A Washington license runs to March 31, so this year's covers the winter. Rivers and streams closed on October 31 except the waters listed with their own seasons, which is where the winter steelhead are fished. Puget Sound's winter crab season is open to December 31 in the reopened marine areas, razor clams open only on the dates WDFW sets after toxin tests, and coastal crab pots go back in on December 1.
What to fish for in early November
Washington's winter is steelhead on the west side and lakes on the east. The coastal and lower Columbia rivers carry hatchery and wild runs from December, the Sound gives resident Chinook, crab into December and squid under the pier lights on winter nights, the razor clam beaches open on the days the toxin tests allow, and the eastern reservoirs keep walleye and trout biting through the cold.
Steelhead
Holds in the softer water beside the current after a storm, best as a river drops and clears; east of the Cascades the fish that came up the Snake hold below its tributaries into the new year.
Where. The Bogachiel, Hoh and Sol Duc on the peninsula in the seasons they are open, the Cowlitz, Kalama and Elochoman off the Columbia, and the Snake below the Tucannon and the upper Grande Ronde.
The steelhead waters we forecast Water Usual water now Forecast Skykomish River near Gold Bar about 45F Today's forecast Snake River at Lyons Ferry not modeled Best Sun, Nov 8, A+Today's forecast Chinook Salmon
Resident fish, called blackmouth, feed in the Sound all winter and are trolled or mooched near the bottom.
Where. Central and north Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, in the months each area is open.
Walleye
Gathers in the big reservoirs and below the dams, deep and slow in the coldest weeks.
Where. Lake Roosevelt, Rufus Woods and the lower Columbia reservoirs, and the Columbia pools above Bonneville.
The walleye waters we forecast Water Usual water now Forecast Lake Roosevelt about 54F Today's forecast Columbia River near Cliffs about 56F Best Sun, Nov 8, A+Today's forecast Rainbow Trout
Stays catchable all winter in the river through Spokane and in the reservoirs stocked with big triploids, and the westside lowland lakes get big trout planted for the day after Thanksgiving.
Where. The Spokane River, Rufus Woods Lake and the year-round lakes of the Columbia Basin, and the Black Friday lakes west of the Cascades.
Kokanee
Schools in the deep, cold water of the big glacial lake through the winter and is trolled slowly at the depth of the schools, a fishery that holds up when the rivers are out.
Where. Lake Chelan, off the town of Chelan at its lower end.
The kokanee waters we forecast Water Usual water now Forecast Lake Chelan about 47F Best Sat, Nov 7, B+Today's forecast
Usual water now is that water's normal for this point in the season: a lake's modeled seasonal curve or a river gauge's long-run average, not this year's reading. The forecast link reads this week's.
What changes soon
The next six weeks of this report's calendar for Washington.
- Sun November 15Crab pots open in Willapa Bay, to September 15.
- Tue December 1Crab pots open on the Washington coast in Marine Areas 1 to 3 and western 4.
Every date for Washington from November to February (4)
- Sun November 15Crab pots open in Willapa Bay, to September 15.
- Tue December 1Crab pots open on the Washington coast in Marine Areas 1 to 3 and western 4.
- Thu December 31Washington's Puget Sound winter crab season closes.
- Mon February 1Washington's winter catch record cards for Puget Sound crab are due back.
This week's fishing reports
This report covers the season. For what was caught this week, read the people who report on this water.
WDFW reports the lower Columbia weekly to the end of December and then stops until March, and its Puget Sound creel counts run thin all winter. The Guide's Forecast fills southwest Washington's January and February, Alan Liere's report in the Spokesman-Review covers the east side every Thursday, and the Peninsula Daily News column covers the peninsula's rules. Dave Graybill's Fishing Magician reports north-central Washington most weekdays, and the department announces each razor clam dig by news release. No independent winter reporter for Puget Sound or the North Sound rivers could be found.
Where to fish in Washington, area by area
Each water links to its live forecast. The engine outlook in these areas was generated November 3, 2026, for the 14 days from that date; good hours are the hours at or above a B+.
The lower Columbia and its Washington rivers
Columbia River · Cowlitz River · Lewis River · Kalama River · Elochoman River
The Columbia below Bonneville Dam and the rivers that join it from the Washington side, the Cowlitz, the Lewis, the Kalama, the Elochoman and the Washougal, hatchery steelhead and salmon water where winter fish run from December, the first spring Chinook arrive by late winter, and sturgeon hold in the big river.
