05 / Seasons · Squid

Squid Jigging in Seattle

Seattle's winter fishery costs a shellfish license and a jig: market squid come down Puget Sound every fall and stack up under the lights of the public piers. Here is when they reach the city, the rules, and where to stand.

Rules checked against WDFW on September 4, 2026. Squid is open all year, but pier hours and closures are set by whoever owns the pier, and a few marine preserves are off limits. Confirm at wdfw.wa.govand on the pier's own signage.

When the squid reach Seattle

The season never closes, but the fish move. WDFW describes a run that starts on the Strait in late spring and works south through the Sound, which is why Seattle's piers are a late-fall and winter fishery while Neah Bay is a summer one. Squid feed mainly at night and come to light, so lit public piers are the place.

When	Where, per WDFW
Late May	Neah Bay
Late June to end of August	Port Angeles area
September	Edmonds waterfront
After that	Elliott Bay and the Seattle shoreline
Late November to December	Des Moines and Tacoma
December to January	South Puget Sound

Limits, gear and license

Daily limit. 5 quarts or 10 pounds of market squid and all other species combined, with no minimum size. Humboldt squid, the occasional giant, are limited to one per day.

Gear. One line per person, rigged with a forage-fish jig or up to four squid lures, or a forage-fish or handheld dip net. Bring a light for piers that are not lit.

License. A Washington shellfish/seaweed license (or a combination or Fish Washington license) for everyone 16 and older. No catch record card.

Where not to fish. Squid is open in all state waters except some marine preserves and conservation areas. Check the current pamphlet for the preserve boundaries before fishing a new spot from a boat.

The piers

WDFW's pier directory flags these as good for squid jigging. Facilities and hours are WDFW's descriptions on the date checked; the pier owner sets the hours, and two Seattle-area piers are shut for rebuilding.

Seacrest Park Pier

West Seattle (Elliott Bay)

Salmon under the year-round pier rule (two a day, one Chinook); squid jigging at night in late fall and winter

Parking (hard to find in summer), ADA access, restrooms, lights, railings, fish-cleaning station; food and tackle next door year-round.

Source

Edmonds Pier

Edmonds waterfront

Salmon year-round under its own pier rule (two a day, one Chinook; release chum Aug 1 – Sept 30); squid jigging, with the run reaching Edmonds around September

Parking, ADA access, restrooms, lights, rain cover, railings, fish-cleaning station.

Source

Des Moines Marina Pier

Des Moines, WA (Marine Area 11)

Salmon under the year-round pier rule (two a day, one Chinook); squid jigging, typically late November into December

Parking, ADA access, restrooms, lights, railings, fish-cleaning station. Parking lot closed 10pm to 5am.

Source

Point Defiance Marina Boathouse pier

Tacoma, WA (Marine Area 11)

Salmon under the year-round pier rule (two a day, one Chinook); squid jigging

Fishing and squid jigging only during marina store hours, sunrise to sunset, 363 days a year. Parking, ADA access, restrooms, rain cover, fish-cleaning station, tackle shop.

Source

Redondo Pier

Closed

Redondo Beach, Des Moines (Marine Area 11)

Named in the year-round pier salmon rule; squid jigging once it reopens

Closed since 2019 for failing timber piles. The City of Des Moines broke ground on a replacement pier in November 2025. Confirm it has reopened before you go.

Source

Elliott Bay Fishing Pier (Pier 86)

Closed

Seattle waterfront, north of the Pier 86 grain terminal

Still listed in the Marine Area 10 pier salmon rule, but the pier itself is shut

Closed since 2016 for structural safety. WDFW and the Port of Seattle have a replacement designed (final design due 2026, permits expected 2027), with shore-power outlets planned for squid lights, but the Legislature has not funded construction.

Source

Why the lights matter

Squid hunt at night and gather where light hits the water, so the fishery is a pier-light fishery: anglers line the lit rails after dark and drop weighted, glow-in-the-dark jigs straight down. WDFW's planned replacement for the Elliott Bay pier even includes shore-power outlets specifically for squid lights, a sign of how central the winter squid crowd is to Seattle pier fishing.

The rest of the winter calendar

Winter crab, razor clam digs and the March blackmouth opener are on our Washington seasons page and its subscribable calendar.

See the seasons calendar

Sources

Checked September 4, 2026. Found something wrong? Tell us.