Recreational bottomfish and halibut

Reminder that Barbless Hooks are required for all species in Marine Areas 5 through 13—including for halibut and bottomfish—except when using forage fish jig gear to target forage fish (herring, sandlance, anchovy, sardine and smelt). See Marine Area Rules & Definitions in the Washington Sport Fishing Rules.

Four people on a dock holding three caught halibut.
Photo by David Bergeron

Recreational fishing seasons, regulations, and management information for bottomfish and halibut.

Recreational halibut fisheries

Please see the Halibut seasons and subarea quotas page for detailed fishing season information.

Public meetings

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has held several public virtual meetings this past fall and winter. The purpose was to discuss the options the Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted for public review for the 2026 fishing season. WDFW took input from recreational fishing constituents and the public, reviewed catch and effort patterns from the 2025 season and compared those from 2021 to 2024.

Previous halibut fishery meetings

Jan. 19-22, 2026 - International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) hosted meetings in Bellevue, WA. Attended by U.S. and Canada delegations and stakeholders; scientific and resource status reports presented by IPHC scientists; IPHC sets rules and establishes annual allowable catch by IPHC area.

WDFW 2026 halibut season planning meeting

 

Bottomfishing
Photo by Victor Gonzalez

Recreational bottomfish fisheries

Public meetings

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will host a virtual public meeting to discuss management options for the 2027-2028 coastal recreational bottomfish fisheries on Monday, March 23. WDFW previously held a public meeting on Feb. 17, 2026 (Watch video of the meeting). Learn more in our news release. For more information on bottomfish management, refer to the PFMC’s groundfish website.

2026 bottomfish and lingcod seasons, bag limit highlights

Marine Areas 1, 2, 3, (Ilwaco, Westport, and La Push) and Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay west of Bonilla-Tatoosh boundary line):

  • Open March 14 through Oct. 17, 2026
  • Daily bag limit of two lingcod per angler no minimum size limit
  • Rockfish: Bag limit is seven. The sublimit for canary rockfish is five. Possession of copper rockfish, quillback rockfish, and vermilion rockfish is prohibited in May, June, and July.

Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay east of Bonilla-Tatoosh boundary line): 

  • Recreational bottomfish: Open year-round.
  • Recreational lingcod: Open March 14 through Oct. 17, 2026
  • Daily bag limit of two lingcod per angler, no minimum size limit

*Refer to the Washington Sport Fishing Rules for complete listing of bag limits.

More information