Months come from each species' own season curve around Tacoma. A strong month is strong for that fish, not a ranking against the others. Time of day, when it is shown, is today's forecast and moves with the tide.
Each row is shaded against that species' own best month here, so a dark cell means a good month for that fish rather than a comparison between them.
| Species | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinook Salmon | ||||||||||||
| Coho Salmon | ||||||||||||
| Halibut | ||||||||||||
| Lingcod | ||||||||||||
| Chum salmon | ||||||||||||
| Black Rockfish | ||||||||||||
| Dungeness Crab | ||||||||||||
| Surfperch | ||||||||||||
| Flounder / Sole (Flatfish) | ||||||||||||
| Herring | ||||||||||||
| Squid - Opal | ||||||||||||
| Cabezon | ||||||||||||
| Pink salmon | ||||||||||||
| Rockfish (Aggregate) |
Chinook Salmon: January poor, February poor, March good, April fair, May fair, June excellent, July peak, August peak, September good, October poor, November poor, December poor. Coho Salmon: January none, February none, March none, April none, May none, June poor, July excellent, August peak, September peak, October peak, November none, December none. Halibut: January none, February none, March good, April peak, May peak, June peak, July peak, August excellent, September poor, October none, November none, December none. Lingcod: January fair, February fair, March good, April good, May excellent, June good, July fair, August fair, September fair, October fair, November fair, December fair. Chum salmon: January none, February none, March none, April none, May none, June none, July none, August none, September none, October peak, November peak, December fair. Black Rockfish: January fair, February good, March good, April good, May fair, June fair, July fair, August fair, September fair, October fair, November fair, December fair. Dungeness Crab: January poor, February poor, March fair, April good, May excellent, June excellent, July good, August good, September excellent, October good, November fair, December fair. Surfperch: January poor, February poor, March fair, April good, May excellent, June peak, July excellent, August good, September good, October fair, November poor, December poor. Flounder / Sole (Flatfish): January poor, February fair, March good, April good, May good, June excellent, July excellent, August excellent, September fair, October fair, November poor, December poor. Herring: January excellent, February peak, March excellent, April fair, May fair, June fair, July fair, August fair, September fair, October fair, November fair, December fair. Squid - Opal: January peak, February poor, March none, April poor, May none, June poor, July poor, August poor, September excellent, October peak, November peak, December peak. Cabezon: January good, February good, March fair, April fair, May fair, June fair, July good, August good, September fair, October fair, November good, December good. Pink salmon: January none, February none, March none, April none, May none, June none, July poor, August peak, September peak, October poor, November none, December none. Rockfish (Aggregate): January fair, February fair, March fair, April good, May good, June good, July good, August good, September good, October fair, November fair, December fair.
These are today's forecast windows, taken at the spot leading each species. They are not a standing schedule.
Peaks in July and August.
Tacoma's South Puget Sound (MA 11/13) Chinook show a spring 'blackmouth' resident bump (Feb-Mar) plus the dominant summer peak as mature migratory kings stage from mid-July through August toward Puyallup and Nisqually river returns. Abundance tapers sharply through September as spawners enter freshwater, with resident feeder Chinook maintaining a modest baseline over winter.
Peaks in August, September and October.
Coho are absent through winter and early spring; a minor resident/immature 'blackmouth-style' feeder coho presence builds through late spring and summer in South Puget Sound. The dominant adult fall run stages and floods Tacoma-area waters (Point Defiance, Commencement Bay) from late August, peaking mid-September through early October before rapidly tapering as fish push into the rivers by late October.
Peaks in April, May, June and July.
Pacific Halibut in South Puget Sound near Tacoma are scarce year-round but show a clear spring/early-summer presence as fish move into inland waters from the coast, peaking roughly mid-April through early June. Numbers taper through summer as fish disperse or return seaward, with low residual presence in fall and winter — they don't fully vanish from deep Sound basins, but abundance is minimal.
Excellent in May.
Lingcod are resident, non-migratory bottomfish in Puget Sound waters off Tacoma, so they're present year-round with only modest seasonal swings. Abundance peaks in late spring (April–May) when mature fish move onto shallow rocky reefs to spawn and males guard nests, with a smaller autumn uptick during cooler water; the mild winter dip reflects post-spawn dispersal into deeper, less accessible structure.
