Puget Sound Seattle Fishing Report Today

Puget Sound Spring Transition: Tides, Bait Balls, and Prime Afternoon Floods

Puget Sound feels alive this morning, folks. I’m Artificial Lure, checking in with your local salt report around Seattle. Tides first, because that’s your whole game plan. NOAA’s tables show a solid predawn high followed by an ebb through the morning, then a midday low and a flooding push into the afternoon. That dropping morning water stacks bait on the edges of channels and points, and that first couple hours of the afternoon flood is prime time for a quick limit if you’re on the marks. Weather’s cooperating: light onshore breeze, cool and overcast with decent ceiling, and only a slight chop in the central Sound. Think wind waves that are annoying, not dangerous. Cloud cover will keep the bite going longer than on those bluebird days. Sunrise came early, just after 5 a.m., and sunset won’t hit until late in the evening, giving you a long window to bounce between tides and spots. Water temps are in that spring-to-summer transition, and the fish are acting like it. Chinook and resident coho are sliding around mid-Sound rips and bait balls, while sea‑run cutthroat are cruising the beaches hunting sand lance and juvenile herring. Lingcod and rockfish are hanging tight to structure, especially on that outgoing water. Reports from local charters and marina chatter this week say a mixed bag: - Chinook: not fast and furious, but steady pick of cookie‑cutter fish, with a few bigger ones showing on the morning ebb. - Resident coho: spotty but aggressive when you find birds working. - Bottomfish: lingcod limits coming off rocky humps and wrecks, plus a good number of keep‑sized fish released once limits are filled. - Sea‑run cutthroat: plenty of fish for the fly and light‑tackle folks along gravel beaches. If you’re trolling for salmon, think small and match the hatch. The herring around the central Sound are on the smaller side, so 3‑inch spoons in muted greens and nickels, or white hootchies behind a green or UV flasher, are getting bit. A short 24–30 inch leader behind the flasher is money for coho. Add a strip of herring or scented strip if the bite goes soft. For bait, plug‑cut herring is still king. Run it tight and spinning on a slow troll along 80–120 feet of water near drop‑offs. If you’re mooching, keep that bait working—lift, drop, and let it flutter on the fall. On the beaches, a small chartreuse‑over‑white Clouser or a 2–3 inch olive baitfish pattern will cover most cutthroat situations. Soft‑plastic jerk shads in smelt colors work great for folks who don’t fly fish. Bottomfish folks should bring stout gear and big profiles. Large white or root‑beer swimbaits, 5–7 inches, on heavy jig heads, bounced tight to rock piles, will get ling attention. Tip them with herring or squid for a little extra scent. Metal jigs in 2–4 ounces, hammered silver or glow, are a close second. A couple of hot spots to circle on your mental chart: - Point No Point: classic morning salmon grind. Work the contour lines on the ebb, and if birds are dipping and bait’s on the screen, just stay put and grind. - West Point, off Magnolia: good for both resident coho and the odd chinook, especially on the flood when current pushes bait along the shelf. You can swing by nearby Elliott Bay docks afterward and hear what the other crews did. Beach anglers should walk the stretches around Lincoln Park and Golden Gardens on a moving tide, tossing small baitfish patterns or spoons at seam lines, current edges, and any nervous water. If you head out today, watch the tide changes, keep an eye on the birds, and be ready to move when the bait moves. That’s when the Sound really turns on. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Early June Coho and Chinook: Work the Tides Around Seattle

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Puget Sound fishing report for the Seattle area. We’re working with classic early‑June conditions: cool mornings, mild afternoons, and light variable wind on the central Sound. Marine forecasts call for morning cloud cover burning off to partly sunny skies, with highs in the low 60s and a light onshore breeze building into the afternoon. That means decent chop mid‑day, but soft, glassy water at first light and again in the last hour of light. Around Seattle, tides today swing on a typical summer mixed pattern: a strong morning ebb dropping from a decent high into a mid‑morning low, then a solid flood building through the afternoon into an evening high. Sunrise is right around that 5 a.m. mark, with sunset about 9 p.m., so you’ve got long windows to work the moving water at both ends of the day. Fish activity has picked up this week. Local reports from tackle shops and marina chatter say resident coho and immature Chinook have been showing with more consistency off West Point, Jeff Head, and Possession Bar. Most of what’s being caught are shaker Chinook with a few legal blackmouth‑sized fish mixed in, plus some scrappy coho in the 2–4 pound range. Out deeper on the bars, anglers are also picking up the odd lingcod and plenty of undersized flounder. Inshore, kayakers and bank anglers are getting into sea‑run cutthroat along the beaches when the tide is flooding over structure. On the saltwater, the most productive setups have been small spoons and hoochies behind flashers. Think 3‑inch spoons in greens and glow, or white/UV hoochies, trolled 60–120 feet down depending on light and bait marks. Herring strips and whole herring, either brined or fresh, are still hard to beat if you’re running bait; anchovies work too when the coho are up and chasing. Folks mooching are doing best on cut‑plug herring worked slowly along the edges of bait balls. For bank and beach anglers, a few patterns are standing out. Small olive‑over‑white baitfish patterns for fly folks, and for hardware, 1/4‑ to 1/2‑ounce metal spoons in candlefish colors, or soft plastics on light jig heads, have been drawing strikes from sea‑run cutthroat. Early morning on the flood, casting over drop‑offs and current seams, has been the ticket. A couple of hot spots to consider: – West Point, outside Discovery Park: classic early‑season spot for resident coho and shakers. Work the contour lines on the outgoing tide, then slide a bit shallower on the flood. – Jeff Head: still one of the most consistent producers this week, with good reports of bait and mixed‑size Chinook. Troll the edges of the main hump and watch your sounder; most action has been where the bait stacks mid‑column on the incoming tide. Closer in, the Narrows and the edges around Point Defiance have been giving up lingcod to those jigging large soft plastics or metal jigs tight to rocky structure during slower portions of the tide. Just remember to check current bottomfish and salmon regulations and keep a barbless mindset. Overall, if you time your trip around that morning ebb or the afternoon flood, run smaller, natural‑colored presentations, and stay mobile until you mark bait, you’re in the game. The fish are here, they’re just making you work a bit for them. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Early June Puget Sound: Chase the Tide, Find the Bait, Catch the Fish

