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Puget Sound Fishing Report: Salmon, Flounder, and Abundant Pinks in 2025
Good morning Puget Sound anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your May 16, 2025 fishing report.
Today greets us with mild spring conditions that should make for a comfortable day on the water. Sunrise rolled in at 5:28 AM and sunset will close shop at 8:38 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to work the Sound. Weather is expected to stay mostly cloudy with light winds, temperatures hovering in the upper 50s to low 60s, and just a slim chance of drizzle—ideal conditions for both boat and shore fishing.
For tides, we’re sitting on a moderate exchange today. This morning’s low tide hit around 4:30 AM, followed by a rising tide peaking close to midday. The afternoon outgoing tide should stir up the bait and get the predators moving, especially around the rips and points.
The chatter has mostly been about salmon and flounder. Creel reports from the last couple days show steady action: Chinook are still a little tight, with success mainly for those putting in the hours at the Tacoma-Vashon area and Point No Point. The big news is the early signs of a huge pink salmon run in 2025. The forecast is for 7.76 million pinks into Puget Sound this year—nearly double the usual average—so keep your eyes open for jumpers and get your gear ready for July and August, when the action really kicks off[2][5]. For now, expect increasing encounters with early pinks around the Nisqually and Green rivers, with better numbers to come.
Lingcod and rockfish are consistent catches for those fishing structure and reefs. Recent catches out of the Edmonds marina and Possession Bar included legal lings, especially on the outgoing tide. Flounder fishing is fair in the Elliott Bay and Commencement Bay flats, with sand dabs in good eating size on simple dropper rigs.
Best lures this morning are chartreuse Buzz Bombs, Point Wilson Darts, and small pink hoochies for those early pinks. Coho Killers and 3-inch spoons trolled fast are pulling in some resident coho as well. If you’re targeting bottomfish, nothing beats a white grub on a leadhead for lingcod, or a simple herring-tipped rig for flounder.
As for bait, herring or anchovy strips are top choices for Chinook and coho. Scented soft plastics can be deadly on both salmon and bottomfish, especially when the bite is slow.
Two hotspots to consider today: Point Defiance, where the tide swing and underwater structure hold both salmon and lings, and Possession Bar for those after bigger Chinook and regular encounters with legal lings. Don’t overlook the southern Green River mouth if you want an early shot at pinks.
That’s your May 16 report—tight lines out there, and remember: sometimes the best lure is persistence. See you on the water!
Today greets us with mild spring conditions that should make for a comfortable day on the water. Sunrise rolled in at 5:28 AM and sunset will close shop at 8:38 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to work the Sound. Weather is expected to stay mostly cloudy with light winds, temperatures hovering in the upper 50s to low 60s, and just a slim chance of drizzle—ideal conditions for both boat and shore fishing.
For tides, we’re sitting on a moderate exchange today. This morning’s low tide hit around 4:30 AM, followed by a rising tide peaking close to midday. The afternoon outgoing tide should stir up the bait and get the predators moving, especially around the rips and points.
The chatter has mostly been about salmon and flounder. Creel reports from the last couple days show steady action: Chinook are still a little tight, with success mainly for those putting in the hours at the Tacoma-Vashon area and Point No Point. The big news is the early signs of a huge pink salmon run in 2025. The forecast is for 7.76 million pinks into Puget Sound this year—nearly double the usual average—so keep your eyes open for jumpers and get your gear ready for July and August, when the action really kicks off[2][5]. For now, expect increasing encounters with early pinks around the Nisqually and Green rivers, with better numbers to come.
Lingcod and rockfish are consistent catches for those fishing structure and reefs. Recent catches out of the Edmonds marina and Possession Bar included legal lings, especially on the outgoing tide. Flounder fishing is fair in the Elliott Bay and Commencement Bay flats, with sand dabs in good eating size on simple dropper rigs.
Best lures this morning are chartreuse Buzz Bombs, Point Wilson Darts, and small pink hoochies for those early pinks. Coho Killers and 3-inch spoons trolled fast are pulling in some resident coho as well. If you’re targeting bottomfish, nothing beats a white grub on a leadhead for lingcod, or a simple herring-tipped rig for flounder.
As for bait, herring or anchovy strips are top choices for Chinook and coho. Scented soft plastics can be deadly on both salmon and bottomfish, especially when the bite is slow.
Two hotspots to consider today: Point Defiance, where the tide swing and underwater structure hold both salmon and lings, and Possession Bar for those after bigger Chinook and regular encounters with legal lings. Don’t overlook the southern Green River mouth if you want an early shot at pinks.
That’s your May 16 report—tight lines out there, and remember: sometimes the best lure is persistence. See you on the water!
