Lake Washington coho fishing is back under the pamphlet through Oct. 31

Lake Washington coho fishing is open again. A Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife emergency rule posted Sept. 18, 2026, puts the lake back on the permanent rules in the sport pamphlet and reopens salmon fishing, effective immediately through Oct. 31. That reverses the Sept. 16 closure already on this desk.

The water is the same footprint as the close: Lake Washington in King County north of the Highway 520 bridge and east of the Montlake Bridge, plus the Sammamish River near Kenmore from 68th Avenue Northeast downstream. The species named is coho. The rule does not write a new bag. It sends anglers back to the pamphlet limits.

WDFW said counts at the Ballard Locks improved enough over the previous week to show the Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish coho return can support retention again. Preliminary counts from the locks survey hours stay on the department’s Lake Washington salmon-counts page. The North Puget Sound Region office is 425-775-1311. Read the live rule and the pamphlet before you keep a fish — the mid-September closure is no longer the one in force.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: WDFW — Lake Washington reopens for salmon fishing (emergency rule, Sept. 18, 2026).