Puget Sound Lingcod season marks that period in the fishing calendar where we can consistently plan to be on the water and know something will be open to angle for until things die down into the fall.
Inside this blog post you will get a reminder of the season information from WDFW, historical catch timing graphs that indicate the best times and places to fish for lingcod around Puget Sound, and of course date creel information that indicates how many lingcod are being caught in Marine Areas 5-13 in and around the Puget Sound.
If you’re looking for information about how to catch lingcod, visit our dedicated page to this topic here.
For a breakdown of all the lingcod fishing opportunity around Washington, take a look here.
And finally, before heading out into any big water (and yes that includes Possession bar), check out our detailed, completely free reference on marine weather safety here.
For culinary versatility, there’s nothing quite like lingcod as a source of sustainable, high-quality meat you can extract from our local waters. Let’s take a look at what to expect this season fishing for lingcod in and around the Puget Sound in 2023:
Marine Area 5 Lingcod Fishing Season
Fishing for bottom fish is prohibited in waters deeper than 120’. Descending devices are required onboard vessels.
| Lingcod | May 1-June 15 | Hook and line season. Min. size 26”. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
| May 21-June 15 | Spearfishing season. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
Generally, you want to fish early for lingcod around Sekiu, but typically anglers will find decent success all throughout May. Click here for our more detailed guide to Sekiu lingcod fishing.
Keep in mind not all angler counts are lingcod anglers, effort in particular will spike on halibut opener days which can skew these numbers.
Marine Area 6 Lingcod Fishing Season
Fishing for bottom fish is prohibited in waters deeper than 120’. Descending devices are required onboard vessels.
| Lingcod | May 1-June 15 | Hook and line season. Min. size 26”. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
| May 21-June 15 | Spearfishing season. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
Marine Area 6 and the waters around Port Angeles are typically not heavily fished for lingcod but can yield decent success if you know where to go. Rocky areas on the various banks in the middle of the straight or sharp ledges around the island and points can be good, but you had better know what you’re doing in terms of marine weather safety.
Fishing for bottom fish is prohibited in waters deeper than 120’. Descending devices are required onboard vessels.
Marine Area 7 Lingcod Fishing Season
Fishing for bottom fish is prohibited in waters deeper than 120’. Descending devices are required onboard vessels.
| Lingcod | May 1-June 15 | Hook and line season. Min. size 26”. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
| May 21-June 15 | Spearfishing season. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
Marine Area 7 has so many places to explore and target lingcod. While not receiving the most pressure, I consider it the crown jewel of Puget Sound lingcod areas due to the natural beauty and abundance of lingcod in a variety of places, really too many to even list here.
Keep in mind not all angler counts are lingcod anglers, effort in particular will spike on halibut opener days which can skew these numbers.
Marine Area 8-1 Lingcod Fishing Season
Fishing for bottom fish is prohibited in waters deeper than 120’. Descending devices are required onboard vessels.
| Lingcod | May 1-June 15 | Hook and line season. Min. size 26”. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
| May 21-June 15 | Spearfishing season. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
While not the greatest producer of lingcod marine area, the right tide can definitely yield some fish in places around Deception Pass.
Keep in mind not all angler counts are lingcod anglers, effort in particular will spike on halibut opener days which can skew these numbers.
Marine Area 8-2 Lingcod Fishing Season
Fishing for bottom fish is prohibited in waters deeper than 120’. Descending devices are required onboard vessels.
| Lingcod | May 1-June 15 | Hook and line season. Min. size 26”. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
| May 21-June 15 | Spearfishing season. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
Not a consistent producer of lingcod by any means, but there are a few places worth trying if you’re local to the area.
Keep in mind not all angler counts are lingcod anglers, effort in particular will spike on halibut opener days which can skew these numbers.
Marine Area 9 Lingcod Fishing Season
Fishing for bottom fish is prohibited in waters deeper than 120’. Descending devices are required onboard vessels.
| Lingcod | May 1-June 15 | Hook and line season. Min. size 26”. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
| May 21-June 15 | Spearfishing season. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
Now, we are talking. Marine Area 9, and in particular Possession Bar is littered with boats targeting lingcod during the month and a half long season. The reason why is that Possession and other areas like it are typically the most reliable producers of keeper lingcod each year. Just know that the bar can produce massive water in the right conditions. Be safe!
Keep in mind not all angler counts are lingcod anglers, effort in particular will spike on halibut opener days which can skew these numbers.
Marine Area 10 Lingcod Fishing Season
Fishing for bottom fish is prohibited in waters deeper than 120’. Descending devices are required onboard vessels.
| Lingcod | May 1-June 15 | Hook and line season. Min. size 26”. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
| May 21-June 15 | Spearfishing season. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
There are only a few reliable places to target lings in Marine Area 10 and the first few days’ spike of success is indicative of people hitting those known spots right away and after that success really tailing off.
Marine Area 11 Lingcod Fishing Season
Fishing for bottom fish is prohibited in waters deeper than 120’. Descending devices are required onboard vessels.
| Lingcod | May 1-June 15 | Hook and line season. Min. size 26”. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
| May 21-June 15 | Spearfishing season. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
Marine Area 11 is not typically the best place to target lingcod, but if you are fishing the old tackle-eating narrows bridge on the right tide at the exact right time…you have a decent shot. How much tackle do you want to lose learning the drift though?
Marine Area 13 Lingcod Fishing Season
Fishing for bottom fish is prohibited in waters deeper than 120’. Descending devices are required onboard vessels.
| Lingcod | May 1-June 15 | Hook and line season. Min. size 26”. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
| May 21-June 15 | Spearfishing season. Max. size 36”. Daily limit 1. |
Another hard to fish marine area for lingcod, but usually has a few fish to offer each year.
