Saltwater Fly Fishing in Washington State

When most people think of saltwater fly fishing their minds drift to tropical climates and fish species such as tarpon and bonefish. While the Pacific Northwest lacks the hot weather and the typical saltwater gamefish, it more than makes up for it with outstanding fly fishing and spectacular scenery.

I have spent some time fishing in warmer climates, but I always want to return back to Washington State. Whether it's casting along the beaches of Hood Canal for sea-run cutthroat or fighting the swells and currents casting flies for coho salmon in the Pacific Ocean, I cannot get enough of the saltwater fly fishing opportunities available right here.

Much of my summer is spent fly fishing the Pacific Ocean for salmon and bottomfish. Bottomfishing is targeting fish such as rockfish and lingcod. This is fishing right up near the rugged rocks and shorelines that line the Northern coast of Washington. The fishing is often fast and furious. Once you find the schools of black rockfish, you will catch them one after another. They are aggressive, and can even be caught on poppers occasionally. While fishing along the coast, you will see sea lions, seals, tons of birds, and possibly a whale.

The other primary saltwater fly fishing target in the Pacific Ocean is the coho salmon. Neah Bay is located in a perfect place to intercept millions of salmon as they return to rivers from Oregon, British Columbia, and Washington. The strong currents concentrate the fish as they feed on baitfish and shrimp. This is incredible saltwater fly fishing, with 10-30 fish days possible. Most coho salmon run between 4-6 pounds, but fish in the high teens are landed every year. Casting baitfish patterns on sinking lines is the primary way to catch salmon, but fishing on the surface is becoming more popular. Pink salmon are also available every other year, and they only add to the fun.

The offshore fishery requires a sturdy boat and some experience, but Washington State also offers great saltwater fly fishing right around the Seattle metro area. Stretching from Bellingham to Olympia, Puget Sound is a large protected body of water. Draining into Puget Sound are numerous rivers and creeks. These watersheds produce annual runs of coho, pink, and chum salmon that are available to not only anglers with boats, but can be caught from shore. Along with the salmon, Puget Sound and Hood Canal offer outstanding habitat for the sea-run cutthroat trout. This native trout moves into the saltwater to feed. Casting flies along the beaches is a popular fishery for these trout.

The cutthroats are like ghosts as they cruise along the beaches. The beaches I like to fish typically are rocky or have large amounts of oysters. This habitat supports the feed, such as sculpins, baitfish and shrimp that cutthroat love to eat. Fishing surface patterns such as Gurglers is becoming much more popular, and is a great way to search for fish. The cutthroat will often show themselves boiling at the dry, and then switching to a subsurface baitfish pattern will result in a solid hookup.

If you are traveling through the Pacific Northwest, you might want to remember that where there is saltwater, there is saltwater fly fishing.

Chris Bellows, owner of Topwater Charters, Inc, which runs fly fishing charters off the Washington Coast. His websites offer more information about Saltwater Fly Fishing and Neah Bay Halibut Fishing

In The News:


Google News
Updated : Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:55:52 GMT

Same-Sex Marriage and the Rights of Citizenship - New York Times


ABC News
Same-Sex Marriage and the Rights of Citizenship
New York Times - 1 hour ago
The Connecticut Supreme Court deserves praise for acknowledging, as other states that allow same-sex marriage have not, the constitutional principles that compelled the justices to guarantee all consenting adult Americans the right to enjoy the ...
Gays rush to wed ahead of election Washington Times
google news commentComment by Evan Wolfson Executive Director, Freedom to Marry
National Review Online Blogs - News10.net - WCAX - Catholic Weekly
all 1,913 news articles

Publ.Date : Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:41:27 GMT

Morgan Stanley Can't Please Everyone - Forbes


Wall Street Journal
Morgan Stanley Can't Please Everyone
Forbes - 2 hours ago
Morgan Stanley and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial may have pleased investors, but they failed to reassure the ratings services. Morgan Stanley (nyse: MS - news - people ) shares surged more than 85.0% Monday after it received a $9.0 billion investment from ...
Mitsubishi UFJ Gets Better Terms From Morgan Stanley (Update1) Bloomberg
Fitch cuts Morgan Stanley's default ratings to 'A/F1' MarketWatch
New York Times - Reuters - Washington Post - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
all 1,706 news articles

Publ.Date : Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:40:53 GMT

Wildfires threaten LA homes; two people dead - Reuters


CBC.ca
Wildfires threaten LA homes; two people dead
Reuters - 4 hours ago
By Steve Gorman and Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Deadly wind-driven brush fires roared out of the foothills and canyons on the northern fringe of Los Angeles on Monday, destroying dozens of homes and threatening hundreds more dwellings.
Video: LA Fire Officials Try to Get Ahead of Blazes AssociatedPress
REGION: Fire alert remains in effect North County Times
New York Times - BBC News - AFP - The Associated Press
all 3,443 news articles

