Northwest Fishing Reports

Hey guys,

I am a noob to shore fishing/squid fishing, however i'm not a noob to fishing. I was raised in Fiji, fishing for big game fish(marlin, sailfish) as well as tuna and mahi mahi however this was about 6-7 years ago.

I recently just got a rod and some jigs from a friend who has moved. I'm looking to get into pink's and steelhead as thats what my buddy had for his setup. He's got just jigs so thats what I'll be starting with.

I was going to head out tomorrow and go over to Deception Pass and fish through that channel from the shore, however based on this map for pinks, i'm not seeing anything there.

A few things that I'm still not sure about that I'd like everyone to give insight to.

Do i need to measure my catch and released if too small?
Does it matter timing for fishing(morning/mid/evening? - I am not sure what salmon feeding patterns are like)
Are we only restricted to public access locations for fishing? Granted private property i wouldn't be able to fish, but if i were to go to a beach and mosy 2 or 3 miles down, can i still fish? Is there anywhere that displays marine reserves where we can't fish?

Anything else you guys have to share with me, i'd gladly accept it!
THanks!

First of welcome to the board.. If you make it.out there be aware that only west beach is open until August 1st. Best will be last part of outgoing tide into incoming.. Most people throw buzz bombs but you can catch them on jigs or spoons. And the fish are normally pretty close in so don't think you need to wade way out. Hope what little I've provided helps.. if you have any other questions feel free to PM me..

You need to get a copy of the regulations and read up on the locations and times you plan to fish to see what is legal and what is not. The rules are very specific as far as what type of gear, hooks, bait, sizes, types of fish, etc etc etc. It can vary a LOT from one marine area to another.

You can get them free at most any hardware or marine or sporting gods stores or you an download them here:

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

also scent will help shorten the learning curve a bit. i'd recommend smelly jelly in sandshrimp but any shrimp / krill scent will work.