The ever popular Green river originates in the Cascade mountains east of Tacoma, WA but quickly runs into Howard A Hansen Dam (which forms the namesake reservoir) which was created for flood control and water supply. Water released from the dam continues the flow of the Green river to the northwest, through the most heavily populated areas of Pugetropolis.
As it nears the saltwater of Elliot Bay and the city of Seattle it forms the Duwamish waterway. The Green river remains one of the best salmon rivers in the state in terms of sheer numbers of returning salmon and proximity to many people who can readily enjoy the fishery.
This blog article attempts to concentrate in one place the angling opportunity, fishing regulations and hatchery data to make your research and trip planning to the Green River as simple as possible.
Every year chinook, coho and chum salmon return to the Green river / Duwamish in good numbers. On odd years the Green gets a massive return of pink salmon as well. I love taking people to the Green to hook their first salmon during chum season in particular!
Let’s take a look at a couple of new features I’ve got up on the blog to help you understand run timing and how many salmon are returning at the hatcheries
- Automatically updating graph of the Escapement Report for the Green River / Duwamish
- Historical run timing graph providing a visual of when salmon normally return to the Green River / Duwamish
We will evaluate these separately for Coho, Chinook and Chum salmon.
Updated Status of returning hatchery fall chinook on the Green River
Historical Run Timing of hatchery fall chinook on the Green River
Fish will definitely enter the river in August, but don’t peak until mid-late September.
Updated Status of returning hatchery coho on the Green River
Historical Run Timing of hatchery coho on the Green River
Coho salmon will enter the Green throughout September, but the peak is often into November.
Fishing Regulations for the Green River / Duwamish 2022
Pay close attention to the regulations here as some sections of the river allow chinook retention, but most do not.
| GREEN (DUWAMISH) RIVER – KING CO. | ||
| from an East-West line extending though the southernmost tip of Harbor Island to Tukwila International Blvd./Old Hwy. 99 CRC (746) | ||
| All species | Sept. 1-Dec. 31 | Night closure. Anti-snagging rule. |
| Trout | Sat. before Memorial Day-July 31 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14”. |
| Sept. 1-Dec. 31 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14”. | |
| Other game fish | Sat. before Memorial Day-July 31 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
| Sept. 1-Dec. 31 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. | |
| Salmon | Sept. 1-Dec. 31 | Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6. Up to 3 adults may be retained. Release Chinook. |
| from Tukwila International Blvd./Old Hwy. 99 to South 212th Street Bridge CRC (746) | ||
| All species | Sept. 1-Dec. 31 | Anti-snagging rule. Night closure. |
| Trout | Sat. before Memorial Day-July 31 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14”. |
| Sept. 1-Dec. 31 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14”. | |
| Other game fish | Sat. before Memorial Day-July 31 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
| Sept. 1-Dec. 31 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. | |
| Salmon | Sept. 1-Dec. 31 | Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6. Up to 3 adults may be retained of which up to 2 may be Chinook. Anglers must keep the first 2 adult Chinook caught. |
| from 212th Street Bridge to the Highway 18 Eastbound bridge CRC (746) | ||
| All species | Oct. 1-Dec. 31 | Night closure. Anti-snagging rule. |
| Trout | Sat. before Memorial Day-Aug. 15 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14”. |
| Oct. 1-Dec. 31 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14”. | |
| Other game fish | Sat. before Memorial Day-Aug. 15 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
| Oct. 1-Dec. 31 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. | |
| Salmon | Oct. 1-Dec. 31 | Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6. Up to 3 adults may be retained. Release Chinook. |
| from the Hwy. 18 Eastbound bridge to the Auburn Black Diamond Rd. bridge CRC (746) | ||
| All species | CLOSED WATERS. | |
| from the Auburn-Black Diamond Rd. bridge to 150’ downstream of Keta (Crisp) Creek CRC (746) | ||
| All species | Nov. 1-Dec. 31 | Night closure. Anti-snagging rule. |
| Trout | Sat. before Memorial Day-Sept. 15 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14”. |
| Nov. 1-Dec. 31 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14”. | |
| Other game fish | Sat. before Memorial Day-Sept. 15 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
| Nov. 1-Dec. 31 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. | |
| Salmon | Nov. 1-Dec. 31 | Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6. Up to 3 adults may be retained. Release Chinook. |
| from 150’ downstream of the mouth of Keta (Crisp) Creek to 150’ upstream | ||
| All species | CLOSED WATERS. | |
| from 150’ upstream of Keta (Crisp) Creek to the Tacoma Municipal boundary marker (1.3 miles downstream of Tacoma Headworks Dam) CRC (746) | ||
| All species | Nov. 1-Dec. 31 | Anti-snagging rule. Night closure. |
| Trout | Sat. before Memorial Day-Sept. 15 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14”. |
| Nov. 1-Dec. 31 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14”. | |
| Other game fish | Sat. before Memorial Day-Sept. 15 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
| Nov. 1-Dec. 31 | Statewide min. size/daily limit. | |
| Salmon | Nov. 1-Dec. 31 | Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6. Up to 3 adults may be retained. Release Chinook. |
| from the Tacoma Municipal Watershed Boundary Marker (1.3 miles downstream of Tacoma Headworks Dam) to Friday Creek CRC (746) | ||
| All species | CLOSED WATERS. |
Emergency Fishing Regulations for the Green River / Duwamish
Please refer to WDFW’s emergency rules page for a full list that are in effect until I can get the e-rules automation working fully again.
It’s your responsibility as the recreational angler to know ALL of these rules, not just what is discussed here on the blog.
Forecast for 2022 Green river chinook salmon
Chinook forecast is expected to be “good” compared to the 10 year average.
Forecast for 2022 Green river coho salmon
Coho forecast is expected to be “neutral” compared to the 10 year average.
Forecast for 2022 Green river chum salmon
Green river is not listed for some reason on the forecast map…last year was decent though!
How to fish for Salmon on the Green River
One of the key factors to consider when fishing the Green river for salmon is that the water temperatures in September in the river are generally on the higher side compared to a river such as the Puyallup that is glacial melt fed in the summer months.
This generally translates to chinook and coho that do not behave “normally” as you may have experienced in other rivers. This can lead to many frustrated anglers resorting to flossing or snagging to get fish on the bank, as you will see many fish in the river rolling and breaking the surface but seemingly uninterested in biting your offering.
There are a few remedies to this warm temp situation. Downsizing your offering is often a great way to counter these conditions. Use smaller egg clusters, smaller spinners, smaller plugs. Go with darker colors, black / brass with a tiny hint of orange / chartreuse.
Fishing tiny dick nites pulled behind divers or drifted on drift leaders near the bottom have a place here for sure.
You can also fish lower down in the system in the industrial wasteland that is the Duwamish waterway…fish fresh from the salt and where the fresh / salt mixes will be better biters compared to going up river to warm fresh water sections of the river.
Later in the season when the rain starts, this dynamic changes and it’s time to break out the more typical gear you expect to work for coho. The chinook run may be done by this time.
If you’re looking for a deeper dive on salmon fishing techniques for rivers, head to our page on the topic.
Ideas for best fishing rods for salmon and best fishing reels for salmon? Check out these preceding links.
