Puget Sound Spring Fishing Forecast: Cutthroat, Lingcod, and Early Pinks Heating Up

Artificial Lure reporting in from Seattle, and with the sun breaking over the Sound at 5:37 this morning and setting tonight at 8:27, today’s shaping up for some classic spring angling action in Puget Sound. Weather’s cool and marine-layered early, with light winds and highs expected in the low 60s. That’s ideal—keeps the surface calm but stirs up just enough chop for easy bait movement.

Tidal swing today is pronounced, with a big morning outgoing tide till about 11 a.m. and a strong afternoon incoming. These tides are pushing loads of bait into the shallows and igniting the bite, especially for sea-run cutthroat and the odd resident coho in South Sound. Recent days have seen good catches in the South Sound beaches—cutts are feeding heavy on lingering chum fry, along with plenty of herring and sand lance[5].

Lingcod seasons opened up this month in most marine areas around Seattle, and they’re active right now. Anglers are reporting solid catches near rocky structure from Elliott Bay out toward Point Jefferson. Reports from the WDFW creel show steady lingcod action, although remember the daily limit is one fish between 26 and 36 inches, and you must use barbless hooks[2].

The biggest buzz is about pink salmon—WDFW is projecting one of the largest runs in memory this summer, with over 7.7 million humpies expected to flood the Sound[3][4]. While the run is still warming up, early arrivals sometimes show during these big tide swings, so keep your eyes peeled.

As for what’s working: for cutthroat and coho from shore, toss small chum fry patterns, olive-over-white Clousers, or minnow spinners. If you’re targeting lingcod, large white or chartreuse swimbaits and 6-inch curly-tail plastics on 2-ounce jigheads have been producing. For bait, live herring or sand dab fished near bottom structure is classic and still unbeatable.

Hot spots today to consider:
1. Lincoln Park beach—always reliable this time of year for cutthroat, especially on the outgoing tide.
2. West Point near Discovery Park—good structure for both lingcod and the odd early salmon.

Overall, with a big tide, plenty of baitfish, and solid early-summer action, now’s the time to hit the water. Don’t forget your license and barbless hooks. Good luck out there—tight lines!