Pink Salmon

[Clint F]

Hi I am wondering if i can use my 5 wt for pinks in saltwater and in rivers? Also are there any flies that seam to work better than others? I am going to fish the Carbon which is mudy so visibility will probably be a factor. Thanks for the help.:confused:

[Scott Behn]

You can do anything you want, but you'll be better off with a 6 or 7wt... especially out in the salt. Pinks maybe small compared to other salmonids, but any ocean dewelling fishy is many times stronger then a freshwater fish of the same size...IMHO!!!!!

:cool:

[Tom Bowden]

I agree with Scott on using 6, 7 or even 8 wt. rods. When a 4-6 lb fish gets downstream on you in a fast moving river, or down-current on a beach, you need a strong rod. You always want to land a fish as quickly as possible for release, and this can be tough to do with a 5wt.

My opinion

Tom

[John Hilt]

As for the flies...humpies will hit anything (almost). Pink and white marabou with a little flash has always worked for me, something like a "pink floozy".


-jh

[dmoocher]

I was spooled at hoodsport on my 8wt and it wasn't fun.

[Clint F]

Just curious because I have been reading websites from alaska that say a 5wt is sutable. It sounds like I will be using my 8wt. Just thought i'd ask from a more reliable source.

[salt dog]

You can do anything you want, but you'll be better off with a 6 or 7wt... especially out in the salt. Pinks maybe small compared to other salmonids, but any ocean dewelling fishy is many times stronger then a freshwater fish of the same size...IMHO!!!!!

:cool:

iagree
Pinks tend to take off when they start getting close to shore, so if you're fishing with other people around you even with a 6 wt rod you'll be hard pressed to keep larger fish out from under other lines and boots. 7 wt is about a perfect match.

[SeaRun Fanatic]

I was spooled at hoodsport on my 8wt and it wasn't fun.

Spooled by a humpy on an 8wt?!?!?!? Either your fish was not fair-hooked, or it wasn't a humpy. What do you use for chum, a 12wt???

(I debated a comment on operator error, but self-edited;) )

[dmoocher]

Foul hooked most likely...but that was the year of the "monster humpy" not your typical 4 pounders.

But that doesn't eliminate the likelyhood of operator error!

[Fred Aldridge]

I broke my 8 wt 2 years ago and used my 5 wt with no problem. Foul hooking is the difference as they can really pull when they don't feel the hook in their mouth. That being said, I replaced the 8wt as soon as possible.
Fred

[Bill Douglas]

Two years ago when they were in a buddy and I went. We were fishing in the salt. He was using an eight weight, and stated that they weren't much fun on that heavy of a rod. I used my five weight, and was just a touch "undergunned", but able to land all the fish I hooked. I have recently acquired a six weight. I think it will be perfect.

[Mark Graham]

How in the hell did you get spooled fishin' for pinks on an 8wt in Hoodsport??? I go over to Hoodsport for the Pinks using a 6wt. 8-6 pound Maxima leader ( I'll use 6 pound at Hoodsport) and never ever gotten close to being spooled. In fact, most of the time I just strip them in. Hoodsport doesn't have any current w/ the tides. 5 wt is a little light. But 6wt is just fine...

[Ian Broadie]

A 5wt will work just fine, since humpie's will go for most anything pink, flashy, and a lot of motion you can use an 8 lb test or so leader to keep them under control as they are not leader shy in least. As a matter of fact I purchased a 5wt specifically for this years humpie run.

A 5 wt would actually make the fight fun and with a barbless hook it should give the fish a fighting chance at winning the battle :) .

The kicker is if you hook a silver or later in the season a chum on a 5wt you will get ultra owned.

[AFJBugger]

5wt is all I ever used for the Pinks last year, they eat anything pink. They are a blast, at the time I did not have a 6wt but the 5wt was just fine.

Tight Lines!

