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Pink salmon, or "humpies," inhabit the cold
waters of the north Pacific Ocean. They range from the
central Washington state coastline north to Alaska and
across to northeast Asia. They have the shortest life
span of any of the pacific salmon and spawn in two-year
cycles. Every second summer they return to the streams
and rivers that bore them to make their contribution
to the survival of their species. On the mainland coast
of British Columbia these salmon return every odd year;
on eastern Vancouver Island they run in the even years.
A few of the rivers, like the Oyster near Campbell River,
are unique in this regard because of very successful
hatchery programs. As a result there is a smaller run
even in the “off” years. What a bonus for
the angler! Every year you can fish some of the estuaries
with a reasonable chance of success.
As salmon go, pinks are the smallest. While the maximum
weight for these fish is estimated at 12 pounds (5.4
kgs.), they average three to five pounds when fully
mature. They are nicknamed "humpies" because
of the characteristic humped back the males develop
during the spawn, but they are more formally known as
Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, or pink salmon. Identification
of these fish is quite easy. They are small in size
and have large, oblong, "blotchy" spots on
their tails rather than the small round spots found
on coho and Chinook. They also lack the characteristic
black mouths of the Chinook or the black-edged gums
of the coho. |
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One of the favourite methods of angling for pinks is
to wade from shore and there is a definite technique
to this. Slow retrieves are the key, and when you combine
slow retrieves with the soft takes of these fish, it
makes the strikes almost undetectable sometimes. It
feels much like hooking into floating weed and knowledgeable
anglers always set the hook at the first sign of resistance.
They end up setting the hook into a lot of weeds but
they also hook into a lot of salmon.
Pinks are very soft mouthed and you must take care
not to pressure them too much once hooked. If you are
overaggressive when playing them you'll tear the hook
out, and although they love to run, they seldom make
long runs like the coho so you have little need to pressure
the fish too much unless you plan on releasing it.
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During the salmon run, anglers often catch many more fish than the law allows
them to keep, thus catch and release must be practiced
unless they quit after killing their limit. This
isn't too difficult with the pinks since, as I
mentioned earlier, they don't make long runs.
The short runs allow the angler to bring the fish
to hand quickly and barbless hooks, combined with
the salmon’s soft mouth, allows for easy
hook removal. Barbless hooks are mandatory in
most locations. It is a documented fact that approximately
80% to 90% of all the salmon properly released
survive to spawn or be caught again. The pinks
that are killed make excellent table fare if cooked
fresh and they are excellent smoked as well. They
don't freeze well however and many people, myself
included, like to bake up a fresh salmon for dinner
the same evening as it was caught and smoke the
rest. |
When fishing the beaches near river mouths, it is best
to take up a position and allow the fish to come to
you. If you spend the day moving from spot to spot you'll
not be as successful since the schools slowly cruise
the shoreline. The exception to this is at low tide.
When the tide drops move near the river mouth. The fish
funnel in there and are "fish in a barrel"
until the tide rises again.
When fishing in the tidal current or the current of
the river mouth remember to mend your line to present
the fly to the fish as its natural prey would appear.
Casting crosscurrent and dragging the fly back is a
common mistake most anglers make when beach fishing.
The drag makes the fly move in the wrong direction,
just as in a river, and you get significantly fewer
strikes because of it.
Fly patterns are simple ties that imitate the food
of pink salmon. The humpies feed mostly on small shrimp,
squid, baitfish and other small crustaceans. Small streamer
patterns of blue, pink or green over silver bodies tied
on stainless steel hooks in sizes #8 through #2 work
well and are most common. Pink appears to be one of
these salmon’s their favourite colours and is
probably due to the fact that the fish feed significantly
on shrimp and euphasids.
If you plan to fish the estuaries it is wise to remember
that you are dealing with salt water. Maintain your
gear diligently or the salt will ruin it in short order.
Anodized reels are the rule of the day to help prevent
rust and corrosion. Chest waders are a necessity since
you will be wading deep. Make sure your wading boots
have sturdy soles and that the waders have sewn-in knee
patches to protect the areas that may come in contact
with barnacles. Remove your fly boxes and other gear
from your lower pockets if you wear a full-length vest.