Peaks in October and November.
Puget Sound chum are a fall run; South Sound (Tacoma) fish surge from mid-October through November as they stage before entering natal streams like the Nisqually and Chambers Creek, peaking in early-to-mid November. They are biologically absent the rest of the year as adults hold offshore in the North Pacific until their return migration.
Good in February, March and April.
Black rockfish are non-migratory resident groundfish in South Puget Sound around Tacoma, holding tight to rocky structure and reefs year-round, so biological abundance stays essentially flat at baseline all 52 weeks. Minor seasonal shifts in feeding depth exist but overall standing stock remains stable since these long-lived fish do not undertake seasonal migrations in or out of local waters.
Excellent in May, June and September.
Dungeness crab are resident in South Puget Sound year-round, so abundance never hits zero. Legal-size male abundance peaks mid-summer (July) after the spring molt hardens shells, with a secondary late-summer/early-fall bump; numbers dip late winter/early spring during molting when crabs are soft and less catchable.
Peaks in June.
Surfperch (shiner, pile, and striped seaperch) are resident year-round in Puget Sound around Tacoma, so abundance stays broadly near baseline. The clear late-spring/early-summer peak (May–June) reflects viviparous surfperch congregating inshore over eelgrass and pilings to release live young, with a smaller autumn uptick as juveniles recruit and adults feed heavily before winter.
Excellent in June, July and August.
Flatfish (English sole, starry flounder, sand dab) are resident year-round in Puget Sound's Tacoma-area flats and never leave, so abundance stays relatively flat with no true zeros. Peaks occur late spring through late summer when warmer water and post-spawn recovery concentrate fish on shallow sandy flats, with a mild dip in mid-winter as fish move to deeper water to spawn.
Peaks in February.
Pacific herring are resident to South Puget Sound year-round but abundance surges late winter through spring (weeks 5-9) as mature schools stage and spawn on eelgrass and pilings near Quartermaster Harbor and Tacoma-area beaches. A secondary summer bump reflects young-of-year and feeding aggregations, with late-fall/winter the leanest as post-spawn adults disperse to deeper water.
Peaks in January, October, November and December.
Opal (market) squid abundance in Puget Sound near Tacoma peaks in fall through early winter (roughly Sept–Dec) when squid move into shallower Sound waters to spawn, drawn by cooler temps and baitfish concentrations around lit piers. A secondary softer bump appears in late spring/summer, while late winter through spring sees the lowest inshore presence as most squid disperse to deeper water.
Good in January, February, July, August, November and December.
Cabezon are year-round resident reef/structure dwellers in South Puget Sound near Tacoma, so the curve stays broadly flat near baseline. A modest summer peak (late June–August) reflects post-spawn nearshore feeding activity and warmer shallow-water concentration, while a slight winter dip corresponds to spawning males guarding nests in deeper rocky areas and being less broadly distributed.
Peaks in August and September.
Pink salmon return to South Puget Sound waters off Tacoma only in odd-numbered years, staging and migrating through late July into September with a sharp peak in mid-to-late August (weeks 34-36) as they stage before entering the Puyallup River. They are biologically absent the rest of the year, and this curve represents a run year; even years would be near zero throughout.
Good in April, May, June, July, August and September.
Rockfish (copper, quillback, brown, black, yelloweye) in South Puget Sound near Tacoma are highly resident demersal fish with extremely long lifespans and minimal seasonal migration. Biological abundance is essentially flat year-round, with only minor variation from spawning aggregations and juvenile recruitment that don't meaningfully change adult presence on the reefs.
It depends on the species. Chinook Salmon peaks in July and August. Coho Salmon peaks in August, September and October. Halibut peaks in April, May, June and July. Lingcod is excellent in May. Chum salmon peaks in October and November. Black Rockfish is good in February, March and April.
On November 1, 2026, the forecast windows are Chinook Salmon 3 PM to 6 PM, Coho Salmon 8 AM to 5 PM, Chum salmon 3 PM to 6 PM, Pink salmon 3 PM to 6 PM, Surfperch 8 AM to 6 PM, Herring 8 AM to 6 PM and Squid - Opal 8 AM to 6 PM. These are today's model windows, not a standing schedule.