[papafsh]

What nobody has mentioned here is the action of the rod, is it soft, moderate, fast? A fast action five wt. might do just fine on the average pink, a soft action 5wt will under-perform, etc,etc.

Last year was not a pink year, yes there are always a few, but not like odd year runs. I use a moderate action 10ft 7wt and it works well for me.

Whatever you use, get out there this year, you'll have a blast for about 3 weeks or so:thumb:

LB

[Clint F]

Thanks for all the help I think I am going to use my 5wt this year then when I get the money I will get a 6wt for the next run.

[dmoocher]

My two cents worth...

I was told long ago that if I couldn't afford a rod in every weight (who can!), skip one to cover more ground...I chose the even numbers...I have 5 quality rods in 4, 6, 8 wt (various lengths) and can cover everything I fish for. Just a thought.

[Clint F]

I have 1, 3wt. 3, 5wt. 2, 8 wt. Somewhere inbetween the odd and even numbers were lost. Personaly I feel that a 8wt would be a bit over powering for them pinks. Again I really appriciate your and everone elses help.

[dmoocher]

I primarily use my 8 because it's a 10 footer...but a 6 at hoodsport with all those morons around me...I'd never land a fish.

[Catfish Jack]

Moocher, it may not be the rod but the handler that is stopping you from catching them with a 6! J/K buddy.

I personal use a 5 myself and it does the trick.

[Les Johnson]

I like a 7-weight in the salt for pinks. However, a 6-weight seems to be just fine on the critters in freshwater, however. Keep your flies small and either unweighted, or very lightly weighted. I like the little Flashabou Comet in pearl pink for pinks (bright green for chums, incidentally). My beach flies for pinks (or chums) are all tied on 6, 8 and 10 hooks. I rarely, if ever snag one. They all are hooked in the kisser.
Good Fishing,
Les Johnson

[Sloan Craven]

You can churn butter with a toothpick if you keep at it long enough....
Seriously though a heavier rod is what you need. You could probably catch a fish with your 5 wt but you'd play it to death. A a 6 wt would be a great match.. plenty of fight, but you won't overplay it.

[andyk]

I use a 7wt for pinks... and that seems to be just right for my taste. I don't like the fish to bully me around since there are usually people fishing in fairly close proximity.

[Sterling silver]

I agree with Andy and Les. I find a 7 weight works very well in the salt. It can handle a bigger fish and you can lighten up on the drag if you want more play. You can get the fish in quickly so its not worn out, which means the fish is not such an easy target for the seals. Your catch and release can mean an easier meal for the furry devils. And if you hook a seal, your 5 weight is high priced kindling. At crowded beaches, the 7 weight can make it easier to control your fish. A stiff 6 weight would be my next choice.

Sterling

[Clint F]

Thanks dmoocher and everyone else. I am not planing on fishing hoodsport for them. I am thinking neah bay and places in the puget sound not hoodsport because there are to many people there for my liking.

[Ian Broadie]

All this talk of pinks and what not has inspired me to build the 11'6" forecast 6/7 weight switch rod. That should be a lot fun for pinks and be a nice compliment to my 5 and 7 weights.

oh the possibilities when there are 3.5 million fish headed your way. :thumb:

:beer2:

[Jon Borcherding]

Moocher, it may not be the rod but the handler that is stopping you from catching them with a 6! J/K buddy.

I personal use a 5 myself and it does the trick.


Hoodsport is a zoo. You have to be a decent caster just to get your fly in the water without hooking a drooler on the beach. The beach at Hoodsport has got to be about as much fun as bobbing for apples with a dozen members of a facial herpes affinity group. During the last humpy run the sherrifs office had to send out deputies every day to break up fights between drunken "snaggermen". If I was going to fish the humpy run at Hoodsport I would rather fish from a boat. Hell, I'd fish from a barnacle encrusted styrofoam log before I'd fish the beach at Hoodsport.
Just my 2 cents worth. I don't wanna spoil anybody's "fun".

