Late Spring Coho and Blackmouth Heat Up in Puget Sound

This is Artificial Lure with your Puget Sound fishing report. We’re sitting in a classic late‑spring pattern. National Weather Service is calling for partly cloudy skies around the central Sound, light morning wind building to 8–12 knots mid‑day, and air temps in the upper 50s to low 60s. Seas are running about 1–2 feet, so it’s very fishable, especially in the morning. Sunrise is right around 5:25 a.m. with sunset close to 8:50 p.m., giving you a long window to work those tide changes. NOAA tide tables for Seattle show a decent morning flood followed by an afternoon ebb—nothing extreme, but enough current to get bait moving along the points and rips. Those first two hours of the incoming and the first push of the outgoing are your prime bites. Resident coho and blackmouth have been picking up. Local charter reports out of Shilshole and Edmonds say morning troll runs have produced a mix of shaker kings and keeper resident coho, with the odd legal blackmouth in 80–140 feet. Most fish are coming 40–80 feet down on the wire. Productive setups have been green glow or UV white hoochies behind an 11‑inch flasher, or a 3–3.5" cop car or Irish Cream spoon trolled 2.5–3 knots. Tip hoochies with a small strip of herring or anchovy for extra scent. Bottom fishing has been strong. Anglers checking in at local shops around Tacoma and Everett report solid lingcod and kelp greenling numbers off rocky structure and artificial reefs. Live sand dabs, herring, or a big chunk of squid on a sliding rig are turning better‑quality lings than plastics alone, but a white or motor‑oil curlytail on a 2–4 oz jig head is still producing where you can keep good contact with bottom. Remember, watch current and structure—lots of gear is being donated to the rocks this week. Surf perch action has been fair along the outer stretches and some of the more exposed beaches near the Strait. Sand shrimp, clam necks, or small Gulp sandworms on a high‑low rig tossed into the first trough are getting bit when the swell lays down. For shore‑based salmon and trout chasers in the Sound, early morning has been the ticket. Beach reports around Richmond Beach and Golden Gardens mention cutthroat and the occasional small coho chasing bait in tight. Think small: 1/4‑oz casting jigs in herring or candlefish patterns, or sparse olive‑over‑white clousers for the fly crowd. A slow, twitchy retrieve has outfished a straight crank. If you’re hunting hot spots, put these on your short list: First, Point No Point. That flood tide pushing past the lighthouse has been stacking bait, and in turn holding resident coho and blackmouth. Work 70–130 feet with spoons and hoochies on the troll, then jig 2–4 oz metal when you mark fish mid‑column. Second, the Narrows near Tacoma. On manageable currents, the edges of the channel have been kicking out lingcod and rockfish. Fish the slack windows tight to structure with live bait or heavy jigs; just be ready to lose some lead if you’re in the right neighborhood. Crabbing intel is still spotty with seasons and test fisheries shifting, but folks poking around with rings and pots in legal areas are finding a mix of soft and hard Dungeness. If you drop gear, check the current regs and mind your soak times. Today, play your hand around those tide changes, keep an eye on wind building in the afternoon, and scale your gear to the bait—small metals and hoochies for salmon, stout jigs and bait near the rocks for bottom fish. 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