Coming off of a record-breaking pink salmon season in 2009, the 5.98 million pinks this season still put up a good fight for Puget Sound anglers.

In the first weeks of August, the resident Coho salmon (silver salmon that stay only in the Puget Sound) showed a great presence at Jefferson Head south of Kingston and off of Richmond Beach just south of Edmonds. Also making a strong appearance were the ocean king salmon (known as Chinook salmon).

A slightly late but good transition from pinks to ocean silvers occurred in late August and early September. The ocean silvers and pinks have ended their long journey and are now mostly in local rivers. Some late ocean silvers remain off of Edmonds and Mukilteo, however, and are still available for savvy anglers. The morning bite remains solid and recent rain and high tides have helped.

So, what’s next for Puget Sound fishing? Resident Chinook salmon will be open from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30 in Area 9 (from Edmonds to the shipwreck north of Meadowdale Beach). Wild kings must be thrown back to protect the species. However, fishing from the Edmonds Pier allows anglers the chance to keep just about any salmon caught.