JonB

[Clint F]

I must agree with Jon Borcherding.

[dmoocher]

If I was going to fish the humpy run at Hoodsport I would rather fish from a boat.

Thanks Jon...I'll be expecting a PM sometime the last week of June. :thumb:

[Les Johnson]

some years ago we were fishing Hoodsport for pink salmon. Bob Young, a long-time fishing pal was standing on his milk crate in order to cast further and more easily reach the schoolling pinks that had been holding a very, very long cast out. Suddenly the school move in all around him and his fly was swimming in the tidal current just beyond the end of his rod. A pink grabbed the fly and yanked Bob off of his milk crate and about up to his nipples. It was one of the most enjoyable days I've spent at Hoodsport; perhaps the only one.
Cheers,
Les Johnson

[CovingtonFly]

I was fishing up in Bellingham at the mouth of Whatcom creek during the chum run with an old rod I found in my folks garage. It was a gear rod and about 10 feet long. I hooked one and the rod snapped in half in front of about 30 other fishermen (snagerman) Of course I'm so good I landed the fish, but it was pretty embarrassing.
Bring on the pinks!

[Sean Beauchamp]

i'm plenty satisfied with my 8wt for pinks. when you are in them thick it gets old to be playing them all over the place. and it is epecially essential to have some backbone when that big ol hump gets sideways downstream in some current. they will dog you out if you are undergunned. a 5 fish day and the room to play and ill take a 5 or 6wt but if im into them thick (20-30 fish day) or there is some current, id rather be packing my 8wt. for my waters up here it suits the situation better to have a little more backbone, its also nicer for punching a long line into some wind. match your intended waters, tie up something small and flashy and you are set.

damn, now im excited.... haha

[Clint F]

Now that I know what to use and how to fish saltwater how should I go about fishing muddy water in rivers such as the carbon. Should I Swing flies or nymph? I am new at the pink thing so I appriciate all the help.

[Ian Broadie]

Now that I know what to use and how to fish saltwater how should I go about fishing muddy water in rivers such as the carbon. Should I Swing flies or nymph? I am new at the pink thing so I appriciate all the help.

Go pink and flashy and you are pretty well good to go in muddy water chartreuse may work as well. Pattern is not important and you should probably swing the fly to give it more action.

Pinks are really aggressive and will hit almost anything that catches their attention. If there's a lot of pinks around 20 fish in a day is not unreasonable to expect.

Have fun, I do :beer2:

oh yea if you have kids take them they'll catch fish as well.

[Djustham]

So from what I have gleaned from this thread, the run starts in June, and many of the S river recieve a good run. Is this an accurate summation?

[Sean Beauchamp]

for my local waters (snohomish/sky, stilly and their estuaries...) there is a window starting mid august ending first week in september when the rivers are crawling with fresh pinks and the fishing is rediculous. the fish stick around through september but they start to get nasty and the fight goes down hill.

[ibn]

Not sure about the S rivers, but down south I started catching fish off the beach mid July last year. June seems a little early.

[WT]

Last time the pinks were in I was using a 9'9" 5wt with a Rio Outbound line for the beaches. It was a great setup, I was shooting out long casts and getting fish on just about every outing. If I was fishing in a crowd I really had to lean on the fish to get it in w/out getting in everyone's lines.
One day I used the same setup in an estruary. I was fishing from a boat and managed to get into a ton of pinks. This is when the 5wt came up short. In the deeper water the fish would sound, bending my rod almost in half. I had to horse 'em in. The problem with that is that I pulled out a lot of flies, pinks have soft mouths.
Will a 5wt work? Hells ya, but a 6wt is better, a 7wt would be perfect.
The pinks are coming, good luck out there.
WT

[Porter]

My 907-4 DS2 is my preferrred choice when targeting the pinks. Seven weight :thumb:

[Clint F]

Thanks for all the help. I think I am going to be swinging flashy pink flies for them in the rivers. :)