CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Seattle, WA Daily Water Report — October 4, 2026

Seattle gets an emphatic go for boating, paddling, diving, fishing, and shoreline time today—provided you treat the tide and cold water with the respect they deserve. This is a notably smooth October water day: winds are light from the NNE, generally 0.8 to 3.7 knots, with the strongest gusts near 8 knots around 7 AM. Waves are essentially absent, ranging from flat to 0.1 m, with the day’s calmest reading around 0.02 m near 7 AM. That makes boating the standout at 8.4/10, while diving rates 8.1 and kayaking 7.8. The best all-around early window runs from dawn through midmorning, especially around the 7:07–9:07 AM solunar major period. It overlaps very low water shortly after the 5:29 AM low tide and the day’s lightest marine texture, making it a strong choice for anglers, paddlers, divers, and shoreline explorers who can work with exposed terrain. The catch: a -0.12 m low tide changes access and footing. Watch your route, avoid getting committed below the rising waterline, and remember that flat surface conditions do not make 14.3 C water warm. Fishing earns 7.4/10, helped by the stable 1017 hPa pressure, light wind, tide movement, and the morning major period. A second useful timing cue arrives from 7:07–9:07 PM, shortly after the 7:35 PM low tide, though daylight is gone by then. The afternoon high of 3.26 m at 1:45 PM also coincides with the 1:37–2:37 PM minor period. Chlorophyll is high at 2.95 mg/m³, but that is an ocean-color measure, not a promise of fish activity. Sailing is workable at 6.2/10, but the same calm water that flatters kayaks gives sailors very little breeze to use. Visibility is forecast near 18.7 km under mostly clear, dry skies, though that is atmospheric visibility—not underwater clarity. Compared with the recent CatchWindow record, boating is tied for the best score of the past week, while fishing improves sharply from yesterday’s 6.4. Diving is better than yesterday but remains below the 8.2 posted on October 2. The quiet pattern holds through Thursday: light winds, near-flat seas, and dry forecasts. Rain chances rise modestly Friday and Saturday. Best bet: launch early, use the 7–9 AM window, and enjoy the rare luxury of water that looks like it forgot to make waves.