Best Piers for Squid Jigging in Puget Sound

Puget Sound has 22 public piers and docks worth working a squid jig from, spanning ten counties from Port Angeles to Bellingham. More than half of them — 11 of the 22 — are in Kitsap County alone, which says something about how much of this fishery is still overlooked outside a handful of well-known spots.

This list pulls directly from our own pier directory, narrowed to the ones set up for squid jigging specifically. If you’re new to the technique itself, start with why a real squid jigging rod matters first — gear and location only add up together.

What actually matters at a pier for squid jigging

Two things worth knowing before you pick a spot:

Light matters more than almost anything else. Squid feed on baitfish drawn to light at night, which is why most serious squid jigging happens after dark under a lit pier — the light itself does a lot of the work of putting squid within casting range. 17 of the 22 piers below have permanent lighting; the other 5 are still worth fishing, just plan around dusk or bring your own light source.

Depth and current matter for technique, not just location. A pier over deeper water with real current favors tip-run squid jigging — working the jig vertically and reading the bite off the rod tip — over the horizontal cast-and-retrieve you’d use off a shallower, calmer dock.

Kitsap County

The heaviest concentration of squid-jigging access anywhere on the Sound.

• Annapolis Dock (Retsil Pier) — lit, with a rain cover and railings.
• Blake Island State Park Pier — no permanent lighting; a boat-in or ferry-access spot, not a drive-up.
• Bremerton Marina Public Dock — lit, ADA accessible, restrooms on site.
• Brownsville Dock — ADA accessible with restrooms, no permanent lighting.
• Coal Dock (Lion’s Community Park) — lit, ADA accessible, railings.
• Harper Pier — lit, ADA accessible.
• Illahee City Pier — lit, ADA accessible.
• Illahee State Park Pier — no permanent lighting; the state park sits right next to Illahee City Pier above if you want a lit backup close by.
• Indianola Pier — no permanent lighting, minimal facilities — a straightforward, lower-traffic option.
• Silverdale Pier — lit, restrooms on site.
• Suquamish Dock — lit, ADA accessible, railings.

King County

• Des Moines Marina Pier — lit, ADA accessible, with a fish cleaning station — one of the better-equipped piers on this list.
• Seacrest Park Pier — lit, ADA accessible, fish cleaning station, and close to Seattle if you want easy access on a weeknight.
• Shilshole Marina (A-Dock) — lit, ADA accessible, railings.
• Shilshole Marina Pier (Golden Gardens) — lit, ADA accessible, railings — the second Shilshole option if the A-Dock is crowded.

Pierce County

• Les Davis Pier — lit, ADA accessible, rain cover, and a fish cleaning station — genuinely one of the best-equipped piers on the whole list.
• Clyde Davidson Pier (Steilacoom) — lit, ADA accessible, railings.

Snohomish County

• Edmonds Pier — lit, ADA accessible, rain cover, fish cleaning station. One of the most complete public piers in the Sound, and it shows in how busy it gets — go on a weeknight if you can.
• Everett — 10th Street Marine Park Pier — ADA accessible, no permanent lighting.

Island County

• Coupeville Pier — ADA accessible, no permanent lighting, historic wharf setting on Whidbey Island.

Clallam County

• Port Angeles City Pier — lit, ADA accessible, railings — the westernmost option on this list if you’re out on the Peninsula.

Jefferson County

• Port Townsend — Union Wharf — lit, ADA accessible, railings.

Before you go

Squid seasons and daily limits are set by WDFW and can change — check current rules before you head out, along with what gear is actually legal for squid (a forage fish jig, up to four squid lures). Every pier above also has its own page with a map, live tide and weather, and recent catch reports — worth checking before a night session to see what’s actually been coming off it lately. For a quick read on which nights this week actually line up with good squid conditions Sound-wide, see Puget Sound Live Fishing Conditions.

That works both ways, too — the catch report form isn’t just for fish. Squid is already one of the listed species, with a weight field right alongside it, so if you had a good night under the lights, report it the same way you would a salmon: species, weight, a quick note. It helps the next person checking that pier before they head out.