05 / Seasons · Halibut
Washington Halibut Season
Halibut is a quota fishery: a few spring weeks, a late-summer reopening if fish are left, and a hard stop when the pounds run out. Here are the 2026 dates for Puget Sound and the coast, the rules, and the boats that fish them from Seattle.
Planning information, checked against WDFW on September 4, 2026. Halibut areas close as soon as their quota is taken, sometimes mid-week. Confirm at wdfw.wa.gov before you go.
Puget Sound, right now
Open daily through Sept 30
The spring season took a little under half of the Puget Sound quota, so WDFW announced on July 15 that Marine Areas 5 to 10 reopen daily Aug 16 to Sept 30, 2026, subject to remaining quota. Fishing can close earlier if the pounds are caught.
The coast, right now
Daily through Sept 30
Westport (Marine Area 2) and Ilwaco (Marine Area 1) have run daily since Aug 8; Neah Bay and La Push (Marine Areas 3 and 4) since Aug 16. Same caveat: each subarea stops when its own quota is reached.
2026 seasons and quotas by area
| Area | Quota | Spring | Late summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puget Sound & Strait of Juan de Fuca (Marine Areas 5–10)Marine Areas 11, 12 and 13 closed to halibut for rockfish protection. Barbless hooks required for all species in MA 5–13. | 80,512 lb | April 2 – June 30, seven days a week | Aug 16 – Sept 30, seven days a week |
| North Coast: Neah Bay & La Push (Marine Areas 3–4)Coast lingcod and bottomfish run March 14 – Oct 17. | 131,149 lb | April 30 – May 16 (Thu–Sat); May 22–24; May 28–30; June 1–28 (Thu–Sun) | Aug 16 – Sept 30, seven days a week |
| South Coast: Westport (Marine Area 2)Lingcod retention seaward of the 30-fathom line is limited to open halibut days plus June 1–15 and Sept 1–30. | 65,857 lb | April 30, then select Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in May and Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in June, through June 30 | Aug 8 – Sept 30, seven days a week |
| Columbia River: Ilwaco (Marine Area 1)The nearshore fishery does not operate in 2026. | 19,299 lb | April 30 – May 31 (Thu, Fri, Sun); June 4–7; June 8–28 (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sun) | Aug 8 – Sept 30, seven days a week |
The rules, everywhere in Washington
Limits. One halibut per day, six per year, no minimum size. Every fish goes on a halibut catch record card ($5.50 add-on) before you fish for anything else.
Hooks. Barbless hooks are required for all species in Marine Areas 5 through 13, halibut and bottomfish included.
How the quota works.The International Pacific Halibut Commission sets the West Coast (Area 2A) catch limit each year; Washington's recreational share is split into the four subareas above, in net weight. WDFW tracks landings during the season and closes an area when its share is taken, which is why the late-summer dates always carry "subject to available quota." In 2026 the spring seasons left enough to reopen everything in August.
Seattle anglers, two choices.Puget Sound halibut is a shorter run and a smaller quota, fished from the same boats that chase salmon out of Shilshole and Edmonds. The coast has bigger quotas and more days, with per-seat charters out of Westport (about two and a half hours from Seattle) and Ilwaco. Neither is "better"; they are different trips.
Charters that fish halibut
From our charter listings, the boats whose own sites name halibut. Every link goes to the operator; we take no bookings and no commission.
Puget Sound
- Twin J Charters
Downtown Seattle
Shared $285/person (5-hr); private $1,425
Westport and Ilwaco
- Tornado Charters
Westport, WA
Halibut $400/person; bottomfish lingcod $230/person; deepwater lingcod $320/person
- Westport Charters
Westport, WA
Halibut $450/person; deepwater lingcod $375; rockfish/lingcod $280
- Mutineer Charters
Westport, WA
Halibut $575 (6-man boat) / $420 (big boat); bottomfish $237–$280 by boat
- Sea Breeze Charters
Port of Ilwaco, WA
Halibut $325–$350/person + tax, by boat
Buying, not catching
Halibut at the counter
Most halibut in Seattle's counters is Alaskan, landed by the commercial fleet from March to November, so it is available well outside the sport seasons above. These markets name halibut in their own descriptions:
- Pike Place Fish Market · Pike Place Market, Downtown
- Pure Food Fish Market · Pike Place Market, Downtown
Ordering frozen halibut shipped to you? Our buying guide compares the shippers and explains what to check.
Halibut dates in your calendar
The Puget Sound openers and closures are in our subscribable Washington seasons calendar.
Sources
- WDFW: Puget Sound / Strait halibut seasons and regulations
- WDFW: North Coast halibut (Marine Areas 3–4)
- WDFW: South Coast halibut (Marine Area 2)
- WDFW: Columbia River halibut (Marine Area 1)
- WDFW: halibut seasons and subarea quotas
- WDFW news release, July 15, 2026: additional halibut opportunities in August and September
Checked September 4, 2026. Found something wrong? Tell us.