New fishing pier open in Mukilteo, and guest dock is coming

Allison Kim thought she had a big one on the line. As the 10-year-old reeled and reeled, her long fishing pole bent as if she were about to pull in a good catch.

It was a moment of suspense last Sunday as Allison and her father, Do Kim, tried their luck at the Port of Everett’s new public fishing pier next to the Mukilteo ferry terminal. What the Lynnwood pair actually had on the hook, as Allison soon found out, was a waterlogged piece of wood.

Kim helped his daughter free it from her hook, and it landed with a splash as he dropped it from the pier. They’d already caught a flounder that day, which Allison said they’d take home and pan-fry.

“The Port of Everett Mukilteo Fishing Pier is NOW OPEN!” the port announced on its Facebook page May 20. Along with information about the relocated fishing pier, the port’s post said a new Mukilteo guest dock is expected to open within a few weeks. The old fishing pier was next to Ivar’s Mukilteo Landing restaurant, near the former ferry dock.

“A Mukilteo guest dock has been needed for a long time and will be a great addition to the community,” Mark Malnes wrote in a comment on the port’s Facebook page.

In the winter 2021 issue of its Portside publication, the port said the Mukilteo fishing pier and guest moorage dock were built in partnership with Washington State Ferries and contractor Manson Construction.

The 2,000-square-foot pier is open daily, dawn to dusk, for fishing, crabbing and sightseeing, depending on state fishing regulations. Just north of the public pier, an 80-foot aluminum gangway leads to the new guest moorage dock, 30 feet long by 8 feet wide. Once open, it will offer 60 lineal feet of side-tie moorage.

Visitor moorage will be first-come, first-served, May to September, and will be free for up to six hours. Boats won’t be allowed to stay overnight.

Designed to resemble a Native American longhouse, the new $187 million Washington State Ferries terminal opened in late December. It’s the showpiece of a revitalized downtown Mukilteo waterfront. A promenade provides a pedestrian connection between Lighthouse Park to the west and Edgewater Beach.

Catherine Soper, the port’s public affairs manager, said Friday the fishing pier’s cost was part of the overall ferry terminal cost.

Those wondering why the port has a facility in Mukilteo may not know that port district boundaries encompass most of Everett, portions of Mukilteo, as well as parts of Marysville and unincorporated Snohomish County.

For anglers with fond memories of the old pier, the new metal-decked fishing pier includes pieces of the original dock’s past. Soper said some of the wooden rails were repurposed “for both sustainability and nostalgia.”

“The previous pier was very well-loved for more than 50 or so years, and there is no doubt a lot of memories were made on that dock. The fishing line marks and nooks say it all,” said Soper, describing notches in the wood where anglers’ poles were placed.

As for parking, there are only a few 15-minute spots next to the fishing pier and ferry terminal, but Soper said public parking is available at nearby Edgewater Beach.

Soper said the port plans to install interpretive signs on the dock to cover the site’s history. The transfer of the Mukilteo Tank Farm to the Port of Everett helped secure space for the new multi-modal hub, she said.

Possibly, Soper said, photos shared by folks with memories of fishing on the old dock may be included. Allison Kim, the fourth-grader at Lynndale Elementary School, has lots of fishing memories already.

“I’ve been fishing since I was 5,” said Allison, who suggested using shrimp for bait. Although she said her father caught a 24-inch ling cod from the Edmonds pier, they prefer fishing off the Mukilteo dock. “You get more bites here,” Do Kim said.

According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, more than 60 public piers from Tacoma to Bellingham give anglers places to fish Puget Sound waters without a boat. Along with the Mukilteo pier, the Port of Everett has a fishing pier adjacent to the 10th Street Boat Launch and Jetty Landing Park in Everett. Kayak Point County Park and the Edmonds pier are other public fishing spots.

The state’s current fishing rules are online at: www.eregulations.com/washington/fishing.

Julie Muhlstein: jmuhlstein@heraldnet.com