Who reports here. WDFW's weekly creel report ran to December 29 and then paused until March 2. The Guide's Forecast's free weekend report for this side of the river ran through January and February, with the members' Thursday report beside it. The outlook leaves the Cowlitz out: no thermometer we can read sits on it below the hatchery dams, and a model built on the air cannot see the release.
Puget Sound
Puget Sound · Hood Canal · San Juan Islands · Strait of Juan de Fuca
The inland sea from the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the San Juan Islands down to Olympia, with Hood Canal on its west side, fished from boats and piers for resident Chinook, called blackmouth, for Dungeness crab, and for squid under the pier lights on winter nights.
Who reports here. Marine Area 11 open-water salmon fishing is closed from November 1 through April 30; the named pier exceptions do not cover our Tacoma anchor. WDFW's ramp counts are the only dated winter record, sampled on 13 days in January and 16 in February last winter and nearly all in the far south. No independent winter reporter could be found.
The Olympic Peninsula rivers
Hoh River · Quillayute River · Bogachiel River · Sol Duc River · Calawah River
The rain-fed rivers on the west side of the Olympics around Forks, the Bogachiel, the Calawah and the Sol Duc joining the Quillayute, with the Hoh and the Queets to the south, famous for wild winter steelhead of great size and for hatchery runs in December and January.
Who reports here. The Peninsula Daily News outdoors column covers the rules most weeks, news more than catch reports; last November it carried the cut in the hatchery limit on the Hoh and the Quillayute system. This year Fish and Wildlife closed both watersheds to all fishing from October 19 until further notice, after low water and a weak coho return; read its emergency rules page before a trip.
Eastern Washington
Spokane River · Lake Roosevelt · Rufus Woods Lake · Potholes Reservoir · Banks Lake
The dry side of the Cascades, from the big Columbia reservoirs, Lake Roosevelt behind Grand Coulee Dam and Rufus Woods below it, to the Spokane River and the lakes of the Columbia Basin and the northeast, for trout, walleye and perch, with ice on the small lakes in a cold winter.
Who reports here. Alan Liere's report in the Spokesman-Review runs every Thursday: 17 editions last winter, from November 6 to February 26, on the river, the reservoirs and the lakes.
Engine outlook
- Its best day in this outlook has passed.
The North Sound rivers
Skagit River · Sauk River · Skykomish River · Snohomish River · Stillaguamish River
The big rivers that run from the North Cascades to Puget Sound between Everett and Bellingham, the Skagit with the Sauk, the Stillaguamish, the Snohomish with the Skykomish, and the Nooksack, steelhead, salmon and bull trout water fed by snow and glaciers.
Who reports here. No dated winter report could be found for these rivers. Fish and Wildlife changes their seasons by emergency rule, so read its rules page before a trip. This year it closed the Snohomish below the forks to all fishing from October 3 to November 1, and the main Stillaguamish from October 9 to November 1. From the forks up to the railroad bridge at Big Eddy, game fish seasons opened November 1 as scheduled, but salmon fishing stays closed through November 30.
Engine outlook
- Its best day in this outlook has passed.
The westside lowland lakes
Lake Washington · Lake Sammamish · American Lake · Lake Stevens · Black Friday lakes
The lakes of the Puget Sound lowlands from Bellingham to Olympia, Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish in Seattle's suburbs among them, open water through the winter for perch, cutthroat and stocked rainbows.
Who reports here. Fish and Wildlife announced its Black Friday lakes on November 13 last year, a statewide list planted with large trout for the day after Thanksgiving, and lists every planting in its catchable trout reports, which show the last 30 days. No regular winter fishing report could be found.
Engine outlook
- Its best day in this outlook has passed.
The Yakima
Yakima River · Yakima Canyon
The Yakima from below Cle Elum through the Kittitas Valley past Ellensburg and down its basalt canyon toward Roza, a wild trout river fished from drift boats and the bank all year.
Who reports here. Red's Fly Fishing posts the river's conditions to its blog, but last winter its one conditions report was on December 30, with the flows and water temperature; its other winter posts were fly patterns and tips. The outlook leaves the river out: its canyon gauge carries no temperature, and the thermometer offered instead is on another creek.
Lake Chelan and the upper Columbia rivers
Lake Chelan · Wenatchee River · Methow River · Okanogan River
Lake Chelan, the long, deep glacial lake running up into the North Cascades from the Columbia, for lake trout and kokanee, and the rivers of the upper Columbia around it, the Wenatchee, the Methow and the Okanogan, where hatchery steelhead seasons open when the run allows.
