Episode Details

As dawn glimmers over our storied waterways, I’m Artificial Lure, here to give you the lowdown on what’s biting and how to hit it hard in Puget Sound today, Friday, October 10, 2025. The sun cracks the horizon right around 7:19 AM and tucks back in by 6:34 PM, so get your coffee brewed and your lines prepped early—there’s a solid 11-plus hours of daylight waiting for you. According to the Puget Sound tide chart, the first high tide this morning swings through around 8:21 AM up to 10.4 feet, and the afternoon low is rolling out near 1:42 PM, dropping to about 5.94 feet. That means we’ve got a strong exchange, so expect water on the move, especially this week—big highs, deep lows, and currents flushing through Hood Canal, Admiralty, and all our favorite slots. Now, for the skinny on what’s actually happening out there.

Let’s talk about the most talked-about visitor right now: the pink salmon. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is calling for a monster run—close to 7.8 million pinks, a jump of about 70% over the ten-year average, and they’re here now, from the Strait of Juan de Fuca down into all the nooks and coves of the Sound. If you’re not chasing pods of pinks right now, you’re leaving the buffet early. Anglers are hauling them in on all sorts of gear, but if you ask me, nothing beats a classic pink corky and a sand shrimp tail, or a Dick Nite spoon in pink or brass. Fly chuckers, go small—about a size 6 hot pink marabou streamer will get you more hits than a Seattle coffee shop at rush hour. The piers, beaches, and estuaries are where it’s at when the tide’s shifting—think Point Defiance, Des Moines, and Lincoln Park for shore access, and don’t be shy about drifting jigs through deeper channels on the outgoing.

Also on the radar: Dungeness crab action is solid. The WDFW and Suquamish Tribe recently tracked over 500 legal males from Alki Point up to Apple Cove near Kingston, tagging and releasing them for a big research push—so the grounds are lively. Now that the pot pullers have had a couple weeks to work, you’ll get your best action dropping pots off the north ends of Vashon and Whidbey, right on drop-offs and shelves. It’s a great time to soak pots in 60–90 feet overnight with a fresh herring or baitfish carcass. And if you get lucky, you’ll see something even rarer—this week, birders have reported big flocks of short-tailed and sooty shearwaters, plus even a northern fulmar cruising over open water, which tells you there’s bait around and something’s stirring below. Those tubenoses don’t show up for nothing.

If you’re not into the pink salmon mania, here’s something else—the endangered J Pod orcas are back, showing off near Tacoma’s Narrows Bridge, which means there’s bait around and maybe a few resident silvers hanging out, too. For those, switch up to a small herring-imitating plug or a coho killer spoon if you’re trolling. But mostly, stick to the pinks. They’re the show right now. As for the weather, it’s classic fall in the Sound: expect 48–54 degrees, partly to mostly cloudy, and winds out of the south at 5–10 knots, seas calm, under 2 feet. Rain’s likely by afternoon, so pack your waterproofs. The water’s hovering at 56 degrees, which is plenty warm for those pinks to stay frisky.

A couple hot spots to try:
- **Des Moines Pier** is always a slam dunk for pinks this time of year—easy access, lots of fish, and the ebb there sucks baitfish right to the waiting game.
- **Point Jefferson/Apple Cove Point**: With that big tide swing, crabs and silvers will be hugging the edges of the current, and you can jig up some big perch while you wait.

Remember, as of today, you’re limited to two single hooks in Puget Sound unless you’re fly or bait fishing—so check your regs and rig accordingly. If you’re not picking up pinks on the incoming, switch to pink or copper Buzz Bombs and Mini Hootchies on the ebb—bright, fluttery, and smelly. And always