes of lakes in Western Washington that provide good perch fishing.

These are just a few things that you can do this month. Stop by and we'll be glad to help you in any way we can.