Who reports here. Dave Graybill's Fishing Magician posted sixteen to twenty-one reports a month from November to February, the lake's winter kokanee among them, and the Spokesman-Review's weekly report carried the kokanee trolling on February 19.
Engine outlook
- Best: Sat, Nov 7, B+10 good hours51F modeled from this lake's own seasonal curvebest run 4h
Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay
Chehalis River · Humptulips River · Satsop River · Wynoochee River · Willapa River
The rivers that run into Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay, the Chehalis with the Satsop and the Wynoochee, the Humptulips, and the Willapa and the Naselle, and the bays themselves, crabbed from docks and boats.
Who reports here. No dated winter report could be found. Fish and Wildlife sets the steelhead seasons here each fall by news release; last winter the Humptulips closed on February 2 and the Chehalis on February 16. This year Fish and Wildlife closes these rivers to all fishing on October 24 because of the drought and a weak coho return, until flows rise.
The razor clam beaches
Long Beach · Twin Harbors · Copalis · Mocrocks
The four ocean beaches the state opens for razor clams, Long Beach on its peninsula north of the Columbia, Twin Harbors between Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay, and Copalis and Mocrocks north of Ocean Shores, dug at low tide, in winter often after dark by lantern.
Who reports here. Fish and Wildlife approves each dig by news release about a week ahead, once the toxin tests clear: last winter they ran December 18 to 23, December 31 to January 6 and January 15 to 21, with more into early March.
The Snake and the Grande Ronde
Snake River · Grande Ronde River · Tucannon River
The lower Snake through its dams from Clarkston to its mouth at the Tri-Cities, with the Tucannon coming in at Lyons Ferry and the Grande Ronde running in its canyon from the Oregon line.
Who reports here. The Spokesman-Review's weekly report carried this water all season: steelhead on jigs below the mouth of the Tucannon on January 15, and prime time on the upper Grande Ronde on February 19.
Engine outlook
- Best: Sun, Nov 8, A+10 good hours54F modeled from this lake's own seasonal curvebest run 10h
The Columbia pools above Bonneville
Bonneville Pool · The Dalles Pool · John Day Pool · McNary Pool · Hanford Reach
The Columbia above Bonneville Dam from the Washington shore, the Bonneville, The Dalles, John Day and McNary pools behind their dams up the Gorge and into the dry country, for walleye, sturgeon and smallmouth, and the free-flowing Hanford Reach above the Tri-Cities. The pools are shared with Oregon as far as Wallula.
Who reports here. Oregon's weekly Columbia zone report covers anglers in the pools; what it carried last winter is set out under Oregon.
Engine outlook
- Best: Sun, Nov 8, A+11 good hours58F measured Nov 3 at COLUMBIA RIVER, RIGHT BANK, NEAR CLIFFS, WAbest run 6h
The rules from November to February
What changed this time
- Puget Sound's winter crab season opened on October 1 and runs to December 31 in Marine Areas 4, 5, 6, 7 North and South, 9 and the part of 12 north of Ayock Point: five Dungeness a day, males in hard shell of at least 6 1/4 inches, recorded on the winter catch record card, which is due back by February 1, 2027. Areas 10 and 11 had not reopened for lack of quota, nor 8-1 and 8-2 because of soft-shell crab, and 13 and southern Hood Canal stay closed.
- Razor clams: WDFW set 40 tentative dig days from October 9 to December 27 at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks, each opened only after toxin tests. The first digs were postponed on October 6 for marine toxins, and four days at Copalis and Mocrocks were approved from October 26. Kalaloch stays closed.
- On about 10 miles of the Chehalis River, from South Bank Road near Oakville up to Moon Road SW near Helsing Junction, the Chehalis Tribes say they may cite non-tribal anglers who hold no tribal permit, and gear or boats could be seized. WDFW disputes the claim and advises anglers to avoid that section for now, or to float through without anchoring, wading or fishing from shore.
Read on October 20 and 21, 2026, from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (Title 220 of the Washington Administrative Code, its license pages, its creel reports and its news releases on winter crab, razor clams and the Chehalis River).
Licenses, and which state's rules apply
- The license year runs April 1 to March 31, so an annual license bought since last April is good through the quarter. Anyone 16 or older needs one; anglers 15 and younger do not, though some species still need a catch record card. With fees included, residents 16 to 69 pay $39.95 for freshwater, $40.71 for saltwater or $74.37 for a combination license, which adds shellfish and razor clams; nonresidents pay $115.85, $81.70 or $170; residents 70 and older $9.59, $10.35 or $28.83. A one-day combination license is $14.90 for residents and $27.05 for nonresidents.
