Puget Sound Spring Bite: Coho, Blackmouth, and Bottomfish on the Feed

Good morning anglers, Artificial Lure here with your Puget Sound fishing report for the Seattle area. We’re sitting on a mellow spring pattern in the Sound. According to the National Weather Service, we’ve got mostly cloudy skies around Seattle, light showers drifting through, morning temps in the low 50s rising into the 60s by afternoon, and a south to southwest breeze 5–12 knots. Not nasty, but enough chop you’ll want a decent rain shell and to watch the wind-against-tide lines. NOAA’s tide tables for Seattle show a classic spring mixed tide today: a decent morning ebb, a mid‑day low, then a strong afternoon flood. That first light ebb and the start of the afternoon flood will be your prime bite windows. Plan to be on your spots an hour before each tide swing; that’s when the bait stacks and everything wakes up. Sunrise is right around 5:25 a.m. with sunset close to 8:45 p.m., so you’ve got a generous low‑light bracket. The best action has been right at gray light and again in the last hour before dark when the water lays down and bait comes shallow. Resident coho and blackmouth have been spotty but worth the effort. Local reports from the marinas in Ballard and Shilshole say anglers working 80–130 feet with small spoons and hootchies have picked a mix of shakers and the occasional legal fish. Think 3-inch Coho Killers or Coyotes in green/glow, Irish cream, or white/UV, run 30–40 inches behind an 11-inch flasher in green/glow or chrome. Add scent; herring or anchovy gel has been making a difference on the slower days. Bottomfish have been far more consistent. Inshore structure around Elliott Bay, West Point, and over toward Bainbridge is giving up solid numbers of lingcod and rockfish where open. Folks bouncing 4–6 oz leadheads tipped with whole herring or large curlytail grubs in white or motor oil are reporting steady hook‑ups, especially on the turn of the tide when the current eases enough to stay vertical. Don’t overlook metal: 2–4 oz pipe jigs and slender metal jigs in chrome or glow, yo‑yo’d just off the bottom, are pulling fish and holding up better in the current. Pile perch and flounder are chewing for the shore crowd. Along the Seattle waterfront piers and around Edmonds and Alki, a drop‑shot rig with a bit of shrimp, clam, or small sandworm piece is all you need. Use light line, small hooks, and let the kids handle the rod; there’s been plenty of tap‑tap action. A few squid are still hanging around in the deeper, cleaner water, but it’s tapering off. If you’re out after dark, a small pink or green jig under the lights at Edmonds or the Seattle piers can still scratch out a meal. Hot spots to circle on your chart today: 1) West Point / Meadow Point: Work the 90–140 foot contour on the morning ebb for resident coho and blackmouth with small spoons and hootchies. When the current slacks, drop metal to the bottom and prospect for lingcod on the rocky breaks. 2) Alki Point to Lincoln Park: Troll tight to the break in 60–120 feet during the afternoon flood. Green/glow flashers with white or UV hootchies have been the ticket. In closer, shore casters tossing 1/2–1 oz metal jigs or soft plastics on jig heads are finding flounder and the occasional surprise resident coho. Live bait isn’t really part of the program here, so frozen herring, sand shrimp, and good scent on your artificials are your best “bait.” Keep leaders light, presentations natural, and don’t be afraid to move until you see bait on the sounder; the fish are following the groceries. That’s the word from the water. 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