If you don’t you will end up wading deeper than
the bottom of the vest and you will soak whatever is
in your bottom pockets in salt water. Once you get home
hose down your boots and waders and disassemble your
reels and flush the parts with warm water to get rid
of any residual salt. I cannot stress good maintenance
enough when dealing with ocean water. I've seen many
instances of good gear ruined due to lack of proper
maintenance.
The opportunities that the pink salmon sport-fishery
offers along British Columbia’s coast are just
beginning to be recognized by anglers. Pink salmon are
slowly becoming recognized as a great summer sport fish,
especially by flyfishers, and with their numbers holding
steady or on the increase in some areas, this sport-fishery
should see a significant increase over the next few
years. Check out this new angling opportunity. You’ll
find yourself having a whole lot of fun and pink salmon
make a tasty alternative to the regular summer fare
of hamburgers and hotdogs.
Sidebar for Pink Summer
Fly Patterns for beach fishing pink salmon.
The Blue Streak
Hook: Mustad 34011 Stainless
Steel # 6
Thread: Black 6/0 or 8/0
Tail: None
Body: None or silver tinsel,
or opalescent tubing
Rib: None
Hackle: None
Wing: Light green bucktail, sky
blue bucktail, and blue crystal flash |
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Cathy’s Coat
Hook: Mustad 34011 #6
Thread: Red monocord
Tail: Pink polar bear or bucktail
Body: Florescent red Lazer Wrap
over flat silver tinsel
Rib: None
Beard: Pink Krystal Flash
Wing: 50/50 white and pink polar
bear or bucktail with a few strands of pink Krystal
Flash |
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Pink Euphasid
Hook: Mustad 34007 Stainless
Steel #4 - 6
Thread: Red monocord
Eyes: Small clear plastic eyes
or melted monofilament
Tail: Hot pink Polar bear
Body: Pale pink steelhead yarn
Shellback: Pink Krystal Flash
Rib: Red monocord thread
Beard: None
Wing: None |
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Pink Handlebar
Hook: Mustad 34007 Stainless
Steel #6
Thread: Red monocord
Tail: Pink Krystal Flash
Body: Florescent red Lazer Wrap
over flat silver tinsel
Rib: None
Beard: None
Wing: None
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Sidebar for Pink Summer
Where to go for beach fishing pink salmon on Vancouver
Island.
The east coast of Vancouver Island has many good locations
to fish for pink salmon off the beaches. There are,
however, a few spots well known for their productivity
and ease of access. The estuaries of the Cluxewe and
Keough rivers up towards Port McNeill are incredibly
productive. Closer to Campbell River the mouth of the
Oyster, as well as Black Creek produce very well, and
further south near Qualicum the Nile Creek estuary has
a very productive run.
In between these spots are innumerably beaches that
can provide anglers with many opportunities to fish
for these great little salmon if you persevere and can
find access down to the beachfront through the private
property or bush
Bill Luscombe has been hunting and fishing for most
of his 42 years. He has been flyfishing for 20 years.
He instructs flyfishing, and has done so for the past
12 years. He also instructs the federal FSET firearms
course and the BC CORE hunter training course. He is
an award-winning outdoor writer and has been writing
freelance since 1987. He has been published in BC Sport
Fishing Magazine, Outdoor Edge, BC Outdoors, Western
Sportsman, Island Fish Finder, and the BC Hunting Guide.
Bill Luscombe was born an army brat and raised in Ladner
(Delta, BC) where he was raised hunting waterfowl and
pheasants. He presently resides in North Cowichan on
southern Vancouver Island where he has lived and worked
full time as a professional forester since 1982.
He presently works in Nanaimo for the BC Forest Service
and continue to write the fly-fishing column for BC
Sport Fishing Magazine as well as contributing articles
freelance to various outdoor magazines in western Canada.
Bill Luscombe is also a BC Director of the Northwest
Outdoor Writers Association.
"Catching fish is not hard. You simply need to
understand what makes them tick. If you think like a
fish, you will catch fish. It’s as simple as that."-
Bill Luscombe
Previous Articles by Bill Luscombe:
To visit saltwater flyfishing patterns by Bill Luscombe,
visit:
For more information about Bill Luscombe and his available
courses visit his home page at:
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