Publ.Date : Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:27:17 GMT

Canada's Harper May Face Similar Gridlock After Today's Vote - Bloomberg


Voice of America
Canada's Harper May Face Similar Gridlock After Today's Vote
Bloomberg - 1 hour ago
By Theophilos Argitis and Alexandre Deslongchamps Oct. 14 (Bloomberg) -- When Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper called today's election six weeks ago, he complained that opposition calls for more spending were putting the economy at risk, ...
Rivals crisscross Canada ahead of elections Los Angeles Times
Global turmoil dominates Canada election Financial Times
AFP - Voice of America - Crosscut - Aljazeera.net
all 951 news articles

Publ.Date : Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:37:49 GMT

Vitamin D Supplementation Guidelines for Youngsters Doubled - Washington Post


ABC News
Vitamin D Supplementation Guidelines for Youngsters Doubled
Washington Post - 9 hours ago
By Amanda Gardner MONDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- The leading children's medical organization in the United States on Monday announced that it has doubled the amount of vitamin D recommended for infants, children and adolescents.
Video: HealthWatch CBS
Vitamin D recommendation for kids is doubled Los Angeles Times
WebMD - ABC News - New York Times - KEYC
all 609 news articles

Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:11:02 GMT

Excess Drinking Shrinks the Brain - Washington Post


Canada.com
Excess Drinking Shrinks the Brain
Washington Post - 8 hours ago
By Amanda Gardner MONDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- The more alcohol you drink, the more your brain shrinks, a new study has found.
Study: Drinking alcohol associated with smaller brain volume Xinhua
Alcohol Consumption Can Shrink Your Brain WCTV
Inventorspot - Telegraph.co.uk - MedPage Today - Canada.com
all 51 news articles

Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:09:07 GMT

Michigan: Ruling on Voting Rights - New York Times

Michigan: Ruling on Voting Rights
New York Times - 1 hour ago
By AP A judge has ordered state election officials to stop automatically canceling a voter’s registration if the card is returned as undeliverable.
Federal judge orders 1438 names restored to Michigan voter rolls Detroit Free Press
Judge Says Mich. Policy Violated Voting Law Washington Post
Connecticut Post - The Standard - DetNews.com - The Associated Press
all 68 news articles

Publ.Date : Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:05:24 GMT

Turn Affiliate Datafeed into RSS
Amazon RSS Feeds


PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Rock Fishing Techniques

Many shore anglers avoid fishing rock marks because they are... Read More

The Sublime Pleasure of Fly Fishing

Fly fishing has a history stretching back to... Read More

Pitchin For Large Mouth Bass

Well, we have talked about flippin and now we'll mention... Read More

The Value of Observation

The beginner must learn to look with eyes that see.... Read More

Satisfy Your Thirst for Fishing ? 3 Parts to the Fishing Cocktail

Everyone who fishes either for sport or fun knows that... Read More

Cincinnati Catfishing Bait

Some of the baits I have used for used for... Read More

A Simple Way To Identify and Catch The Big One in River!

River dry fly fishing considered as the purest form of... Read More

Brook Trout, One of Canadas Most Loved Trout

Brook trout are one of the most popular game fish... Read More

Ice Fishing in the Wisconsin Winter

It's late December... temperatures are racing towards 0 degrees. Ice... Read More

Photographing Your Trophy Fish

When it comes to catch and release lakes, it is... Read More

Why Water Skiing and Fishing Dont Mix

With the fourth of July weekend freshly behind us, I... Read More

Interesting Features of The Speckled Trout

For those who are interested in speckled trout, you will... Read More

Trout Species ? Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout

Rainbow Trout: Few freshwater fish can match the fighting spirit... Read More

Ever Said: We Should Have Caught Bass By Now?

Have you ever been on a lake and thought to... Read More

What Has Happened to the Cod Stocks Off the Shores of Newfoundland?

The Newfoundland cod stocks. What has happened to cod fishing... Read More

Dry Fly Techniques

Dry fly angling is at the top of any fly... Read More

The Old Man And His Bluegills

I started fishing a little lake just south of Somerset,... Read More

Find and Catch Those Pesky Fish with a Garmin 240 Fish Finder

Garmin 240 Fish Finder Depthfinder with Transducer - a reviewThe... Read More

The Truth About Night Fishing

Why Night Fishing Beats Day Fishing Any Day of the... Read More

Lucky Hat

Do you have a lucky hat?It was a beautiful warm... Read More

Caring for Your Inflatable Boat - Common Sense & Consistency Are the Keys

Thousands of years ago, the first inflatable boats, made from... Read More

Spawning the Chinese Algae-Eater

Gyrinocheilus aymonieri Common name: Chinese algae-eater Family: Gyrinocheilidae... Read More

Swordfishing Fort lauderdale Style

I was laying down on the bow of the boat... Read More

Fishing Topwater in Lily Pads

In 2004, I fished more lily pads than ever before?... Read More

The Only Fishing Experts You Should Listen Too

Everyone's an Expert, So Who Has The Right Answers?Have you... Read More