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Puget Sound Fall Fishing Bonanza: Pinks, Coho, and Chinook Abound on the Sound
Published 6 months, 3 weeks ago
Description
Artificial Lure here, and you’re waking up to a classic fall Saturday out on Puget Sound, October 4th, 2025. If you’re gearing up for some tight lines, you’re in for a treat—this year’s pink salmon run is one for the books, and the local coho and Chinook aren’t far behind.
Let’s talk **tidal conditions** first: This morning, Seattle’s high tide hit right around 7:18 a.m. and she’ll drop to low at about 1:25 p.m., with another swing back up this evening. That means the action is likely to pick up as the water flushes out toward noon, especially along the inside corners and steep drop-offs.
**Weather update:** You’ve got patchy fog burning off at sunrise, which was at 7:09 a.m., and we’re expecting partly cloudy skies as we move into late morning. Highs will be in the mid-60s, winds light and from the south—so you’ll want both your light jackets and sunglasses. Sunset hits at 6:43 p.m., which means the late afternoon bite could get hot as that sun angle drops.
**Fish reports:** The pink salmon are absolutely dominating the Sound right now—this is an odd year explosion, with numbers reported at about 25 times higher than what we saw even last year, according to The Herald. Most guys out this week have been hauling in buckets of pinks, with some boats reporting 30-40 fish days near the mouth of the Snohomish and up around Mukilteo. Cohos are mixed in and gaining strength, with solid catches off Edmonds and down toward Lincoln Park. Chinook numbers are lower thanks to the sheer biomass of pinks—biologists estimate there are easily 300 pinks for every Chinook spotted on some rivers.
Hot spots? Give these a look:
- **Possession Bar** – Always reliable in October, especially for bigger coho and the stray Chinook if you’re after a little more meat.
- **Point No Point** – Pinks are thick in the shallows, and the coho are staging offshore. Afternoon and evening tides should get rods bent.
- **Elliott Bay (western edge)** – Short, sharp bite windows for both coho and rockfish as the tide shifts late morning and late afternoon.
**Best lures and bait:**
- Pinks can’t seem to resist a 1/2 oz. Pink Buzz Bomb or Rotator, especially when rigged with a small hoochie or shrimptail. Twitching pink jigs in the upper Sound has been deadly.
- For coho, try a silver spoon like a Gibbs Croc or a small Hot Shot plug trolled alongside flasher. Cut-plug herring or anchovy is still king—run it behind a green or chartreuse flasher for best results.
- Rockfish are still snapping on shrimp-tipped jigs, especially down toward Tacoma if you want to add a mixed bag to the fry pan.
- If you’re going for Chinook, step up to a larger cut-plug herring and slow troll near the bottom, ideally where the tidal movement is strongest.
Crabbing season is winding down, but the late run Dungeness are still out there in 80 to 100 feet, especially early morning before the paddleboarders and pleasure boats kick up a fuss.
Crowds are heavier near the popular boat launches this morning, so get there early and be ready to adapt—most fish are suspended mid-column, so watch your sonar and stay flexible.
Thanks for tuning in to the Puget Sound fishing report. Subscribe for tomorrow’s updates, keep those reels oiled, and may your cooler come home heavy. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
Let’s talk **tidal conditions** first: This morning, Seattle’s high tide hit right around 7:18 a.m. and she’ll drop to low at about 1:25 p.m., with another swing back up this evening. That means the action is likely to pick up as the water flushes out toward noon, especially along the inside corners and steep drop-offs.
**Weather update:** You’ve got patchy fog burning off at sunrise, which was at 7:09 a.m., and we’re expecting partly cloudy skies as we move into late morning. Highs will be in the mid-60s, winds light and from the south—so you’ll want both your light jackets and sunglasses. Sunset hits at 6:43 p.m., which means the late afternoon bite could get hot as that sun angle drops.
**Fish reports:** The pink salmon are absolutely dominating the Sound right now—this is an odd year explosion, with numbers reported at about 25 times higher than what we saw even last year, according to The Herald. Most guys out this week have been hauling in buckets of pinks, with some boats reporting 30-40 fish days near the mouth of the Snohomish and up around Mukilteo. Cohos are mixed in and gaining strength, with solid catches off Edmonds and down toward Lincoln Park. Chinook numbers are lower thanks to the sheer biomass of pinks—biologists estimate there are easily 300 pinks for every Chinook spotted on some rivers.
Hot spots? Give these a look:
- **Possession Bar** – Always reliable in October, especially for bigger coho and the stray Chinook if you’re after a little more meat.
- **Point No Point** – Pinks are thick in the shallows, and the coho are staging offshore. Afternoon and evening tides should get rods bent.
- **Elliott Bay (western edge)** – Short, sharp bite windows for both coho and rockfish as the tide shifts late morning and late afternoon.
**Best lures and bait:**
- Pinks can’t seem to resist a 1/2 oz. Pink Buzz Bomb or Rotator, especially when rigged with a small hoochie or shrimptail. Twitching pink jigs in the upper Sound has been deadly.
- For coho, try a silver spoon like a Gibbs Croc or a small Hot Shot plug trolled alongside flasher. Cut-plug herring or anchovy is still king—run it behind a green or chartreuse flasher for best results.
- Rockfish are still snapping on shrimp-tipped jigs, especially down toward Tacoma if you want to add a mixed bag to the fry pan.
- If you’re going for Chinook, step up to a larger cut-plug herring and slow troll near the bottom, ideally where the tidal movement is strongest.
Crabbing season is winding down, but the late run Dungeness are still out there in 80 to 100 feet, especially early morning before the paddleboarders and pleasure boats kick up a fuss.
Crowds are heavier near the popular boat launches this morning, so get there early and be ready to adapt—most fish are suspended mid-column, so watch your sonar and stay flexible.
Thanks for tuning in to the Puget Sound fishing report. Subscribe for tomorrow’s updates, keep those reels oiled, and may your cooler come home heavy. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.