Pink Tracker Thread

I know folks fish off the yellow can buoy off the harbour for open water targets (pinks, coho). Does anyone do the same further east? What happens if you head out into the shipping lane a mile or two off Trial Island or Discovery Island. It would seem that it would be good, but I never here of anyone doing it?
 
out into the shipping lane should be your clue. it is a shipping lane. you can get out past the shipping lanes and fish .
 
We shut er down early on the Chinook hunt today and went in and picked up the Grandkids and took them out for some Pink fun. Pretty much just sat off Secretary and had lots of fun. Dropped lots by the boat with the little ones learning rod tech and some hit and misses but pretty steady action. Nothing to fancy on the gear just some shiny stuff on false flashers and even one down the middle with a 8 oz banana weight hittin fish. All on light gear, picked up a couple on the 9 weight fly rod for the adults to play with to, it was a fun morning. Lots out there to be had.
 

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Good thread but a suggestion. It would be helpful to know where most are fishing. Don't have to know exact GPS coordinates but a general area would be helpful as reports are coming in from all over.
 
Pinks are showing up in good numbers out in Sooke at Otter Point, off Secretary Island in 400+ feet of water, and of Church Rock, again in 400+ feet ot water. By all accounts, the usual pink type gear is working, red Hot Spot flasher, and pink hootchies or squirts. I have heard as well that there are some very large pinks this year. Go slay some with the kids!
 
agreed on the size comments... the pinks we were catching off the mouth of the fraser this past weekend in the derby were massive... some pushing 10lbs or so. Must have been good eating for them during their ocean stint.... most likely at the expense of other species getting good food.
 
agreed on the size comments... the pinks we were catching off the mouth of the fraser this past weekend in the derby were massive... some pushing 10lbs or so. Must have been good eating for them during their ocean stint.... most likely at the expense of other species getting good food.

Or to look at it another way, due to low abundance of other species (or the same species) to compete with in the Gulf of Alaska.
 
agreed on the size comments... the pinks we were catching off the mouth of the fraser this past weekend in the derby were massive... some pushing 10lbs or so. Must have been good eating for them during their ocean stint.... most likely at the expense of other species getting good food.

Or to look at it another way, due to low abundance of other species (or the same species) to compete with in the Gulf of Alaska.
 
Or to look at it another way, due to low abundance of other species (or the same species) to compete with in the Gulf of Alaska.

I was wondering the same, intraspecies competition? Most years I'd assume the pink compete mostly amongst themselves but this year I'm catching more with small herring and other baitfish compared to other years when they seem to have mostly euphausiids or some gooey type paste in their stomachs. I'm also catching more on spoons this year, even when simultaneously fishing with hootchies. But that could just be a function of them reaching a threshold in size to be able to switch over to bait. I'm too lazy to read up in the literature what the answer might be. Too many variables to sort through.

I've been fishing them out of Sooke and have yet to run into steady action for them. Sometimes the odd double header but when I turn and run through the school again I'll get nothing. They are near shore and off deep, but usually at 50' or shallower in the water column. I'm headed out today to get some for the canner.
 
Fished at Sandheads the past week. Saw some activity and landed an average sized male. Pinks don't appear to be there in any numbers yet, judging by surface activity and hits on Chinook gear.
 
Fished at Sandheads the past week. Saw some activity and landed an average sized male. Pinks don't appear to be there in any numbers yet, judging by surface activity and hits on Chinook gear.

Lots of pinks past Seymour Narrows last weekend. Saw schools jumping around Browns Bay, Deepwater Bay and Separation Head.

Caught quite a few on bait while chasing chinooks down deep. Never targeted them.

Interestingly they had lots of sea lice on them. Way more that any Chinook caught. 30 or more on each side sometimes. Not sure if that is unusual?
 
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