Fishing near Seattle
March 2, 2005 10:34 AM Subscribe
Where's a nice place to take a 7 year old girl on her first fishing trip?
How about some of the places listed here? In poking around, I saw Green Lake mentioned a few times...
posted by plinth at 11:19 AM on March 2, 2005
posted by plinth at 11:19 AM on March 2, 2005
Best answer: Whidbey (sp) Island is perfect. You can fish for salmon right off the beach. I caught an 8lb coho last october. You will be able to watch seals and sea lions and perhaps some killer whale while you fish. You can take the ferry over. You will need a permit but it is cheap.
posted by spicynuts at 11:30 AM on March 2, 2005
posted by spicynuts at 11:30 AM on March 2, 2005
Some of my formative best childhood memories were forged up at stehekin on the north end of lake chelan. That's probably 200 miles from seattle, but it's great. No killer whales though, maybe for the second trip?
posted by prettyboyfloyd at 12:48 PM on March 2, 2005
posted by prettyboyfloyd at 12:48 PM on March 2, 2005
I don't know any in the Seattle area, but most fish hatcheries have a child fishing area. Not much fun for grown ups, but young kids enjoy, and always catch fish.
posted by Marky at 2:44 PM on March 2, 2005
posted by Marky at 2:44 PM on March 2, 2005
Whidbey's a great idea. I lived in Seattle when I was in kindergarten and first grade. I have great memories of going to a pier at the Mukilteo landing with my dad. I'm sure it wasn't the most scenic place around, but it was really cool just to go with him. We were out on that pier when Mt. St. Helens erupted.
To this day, the smell of creosote reminds me of going fishing with my dad. Poodlemouthe, good on you.
posted by mudpuppie at 3:31 PM on March 2, 2005
To this day, the smell of creosote reminds me of going fishing with my dad. Poodlemouthe, good on you.
posted by mudpuppie at 3:31 PM on March 2, 2005
Your daughter won't need a license, but you will. You can purchase a license online here. The current pamphlet is available here.
Whidbey Island is a great suggestion, but there are many places to fish in your area. One question I would suggest you consider is how important is it to you (and your daughter) that she actually catch a fish? There are many lakes and a few decent rivers in the vicinity that are stocked in the spring, which tends to improve the chances. Many of the lakes have public fishing areas, and the King County parks have great docks for public fishing.
There are also many docks on larger bodies of water a bit closer to Seattle - but still plenty scenic - such as at Greenlake, on Lakes Union and Washington, and at many locations along the Sound both North and South of town.
posted by Man O' Straw at 5:07 PM on March 2, 2005
Whidbey Island is a great suggestion, but there are many places to fish in your area. One question I would suggest you consider is how important is it to you (and your daughter) that she actually catch a fish? There are many lakes and a few decent rivers in the vicinity that are stocked in the spring, which tends to improve the chances. Many of the lakes have public fishing areas, and the King County parks have great docks for public fishing.
There are also many docks on larger bodies of water a bit closer to Seattle - but still plenty scenic - such as at Greenlake, on Lakes Union and Washington, and at many locations along the Sound both North and South of town.
posted by Man O' Straw at 5:07 PM on March 2, 2005
I think a seven year old would have more fun fishing a lake for trout or perch than beach fishing for salmon. Heavy tackle, infrequent action, and a short attention span would leave you fishing while she turns over rocks and plays with crabs and stuff, which is fun too. It would probably tucker your arm out throwing a Pt Wilson dart for a morning, let alone the kid. You could fish herring under a float, but that would mean more dogfish than salmon. While not as scenic, you could also fish from the pier by the grain elevators in Myrtle Edwards Park. Lots of people fishing the pier at night right now catching squid one after another under the lights. Don't forget about the many places that rent boats like UW and Seacrest Pier in West Seattle.
Next month Washington state starts planting trout. There are several youth fishing events where she would have a blast. A couple of great local fishing websites to start out with are PiscatorialPursuits and Gamefishin.com. Both have helpful communities with searchable archives that will tell you everything you need to know about fishing in the NW. Search for "kids" and you will find a list of several good opportunities. No bananas!, tight lines, ect ect.
posted by roboto at 5:40 PM on March 2, 2005
Next month Washington state starts planting trout. There are several youth fishing events where she would have a blast. A couple of great local fishing websites to start out with are PiscatorialPursuits and Gamefishin.com. Both have helpful communities with searchable archives that will tell you everything you need to know about fishing in the NW. Search for "kids" and you will find a list of several good opportunities. No bananas!, tight lines, ect ect.
posted by roboto at 5:40 PM on March 2, 2005
Just a note that due to severe drought conditions in the cascades, river fishing is not likely to be fantastic this year.
posted by jimfl at 9:07 PM on March 2, 2005
posted by jimfl at 9:07 PM on March 2, 2005
I just read this recent fishing report and thought of you and your little girl. Check it out!
posted by roboto at 1:50 AM on March 8, 2005
posted by roboto at 1:50 AM on March 8, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by poodlemouthe at 10:35 AM on March 2, 2005