Here you will find a growing list of the fishing lakes and rivers of Whatcom and Skagit Counties. This section is a work in progress so check back often for new entries. The goal is to provide useful information to help plan a successful fishing trip. If there is a lake or river that you don't see here and would like to or you would like to submit an overview of a particular body of water please email us at admin@fishwhatcom.com.
General statewide rules are as follows:
Rivers, streams and beaver ponds are open from the first Saturday
in June-Oct. 31st.
Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs are open to fishing from game fish
year round unless listed otherwise.
These rules are subject to change so always check the fishing regulations at
www.wdfw.wa.gov
for the complete regulations and special rules before fishing
in any area.
Many of the fishing lakes in Whatcom and
Skagit Counties are stocked periodically throughout the year with
catchable size trout. Several lakes, such as Squalicum lake in
Bellingham include Triploid trout, or large
hybrid trout in the 1-1.5 pound range too.
Link to the WDFW stocking report.
Click Here
Link to WDFW Stocking report 2010 PDF:
Click Here
Link to the WDFW Triploid Trout information.
Click
Here
Whatcom Rivers
Nooksack River
California Creek
Clearwater
Creek
Dakota Creek
Whatcom Creek
Johnson Creek
Fishtrap Creek
Whatcom Lakes
Bear Paw
Cain Lake
Canyon Lake
Church Lake
Newhalem Ponds
Palmer Lake
Pangborn Lake


Skagit County
If you have information on any of these Rivers or Lakes please send us an email: admin@fishwhatcom.com
Skagit Rivers
Baker River
Cascade River
Skagit River
Samish River
Sauk River
Suiattle
River
Skagit Lakes
Beaver Lake
Big Lake
Campbell
Lake
Clear Lake
Lake Cavanaugh
Day Lake
Erie Lake
Granite Lakes
Heart Lake
Lake McMurray
Pass Lake
Shannon Lake
Sixteen Lake
Vogler
Whistle Lake
Marine Area 7 - The San Juan Islands
Marine area 7 includes
For the most part, Salmon fishing starts in July and runs through the end of October. There is a winter Blackmouth, or resident Chinook salmon, fishery that runs from December through the end of April. Popular methods for fishing for salmon in the saltwater include trolling, mooching, and jigging. Each method has its advantages and is suited best for different situations.
Bottomfish including Lincod and Halibut opens in the spring. Lingcod and Halibut seasons are relatively short and only run from May 1 – June 15th. There is a slot limit in effect for Lingcod so all fish below 26” and above 36” must be released. Lingcod and Halibut are best caught by jigging off the bottom with lures or bait, but can also be caught by trolling and often are caught incidentally while trolling for salmon. Lead jigs with plastic tails or trailers, Pt. Wilson Darts, Buzz Bombs, and other jigs all work well. Also, bait such as herring can be fished near the bottom for Lingcod and Halibut.
Rockfish are now closed to fishing so there is a strict no catch policy regarding all species of rockfish. There are a multitude of other types of bottomfish that can be caught including, cabezon, greenling, and more. All rockfish including the Yelloweye and Canary are protected and must be released so please check the special rules for each area you are fishing. There is a 20 fathom depth restriction when bottom fishing which limits the depth that you can fish at when targeting bottomfish except for Halibut. This rule applies to Lingcod but not to Halibut or Salmon fishing.
Crabbing and prawning are also popular in the
San Juan islands Marine area 7 fishing spots map
View Marine Area 7 Puget Sound (San Juan Islands) Fishing in a larger map