Late Spring Puget Sound: Chinook, Coho, and Cutthroat on the Flood

This is Artificial Lure with your Puget Sound fishing report. We’re sitting on a mellow late‑spring pattern around the Sound. The National Weather Service calls for mostly cloudy skies with scattered showers, light south to southwest wind 5–10 knots, and air temps topping out in the low 60s. Seas inside the Sound are running 1 foot or less, so smaller boats have some room to roam. According to NOAA tide tables for Seattle, we’ve got a predawn low followed by a strong morning flood and another decent exchange late afternoon. That moving water is your friend today. Plan to fish the first two hours of the flood and the first of the ebb if you can; the slack periods are likely to be pretty sleepy. Sunrise is right around 5:25 a.m., sunset near 8:45 p.m., giving you a long window to work the edges of the light. The bite has been noticeably better in that dawn gray and again in the last hour before dark, especially for salmon and cutthroat. Marine Area 10 (central Sound) has seen improved blackmouth and early migratory Chinook action this past week. Local reports from the Kingston–Edmonds line mention decent numbers of 6–10 lb Chinook, with a few in the low teens, mostly caught 80–140 feet down over 160–220 feet of water. Trollers running green/glow hootchies behind an 11" flasher or a small Cookies‑and‑Cream style spoon have done well. Bait guys dragging small green label herring or anchovies in a helmet have also put fish in the box. Resident coho are starting to show more consistently. Jeff Head and the shipping lane edges off Bainbridge have given up undersize and some cookie‑cutter 2–5 lb fish. Think smaller gear: 3"–3.5" spoons in Cop Car, Irish Cream, or anything with a UV edge. Run them 25–40 feet off the ball; coho have been riding a bit higher in the column than the Chinook. On the beaches, sea‑run cutthroat fishing has been solid on the east side of the Sound. Fly anglers around Lincoln Park and Seahurst are reporting a mix of 10–15" fish with the occasional 17–18" football, mostly on sparse olive‑over‑white baitfish patterns and small sand lance imitations. Gear anglers are doing well with 1/4 oz metal jigs, 3" white or candlefish‑pattern soft plastics, and small silver/green spoons. Retrieve quick with frequent pauses—those cutts have been slashing on the drop. Bottomfish action in the north Sound remains steady where it’s open. Langley and Possession Bar edges have put out good numbers of flounder and the odd legal lingcod. Most lings are falling for 4–6" swimbaits in brown, motor oil, or perch patterns bounced tight to rocky structure. Bring extra gear—snags are part of the deal. For bait, it’s tough to beat fresh herring if you can get it. Otherwise, frozen green label or plug‑cut anchovy is working fine behind a flasher. Tip your spoons or hootchies with a small strip of herring for a little extra scent. For shore anglers, a bit of shrimp or squid on a high‑low rig will keep you busy with pile perch and flounder around piers. A couple of hot spots to circle on the map today: 1. Jeff Head: Work the east and southeast edges on the morning flood for Chinook and resident coho. Stay mobile—once you mark bait, stick with that contour. 2. Point No Point: Classic north Sound structure. Troll the drop‑offs on the incoming and cast metal jigs or Buzz Bomb‑style lures from the beach for coho and the occasional Chinook when that current starts ripping. Fish activity should pulse with each tide change. Expect lulls at slack, then sharp little windows when the current picks up—have your gear in the water before those switches. That’s your Puget Sound fishing rundown from Artificial Lure. 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