Regulations
Washington Fishing Regulations 2026
Washington fishing is regulated by the WDFW. As of 2026-05-01, fishid tracks 6,891 current rules covering 7 top-targeted species across saltwater and freshwater waters.
Source: WDFW · Buy a license · Verified
Top species (2026)
Tap a species below to see Washington-specific seasons, size limits, slot limits, and gear restrictions, pulled directly from WDFW's current published rules and verified within the last few hours.
- Trout (Brook, Brown, Rainbow)921 rules
- Salmon (Chinook, Coho, Pink)783 rules
- Steelhead116 rules
- Lingcod50 rules
- Rockfish32 rules
- Dungeness Crab21 rules
- White Sturgeon9 rules
Famous Washington waters
Per-waterbody rule pages for the most-searched fishing destinations in Washington. Multi-state lakes link to a single cross-state page that consolidates each agency's rules.
- Snake Riversalmon, steelhead
- Moses Lakelargemouth bass, walleye
- Columbia Riversalmon, steelhead
- Salmon Riverchinook salmon, coho salmon
- White Riverrainbow trout, cutthroat trout
- Cushman Lakerainbow trout, cutthroat trout
- Green Riversalmon, steelhead
- Puget Soundsalmon, lingcod
How Washington fishing regulations work
WDFW publishes the binding regulations covering recreational fishing in Washington. Rules vary by water body, species, season, and zone, and they change mid-season more often than most anglers expect. fishid mirrors the published source pages and PDFs nightly, normalizes the rules into structured data (bag limits, size minimums, slots, season start/end, gear restrictions, and status), then re-verifies against the source.
For most species in Washington, you'll want to check four things before keeping a fish: open season (year-round vs. spring/fall windows), size limit (minimum and any maximum), slot limit (a permitted size range with everything outside released), and daily bag. Many waters layer additional restrictions on gear, hook type, or live-bait use.
The species cards above link to the rule tables we maintain for each fishery. Trout, Salmon, Steelhead, and Lingcod are the most-rule-dense fisheries in Washington's data.
Reference only. Regulations change frequently, often mid-season. Always confirm with WDFW before keeping a catch. The CatchRules iOS app reflects the same data, with offline access and species identification.
Official sources cited
Every rule on this page traces back to one of these official WDFW pages or PDFs.
- https://www.eregulations.com/assets/docs/guides/25WAFW_LR9.pdf
- https://www.eregulations.com/washington/fishing/puget-sound-coastal-rivers-special-rules-s-z
- https://www.eregulations.com/washington/fishing/westside-lakes-special-rules-f-p
- https://www.eregulations.com/washington/fishing/puget-sound-coastal-rivers-special-rules-l-r
- https://www.eregulations.com/washington/fishing/westside-lakes-special-rules-q-z