Puget Sound Fishing Report: Monster Pink Salmon Run, Halibut Hot Spots, and Fly Fishing Action

Fishing Report for Puget Sound, Seattle - May 24, 2025

Hey folks, Artificial Lure here with your weekend fishing update. It's a beautiful Saturday morning in the Sound, and fish are active!

The early bird gets the worm today - sunrise was at 5:18 AM, so many of you diehards are already on the water. For the rest of you, there's plenty of daylight until sunset at 8:52 PM.

Recent reports show promising action throughout Puget Sound. The big news is those pink salmon - we're expecting a monster return this year with forecasts of 7.76 million fish, which is 70% above our 10-year average[4]. While we're still early in the season, some early arrivals are being caught.

Halibut fishing has been productive in Marine Areas 5 and 6, which opened April 3 and runs through June 30, seven days a week[5]. Remember your limit is one halibut per day, with an annual limit of six, and don't forget that catch card!

For salmon anglers, Area 7 (San Juan Islands) has a two-fish limit, but you must release sockeye, chum, wild coho, and Chinook[2]. Note that Bellingham and Samish Bay remain closed to salmon through August 15.

Water levels in our rivers are favorable - the Snoqualmie is running at ideal levels for both wading (300-1500cfs) and floating (750-1500cfs)[3]. The MF Snoqualmie and Cedar River are also in prime condition for wading.

For bait, herring has been working well for salmon, while squid and octopus are your best bet for halibut. Lure-wise, I've had success with Coyote spoons in bright colors for salmon. For halibut, white curly tail jigs tipped with herring have been deadly.

Hot spots this weekend include:
1. Possession Bar - The incoming tide around noon should trigger some good action
2. Point No Point - Always reliable this time of year
3. Shilshole Bay - Reports of some early pinks moving through

The creel reports from WDFW show decent catch rates, though remember that data is preliminary and subject to change after quality control[1].

For you fly anglers, we're seeing the start of some good dry fly action on our rivers[3]. Size 14-16 caddis patterns have been productive in the evenings.

Remember, fishing in most areas of Puget Sound is open seven days a week now through June, but always double-check the regs before heading out.

That's all for today, folks. This is Artificial Lure saying tight lines, and I'll see you on the water!