Chasing Pinks

Yesterday I went back to a local beach in search of more pink salmon. I had been there on Tuesday and done quite well with eight fish to hand and four long line releases. This time I had my wife and daughters in tow. Well, sort of. They came with me but dropped me off in favour of swimming in a nearby lake. It was hot out and I can't say I blame them. It also meant I got a few hours of fishing in.

The tide was well on its way out and there were people fishing all down the shoreline as one would expect on a weekend. Fortunately, many people were leaving and since I don't like fishing shoulder to shoulder I walked and found some solitude. In fact I found enough solitude and room that I was able to walk up and down the beach chasing a small school of salmon that were hanging around.

Pink salmon fishing is not rocket science and many over think it. The basics of it are; you need to get your fly or lure in front of the fish and they will bite it. I'm pretty sure you could wrap aluminium foil around a hook and trick one into biting. That being said, I find there are patterns that work better than others. Which brings me to my next point. If you walk along and ask the average fisherman what color to use when fishing pink salmon, 99% of the time the answer will be "anything pink for pinks" or something to that extent. Well I can tell you I have caught just as many fish on chartreuse. Pink does work well but if the bite turns off, switch to something different.

Back to yesterday's trip. I walked into my spot, stripped off some line and began casting. It didnt take long for me to see a few fish rise so I waded down towards them and dropped a few casts in front of where the school was moving. Before long, I had a fish to hand. Unfortunately, the schools were small and far between so the action was a bit slow. I did manage to hook two more, one of which I landed. The two I landed are now ready for the smoker.

Flies used today were again a clouser with dumbell eyes. Two of the fish were hooked on a pink fly and one on chartreuse.

Rumor has it the bulk of the run is just around the corner and should start to show up in the next week or so. Im hoping to get out a couple more times before I head back up north.

Feeling Pink

Got together with a few fellow fishermen for fly flinging fun today.

It was in pursuit of some early pink salmon in the Vancouver area. Typically around this time of year there are a few salmon making there way along the local beaches towards their streams of origin. Armed with my fly rod and a box of flies we went out early and found some fish cruising the beach shore. More fish than I was expecting, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Low slack tide worked the best but fish were caught throughout the day. When they are thicker in there, it doesn't matter what the tides are doing. A helpful hint for those that aren't familiar with fishing for pink salmon, a long cast and deep wading is not necessary. No need to bomb your lure out a long way; save your energy and time. Tip number two, your leader (when fly fishing) should be a little heavier than you would think. I typically fish 15 pound mono. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, it helps turn over a weighted fly a little easier. Secondly, and more importantly, the thicker line can take more of a beating on the sharp barnacles which at some point will be contacted either when fighting a fish or on the beach behind you during your backcast. A few knicks in a thicker line will allow you to land your fish, a smaller pound test line is more likely to fray and prematurely snap. Not to mention these fish are not leader shy, so why use lighter line?

The fly of the day was a sparse pink over white clouser minnow fished on a clear intermediate sink tip. I love using this fly on the beach as it rides pointy side up, is less likely to snag and always gets the fish in the upper lip. Not to mention it must also appear tasty to a salmon because it is usually effective.