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Carbon Pinks Last Night on 6 wt

2K views 30 replies 14 participants last post by  Poopy McButtfart 
#1 ·
I had a blast last night.

7 pinks on a 6 wt in 1.5 hours. Of the 7, only 2 were brought to hand for C&R, the rest spit the hook or broke the line.

I was using a nymphing floating line with a trout sink tip. Problem was, the sink tip mono was lighter than the 10 lb line I used for a leader, so I broke the sink tip loop twice.

I was fishing walking speed water knee to belly deep. Started by roll casting straight out, mending, then swinging. Found I was hanging up on the bottom with this method, so I started casting at approx 10 position and the sink tip did it's majic swinging the fly right in front of the fish.

10 lb straight Stren leader, no fancy tapered lines. Gamakatsu brand #2 Octopus hook, Purple yarn enhanced with Smelly Jelly paste shrimp/anise did the trick.

The 6 wt handled the small pinks well - I was surprised.

This was the first time hooking salmon on a 6wt. I love casting the lighter rod. I have an 8wt, but it is not as much fun to fish because it makes my elbow ache.
 
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#3 ·
7 pinks on a 6 wt in 1.5 hours. Of the 7, only 2 were brought to hand for C&R, the rest spit the hook or broke the line.
If you're breaking mid-October pinks off with 10 pound stren (regardless of what size rod you're using), I think there's a pretty good chance they weren't hooked in the mouth - but at least you were horsing them in, which is better than playing them for 30 minutes. I know sometimes foul-hooking pinks can be inevitable, but it sounds like you might have been flossing. Especially if you're using a sink-tip with a neutral buoyancy "fly."

Purple yarn enhanced with Smelly Jelly paste shrimp/anise did the trick.
*Squirt squirt* - enhance! - *squirt squirt* - enhance! - *squirt squirt* - enhance! Might be the first time 'smelly jelly' has been mentioned on this board.

The 6 wt handled the small pinks well - I was surprised.
Doesn't really sound like it if you're breaking 4 pound pinks off with 10 pound mono.
 
#8 ·
Evan - Yes, there are some nasty pinks hanging out in the slower water, the two I brought to hand were bright and put up a good fight. The key is to find suitable water - walking speed or a little faster. The silvers have slowed way down. Pinks are saving a few outing from turning into "skunks".

Cruiz, Smelly Jelly I use is a paste, but you can get it in a liquid. So no "squirt", just a dip will do you. As for foul hooking/flossing, yes it happens but is not the goal. As for breaking off, I was using an old trout sink tip with mono that was smaller diameter than the 10 lb leader. The old light line broke when I tried palming the fish to keep them out of the fast current.

Mr Dry Fly, you should come over to the wet side and experience smelly jelly and a bait caster (look it up on a bass fishing sight, maybe just google "tangle"). You might be surprised at the technical difficulty and fun you can have chasing moody fish that are returning from the ocean.

It is amazing to me how many of us fly fishers can be seen as "snobs". Just this morning a bait caster guy told me in all seriousness that "all fly fishers are assholes" (as I am holding my fly rod). I understand his viewpoint. Before I started fly fishing, I had a few encounters with the "snob" steelhead fly fishers on public rivers acting like they owned the river. It gave me a bad taste in my mouth. But at some point I decided to give fly fishing a try as the next progression in angling. That was the mid 90's. After learning to fly fish for trout, I gave up chasing ocean going fish on gear. Just this year re-discovered my love of drift fishing, so I sit in both camps. Both kinds of fishing have technical challenges . I have been privileged to meet and fish with helpful, positive anglers in both camps. I choose not to act or be seen as that "snobby asshole" fly fishermen. I go out of my way to be friendly and interested in the other anglers on our rivers. It is my way of learning from them.

Me? Angler, Fly Fisher & Gear Fisherman - Yes Snob-No
How about You?
 
#9 ·
Certainly no looking down my nose at gear fishing here. I enjoy catching fish on the fly rod more than anything, but I spent time in the salt chasing salmon. With gear again this year and enjoyed it immensely.

But, ya gotta keep in mind this is a fly fishing forum, so posting up a report where you are fishing for what is often considered one of the "easier" fish to catch on the fly by adding smelly jelly, well, you may just end up with some smart assed replies.

Nobody means any harm....but when so many guys here have caught hundreds of pinks on the fly, and then read a report involving smelly jelly and yarn, well it's pretty easy for the mind to start making assumptions.

As long as its legal and you're having fun, I say go for it. Just don't be surprised when you post about it on the fly forum and aren't completely received with open arms by all members.
 
#10 ·
Certainly no looking down my nose at gear fishing here. I enjoy catching fish on the fly rod more than anything, but I spent time in the salt chasing salmon. With gear again this year and enjoyed it immensely.

But, ya gotta keep in mind this is a fly fishing forum, so posting up a report where you are fishing for what is often considered one of the "easier" fish to catch on the fly by adding smelly jelly, well, you may just end up with some smart assed replies.

Nobody means any harm....but when so many guys here have caught hundreds of pinks on the fly, and then read a report involving smelly jelly and yarn, well it's pretty easy for the mind to start making assumptions.

As long as its legal and you're having fun, I say go for it. Just don't be surprised when you post about it on the fly forum and aren't completely received with open arms by all members.
Word. I had a few 50+ fish days on the Skykomish this run back at the beginning of September. All on flies, sans jelly.

And I fish non-fly fishing methods a good percentage of my time out. Pinks... that's the time to get out and get a lot of fish on a good ol fashioned fly strip.
 
#19 ·
Nick,

Sounds like you have had an enjoyable season. Good for you. Are you putting your fly rod away until what, steelhead season next month?

I will be fly fishing Rocky Ford soon. I fish it Fall, Winter and Spring but fish other areas during the summer. Winter, frozen guides, preferably snow on the ground is my favorite season at RF (and no, I do not use Smelly Jelly at RF).

Old Man,

I, like you gave up the smelly jelly when fly fishing (for trout) took over my life over 15 years ago.

I live 10 min from 2 drift fishing sights, so I started drift fishing recently and found I still enjoy feeling the weight tick tick ticking the bottom, then pausing. Pinks do not fight like a steel head, but they are fish on the end of the line.

My first day out drift fishing this season yielded 3 pinks in my first 10 casts. The Pinks were were much larger than I am accustomed to catching. Local anglers explained to me those large Sept fish were "4 salts". The number and size of pinks has gone down in October and it is assumed these fish are "2 salts".

The tug is the drug, whether on gear or fly rods. I am fortunate to live where I can be knee deep river fly or drift fishing within 15 min of my home. I have taken to gear fishing in the morning and fly fishing in the evening.
 
#24 ·
A guide on the OP used to scent our flies with smelly jelly. He gave me a bottle of shrimp stuff and I carried it around in my vest for maybe a year. Never used it and got worried "what if this shit leaks"? Oh man, that stuff is ripe. I'd have my own seat on the bus for sure. I offed it.
 
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