Outdoor Report: Last Days of Summer Bring Halibut and Salmon

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — There is still plenty of summer left to get outside, and for Northwest anglers, Aug. 12 lands right in the middle of it with salmon being caught from Whidbey to Bellingham Bay.

The 2026 summer halibut fishery is about to reopen across several Washington marine areas, salmon opportunities are expanding on local rivers and saltwater, and Labor Day weekend will bring a milestone worth celebrating in Bellingham.

Yeager’s Sporting Goods is preparing to celebrate 105 years in business, while anglers around Whatcom and Skagit counties have several opportunities to get on the water before summer winds down. At the same time, wildfire smoke and burn restrictions are making it more important to know what is allowed before heading into the outdoors.

Halibut Season Returns in August

The summer halibut fishery is back in several Washington marine areas after enough quota remained from the spring and early-summer seasons to allow additional fishing days.

Marine Areas 1 and 2, covering Ilwaco/Chinook and Westport, opened Aug. 8 and are scheduled to remain open seven days a week through Sept. 30, as long as sufficient quota remains. The South Coast quota is 65,857 pounds, while the Columbia River subarea is managed to 19,299 pounds.

Marine Areas 3 and 4, including La Push and Neah Bay, open Aug. 16. The combined quota for those areas is 131,149 pounds.

For anglers closer to home, Marine Area 5 and Marine Areas 6-10 also open Aug. 16 and remain scheduled for daily fishing through Sept. 30, provided quota remains. The combined Puget Sound quota is 80,512 pounds.

The rules are straightforward. The daily limit is one halibut, there is no minimum size and the annual limit is six fish. Anglers must immediately record their catch on a WDFW catch record card. Halibut may be cleaned and portioned in the field, but the carcass must be retained until the angler comes ashore.

Because halibut is quota managed, these dates are not guaranteed through Sept. 30. A marine area can close when managers project its remaining quota will be reached.

Bellingham Bay Salmon Season Is Already Underway

For Whatcom County anglers who do not want to make a coastal run, Bellingham Bay has been open since Aug. 1 though the coho are just arriving.

The terminal fishery runs through Sept. 30 and allows three salmon per day. Chinook must measure at least 22 inches, while other salmon species have no minimum size under the Bellingham Bay rules.

Hale Pass remains closed during August but opens Sept. 1 and follows the Bellingham Bay three-salmon limit through the end of September.

Remember, that fishery is separate from the broader Marine Area 7 rules. WDFW specifically notes that Bellingham Bay regulations can differ from the rest of the marine area.

This Outdoor Report is sponsored by Yeager’s Sporting Goods, located at 3101 Northwest Avenue in Bellingham.

Samish River Chinook Requires a Careful Approach

The Samish River is another option for anglers looking to target Chinook this month, but the fishery comes with specific tackle and bait requirements that are easy to overlook.

For the 2026 season, WDFW requires an eggs-only bait rule from Aug. 1 through Sept. 30 on the open stretch of the Samish River. The rule applies from the yellow marker and wingwall, approximately 1,000 feet upstream from the river mouth, upstream to the Thomas Road Bridge.

Anglers fishing that stretch must use unweighted tackle, single-point hooks and hooks with a maximum gap of one-half inch. The restrictions are designed to limit how anglers can present bait while protecting salmon during the late-summer Chinook fishery.

For anyone heading to the Samish, that means checking the exact boundary and having the right setup before stepping into the river. A familiar rig that may be legal somewhere else can still violate the Samish River rules, which means absolutely no weight under the bobber.

Whatcom Creek offers a weekend Chinook fishery

Whatcom Creek is also open for salmon, but anglers need to remember this is only open on weekends.

The 2026 fishery runs through Sept. 27, with fishing allowed Saturdays and Sundays from the mouth of Whatcom Creek upstream to the footbridge below Dupont Street in Bellingham. The daily limit is two hatchery Chinook measuring at least 12 inches, and all other salmon must be released.

The fishery also has a night closure and anti-snagging rule. Spoons, spinners, and floating beads will be your only way to entice a bite when a group of fish that haven’t been spooked run by in the deeper water. There are a few fly fishermen that try the area near the bridges and do well each season.

Out on the outer section from a boat or kayak, floating a herring can be far more effective when they are jumping and chasing bait in September.

Deception Pass Offers Another Coho Opportunity

Marine Area 8-1, which includes Deception Pass, Hope Island and Skagit Bay, opened Aug. 1 for nonselective coho fishing.

North Beach is a great place to take the kids for early morning beach fishing with buzz bombs and Yeager’s has all the colors you need to be successful.

The season runs seven days a week through Oct. 11. The daily limit is two salmon, and anglers may retain hatchery or wild coho. Chinook and chum must be released.

Deception Pass can also bring challenging conditions for boaters and especially kayakers. WDFW warns that the area experiences some of the strongest tidal currents on the West Coast, with conditions capable of changing quickly.

Checking the tide and weather forecast before launching is especially important there. West Beach is a far safer and easier section to fish from a kayak. PNW Daily strongly recommends not using kayaks without peddle drives at Deception Pass and always wearing a PFD.

