Puget Sound

Nick Clayton said:
I suppose folks can debate about their own personal interest level in targeting pinks, but there is really no debate that they are a fantastic fly rod target. I've caught a lot of coho on the fly in my life, but I can say with absolute authority that I've never had a 50 fish day fly fishing for coho in the sound. I've had more 50+ pink days than I could count.

Guiding fly anglers for summer sound coho was some of the longest, most stressful days of my life. On the flip side, guiding fly anglers for pinks during the same season was the easiest, most stress free work I've ever done.

They aren't going to bite every second of every day, but all else aside they are a very reliable fly rod fish.
Click to expand...

Damn, them some high standards;) A 50 coho day on the fly is rare even at Neah Bay.
 
speedbird said:
Okay, I think we can confirm my lack of luck with pinks boils down to skill issue haha. This is all really really good advice, I've mostly been doing my coho style constant two handed strips
Click to expand...
I'm far from an expert on catching pinks, but I definitely think they like a slower strip than coho. I have to remind myself to slow down and not go too fast.
 
speedbird said:
Okay, I think we can confirm my lack of luck with pinks boils down to skill issue haha. This is all really really good advice, I've mostly been doing my coho style constant two handed strips
Click to expand...
if you get a cast right in front of the school like chucker says, you could strip fairly slowly, say every third beat of the star wars imperial death march, remember you are stripping as close to the same direction as the fish travel, and that school is often surface to 10+ feet deep... you want that fly moving up and down the water column....get a bump and no hookup, wait a second or two, start stripping again, no need to abandon a two handed strip, just slower than coho retrieve
 
The other thing I’d add is if you have followers and they are getting close to the boat but not committing, try just stopping the strip completely and give it a couple of intermittent pops with the rod. That has worked a lot for me. Just watch the fly and if it disappears, set the hook. They are not super spooky but will often turn away once they’re right on top of the boat. Just a way to keep the fly in play a little longer.
 
I will do the steady strip. I will do two quick and a third long pull and rest and repeat. I do different combo strips. The jerk a 6-7” and let sit and repeat. They all are successful at times. And do nothing at other times. Sometimes it’s not the fly but your retrieving rate. Then again it is the fly at times. It’s a game hard to master day in and day out. Enjoy the fun ones!!! Well in a way they are all fun. 😉
 
It's how you hold your mouth, a bit more open and tongue hanging out to the right, as opposed to the mouth closed and teeth gritted for Coho.
 
I've hooked more than a few pinks immediately after the cast while the fly is sinking and I'm untangling all the Rio running line still left in my basket.
 
Merle said:
I've hooked more than a few pinks immediately after the cast while the fly is sinking and I'm untangling all the Rio running line still left in my basket.
Click to expand...

The technique you described is known as the jasmillo. 😉
@jasmillo is working on a video with Rio to demonstrate how to do it proficiently while using the OBS.
SF
 
Last edited:
I spent quite a few years catching pinks and coho with buzz bombs/rotators before I started fly fishing. I then committed fully to fly fishing for them. The key to having any success was leaving the gear rod at home and fully committing. Was it easy at first? No, but I learned a lot in that first year. I then started having a fair amount of success and often had days where I out fished the gear guys.

Not every day is great. I’m a beach angler and I put a fair amount of time into it. There are days when I get skunked. Fish are totally within casting range for a buzz bomb but I just can’t go that route anymore. Not that I have anything against fishing gear, I guess I’ve been there done that and it just doesn’t appeal to me anymore, at least for our beach fisheries. What keeps me going is there is always something to improve upon and learn with fly fishing, including tying flies that constantly work.

My point of all of this is, fully commit and accept the fact that it will take a bit of time to start figuring it out. It’s probably going to mean less salmon in the freezer for a year or two. Is it worth it? I think so.
 
IMG_0448.jpeg

Got out early (for me around 6:30) Sunday, missed the pinks by about 30 minutes judging by the guy who had a brace on a stringer. Only saw one landed after that, had a beach mostly full of fly folks which was nice. Gave up around 8:30 or so and drove home to take care of some stuff, then drove back for the flood tide around 12:40 but was the only person there at that point except a guy taking a nap on the beach. Fished pretty hard for the next couple hours and saw some schools push through within casting distance and in a position to go for my fly but no players, did manage to get a sun burn where I rolled up my sleeves, I always forget that just because it looks cloudy in my sunglasses thats not actually the case.

Heading out to Neah Bay for a couple day trip tomorrow, then back to Whidbey for labor day.
 
jasmillo said:
I also have a video coming out detailing untangling the OBS mid back cast as well. I’ll round out the series with “Advanced Cursing: It Always F*ck^!g Happens When There’s Fish Around”.
Click to expand...
Can confirm! Haha it’s friggin painful to watch as he bombs out a perfectly aimed cast only to get cut down half way with a running line knot stuffed in the first guide, ouch !
 
Making progress, 0/1 with several follows and rejections at the boat. Probably would’ve had one if I tied my fly with a trailing hook! Tips posted here worked great, and even though I didn't hook up it felt great to see that fish actually liked a fly I tied by myself. Going out again tonight and maybe tomorrow.

A lot of the purse seine guys really have no regard for sport fishermen. It seemed like they were deliberately choosing spots based on the number of sports fishermen present. They were also doing their best to position themselves in a way that the fish were completely walled off.

Overheard some very entertaining conversations from one of them. I have no clue how these guys make a profit. Storing a purse seiner isn’t cheap and I only really see them once every other season.

IMG_8570.jpeg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top