Fishing Bait & Lure Guide for Washington

Washing State is a haven to all types of anglers with its 500 miles of the Pacific coastline, 4,000 rivers and streams, more than 7,000 lakes and 200-plus reservoirs. Whether you prefer fly fishing, freshwater or saltwater angling, the opportunities of fishing in the Evergreen State is boundless. Catch your favorite fish species using different types of lures and baits. Matching the natural forage of your targeted species is often effective when choosing baits and lures. Experiment with different fishing techniques and combination of baits and lures until you find a presentation the fish can't resist.

  1. Freshwater Species

    • Use lures and baits to catch a variety of freshwater fish species including trout, kokanee and yellow perch. Effective baits for trout include salmon eggs, worms, insects and marshmallows. For artificial lures, cast spinners, wobbling spoons, flies and diving plugs. Kokanee grow up to 13 inches and are abundant in lakes. Catch them using a variety of baits like maggots, white corn kernels and worm. According to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, yellow perch is abundant throughout the year and are commonly caught on leadhead jigs. A productive presentation is a lively worm suspended a few feet below a small floating bobber. Other freshwater gamefish that inhabit that state are crappie, sunfish, catfish, bass and walleye.

    Saltwater Species

    • Washington anglers pursue a wide variety of saltwater species like flounder, saltwater perch and rockfish. Flounder are found along the Washington Coast including the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. Fish for flounder from piers, docks and floats using lures like leadhead jigs and metal baitfish-imitating jigs. For baits, small pieces of herring, worms and mussels are productive. Attract saltwater perch using small cut baits of clam, mussels, worm and shrimp. Hot spots for rockfish are in shore areas near boulders, submerged rock piles and at the bottom of rock jetties. Catch them with effective baits and lures like anchovy, herring, plastic grubs and leadhead jigs.

    Salmon

    • Washington is home to five species of Pacific salmon: Chinook, coho, chum, pink and sockeye. Chinook is also known as king salmon and can grow up to 60 pounds or more. Anglers can catch Chinook and coho by trolling or still-fishing with baits and lures like herring, streamer flies, plastic squid and metal jigs. In freshwater, productive tackle for Chinook are clusters of salmon eggs, wobbling plugs, metal spinners and ghost shrimp. Most of chum salmon are taken from freshwater rivers and creeks in November and December. They are most often caught on artificial flies, little balls of plastic and cork or foam above a hook.

    Regulations

    • Consult the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife or WDFW for the most updated fishing rules and regulations. WDFW regulates and enforces catch limits, size restrictions and other fishing regulations statewide. Some bodies of water have special bait and lure regulations. WDFW prohibits the use of live fish as bait in Washington sport fishing.