Puget Sound Fishing Report: Salmon and Lingcod Heating Up on Tides and Structure

This is Artificial Lure with your Puget Sound fishing report for Wednesday, May 28, 2025.

First light hit this morning at 5:18 am with sunrise right about 5:22 am. Expect sunset to roll in at 8:50 pm, giving us long days and plenty of fishing opportunity. Early risers got the best shot at some good bites with the overcast skies and mild temps in the upper 50s to low 60s. A light westerly breeze made for manageable drifts and a comfortable morning on the water.

Tides in Puget Sound today are moderate, with a solid flood tide peaking mid-morning and a good outgoing tide through the afternoon, so timing a few hours before and after high tide should be productive.

Fishing action is heating up with over six million salmon forecast to push into the Sound this season. Anglers are already reporting strong early pink salmon action and good numbers of resident coho. Chinook catches have started popping up, mostly on troll gear and deep mooching rigs near structure and current lines. Lingcod season is in full swing, open through June 15 in most areas with a one fish daily limit and barbless hooks required. Fish between 26 and 36 inches are fair game, but remember to stay in waters shallower than 120 feet for lingcod targeting.

The word on the docks is that Point Defiance and Edmonds have been steady producers this week. Boats working the rips and eddies off Jeff Head and Possession Bar are finding success with mooched herring, 3-inch white or chartreuse curly-tail grubs, and chrome or green needlefish hoochies. Trolled Ace-Hi Flies and Silver Horde spoons in green-glow have been top-notch for both salmon and coho. Lingcod are hitting well on large soft plastic swimbaits in white or root beer, rigged on 2- to 4-ounce jig heads, and live bait like sand dabs where allowed. Rock piles and reefy drop-offs from Shilshole to Alki continue to produce legal lings.

Creel checks this week show solid mixed-bag counts: boats are averaging one to two legal salmon and several folks are limiting on lings, with the occasional keeper flounder or rockfish in the mix. The shore crowd is doing best at Dash Point and Lincoln Park casting Buzz Bombs and Rotators, especially during the incoming tides.

To sum up, focus your effort around the morning high slack and afternoon outgoing, stick with bright patterns for salmon and big plastics for lingcod, and be sure to check the regs for area-specific rules. Hot spots for today: try Possession Bar for salmon and the Tacoma Narrows for a shot at a trophy lingcod.

Good luck and tight lines from your local fishing expert, Artificial Lure.