Well, I’m about to tell you! With help from our friends at WDFW.

I stumbled on to this great map called Salmon Scape. Check it out! I may help with your Puget Sound saltwater fishing trips.

Salmon Scape is an interactive map that shows all streams and rivers with salmon spawning, rearing, or a presence (depending on which map controls you select).

Start by clicking on and expanding “fish distribution” to see:

• Summer Chinook Streams
• Fall Chinook Streams
• Coho Streams
• Summer Chum Streams
• Fall Chum Streams
• Winter Chum Stream
• Sockeye Streams
• Pink Salmon (Even Year) Streams
• Pink Salmon (Odd Year) Streams

Finally! Its starting to feel like summer. As of this writing we had two straight days of gorgeous sunshine. It’s time to fish (more).

Be sure to check your WDFW regulations and emergency rules for any updates

Marine Area 1 – Ilwaco will be open daily from June 25

Marine Area 2 – Westport opens on July 2

Marine Area 3 & 4 – La Push / Neah Bay open daily for salmon retention beginning June 18

Marine area 5 and 6 – opens July 1

Marine area 8-2 – Tulalip Bubble open Fridays to Mondays effective May 27th

Marine area 9 – opens July 16

Marine area 10 – Central Puget Sound around Seattle and Bremerton opens June 16th

Marine are 11 – opens July 1 through September 30

Marine Area 13 – open year-round for salmon

Be sure to check your WDFW regulations and emergency rules for any updates

Marine Area 13 receives two chinook returns. The spring Chinook (king) salmon run arrive in June and July in the south sound making their way to return to Minter Creek hatchery. The fall chinook (king) salmon run arrives about a month after the spring chinook, also destined for Minter.

Similar to the Area 13 black mouth fishery, you can find the AREA 13 spring and fall chinook returns in all the obvious places, including: the shoreline by Tacoma Narrow Park, Point Fosdick, Fox Point, the shoreline between Fox Point and Gibson Point, and of course Gibson Point.

Knowing exactly what you are seeing on our fish finder is sort of an art. You have to know how your sonar works. You need to know how your sonar is configured. You need to know what kind of fish and bait are in the environment and how those fish and bait interact in the environment. Lastly, you need to know what your sonar looks like while your boat is stopped or moving.

Understand how your sonar works

Read the manual, watch manufacture videos, and do a bit of research on your sonar unit. Know what kind of cones your unit uses and how to control the contrast and sensitivity and generally configure your sonar. As an example, know how your units white marker works. This is a feature that let’s you select one color on the color palette and turn it bright white. You can use the white marker to turn the bottom and background bright white so any bait, fish, or other targets are very easy to see.