Tokeland, WA Fishing Report & Live Conditions

Tokeland, WA fishing report

Willapa Bay is one of the more productive estuaries on the Washington coast, and what you're chasing shifts noticeably through the year. Sturgeon are present year-round in the deeper channel water, but fishing tends to pick up in late winter through spring when fish move into the bay to feed. Salmon fishing centers on Chinook and coho following tidal flow toward the Willapa River and other tributary mouths, typically peaking late summer into fall. Surfperch offer consistent action along sandy shallows and the beachfront near Tokeland from late winter through early summer as they move into the surf to spawn.

For sturgeon, anchor on the channel edges near the deeper holes and fish smelt, herring, or sand shrimp on the bottom. Salmon respond well to herring under a diver, spinners, or anchoring and back-bouncing near tributary mouths on an incoming tide. Surfperch are most active on a moderate incoming tide when warmer water pushes sand crabs and worm-like invertebrates into the wash — a small sand shrimp or clam on a high-low rig along sandy drop-offs produces consistently. Wind out of the southwest pushes dirty water in fast, so cleaner conditions right after a blow often fish better than during peak wind.