Puget Sound Salmon Surge: Epic Pink & Coho Runs, Hot Spots & Top Lures

Artificial Lure here with your Sunday, September 7th, 2025 fishing report straight out of Puget Sound and Seattle, bringing you the latest on what’s biting, where to go, and how to hook up. First things first—the **tide** has a major effect on fish activity in the Sound. Early this morning, Seattle saw a low tide around 10:35 am at -0.79 ft, then things started rising for a high at 5:32 pm near 10.93 ft. These swingy tides mean that feeding windows are prime just as the current starts to run, especially on the incoming side. According to tide-forecast.com, sunrise today hit at 6:40am and sunset will close things out at 7:36pm—so get your lines wet early and stay until dusk if you’re chasing evening biters. **Weather’s shaping up nicely:** this September morning brought mild temps pushing up from the fifties, a classic low cloud layer burning off quick with modest winds out of the south. With stable barometric pressure and little rain, fish are active across most shoreline and deepwater zones. Now, onto the **bite:** The Outdoor Line and Puget Sound Seattle Daily Fishing Report both agree that 2025’s pink salmon run is historic. We’re seeing nearly 7.8 million pinks coming through, and the coho (silvers) are showing in ever-larger numbers as well. Pinks are crowding up the narrows around Point Defiance and into Elliot Bay—folks are hitting easy limits out of kayak, skiff, and pier. Coho are thick around Shilshole and heading north towards Edmonds, with Derby season in full swing. A few boats are reporting solid catches of resident chinook, but the main attraction is salmon right now. For those hunting other species, rocky structure around Alki and West Seattle continues to produce nice black rockfish and a handful of decent lingcod. Nearshore, especially at midday low tides, Dungeness crab remains steady—drop traps near sandy flats off Dash Point or along the east side of Bainbridge. **Best lures and baits:** The pinks can’t resist a small *pink buzz bomb* or *Dick Nite spoon* thrown from shoreline or suspended from the pier. For coho, troll a *green and white hoochie* behind a 1-2 oz weight, or strip some *herring* fillets if you’re mooching. The success with baitfish patterns is hard to overstate—when in doubt, tip your lure with a fresh chunk of shrimp or herring. In deeper water, try a *rotating flasher* setup with 30” leader to a Coho Killer or Ace Hi Fly. **Hot spots:** - **Edmonds Pier:** Tons of pinks in easy reach; coho showing right after sunrise. - **Point Defiance (Tacoma Narrows):** Strong numbers of pink salmon, reliable bite for both shore and boat anglers. - **Shilshole Bay:** Coho stacking up on the edge of the drop-off; rockfish and flounder in the shallows. According to The Outdoor Line, yesterday’s Everett Coho Derby had boats bringing in easy limits by noon, with quite a few weighing in at 8 lbs and up. Reports from Stock SMART (NOAA) show overall healthy marks for local salmon stocks—so expect the season to continue s This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.