Puget Sound Fishing Report: Chilly Tides, Coho, Blackmouth, and Squid Action on the Sound

Puget Sound anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your Sunday, October 26th fishing report for the Seattle area. Let’s break it down like a true local, covering the tides, weather, recent fish action, and what’s working on the water right now. First, your **tide report**: This morning’s high tide hits Seattle Puget Sound at 9:35 a.m. with a solid 10.73 feet, then falls to a 7.97 ft low at 3:01 p.m., followed by another push up to 9.19 ft around 7:17 p.m. The tidal swing should spark fish activity, especially around those transitions. **Sunrise** was at 7:46 a.m. and we’ll have light until 6:01 p.m. **Weather** is chilly and classic fall—expect a damp 55°F, some drizzle, and cloud cover at 100%. Winds are brisk—22 mph, gusting up to 33, so bundle up and use caution on open water. A marine forecast from the National Weather Service calls for winds 10-15 knots, shifting to lighter SW in the afternoon, with rain on and off. It’ll keep things interesting, but keep an eye on those flags and check for marine advisories before launching. Moving to the **bite**: This week saw mixed action on resident coho and the tail end of fresh-run pinks. Reports from trusted boots-on-the-ground sources like The Outdoor Line say anglers working the southern and central Sound are still plucking a few nice late coho—especially in the morning or evenings, often close to the top of the flood. There’s also an uptick in squid jigging activity around the piers after dark, with squidders finding good numbers at places like Seacrest Pier and the Des Moines Marina. Crabbers are out in force too, hauling up plenty of Dungeness in legal numbers, so long as the pots are dropped deep enough and off hard structure. **Recent catches** have included: - Cohos running 4-6 lbs, with a few “football” hatchery fish mixed in - Resident blackmouth (immature Chinook) starting to show, especially off Jefferson Head and Possession Bar - A continued trickle of pinks—wind-down time, but still possible inside Hylebos and Elliott Bays - Squid limits coming fast at nights on pier lights - Dungeness crab pots coming up heavy south of the Narrows and off Edmonds **Best lures and bait**: For *salmon*, nothing beats trolling green or purple haze hoochies behind white or UV flashers, with a 36-inch leader. Cut-plug herring continues to outpace spoons and plugs, especially north of Alki. For blackmouth, 3” to 4” spoons like Coho Killers or Kingfisher Lites in “Cookies and Cream” or “Irish Cream” colors are top producers. Squidders are getting limits on #2.5 to #3.0 jigs in classic pink or chartreuse under the lights. If you’re after *crab*, jars stuffed with oily salmon heads and chicken legs are pulling the most pots. **Hot spots** right now: - Shilshole Bay and Meadow Point for coho on a flood tide, especially at dawn - Possession Bar holds blackmouth on the outgoing - Elliott Bay piers for squid after sunset - The Tacoma Narrows for Dungeness—just set your pots deep and watch your soak times One This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.