Early Summer Coho and Bottom Fish: Puget Sound Fishing Report

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Puget Sound fishing report. We’re on a mellow early‑summer pattern now. Light morning clouds, cool start in the low 50s, warming into the 60s and maybe low 70s this afternoon with a northwest breeze. According to the National Weather Service marine outlook, winds stay mostly under 15 knots with only light chop on the central Sound, building a bit in the afternoon. That means small boats and kayaks get their best shot early before the wind stacks things up. Sunrise is around a quarter after five, with sunset just after nine, giving you a long window to work those tide changes. NOAA tide tables for Seattle show a decent morning flood pushing in after first light and another good-moving tide in the late afternoon. Current will run hardest around the narrows and points, so plan to fish the edges, not the full rip. Resident coho and a few early ocean fish have been showing in the usual travel lanes. Local reports out of Shilshole and Edmonds mention anglers picking up 2–3 coho per boat on better tides, plus a mix of shaker and just-legal blackmouth. Troll 3‑inch to 3.5‑inch spoons in green glow or Irish cream behind an 11‑inch flasher, 30–40 inches of leader, 60–120 feet on the wire. Hoochies in UV white or purple haze over a herring strip are also producing. Bottom fishing has been solid. Tacoma-area shops report steady lingcod limits earlier in the week with fish in the 24–30 inch range, plus plenty of keeper rockfish where it’s open. Focus on rocky structure and steep breaks in 60–120 feet. A 4–6 ounce lead jig in motor oil, white, or glow bounced near bottom is money. If you’re bait fishing, rig whole herring or large sand shrimp on a sliding sinker setup and keep it tight to the structure. Flounder and sand dab are thick on the flats. Simple two‑hook leaders tipped with bits of squid or worm will keep kids busy all day. Crabbing intel is still spotty ahead of the main opener, but test pots around eelgrass edges using salmon heads and oily baits are pulling some nice early dungies where allowed. For bait, fresh or properly brined herring is still king. Frozen works if that’s what you’ve got, but tougher baits like salted herring, anchovy, or strips of squid hold up better in heavy current and short strikes. On the lure side, think **small, bright, and glowy**: Coho Killers, Coyotes, or similar spoons, plus UV hoochies and metal jigs for vertical work. Couple of hot spots to consider: • Possession Bar: Classic early‑coho and blackmouth structure. Work the east side on the flood and the west side on the ebb, trolling with the contour and keeping your gear just off bottom. When bait stacks up on the sounder, stay on it. • Point Defiance/Tahlequah area: The Clay Banks down to Point Dalco continue to give up lings, rockfish, and the odd early chinook. Run jigs or mooched herring along the breaks and watch your drift speed with that strong Tacoma Narrows current. Stay flexible, fish the moving water, and let your sounder tell you when to turn around and pound a lane again. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a 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