Nooksack Openings Depend on Where You Fish

The Nooksack River is looking white and silty to start the season as it did in 2025, but eggs are producing bites for those willing to put in the time and effort on early season chrome.

The lower mainstem opened Aug. 1 from the Lummi Indian Reservation boundary upstream to the yellow marker at the FFA High School barn in Deming. The daily limit is six salmon measuring at least 12 inches, with no more than two wild coho, two chum and two hatchery Chinook. Wild Chinook must be released, but most are already on reds far upriver, which is why those sections remain closed.

Farther upstream, the mainstem from the FFA barn to the confluence of the North and South forks opens Oct. 1. The North Fork from Highway 9 to Maple Creek and the South Fork from its mouth to Skookum Creek also open Oct. 1 under separate rules.

For anglers planning a Nooksack trip, checking the WDFW regulation map before fishing is important because boundaries and gear rules change between sections.

This Outdoor Report is sponsored by Yeager’s Sporting Goods, located at 3101 Northwest Avenue in Bellingham.

Skagit Coho Season Starts Sunday

The next major local opening comes Sunday, Aug. 16, when the lower Skagit River opens for coho from the mouth upstream to the Memorial Highway Bridge at Mount Vernon.

Through Sept. 30, anglers can keep four coho measuring at least 12 inches, with no more than two wild coho. All other salmon species must be released. Beginning Oct. 1, the limit drops to two coho in that section.

Other sections open later. The Skagit from the mouth of Gilligan Creek to the Dalles Bridge at Concrete opens Sept. 1, while several upper sections around Concrete, Baker River and Rockport open Sept. 16.

As with the Nooksack, anglers should check the current regulations for the exact section they plan to fish. WDFW can adjust fisheries during the season based on run information and conservation needs.

Smoke and Burn Bans Change the Camping Equation

Fishing is only part of the summer outdoor picture.

Wildfire smoke from Eastern Washington and British Columbia has already made air quality a consideration for hikers, campers and anyone planning a long day outside. Fire restrictions add another layer of planning, particularly for people who normally rely on a campfire for cooking.

Yeager’s Sporting Goods carries several portable cooking options, including Jetboil-style backpacking systems, traditional Coleman propane stoves and compact butane-fueled options.

But there is an important distinction for anyone heading into the outdoors during fire restrictions: a portable stove is not automatically legal simply because it does not use wood. Rules vary by land manager and by the level of fire restriction in effect. Campers should check the current restrictions for the specific area before using any cooking device.

Yeager’s Prepares to Celebrate 105 Years

That brings the Outdoor Report back to Bellingham, where Yeager’s is preparing for a Labor Day weekend celebration that will look both forward and back.

Kristin Uhrig, store owner and granddaughter of founder Ira Yeager, said the family-owned business will combine its Labor Day sale with a 105th anniversary celebration.

The store traces its history to 1921, when Ira Yeager began selling Evinrude outboard motors from his garage. More than a century later, his grandchildren still own and operate the Bellingham landmark.

“The big sale is going to be Labor Day weekend. So we’re combining the Labor Day with the anniversary sale. Like you said, 105 years that it’s been owned by the same family, and we still work here. We’re still trying to keep Grandpa’s dream alive.”

— Kristin Uhrig, Yeager’s Sporting Goods owner

The celebration will also bring some of Ira Yeager’s personal history out of storage.

The basement at Yeager’s will become an estate sale and historical display featuring some of the founder’s boats, outboard motors, Pendleton clothing and other personal belongings. The sale will begin Labor Day weekend and continue throughout September.

“It’s going to be kind of like an estate sale. We’re going to be having some of Grandpa Ira’s things downstairs, some of his motors, some of his boats, some of his Pendletons. Everybody knew that Grandpa wore the Pendletons.”

— Kristin Uhrig, Yeager’s Sporting Goods owner

For longtime customers, the Pendletons may be among the most recognizable pieces of the collection because they were part of the way many people remember seeing Yeager around the store.

Uhrig said the collection will give customers a chance to see another side of the man behind the business.

“So all of that stuff will be in the estate sale, and it is going to be downstairs in Yeager’s, and it will run from Labor Day Weekend through September. So you’re going to want to come and check out that. It’s going to be super cool.”

— Kristin Uhrig, Yeager’s Sporting Goods owner

There will be something outside the store, too.

On Saturday of Labor Day weekend, Westy will serve free hot dogs outside Yeager’s as part of the anniversary celebration.

“And on the Saturday of the anniversary sale, Labor Day weekend, Westy is going to be here serving free hot dogs out front, so you don’t want to miss that either! Free hot dogs!”

— Kristin Uhrig, Yeager’s Sporting Goods owner

For anglers, the calendar is filling quickly. Halibut opportunities are returning, Bellingham Bay salmon are already available, coho seasons are opening across the region and the Skagit is just days away from its next major opener.

For Yeager’s, though, this summer is about more than getting people outside.

It is also about remembering where the Bellingham outdoor tradition began, and keeping Ira Yeager’s dream alive 105 years later.

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