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By Quiet. PleaseGood morning Puget Sound anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your May 16, 2025 fishing report.
Today greets us with mild spring conditions that should make for a comfortable day on the water. Sunrise rolled in at 5:28 AM and sunset will close shop at 8:38 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to work the Sound. Weather is expected to stay mostly cloudy with light winds, temperatures hovering in the upper 50s to low 60s, and just a slim chance of drizzle—ideal conditions for both boat and shore fishing.
For tides, we’re sitting on a moderate exchange today. This morning’s low tide hit around 4:30 AM, followed by a rising tide peaking close to midday. The afternoon outgoing tide should stir up the bait and get the predators moving, especially around the rips and points.
The chatter has mostly been about salmon and flounder. Creel reports from the last couple days show steady action: Chinook are still a little tight, with success mainly for those putting in the hours at the Tacoma-Vashon area and Point No Point. The big news is the early signs of a huge pink salmon run in 2025. The forecast is for 7.76 million pinks into Puget Sound this year—nearly double the usual average—so keep your eyes open for jumpers and get your gear ready for July and August, when the action really kicks off[2][5]. For now, expect increasing encounters with early pinks around the Nisqually and Green rivers, with better numbers to come.
Lingcod and rockfish are consistent catches for those fishing structure and reefs. Recent catches out of the Edmonds marina and Possession Bar included legal lings, especially on the outgoing tide. Flounder fishing is fair in the Elliott Bay and Commencement Bay flats, with sand dabs in good eating size on simple dropper rigs.
Best lures this morning are chartreuse Buzz Bombs, Point Wilson Darts, and small pink hoochies for those early pinks. Coho Killers and 3-inch spoons trolled fast are pulling in some resident coho as well. If you’re targeting bottomfish, nothing beats a white grub on a leadhead for lingcod, or a simple herring-tipped rig for flounder.
As for bait, herring or anchovy strips are top choices for Chinook and coho. Scented soft plastics can be deadly on both salmon and bottomfish, especially when the bite is slow.
Two hotspots to consider today: Point Defiance, where the tide swing and underwater structure hold both salmon and lings, and Possession Bar for those after bigger Chinook and regular encounters with legal lings. Don’t overlook the southern Green River mouth if you want an early shot at pinks.
That’s your May 16 report—tight lines out there, and remember: sometimes the best lure is persistence. See you on the water!
Today greets us with mild spring conditions that should make for a comfortable day on the water. Sunrise rolled in at 5:28 AM and sunset will close shop at 8:38 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to work the Sound. Weather is expected to stay mostly cloudy with light winds, temperatures hovering in the upper 50s to low 60s, and just a slim chance of drizzle—ideal conditions for both boat and shore fishing.
For tides, we’re sitting on a moderate exchange today. This morning’s low tide hit around 4:30 AM, followed by a rising tide peaking close to midday. The afternoon outgoing tide should stir up the bait and get the predators moving, especially around the rips and points.
The chatter has mostly been about salmon and flounder. Creel reports from the last couple days show steady action: Chinook are still a little tight, with success mainly for those putting in the hours at the Tacoma-Vashon area and Point No Point. The big news is the early signs of a huge pink salmon run in 2025. The forecast is for 7.76 million pinks into Puget Sound this year—nearly double the usual average—so keep your eyes open for jumpers and get your gear ready for July and August, when the action really kicks off[2][5]. For now, expect increasing encounters with early pinks around the Nisqually and Green rivers, with better numbers to come.
Lingcod and rockfish are consistent catches for those fishing structure and reefs. Recent catches out of the Edmonds marina and Possession Bar included legal lings, especially on the outgoing tide. Flounder fishing is fair in the Elliott Bay and Commencement Bay flats, with sand dabs in good eating size on simple dropper rigs.
Best lures this morning are chartreuse Buzz Bombs, Point Wilson Darts, and small pink hoochies for those early pinks. Coho Killers and 3-inch spoons trolled fast are pulling in some resident coho as well. If you’re targeting bottomfish, nothing beats a white grub on a leadhead for lingcod, or a simple herring-tipped rig for flounder.
As for bait, herring or anchovy strips are top choices for Chinook and coho. Scented soft plastics can be deadly on both salmon and bottomfish, especially when the bite is slow.
Two hotspots to consider today: Point Defiance, where the tide swing and underwater structure hold both salmon and lings, and Possession Bar for those after bigger Chinook and regular encounters with legal lings. Don’t overlook the southern Green River mouth if you want an early shot at pinks.
That’s your May 16 report—tight lines out there, and remember: sometimes the best lure is persistence. See you on the water!