Northwest Fishing Reports

Hey everyone,

This will be my first year salmon fishing and so I am just trying to put some tackle together for the upcoming/already here, pink season.

Im using a 4" pink buzz bomb and a 4" pearl/pink stripe buzz bomb. I see alot of different sizes out there. Where does my stuff rank?

Also, in the stores, I see alot of pink stuff like jigs, squids, and spinners. Do all these catch fish? and what catches pinks the best and where do they work best?

Thanks

I don't know what catches pinks for sure in the salt because I haven't caught one yet. The people around me that (Dash Point Pier) did were using 2"-21/2" buzz bombs.
I am leaving to go try for them in a boat today with these items that I added some things to. Click on Pink Stuff

Pink Stuff

I've seen all kinds of things used for Pinks. What I use the most is the Dick Nite spoon. The size 0 and 1 pink with white back and 50/50 colors seem to work best. Other people use Jigs. Some just buy the jigs and throw them, others make jigs by putting a pink hootchie on a jig (either snap the hootchie over the top or slide it on like a jig body). I'm going to try some of those this year.

I have heard of people using buzz bombs, but I've heard that the 4" onces are too long.

The way to fish a dick nite is to use a dropper configuration. Here's a good article that shows the configuration. You use pretty much the same setup from the bank, but you can use a pencil weight on the line instead of bass weight or ball. To me, it seems I get hung up less with the pencil weight.

There's more guys who know a lot more than me on here, they'll reply soon (I'm sure they are all out fishing right now)

Thanks for the links....they were great. I especially liked the pink lures...very creative. I also, enjoyed the link for the dick nite setup. Thanks.

For pink salmon, the rule is just about anything pink.

Last pink season, the 3" buzz bomb was the size they wanted. This season, is seems that they are showing a stronger preference to the 2" model. Try stepping down to that size and see if that works.

So this isn't to say that the 4" buzzer won't work for you, but to take the road of being prepared by having a few different sizes is a good approach to covering your bases.

I haven't seen them used in rivers, but I know they use them to catch pinks in the salt.

The 4" is a bit too big....Try a 2 to 3 inch pink Buzz Bomb, a Wannabe or a 1/4 oz pink jig under a bobber. I used the jig up on the Lower So. Skagit last weekend also a Dick Night set up and a pink fly with a few BB weights to keep it down with a fly rod. Humpies were caught with all the set ups. As long as they were Floro Pink or Floro green. Each color worked just fine. I got 4 and lost 5 and released 10......Pretty small 3-5 lbs...Larger fish are coming next week. Bank fisherman were doing just a well as boat people. Picnic Pt was slow but I expect it to pick up soon. I am going out there this morning. Edmonds Dock is getting better with Bobber and Jigs and 2 to 3 in pink buzz-bombs. So go out and find some smaller BuzzBombs and you will get fish. Good Luck to you, Steve

I would go with a smaller BB in the salt and downsize all your gear for pinks. 8" dodger and mini hoochies are great if you're trolling. In my opinion buzz bombs in the river end up snagging fish. Try the dick nite or jig. Dick nites fish themselves if set-up correctly. Jigs require a little more technique to be really effective. Also use lightweight rods and go barbless. You may lose a fish or two but you'll have more fun and you should catch one on the next cast anyway. I use a 9' lamiglass noodle rod with 6lb mono and a jig in the river. It's a hoot to catch 40-50 fish in a day on this gear. Good luck.

fishing collector wrote:The 4" is a bit too big....Try a 2 to 3 inch pink Buzz Bomb, a Wannabe or a 1/4 oz pink jig under a bobber. I used the jig up on the Lower So. Skagit last weekend also a Dick Night set up and a pink fly with a few BB weights to keep it down with a fly rod. Humpies were caught with all the set ups. As long as they were Floro Pink or Floro green. Each color worked just fine. I got 4 and lost 5 and released 10......Pretty small 3-5 lbs...Larger fish are coming next week. Bank fisherman were doing just a well as boat people. Picnic Pt was slow but I expect it to pick up soon. I am going out there this morning. Edmonds Dock is getting better with Bobber and Jigs and 2 to 3 in pink buzz-bombs. So go out and find some smaller BuzzBombs and you will get fish. Good Luck to you, Steve

Are you rigging the DN with a dropper and drifting it, or with a weight and casting it?