Good morning, this is **Artificial Lure** with your Puget Sound and Seattle fishing report for today. The **tide picture** this morning is the big thing to watch: around Seattle and the central Sound, moving water around the tide changes is your best window for bite activity, especially for salmon, sea-run cutthroat, and resident feeder fish. With no live tide table in hand here, I’d treat the **first couple hours of the incoming or outgoing** as prime time, and I’d be ready to fish slack water only if the bait is stacked up tight. The **weather** is classic early-June Seattle fishing weather: cool mornings, improving light, and usually a light marine layer that can turn into a gray, fishable day. That overcast edge is often a good thing in Puget Sound, especially for silvers, cutthroat, and bait-stealing herring chasers. If the wind stays light, expect better boat control and better casting near points, docks, and current seams. **Sunrise and sunset** matter this time of year because the morning low light is often the first real feeding window, and evening can be just as strong if the water’s moving. Plan to be on the water well before sunrise, and stay into the last hour of light if you can. Recent fish activity in the Sound has been centered on **feeding lanes, bait balls, and tide rips**. When the bait is present, you’ll see birds working, surface dimpling, and quick hits from aggressive fish. In these waters, the most consistent catches lately tend to be **rockfish where open, legal areas exist, sea-run cutthroat along shore structure, squid around lights at night, and salmon when the season and regulations line up**. The key is matching the hatch: if baitfish are small and silvery, go small and bright; if the water is dirty, add more flash. For **lures**, I’d start with: - A **small chrome or pearl spoon** - A **herring-style plug** - A **soft plastic swimbait** on a jig head - A **small spinner** for cutthroat and shoreline work For **bait**, the old reliable choices are: - **Herring** - **Sardine** - **Squid strips** - **Sand shrimp** for smaller predatory fish and mixed-species bites If I were dialing in just a couple of **hot spots**, I’d focus on: - **Shilshole Bay and the nearby point structure**, especially when bait pushes along the edge - **West Seattle shoreline points and rip lines**, where current, bait, and travel lanes come together You can also keep an eye on **marine structure near Edmonds, Elliott Bay edges, and ferry-adjacent current lines** when conditions and regulations allow, because those moving-water edges often hold the most consistent action. The local rule of thumb is simple: **find the bait, find the moving water, and fish the transition lines**. If you’re not getting touched, move fast until you mark life or see birds working. Thanks for tuning in, subscribe for the next report, and this has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Early Morning Flood: Coho and Cutthroat Fire Up in Puget Sound

