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Pinks, Humpies, whatever you want to call them they're on their way and they are a blast to catch! Not only a blast, but relatively easy. We've all heard the stories of double digit days... well with Pinks this can be a very obtainable reality. In fact it's more of the norm than not! Experts are predicting 3.3 MILLION Pink Salmon entering the Puget Sound Region in 2007. Some sources I've talked to predict this will be even higher. Whether or not it's more or less, one thing for certain, they will be everywhere. Now if you want to learn to catch them in the salt, refer to Tom Nelson's article on Salmon University. But for this article, we'll try and help you out on the rivers. Beginning in September the rivers such as the Green, Puyallup, and the Snohomish will be invaded by hundreds of thousands of pink salmon each. This year the Green is predicted to have the greatest run number at 1.3 million.
You'll know when the fish are in because the rivers will be lined up with fisherman all searching for a little pink action. But don't let the crowds discourage you, these are fish that will be abundant and they're not going to spook like steelhead or other salmon species. Part of the fun of fishing Pinks is watching others... you'll see some interesting tactics to say the least.
Here's my #1 Technique that can be used from the bank or from a boat: Dick Nite Spoons! Presentation
A common way of rigging the spoon is to attach a three way swivel to the mainline and attach a 6” to 10” dropper of equal or higher weight test to the bottom of the swivel. Depending on current speed and depth a weight from 1/2 oz. to as much as 2 ounces may be necessary to properly fish the lure and will be attached to this dropper. On the business end of the swivel attach from 4 to as much as 8 feet of lighter test leader, to which the lure will be tied. As in all river fishing, leader length is entirely dependent on water clarity and should be matched accordingly. For a typical days fishing with 5 to 6 foot of river visibility I’ll run 6 feet of 8 lb Maxima Ultragreen leader from the swivel to the lure. Another way of fishing the spoon is to rig it with a sliding dropper, shown below. While both methods work excellent, the sliding setup tends to reduce line twist and allows for a better feel when salmon bite the spoon softly. Backtrolling Dick Nites from a boat can also be extremely effective. For this setup I use a lighter plugging rod such as the Lamiglas Hot Shot Composite (G1336T) and direct tie a Luhr Jensen Size 20 Jet Diver to mainline of 20 lb Tufline. If backtrolling in water less than 18 to 20 feet deep is may be necessary to run a dropper to the Jet Diver to keep the Dick Nite above the river bottom. Since most of the fishing I do is in deeper water, however, I prefer to direct-tie my Jet Divers. From the swivel provided with the Jet Diver attach 5 to 7 feet of Seaguar flourocarbon leader, with the overall length dependent on water clarity. Attach a Dick Nite Spoon to the leader and your set to backtroll your favorite run. Which Dick Nite should you use? They don't call them Pinks for nothing! A size #1 Pink with White back usually knocks em dead! For some reason if this doesn't work, a #1 50/50 should do the trick. Also, with the 50/50 you have a chance at coho or even chinook, but check the regulations before retaining any fish! Pinch the Barb! Even if the regulations don't call for it, I always pinch the barb. When I set out to fish for Pinks I'm hoping to release most, if not all the fish I catch. Believe me, even if a fish comes unbuttoned there will be another soon to come. I've had a fish come off, let the spoon flutter down and another fish pick it up before I started my retrieve back in. It's a lot easier to release fish with a barbless hook and your hook will last longer as well. When replacing the original hook, make sure and use a quality siwash hook of the same size. Don't let the small size of the hook fool you, they will hook fish and the hook size is balanced for the size of spoon. Other Techniques: I won't go into other techniques in as great of detail because I truly believe the Dick Nite will consistently outfish all other methods combined. If you want to throw things into the mix, or your arms are tired from reeling in too many fish, a pink jig will also draw strikes. You can fish the jig under a float or twitch it. Either way will work. Another method is using a mini pink hootchie skirt over a small corky. Use some shrimp scent and drift fish the setup as you would for steelhead. A good method from a boat if you want to put your rod down for a while is to cast directly downstream from your anchored up boat with a spin-n-glo and sand shrimp tail.
Table Fare: A lot has been said about the quality of the table fare a Pink Salmon brings, but treated correctly and with care they can be very tasty on the BBQ and exceptionally good smoked. The first thing you want to do is immediately bleed the fish. After it's done bleeding, clean the fish ASAP and pack the fish with ice. I carry a KatchKooler with some ice on the River with me if I plan on keeping any Pinks and they work great for keeping the fish cold. If you don't have a way to keep the fish cool, release them.
A Bonus! Besides the bonus limits the Department of Fish & Wildlife has given us, there's another bonus with Pinks... EGGS!!! Nice tight skeins of steelhead candy if every little hen. Above all... have fun!
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What
could be nicer than breathtaking views like this and all of your
closest buddies on the river?
The
action your looking for is to have the spoon wobbling slowly along
the bottom. In an area with no current it may be necessary to reel
a bit more quickly to achieve the desired action, and in an area
with more current reeling more slowly can be the ticket. The trick
to this is not giving up until the spoon is all the way back to
the bank or the boat, as many strikes can occur within a rods length
of your feet.
