Puget Sound Fishing Report: Pinks, Coho, and More on the Late Summer Bite

August 27, 2025, here in Puget Sound—Artificial Lure reporting, with your no-nonsense on-the-water roundup. It’s a classic late-summer morning on the Sound: sunrise at 6:10, sunset’s at 8:16, leaving us over 14 prime daylight hours to chase that bite. At sunrise, air temps are hovering around 62°F with about 45% cloud cover. Wind out of the north at a gentle 9 knots means small chop in open water but smooth running for most boats and kayakers. Water temps are about 53°F—chilly enough to keep fish active but not scattered.

Tides are setting up nicely for anglers. This morning, we had a minus tide of -1.02 feet at 7:10 am and we’re rolling into a major high tide at 3:41 pm (peaking at 10.63 feet), then dropping again this evening. Best fishing times* according to local tidal tables are 8:12–10:12 am and again 8:45–10:45 pm—those lunar transit windows have been lining up well with recent hot bites.

Now, for the fishing itself: pink salmon (humpies) are dominating the scene this week. Reports from West Seattle Bridge and the mouth of the Duwamish on August 24 showed anglers hauling in pinks left and right. Social feeds and fish boards are lit up with gritty photos of stringers full of fresh fish—buzz bombs and pink hoochies flying off the shelves. If you’re targeting pinks from shore or kayak, toss a pink Buzz Bomb or rig that classic pink hoochie under a casting float. Retrieve with short, jerky pulls. Limit catches—good numbers, mostly 2–4 lb humpies, with some boats reporting 15 to 20 fish per trip out near Edmonds and Mukilteo piers. Each tide cycle has been bringing in waves of fresh salmon.

If you want to mix it up, coho salmon are showing up in better numbers, especially along the central Sound. Troll a silver and green Coho Killer spoon or try a cut-plug herring behind a small dodger if you’re working deeper water. Boaters targeting coho on the afternoon tide have found success down near the shipping lanes off Shilshole, as well as Possession Bar. Chinook action is slower, but a few decent kings have been landed closer to the Tacoma Narrows bridge using larger flasher-and-hoochie combos or whole green label herring.

Word out of northwest sports bulletins: sockeye numbers are spectacular up north, but locally, it’s pinks and silvers putting smiles on faces. Don’t ignore the resident sea-run cutthroat around Point No Point and Lincoln Park—strip any natural bait (sand shrimp, cut herring), or pitch small Kastmasters and Eurotackle Live Spoons if you’re after these trout.

Hot spots for the day:
- **West Seattle Bridge/Duwamish Mouth**: Reliable action for pinks at first light or on the afternoon push. Great for both bank fishermen and small craft.
- **Edmonds Pier**: Hot right now with fishermen hooking into pinks and bonus coho throughout the tide cycle.
- **Point No Point Lighthouse Beach**: Classic South Sound location—beach-casters hitting pinks, sea-runs, and bycatch flounder.

Crabbing is still decent in select zones—drop traps midday but use fresh salmon trimmings as bait for best results.

For bait, pink Buzz Bombs, pink hoochies, and silver spoons have been the real ticket. If you have live sand shrimp or green label herring, use it—especially targeting larger coho or Chinook.

Thanks for tuning in to the Puget Sound bite report from Artificial Lure. Don’t forget to subscribe for daily tidal, weather, and fishing updates, and tight lines out there. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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