- A catch record card, free, is needed to fish for or keep salmon, steelhead, sturgeon or halibut, and for Puget Sound Dungeness crab; each fish or crab is written down at once, and a paper card goes back by April 30. Puget Sound crab also needs the Puget Sound Dungeness crab endorsement, $11.89 with an annual license. Salmon or steelhead on the Columbia River and its listed tributaries need the Columbia River endorsement, $8.75, at 15 and older.
- From a boat on the Columbia River where it is the border, and in the ocean within three miles of the coast from Leadbetter Point to the Oregon line, an Oregon resident may fish on an Oregon resident license; fishing from the Washington shore needs a Washington license, and residents of other states need the license of the state whose waters they fish. Fish landed in Washington follow Washington's limits. On the lower Columbia below the Rocky Point to Tongue Point line, Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay, a freshwater, saltwater or combination license is valid.
Bait, gear and fish you cannot keep
- One line, or two with the two-pole endorsement ($20.23) on most lakes, ponds and reservoirs and on listed river sections and marine areas. Bait is allowed in salt water and required for sturgeon; no live fish as bait in fresh water, with few exceptions. Fishing for trout with bait, every legal trout counts toward the limit whether kept or released, and fishing stops at the limit. In Puget Sound and the Strait, a boat fishing for bottomfish or halibut carries a descending device rigged for use.
Lakes, ponds and rivers
- Lakes, ponds and reservoirs are open all year. Rivers, streams and beaver ponds close on October 31 and reopen the Saturday before Memorial Day, except waters listed with their own seasons, which is where winter steelhead are fished. Daily limits: five trout from lakes and two from rivers and streams, wild trout of at least 8 inches; two hatchery steelhead of at least 20 inches, with wild steelhead, Dolly Varden and bull trout released; ten kokanee; eight walleye from lakes, of at least 12 inches and only one longer than 22 inches; five largemouth bass from lakes, releasing those 12 to 17 inches and keeping only one of 17 inches or longer; ten smallmouth from lakes, only one longer than 14 inches; one tiger muskie of at least 50 inches; 15 whitefish; five burbot. Possession is two daily limits.
Salt water
- Salt water is open all year, but game fish caught there are released, except up to two hatchery steelhead a day. Salmon seasons and limits are set each year, marine area by marine area, and change by emergency rule, so check WDFW before going; in Puget Sound (Marine Areas 5 to 13) a Chinook must be at least 22 inches. Salmon possession is two daily limits fresh, plus 40 pounds frozen or processed.
- Dungeness crab are males only, never soft-shelled, with the back shell kept. On the coast six a day of at least 6 inches, with pots allowed from December 1 (November 15 in Willapa Bay) to September 15; in the Columbia River 12 a day of at least 5 3/4 inches, open all year; in Puget Sound five a day of at least 6 1/4 inches, though the code's Puget Sound season runs only in summer and early fall, so check WDFW for any later opening. Two units of crab gear a person (three in the Columbia River), each on its own red and white buoy with the owner's name and address. Razor clams are dug only when an emergency rule opens a beach: 15 a day, the first 15 dug, none returned.
Read on these agency pages: WAC 220-220-010: Definitions, WAC 220-220-040: Age of licensee, WDFW: Fishing license types and fees, WAC 220-310-020: Catch record cards, WAC 220-220-211: Columbia River endorsement, WAC 220-220-150: Oregon license reciprocity, WAC 220-220-190: Waters in which either a personal use freshwater or personal use saltwater fishing license is valid, WAC 220-310-110: Angling gear, lawful and unlawful acts, WAC 220-310-070: Statewide bait rules, WAC 220-310-080: Game fish seasons, general rules, WAC 220-310-090: Game fish possession limits and size limits, WDFW: Fishing regulations, WAC 220-313-010: Salmon statewide rules, WAC 220-330-010: Shellfish, daily limits, size restrictions, and unlawful acts, WAC 220-330-040: Crab, areas and seasons, WAC 220-330-020: Crab, shrimp, crawfish, gear and gear-related unlawful acts, WAC 220-330-160: Razor clams, areas and seasons, WAC 220-330-170: Razor clams, unlawful acts.
