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How
to fish for Pink Salmon
Pink Salmon are native to Pacific and Arctic coastal waters from the Sacramento River in northern California to the Mackenzie River in Canada and in the west from the Lena River in Siberia to Korea. Pink salmon were also introduced into the Great Lakes. Pink Salmon have a 2 year life cycle, after they hatch they start there journey to the ocean immediately and always return to the spawning rivers in 2 years. Because of this there are odd year or even year rivers of Pink Salmon fishing. In the sea, young pink salmon feed on small crustaceans and plankton, shifting their diet to include shrimp-like crustaceans and fishes as they grow. Other foods include mussel shrimps, crayfish larvae, barnacles, tunicates and insects.
When Pink Salmon are retuning to their rivers to spawn they tend to hold at the river mouths, bays, and estuaries close to the spawning rivers. Pink Salmon can hold for several days to a couple of weeks, depending on water levels in their spawning rivers. Pink Salmon also tend to hold close to shore which offers fishermen a chance to beach fish for them or fish from small boats close to shore. Most of these returning Pink Salmon are 3 to 5 pounds. Pink Salmon can offer a good fight on light tackle. Both Fly fishing and spincasting are productive methods of fishing for Pink Salmon.
When fly fishing for Pink Salmon use a 9 or 10 foot 5 or 6 weight fly rod with matching reel spooled with 5 wt or 6 wt WF sinking tip line and 9 to 12 feet of 8 lb test leader or 2X tippet. Pink Salmon will only take a selective few flies such as the small pink and silver flies like the Pink Eve, in long shank sizes of from #6 to #2. Whatever fly pattern you use it should incorporate pink and silver or flash with the fly material being on the sparse side. Pink Salmon will actively take a slow stripped pink colored fly.
Pink Salmon take flies with a soft strike but noticeable if you are slowly stripping the fly line over your index finger. Lift the rod tip at the strike and the pink will set the hook itself as it turns to follow and remain with the school.
If spincasting for Pinks use a light to medium spincasting rod that is about 7 feet long with a matched spinning reel spooled with 8 to 12 pound line with a small pink and chrome spinner attached. Fly fishing for Pink Salmon is usually more productive than spincasting for them but spincasting does work.
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