Outdoor Adventures in August: Coast, Salmon Fishing, Bear Hunting

Photo byWashington State Department of Fish and Wildlife

Hikers, anglers, and outdoors enthusiasts have as many reasons as ever to go outside and explore nature this August in the Evergreen State.

10. Cool off at the coast

If you want to escape the summer heat, the cool breezes of coastal Washington along Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, or the Strait of Juan de Fuca may be for you.

The walking trails of the Johns River Wildlife Area near Westport and the seabirds of Discovery Bay and the Chimacum wildlife area near Port Townsend offer sights and sounds aplenty. You can also enjoy kayaking or fishing at the North Willapa Bay Wildlife Area Unit near South Bend.

9. Lower Columbia and Buoy 10 salmon fishing

Buoy 10 Chinook and coho fishery is open Aug. 1 through Sept. 3, seven days per week, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife reports. Preseason forecasts show 551,800 fall Chinook and 279,900 coho are expected to return to the Columbia River’s mouth, so anglers will have plenty of fish to reel in.

8. Lake Wenatchee sockeye fishing

The Lake Wenatchee sockeye salmon fishery is open through Aug. 31 with a daily limit of four sockeye, minimum size 12 inches, the WDFW reports.

The department advises anglers to cast their lines before sunrise as the bite tends to die down after 9 a.m. once the wind picks up.

7. Black bear hunting

Black bear hunters have from now through Nov. 15 to bag and tag a bear. Hunters who hunt in grizzly bear recovery areas have to finish the annual WDFW online bear identification test on the department's Bear identification program webpage.

6. Coast and Puget Sound halibut fishing reopens

Anglers hungry for halibut have ample opportunities this month through September in Marine Areas 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8-1, 8-2, 9, and 10, the WDFW reports. Spring halibut catch and effort were lower than anticipated, leaving plenty of fish left to reel in amid the waning dog days of summer, according to the department.

5. Salmon and tuna fishing

Ilwaco, Westport-Ocean Shores, La Push, and Neah Bay (Marine Areas 1, 2, 3, and 4) are all open to anglers eyeing Chinook and hatchery coho, the WDFW reports.

Marine Areas 4, 3, and 2 will remain open through Sept. 15, and Marine Area 1 shutters on Sept. 30 or until quotas are met, with species and size restrictions dependent on the area.

4. Puget Sound crabbing, non-spot shrimp seasons

Crabbing is a go Thursdays to Mondays in Marine Areas 12 north of Ayock Point, 9, 8-2, 8-1, 6, 5, and 4 east of Bonilla-Tatoosh Island line, according to the WDFW.

Marine Areas 10 and 11 are open for crabbing Sundays and Mondays through Aug. 26, the department reports further. Marine Area 7 South is open Thursdays to Mondays through Sept. 30, WDFW officials say.

3. Brewster pool sockeye fishing

Sockeye fish should stay plentiful over the next couple of weeks at the mouth of the Okanogan River before the fish swim north to spawn in British Columbia, the WDFW reports.

2. Catfish fishing and stocking program

Below more than 45 lakes and ponds in Washington are channel catfish, one of North America's most numerous catfish species, according to the WDFW.

“We’ve got a robust stocking plan in place right now for channel catfish, and we know this stocking program can work under the right conditions,” said Steve Caromile, WDFW inland fish program manager. “The most recent stocking occurred this past spring and another scheduled in 2025.”

1. Eastern Washington lakes fishing

Anglers looking to reel in some trout should find plenty of them biting throughout Lake Chelan while Rufus Woods, the WDFW reports. The department reports that the kokanee bite on Lake Roosevelt should pick up in the coming weeks and anglers report lots of rainbow trout at Keller’s Ferry.

In Eastern Washington reservoirs, the walleye bite is inching up at Lake Roosevelt near Kettle Falls and in Potholes Reservoir, WDFW officials report. Walleye fishing on Banks Lake, however, is reportedly slowing with the warm temperatures, according to the WDFW.