Washington Fishing Reports
Washington Fishing Reports
Icicle River Spring Chinook Fishing Opens May 31st
Meandering through the rural outskirts of Leavenworth, the Icicle River is one of the most unique Spring Chinook fisheries in Washington State. While we call it Icicle Creek as it roars through a narrow canyon on its way out of the Enchantments, the lower section is a slow moving river that welcomes bank and drift boat anglers when salmon season begins. This year we've got another great opener, and fishing below the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery to the mouth should be great! If you need any float fishing gear, Kwikfish, Bait Divers or other salmon gear we've got you covered! Here's the run down below. Icicle River to open for hatchery spring Chinook May 27, 2026 Action: Opens the Icicle River to retention of hatchery spring Chinook. Effective date: One hour before official sunrise on Sunday, May 31, 2026, until further notice. Species affected: Chinook Salmon. Locations: Icicle River (Chelan County) From the closure signs located 800 feet upstream of the mouth of the river to 500 feet downstream from the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery Barrier Dam, and; From the shoreline markers where Cyo Road intersects the Icicle River at the Sleeping Lady Resort to the Icicle Peshastin Irrigation Footbridge (approximately 750 feet upstream from the Snow Lakes trailhead parking area). Salmon Rules: Daily limit one hatchery Chinook (adult or jack). Minimum size 12 inches. Mandatory retention of hatchery Chinook. Release all salmon other than hatchery Chinook. Night closure is in effect. Two-pole fishing is not allowed in this fishery. Motorized vessels are not allowed on the Icicle River (Chelan County ordinance 7.20.190 motorboat restrictions). Reason for action: Daily limit of one Chinook is in response to the most recent return of spring Chinook to the Icicle River of approximately 1,700 fish, which is below average. The Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery broodstock requirement is 1,000 adult spring Chinook. Fish in excess of broodstock needs are available for harvest and shared equally between recreational and tribal anglers. Additional information: This fishery will be monitored closely and could potentially close at any time if the non-treaty harvest share is met or if additional broodstock are needed. Fishery managers encourage anglers to sign up for Fishing Rule Change email notifications and to check for emergency rules on the WDFW website before fishing. Refer to the 2025–2026 Washington Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet for current regulations. Download the Fish Washington® mobile app to stay up to date on the go. Information contact: North Central Region, 509-754-4624, email: TeamEphrata@dfw.wa.gov.
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Washington State Fishing Report - March 2026
March is looking great for fishing options across Washington State, and we've got alot to talk about in the fishing report. Some great Puget Sound salmon fishing is happening now, with more openers in the very near future. Trout and Kokanee fishing around Washington is starting to heat up. Columbia River Spring Chinook fishing is happening now and should get red hot at the end of the month! Puget Sound Region South Puget Sound Salmon fishing has been pretty decent, Marine Area 13 has been kicking out some nice Chinook at Point Gibson and Point Fosdick to the Bridge. Trolling flasher & spoon or bait near the bottom has been the ticket. Salmon Gear Central Puget Sound Salmon is opening on April 1st, we are expecting a 4 day opener Wednesday to Saturday with hopefully more openers to be announced later! Lake Washington Trout & Kokanee fishing has been excellent. With the mild winter, we've had many days with good catching, including some monster Cutthroat. Most of the efforts have been on the south end of the lake, but the guys launching at Magnuson in Seattle have reported some good Cutthroat fishing in front of Kirkland.Trout Gear Lake Sammamish Trout anglers are finding some good fishing, maybe not as consistent as Lake Washington but still worth a trip! Lots of Cutthroat around the weather buoy, and if you're fishing in a kayak or small boat and staying closer to the State Park, fish surface to 40' in front of Issaquah Creek and troll towards Greenwood Point. Puget Sound Halibut officially opens April 2nd! The season will be through June 30 and open 7-days a week. Halibut Gear Olympic Peninsula & Coast Olympic Peninsula Steelhead fishing has been decent on rivers like the Bogachiel, Quillayute, Clearwater and pretty good on the Hoh, Queets and Sol Duc. We are just ahead of a major storm front that should push most of the coastal rivers out of shape for a while, but will make those last few days of the season before the end of the month really good!Steelhead Gear Coastal Razor Clamming keeps on rolling on the Washington Coast. We've had a great season so far, and another round of openers is set for March 17 to 24. Check out more here. Washington Coast Lingcod & Rockfish opens on Saturday March 14th and everyone is excited to get back out on the ocean. The early part of the season is a great time to restock your whitefish freezer stash when the weather permits. Many have already planned out their March with trips to Westport and Neah Bay.Lingcod & Rockfish Gear Strait of Juan de Fuca Halibut officially opens on April 2nd, which is just around the corner! The first few weeks of the season can yield some really great fishing in the Strait Read more here. Southwest Washington Columbia River Spring Chinook has been off to a slow start, as is typical. With our unseasonably mild winter and low snowpack, we should see water temperatures climb any day to that magic number which kick starts the mass migration. Anglers have been picking up a few around Cathlamet, Willow Grove and Kalama. See the full report here. Cowlitz River Steelhead fishing has been good! Lots of Hatchery Steelhead to be found around the Blue Creek area. Most of the guides are running a bobber dogging program with Soft Beads and working the area around the Blue Creek Launch and the Clay Banks. Bank fishing has been good as well with traditional drift fishing gear and corkies.Steelhead Gear Kalama River Steelhead fishing has been decent, not a ton of angling pressure and there are a few quality Wild Steelhead to be found. The river should start to see a trickle of Spring Chinook as well, which makes this river a special place to fish in the spring. Willapa River Steelhead fishing has been mediocre. Water flows through the end of the season will be mostly high, so keep an eye open for that window that it's dropping before the next rain system pushes in. Cascades & Central Washington Lake Chelan has been kicking out some exceptional Kokanee fishing. Anglers have been able to find really good fishing in the lower basin close to the launches and town. Fishing has been bestKokanee Gear Eastern Washington Columbia Basin Lake fishing season officially kicked off on March 1 with the early opener, dozens of lakes in Eastern Washington opened for fishing and lots of trout are out there to be had! Northeast Washington Rufus Woods Reservoir fishing for Triploid Rainbows has been okay. Higher flows and more spill over Grand Coulee has made for some faster flows so fish the edges and up your sinkers and bait sizes! Lake Roosevelt clarity is starting to muddy up, but fishing has been pretty good for Rainbows and Kokanee. Some bank anglers have had some good action for trout plunking powerbait and the boat anglers are finding limits.
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Washington State Fishing Report - Mid-February 2026
February is really turning into a great fishing month, and we've got plenty to talk about in our new Fishing Report Series! Every region in Washington has some really good fishing going on right now, so whether you're looking to get out on Puget Sound, catch and release a trophy Steelhead, head to the beach for clamming, or find that hot trout fishing spot on a local lake, there's plenty to choose from!
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