My first day fishing for pinks

Well, I did a bunch of fishing this summer ranging from bass to trout to steelhead and even a bit of the salmon run. Most of it was of limited success, so when my father in law talked about the pink salmon run I had to give it a try.

 

It was packed. 1 rod length is the rule and everything has to be synchronized. Very few lines tangled and even the Europeans with their almost non-existent english knew the key phrase, “fish on!”. At which point you watch the fish, reel in if necessary and if available you grab a net and get ready to dip.

It’s a fun game in the river. The slow moving fish that comes to life as you reel it in close enough that it sees you and then runs away with your line. The snags that seem like fish until you have to wade down stream to try to untangle. Well, it was fun to watch everyone else play the game…

 

I had to watch the seasoned pros to see what I was doing wrong. Was it the speed? the rhythm of the retrieval? the color of the dick knight? Eventually, after a few hours of envious glances at the other successful fisherman, the adrenalin of the jumping “humpys” that signaled the arrival of another school, I figured it out. It was the bite. It was incredibly subtle. Almost  unperceived in the Snohomish River. I couldn’t feel it, I had to watch the rod. The slight bounce of the tip as the protective pink nipped at the invading lure had to be met with an immediate strike. It made me realize that I had missed many a hit earlier that day. After that the game was a foot… or a fin i guess.

I lost many a fish, but managed to limit on three decent sized males and a female (all weighing between 6 to 8 pounds). Both my father-in-law and I carried home limits, much to the chagrin of other fisherman and the glee of the family. We enjoyed three of them on an open fire on a camping trip that weekend which made me think of taking a week or two off next year just to fill the freezer with those fresh, tasty fish (and probably a few smoked ones as well).

Are you a pink fan? What’s your most successful year or favorite recipe for pink?