Dial in your pink salmon fishing tactics

Some of the more popular jigs include buzz bombs, leadhead-style jigs with a plastic squid (“hoochie”) over them, darts, and other weighted casting jigs that mimic small baitfish, with pink, purple, orange, and white being preferred colors. Pinks are not usually deep in the water column, but it helps to have a variety of weight sizes from one to four ounces.

No matter what style of jig, you’ll need to make sure it is constantly moving and twitching. Cast out and let it sink about a foot per second. Once you feel the jig go slack reel up (don’t set the jig hard because a pink salmon has a softer jawline) until you feel the rod pull down.

Know before you go

When it comes to using a jig, remember most store-bought jigs come with a barbed treble hook, and those are illegal for salmon in Marine Areas 1 to 13, as well as in some rivers. Only single-pointed barbless hooks and one line with up to two hooks may be used.

Be sure to check the Fish Washington app or Washington Sportfishing Rules because selective gear rules (single point barbless hook and no bait allowed) or anti-snagging rules are in effect on some rivers.

Conducting a simple alteration of your jig will make it more effective and legal to use. First, the two metal eyelets at the top and bottom of a jig should be bent inward so your leader can run freely through them. For leaders, use 20- to 50-pound test monofilament line with a length of about four to five feet.

Attach a beaded swivel to your braided mainline and leader to alleviate tangles. I use a 6-millimeter, acrylic plastic green or red bead above the top eyelet of the jig, and small black rubber stoppers on the top and bottom of each eyelet to prevent the line from fraying.

As for hooks, go smaller than you would for other salmon species, like a 1/0 or 2/0 size. Tie the hooks tandem style, and much closer than you would when using them for bait. The gap between the hooks should be about one inch or less.

Another effective method is a pink rotator-style jig trailed by a small pink plastic squid. Let it flutter down into the water and then slowly retrieve from shore or a boat.

Rolling on the river

When pink salmon fishing in the river (make sure to check what rivers are open or closed), cast and retrieve a hot pink spoon in a size 2×7/8-inch and 1/16 ounce or a No. 2-size trolling spoon. You can also take a smaller 1/8- or 1/4-ounce pink jig fished under a float and either cast with a slow retrieve or bounce it across the bottom.

Another favored river method is trolling small pink crankbait with no weight on your line about 35 to 40 feet behind your boat.

Fly anglers will toss a size four pink comet, marabou flies, or just about any other pink-colored fly. 

Anglers don’t need an expensive rod and reel, and many will use a stout 8- to 9-foot salmon or trout rod (6- to 10-pound line) with a good level-wind or spinning reel. Stick to a lighter fishing line of 8- to 12-pound test. A 6- to 7-weight fly rod will get the job done for those who prefer to cast flies.

Regardless of the method you choose, be sure to coat your presentation with shrimp, anise, or herring oil, paste or jelly-type scent attractants.

From a boat in marine areas, downriggers are the most effective way to fish since you can dial in the precise depth of where the fish are located. If you don’t own a downrigger, simply attach a 6- to 8-ounce banana-shaped weight a few feet ahead of the dodger or flasher and set it no more than 30 to 50 feet behind the boat. 

But wait, there’s more

Whatever way you choose to fish, be sure to keep all the gear (no more than one rod per person unless the area allows a two-pole endorsement) in the water because double- or triple-header hook-ups aren’t uncommon. Once you hook a pink salmon, be sure to circle back around to stay on top of the fish.

The best fishing occurs in the early morning or later in the evening just before sunset, but you can catch them all day long. Fish can be found from just below the surface to as deep as 80 to 125 feet, and they will go deeper especially on bright, sunny days.

The top tip when fishing from a boat is to troll slowly, anywhere from 1.3 to 1.8 mph at most depending on current, tide, and wind, and never try to go against the current. Don’t be surprised if you hook a Chinook or coho while pink salmon fishing, and just remember to check the rules on whether you can keep them.

To see what marine areas are generating good pink catches, anglers can find up-to-date catch information on the WDFW Puget Sound creel reports webpage.