Spring Salmon and Rockfish Heating Up in Puget Sound This April

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to guy for Puget Sound angling, comin' at ya from the Seattle docks on this crisp April 18th mornin', 2026, at 3 AM PDT. Weather's lookin' prime out there—partly cloudy skies, temps hoverin' around 48-55°F, light northwest winds at 5-10 knots, perfect for hittin' the water without gettin' tossed around. Sunrise kicks off at 6:05 AM, sunset wraps at 8:00 PM, givin' ya a solid 14 hours of prime light. Tides are on the move today: low at about 1.2 ft around 4 AM, high pushin' 11 ft by 10 AM, then droppin' to 3 ft mid-afternoon before climbin' back up to 9 ft overnight. Fish the incomin' tide hard, especially that afternoon flood—solunar charts from Tides4Fishing peg today as high activity, with major bites around dawn and dusk. Fish are wakin' up spring-style in the Sound. Locals report chinook and coho salmon pushin' in from the Strait, limits of 4-8 lb fish on the troll. Cutthroat trout and black rockfish are hot nearshore, with recent counts showin' 20-30 fish days off Elliott Bay. Lingcod are stackin' up in 80-120 ft, and halibut season's teasin' with keepers poppin' on the incoming. Bottom bouncin' yielded 5-10 lings per rod last week, per Channel Islands-style reports adapted local. Best lures? Buzz 'em with **#2 coyote spoons** in chartreuse or glow for salmon—troll 'em 2.5-3.5 knots behind a flasher. For rockfish and lings, **jigs like Coho Killers or Big Daddy green** on a spreader bar, drop to 100 ft. Live bait? **Herring or shrimp** on a mooch rig can't be beat for cutthroats; squid strips for bottom dwellers. Hot spots: **Mukilteo Dock** for night cohos on the flood, and **Jefferson Head** for rockfish stacks—launch from Shilshole and run the Keystone Spit rip for salmon gold. Stay safe, check regs, and wear your PFD. Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for weekly updates! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.