What’s Biting in Washington

The saltwater fish anglers catch most in Washington, from NOAA’s recreational catch survey. 66 species reported in 2024.

Annual totals · 2024

NOAA publishes West Coast recreational catch once a year and harvest-only, not by two-month season like the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. So this is the 2024 annual picture for Washington. For daily timing, use the Washington fishing times, tides, and sunrise times.

Most caught in Washington

The species recreational anglers harvested most in 2024, by number of fish.

1Black Rockfish129Kcaught
2Lingcod63Kcaught
3Coho Salmon60Kcaught
4Albacore Tuna59Kcaught
5Yellowtail Rockfish50Kcaught
6Chinook Salmon23Kcaught
7Pacific Halibut18Kcaught
8Canary Rockfish16Kcaught
9Flounder,Pacific,Sanddab11Kcaught
10Widow Rockfish7,742caught
11Flatfishes7,548caught
12Blue Rockfish6,825caught
13Sablefish6,453caught
14Bocaccio Rockfish4,899caught
15Cabezon3,231caught
16Kelp Greenling2,874caught
17China Rockfish1,569caught
18Petrale Sole1,251caught
19Jack Mackerel1,081caught
20Pacific Cod858caught
21Copper Rockfish758caught

Know what's running before you launch

Seasonal catch, tides, and the day's conditions worth knowing for your spots, plus the occasional PATHR update. No spam.

Reading the Washington catch

These are the saltwater fish recreational anglers report catching most in Washington, from NOAA’s recreational catch data. Rank is by number of fish harvested in 2024. Bait and panfish can sit high on the list alongside the gamefish, because this counts everything kept, not just the trophies.

To turn it into a trip, pair it with the daily details: the Washington fishing times for the bite windows, the tide charts, and the sunrise and sunset times.

Annual, harvest-only survey estimates. Courtesy: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Frequently asked

What are the most-caught fish in Washington?+

In 2024, the saltwater species anglers reported harvesting most in Washington were Black Rockfish, Lingcod, Coho Salmon. These are annual totals from NOAA's recreational catch survey.

Does this show fishing seasons for Washington?+

Not by season. NOAA publishes West Coast recreational catch once a year, not by two-month window like the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, so this page shows the 2024 annual totals. For daily timing, check the Washington fishing times, tide charts, and sunrise times.

Are released fish counted here?+

No. The Washington figures are harvested (kept) fish. The federal annual product does not include catch-and-release numbers for the West Coast, so a heavily released species may rank lower here than it fishes.

Where does this Washington fishing data come from?+

NOAA's recreational catch data for the Pacific coast, via the public FOSS landings product (2024). Courtesy: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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Pathr puts the bite windows, tides, wind, and depth-aware routing to your spot on official NOAA charts. Free to try on iOS.

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