As someone who lives in Seattle, I honestly prefer to do most of my fishing in eastern Washington. While there are definitely some decent places to go fishing in the Pugent Sound area, I just prefer the scenery of eastern Washington, considering how different it is from western Washington.

The best eastern Washington fishing on the cusp of autumn is typically for hatchery steelhead and hatchery fall Chinook salmon. Fishermen are allowed to keep up to three hatchery steelhead and six salmon a day – three that are 24 inches in length or larger and three that are between 12 and 24 inches in length.

Before you go fishing in Washington, you should be sure that you have a license to do so. Anyone who’s over the age of 15 in Washington state that wishes to fish – unless you’re fishing for crayfish, common carp, or invertebrates – needs to ensure that they have a fishing license. If you’re looking to catch shellfish – which includes clams, squid, and even sea cucumbers – then you need a specific shellfish license as well.

If you bring out a child that’s under the age of 15, they must have a catch record card that is filled in every time you take the child out fishing, so to make sure what they catch is not harmful to the beautiful rivers of Washington. Once you’ve got your licenses, catch records, or whatever else you might need for your outing, you should be ready for a legal, fun day of Washington fishing.

Fido, our family dog, is less of a pet and more of a completely spoiled member of the family. Whenever we choose a vacation destination, we try to find a location that accepts pets. This can severely limit our options, but my wife and kids cannot stand the thought of leaving one of the family members behind.

Fortunately, we discovered Banks Lake camping. The scenery is gorgeous and there are tons of activities for our outdoor loving family. Best of all, pets are allowed in specified areas, including the campsite that we booked. Now the whole family can enjoy vacationing together.

I found myself daydreaming about Banks Lake fishing. For the past few years my family has taken summer vacation at Sunbanks Lake Resort. Though we do many activities together as a family, we also take individual time to pursue our own interests. Obviously, my interest is fishing.

Just out of curiosity, I checked the fishing forecast for Banks Lake. At sunrise the conditions were fair, they peaked at 9 a.m., and for most of the afternoon into early evening conditions were good. With conditions like those, summer can’t get here soon enough!

Summer for many means hitting the shore. While most people think of the ocean, I prefer to head to the lake, Banks Lake, to be precise. The lake accommodates all sorts of water activities that are family friendly.

By far the best Eastern Washington boating site, Banks Lake accommodates party barges, fishing boats, jet skis and more. My kids love knee-boarding and wake-boarding day in and day out. Those who prefer to stay closer to shore can enjoy swimming or fishing from the lake shore. Even those who want to stay dry can appreciate the beauty of the lake from the many hiking and bike trails that ring the perimeter.

Every since I was a little boy, my father and I would go on an annual fishing trip to some remote location in the Pacific Northwest. Over the years we’ve experience some of the best fishing that Washington, Oregon and Idaho have to offer, but my favorite place to go is still Eastern Washington. The variety of fish and abundance of lakes, streams and waterways sets Eastern Washington fishing apart from the rest.

Although we have dabbled in areas around Spokane and the Tri-Cities, we always seem to find our way back to Banks Lake. Few people know about this pristine body of water, and that is just the way that we like it. While we will experiment with other areas from time to time, Banks Lake has been a mainstay on our fishing itinerary.