The season at a glance
What these months usually do
Each lake's own seasonal curve, the one the engine scores the lake on: what these dates usually do, modeled rather than measured, and not a forecast for this year.
| Water | Nov 1 | Dec 1 | Jan 1 | Feb 1 | Feb 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Chelan | 48F | 41F | 39F | 38F | 38F |
| Lake Roosevelt | 55F | 45F | 40F | 38F | 37F |
| Lake Washington | 54F | 47F | 44F | 44F | 45F |
Each river's own gauge: its average for these dates across the years it has recorded, measured, and not a forecast for this year.
| Water | Nov 1 | Dec 1 | Jan 1 | Feb 1 | Feb 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bogachiel River near ForksBOGACHIEL RIVER NEAR FORKS, WA, 2020 to 2026 | 47F | 43F | 43F | 43F | 43F |
| Columbia River near CliffsCOLUMBIA RIVER, RIGHT BANK, NEAR CLIFFS, WA, 1996 to 2027 | 57F | 48F | 42F | 39F | 39F |
| Skykomish River near Gold BarSKYKOMISH RIVER NEAR GOLD BAR, WA, 2022 to 2026 | 46F | 39F | 40F | 40F | 40F |
The moon from November to February
| Month | New moon | Full moon |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | Sun, Nov 8 | Tue, Nov 24 |
| December 2026 | Tue, Dec 8 | Wed, Dec 23 |
| January 2027 | Thu, Jan 7 | Fri, Jan 22 |
| February 2027 | Sat, Feb 6 | Sat, Feb 20 |
The U.S. Naval Observatory's dates, on local time.
Daylight in each area from November to February
Worked out for one place in each area, on its own clock.
| Area | Shortest day | Earliest sunset | Latest sunrise |
|---|---|---|---|
| The lower Columbia and its Washington riversat Cowlitz River at Castle Rock | 8h 36m, Dec 21 | 4:27pm, around Dec 10 | 7:56am, around Jan 1 |
| Puget Soundat Puget Sound off Tacoma | 8h 28m, Dec 21 | 4:21pm, around Dec 11 | 7:58am, around Jan 1 |
| The Olympic Peninsula riversat Bogachiel River near Forks | 8h 23m, Dec 21 | 4:26pm, around Dec 11 | 8:08am, around Dec 31 |
| Eastern Washingtonat Lake Roosevelt | 8h 19m, Dec 21 | 4:00pm, around Dec 12 | 7:45am, around Dec 31 |
| The North Sound riversat Skykomish River near Gold Bar | 8h 23m, Dec 21 | 4:16pm, around Dec 11 | 7:57am, around Dec 31 |
| The westside lowland lakesat Lake Washington | 8h 25m, Dec 21 | 4:19pm, around Dec 11 | 7:59am, around Jan 1 |
| The Yakimaat Yakima River at Umtanum | 8h 31m, Dec 21 | 4:15pm, around Dec 11 | 7:48am, around Jan 1 |
| Lake Chelan and the upper Columbia riversat Lake Chelan | 8h 21m, Dec 21 | 4:10pm, around Dec 11 | 7:53am, around Dec 31 |
| Grays Harbor and Willapa Bayat Montesano, on the Chehalis | 8h 30m, Dec 21 | 4:27pm, around Dec 11 | 8:01am, around Jan 1 |
| The razor clam beachesat Westport | 8h 31m, Dec 21 | 4:29pm, around Dec 11 | 8:03am, around Jan 1 |
| The Snake and the Grande Rondeat Snake River at Lyons Ferry | 8h 34m, Dec 21 | 4:07pm, around Dec 11 | 7:38am, around Jan 1 |
| The Columbia pools above Bonnevilleat Columbia River near Cliffs | 8h 40m, Dec 21 | 4:20pm, around Dec 10 | 7:45am, around Jan 1 |
The lowest tides from November to February
| Station | Lowest, Nov | Lowest, Dec | Lowest, Jan | Lowest, Feb | Biggest range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tacoma, Commencement Bay, Sitcum Waterway | -3.9 ftWed, Nov 25, 11:13pm | -4.1 ftThu, Dec 24, 11:00pm | -3.4 ftThu, Jan 21, 10:00pm | -2.1 ftFri, Feb 19, 9:46pm | 17.1 ftDec 24 |
| Westport, Point Chehalis | -2.0 ftWed, Nov 25, 7:10pm | -2.1 ftThu, Dec 24, 6:58pm | -1.9 ftFri, Jan 22, 6:42pm | -1.2 ftSat, Feb 20, 6:20pm | 13.4 ftDec 24 |
NOAA's predictions, in feet above the average of each day's lower low tide, so a minus tide falls below it. Wind and air pressure move the water off the prediction.