Best Trolling Spoons for Puget Sound Salmon
Spoons are the low-maintenance alternative to herring. No bait to keep fresh, no rigging — just clip on and troll. They work especially well for Coho and in dirty water conditions after rain events. Here are the proven Puget Sound picks.
Silver Horde Kingfisher Spoon (3.5")
Silver HordeThe most popular salmon spoon in the Pacific Northwest. Chrome/green and chrome/blue mimic herring perfectly. The 3.5" size matches the baitfish in Puget Sound.
Gibbs Delta Skinny G (3.5")
Gibbs DeltaNarrow profile action works well in the faster currents of Admiralty Inlet (Area 9). Rolls at slower speeds than wider spoons, letting you troll slower for finicky blackmouth.
Gold Star Yamashita Coho Killer (4")
Gold StarClassic Coho spoon. The wider wobble action drives silvers crazy. Run it behind a flasher or naked — both work. Green/silver and pink/silver are the Puget Sound standards.
▶️ Watch: trolling spoons
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast should I troll spoons?
2.2-3.0 mph for most spoons. Faster than herring. Watch the spoon action beside the boat — it should wobble steadily without spinning. Adjust speed until the action looks right.
Spoon behind a flasher or alone?
For Chinook: behind a flasher with a 24-36 inch leader. For Coho: either works. Running a spoon without a flasher ("naked") covers more water and is simpler. Add a flasher when fish are not responding.
What color spoon for Puget Sound?
Chrome/green and chrome/blue are your 80% choices — they match herring. In dirty water (after rain), go brighter: chartreuse, orange, or glow. For Coho specifically, pink/silver is hard to beat.