Current is very important to beach fishermen as you need a good current to 1. Push bait fish close to the beach. 2. Create a back eddy that holds baitfish trying to get out of the main current flow. Both scenarios attract salmon. I've looked at the Puget Sound current tables and can't find them to be of much use to me as a beach fisherman. Either the current is running or it isn't. At Ft Casey Friday there was a minimal tidal exchange, minimal current flow, flat calm water, and no wind. Saturday there was still a minimal tidal exchange, but there was a decent current, fairly rough water, and a lot of wind. The wind was the variable Saturday that wasn't there Friday.
As Jerry Garcia eluded to: Beach fishermen have a lot of time to contemplate things between bites.