Winter Blackmouth Grind in Puget Sound - Tides, Lures & Tactics for Catching Salmon Around Seattle

This is Artificial Lure with your Puget Sound fishing report around Seattle. We’re riding a big winter tide this morning. Tide-Forecast’s Seattle table shows a **high around 7:30 a.m. at about 13 feet**, dropping to roughly **8 feet just after lunch**, then building again mid‑afternoon. Tides.net for Shilshole Bay mirrors that with a **morning high near 7:28 a.m.** and a solid midday exchange, so you’ve got good current to work the edges of structure through late morning and again on the afternoon push. According to NOAA’s Seattle tide predictions, **sunrise is about 7:43 a.m. and sunset about 4:17 p.m.**, giving you a tight winter window. Low light at first light and last hour before dark is prime for chinook and blackmouth inside the Sound. Marine Weather Service has a small‑craft advisory tone: southwest winds 15–25 knots with gusts around 30 early, easing some later, with 2‑foot chop and on‑and‑off rain. It’s very fishable for bigger boats, but this is not a great day for small skiffs too far off the beach. Pick your lee shores and dress for sideways rain. Fish activity has been classic early‑winter Puget Sound. Local radio outlets like The Outdoor Line on 710 Seattle Sports have been talking winter ops: blackmouth salmon inside the Sound, squid in Elliott Bay at night, and good crabbing where seasons are open. Recent reports from regulars around Jeff Head and Kingston have put **legal blackmouth in the 5–8 pound class** in the box, with most boats grinding for a fish or two but a few getting three or four when they stay on bait and current. Best bet for salmon right now is **mooching or trolling herring**. Run **green‑label herring** on a 6‑foot leader behind an **11‑inch glow or green flasher**. Popular blades like Onyx, Herring Aid, and Irish Cream-style spoons have been consistent producers. Add a little UV — this gray ceiling makes that pop. If you’re closer to town, 3.0–3.5 spoons in cop car or green/white patterns behind a flasher have been solid off West Point and Fourmile. Bottomfish and resident lings around hard structure are still an option where open. Deception Pass tide data shows strong morning and evening current, so fish the softer ends of that flow with **3–5 ounce lead, 4–6 inch swimbaits in herring or sand‑lance colors**, and keep them ticking bottom. For shore‑based and small‑boat anglers, **squid and surfperch style outings** have been good. Local piers in Elliott Bay and around the central waterfront have seen **tubes 3–6 inches** most evenings on **small white and pink jigs** under a lighted float. Tip with a strip of scent‑soaked squid for extra grabs. A couple of hot spots today: • **Jeff Head / President Point:** Classic winter blackmouth grind. Work 90–140 feet, keep your gear just off bottom, troll with the tide. • **West Point / Fourmile Rock:** Close to Seattle, fishes well on the flood. Hug the contour lines and watch for bait balls on the sounder. If you’re further north, **Possession Bar** is wort This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.