Puget Sound Fishing Report - Lingcod Hot, Salmon Outlook Promising for May 7, 2025

Puget Sound anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your Seattle-area fishing report for Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

First, let’s talk weather. Expect cloudy skies this morning with scattered sun breaks in the afternoon. Temps will hover in the mid-50s, with a light breeze that should keep chop minimal on the water. Sunrise hit right about 5:39 AM and sunset will be around 8:32 PM, giving us a good, long window to fish.

Tides are favorable for morning outings. There’s a low tide early, rising to a midday high. That mix of moving water should boost fish activity up until lunchtime, especially near points and tidal rips.

Lingcod season just opened this month and the bite is hot. Reports from Marine Areas 10 and 11 confirm that legal-sized lings are being caught around rocky structure and deeper kelp beds. Try jigging 5- to 7-inch white or chartreuse soft plastics on heavy leadheads. Herring, either rigged whole or cut, is the go-to bait if you’re anchoring up. Remember, the daily limit is one for lingcod and barbless hooks are required for all bottomfish[2].

Resident blackmouth (Chinook salmon) are still being found, with the best numbers around Edmonds, Shilshole, and West Point. Trollers using 3.5-inch spoons, hoochies, or cut-plug herring behind flashers are doing well, especially working depths between 80 and 120 feet. Early mornings with the outgoing tide have produced the most consistent action. Some solid sea-run cutthroat have also been reported around Point No Point and Lincoln Park beaches, mostly on small baitfish imitations and olive over white clousers for the fly crowd[5].

While we’re still a little early for the massive pink run projected later this summer, signs are looking good for a strong salmon season. Inshore, the usual mix of flounder and perch are willing biters on smaller jigs and worm-tipped hooks near the piers and docks[3].

For bait, bring herring, sand shrimp, and squid for bottomfish. For lures, popular picks this week include white grub jigs, metal spoons, and needlefish-style plugs for both salmon and lingcod.

Hot spots today include the artificial reefs out from Shilshole Bay and the boulder piles off the Southworth Ferry. Point Defiance continues to kick out keeper lingcod and the Edmonds oil docks remain a salmon standby.

That’s your rundown for today. Tight lines from Artificial Lure, and remember to check those regs and handle your catch with care.