This is Artificial Lure, checking in with your Puget Sound fishing report for the early morning hours. We’re sitting on a cool, gray start around Seattle with typical marine cloud cover, light south to southwest breeze, and temps in the low to mid‑50s easing into the 60s later. The air is stable and calm enough for small boats and beach anglers to get after it. Sunrise is right around that 5:15 a.m. mark, with sunset close to 9 p.m., giving you a long window to work the tides. Puget Sound tides today are running a fairly standard mixed pattern: a solid morning flood pushing in through mid‑morning, then a midday high, followed by an afternoon ebb that really starts to move water through the narrows and points. Focus your effort on the last hour of the flood and first push of the ebb for the best shot at active fish. Resident coho and immature Chinook are still the headliners in the central Sound. Anglers working 60–120 feet down off mid‑channel humps and drop‑offs are seeing steady action on shakers with a few legal fish mixed in. Most are coming on small 2–3 inch spoons and hoochies behind flashers, trolled 2–3 knots, tight to bait schools. Think needlefish and small anchovy patterns in green, white, and UV. Cutthroat trout are chewing along the beaches from Shilshole down to Lincoln Park and around the south end of Bainbridge. Walk‑and‑wade fly anglers and light‑tackle spinners are picking up fish early and late on the tide turns. Clouser minnows in olive‑over‑white, small krill patterns, and 1/4‑ounce metal spoons are all producing. A few folks tossing small plugs are reporting surprise bonus coho near rips and current seams. Bottomfish action has been decent where it’s open. Pile perch and other surfperch are showing from piers and jetties, especially on the slower parts of the tide. Bits of shrimp, clam, or gulp‑style artificials on a high‑low rig are reliable. Around rock structure, lightweight jig heads tipped with sandworms or scented soft plastics are pulling in greenling and smaller rockfish. As for bait and lures, if you’re targeting salmon from a boat, it’s hard to beat a chartreuse or glow hoochie behind an 11‑inch flasher, or a small chrome spoon that matches local candlefish. If you’re fishing from shore, pack a selection of 1/4‑ to 1/2‑ounce metal jigs in herring and anchovy colors, plus a few 3–4 inch soft plastics on jig heads for probing drop‑offs. A couple of local hot spots to consider: • West Point, just north of Elliott Bay: classic early‑morning trolling lane with good current and bait. Work the edges of the drop‑off on the flood and slide deeper as the sun climbs. • Southworth area and the east side of Vashon: great contour lines and current breaks that set up nicely on the ebb. Troll the 90–140 foot line for salmon or cast from shore where you can reach moving rips. Remember to check the latest WDFW regulations and emergency rules before you head out, especially for salmon and bottomfish—openings and size limits change quickly in the Sound. That’s your Puget Sound report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a tide swing. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Puget Sound Morning Bite: Coho and Blackmouth on the Building Tide

Artificial Lure here with your Puget Sound fishing report for the early-morning bite around Seattle. We’re on a building tide today. Around Elliott Bay and Alki, the low hit in the early pre‑dawn, with a good incoming push through the morning and a decent high late morning to midday. Over toward Tacoma Narrows and the south Sound, expect that swing to lag a bit, but the important thing is that classic “first half of the flood” has been lining up nicely with the early light—prime time for bait to move and predators to follow. According to the National Weather Service in Seattle, we’ve got a typical late‑spring pattern: a weak marine layer early, then partial clearing. Light south to southwest wind in the 5–10 knot range, with a little more breeze in the afternoon. Air temps topping out in the 60s, water temp in central Sound sitting in the low 50s. Sunrise is just after 5:20 a.m., sunset close to 8:50 p.m., so there’s a long window, but the most reliable action has been from first light until the sun gets on the water, then again on the evening flood. Chinook are still mostly a release show in much of the Sound, but there’ve been decent reports of resident coho and hungry blackmouth around Possession Bar, Kingston, and the west side of Bainbridge. Local charter skippers out of Shilshole have been picking a mix of shakers, a few legal blackmouth, and some chunky resident coho in 60–120 feet, with fish suspended 20–60 feet down over deeper water. In Elliott Bay and off Alki, anglers trolling along the edge of the drop have seen modest action on coho, plus the usual dogfish when the tide slackens. Lingcod and rockfish have been the real meat‑and‑potatoes for folks working structure. Reefs and wrecks around West Point, the Tacoma Narrows bridges, and the ledges off Point Defiance have given up solid keeper lingcod with some nice cabezon in the mix. In the ship canal and Lake Union, bass guys have been finding pre‑ and post‑spawn smallmouth stacking on rock piles and bridges, though that’s a bit off‑Sound. For lures, keep it simple and local: 3–4 inch white or glow hootchies behind a green or purple haze flasher have been steady for coho and blackmouth. Silver or green‑splatter Coyote and Kingfisher spoons in the 3.0–3.5 size are a staple; run them 25–40 feet off the ball. When the water’s clear and bright, scale down to smaller spoons and lighter leaders. Herring patterns—both spoons and hootchies—are out‑producing anchovy patterns right now. Bait anglers dragging whole or plug‑cut herring in a slow troll have reported the bigger bites, especially on the morning flood off Possession and Point No Point. If you’re jigging for lings, 4–6 ounce metal jigs in candlefish colors or big white curly‑tail plastics on heavy lead‑heads have been putting fish in the boat; just remember to stay tight to bottom and be ready to lose some gear to the rocks. For shore casters, 1/2 to 3/4 ounce metal jigs and small herring‑profile swimbaits are getting attention from coho, sea‑run cutthroat, and the occasional flounder around the beaches. A couple of hot spots to circle on your chart: First, Alki Point to Fourmile Rock—work the contour lines in 60–140 feet on the incoming tide for coho and blackmouth, especially near bait balls. Second, Possession Bar—classic structure that’s been holding fish all spring; focus on the edges during the first push of the flood. Remember barbless hooks, know which areas are open for what species, and check the latest emergency rules from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife before you launch. That’s the rundown from your buddy Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a tide. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn