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The heat of late July and August is not what most fly fishers consider prime fishing time. But those of us on the coast know that this time of year brings some wonderful fishing; the pink salmon run to the estuaries of their home rivers in preparation for spawning, and many fly fishers head out to take their turns at catching these lovely little salmon while getting a suntan at the same time.
Pink salmon, or “humpies,” run 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, pinks return every odd year, while on eastern Vancouver Island they spawn in the even years. And some rivers like the Oyster River near Campbell River are unique; their hatchery program has been so successful that as a result there is a run every year due to annual stocking of pink fry. |
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As salmon go, pinks are the smallest, seldom exceeding six pounds when fully mature. They are nicknamed “humpies” because of the characteristic hump the males develop during the spawn, but they are more formally known as Oncorhynchus gorbuscha. Identification of these fish is quite easy. They are small and have large, oblong, blotchy spots on their tails rather than the small round dots found on coho and Chinook. They also exhibit white mouths and gums, whereas the Chinook have black mouths and gums and the coho have black mouths with white gums at the base of the teeth.
Mouth is white with black gum
No ‘teeth’ on tongue
Very small scales
Large oval spots on both lobes of tail
No silver on V-shaped tail
There is a definite technique to fly fishing for pinks from the ocean beaches or from shore in the estuaries. The slow retrieves required, combined with the soft takes of these fish, sometimes make their strikes almost undetectable, especially when the tides and currents are very slow or nonexistent. Their strike can often feel a lot like hooking into floating weed. With this in mind, it is good practice to always set your hook at the first sign of resistance; you’ll end up setting your hook into lots of weeds, but you will also hook more salmon. |
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