Puget Sound

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A day of chasing schools around finally paid off. Must have made dozens of casts directly into schools very close to the boat today, but it felt like nothing you’d throw would interest them. Saw a big pod of large, dark humpys surface and made a cast. Stripped erratically with one finger in as jiggy a way I could, and got my fly slammed. I didn’t fumble trying to put him on the reel this time and just stripped him back to the boat, brought him pretty close but he started to run and I gave him some line and put him on the reel. Put a really drastic bend in the six weight, I need practice playing larger fish on it.

Tried to repeat the performance but no luck. The fish were all moving fast today, and the ones that weren’t seemed to be very picky about what they’d take. My friend managed one on her spinning rod by swapping a rotator for a 1/4oz jighead and hoochie, but lost it near the boat. Not a 50 fish day, but my goal for this pink season was to catch at least one on the fly, and I met that goal, on a fly I tied myself no less! Anything beyond that is just a nice bonus.

Catching a pink on the fly in the salt was a lot harder than I thought it would be. That said it was a fun learning curve and gives me new respect for the fish as something besides a limit padder. It’s also the first time I seriously pursued salmon without trolling and it’s a lot more relaxing than messing with the downrigger. Turning the engines off and paying attention to the environment around you is really lovely. I look forward to starting the learning curve all over again with coho
 
Speedbird do you have a super pink marabou-y sorta fly for the pinks? Here's a screengrab from Kfish's post in Show us your humpies thread. Apologies if you already have something like this but whipping something like this up might get you in a few more on fly. It sounds like you are in the right spot, technique, lane etc

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Pink isn't the only color. They're salmon at the end of the day. Chartreuse and purple are other colors I have had success with. If they're ignoring pink, try something else. If there are a bunch around, one of them is bound to fall for it... or not. It's still fishing.
 
You could also try downsizing your fly next time. Last week I was fishing a standard #2 pink/white clouser throwing at groups of jumping fish with no grabs. I switched to a #6 pink clouser which seems small in hand but immediately had several hookups on it.
 
0/0 at area 9 this morning. Figured I’d get up early and fish the incoming but I failed to remember that it was labor day weekend. I’ve never seen so many people on that beach, and the incoming tide and fairly consistent pink action didn't help anything. On the plus side there was tons of bait (mostly far out), more bait than I remember seeing in the past few years. there were hundreds of birds all over but not too much coho action. There was a few decent ones caught on herring but I had no action on the fly. I think it might be worth tying up some natural herring colors because it seems like when there’s tons of bait around the fish don’t seem as aggressive towards the usual chart/pink. Or more likely I’m just overthinking things 🤷. I decided to head out when the fellow a few people down from me elbow to elbow said something along the lines of “It’s just like fishing the Puyallup!” Good looking tides this week so hopefully the marine layer and bait stick around.
 
KFCDAVE said:
0/0 at area 9 this morning. Figured I’d get up early and fish the incoming but I failed to remember that it was labor day weekend. I’ve never seen so many people on that beach, and the incoming tide and fairly consistent pink action didn't help anything. On the plus side there was tons of bait (mostly far out), more bait than I remember seeing in the past few years. there were hundreds of birds all over but not too much coho action. There was a few decent ones caught on herring but I had no action on the fly. I think it might be worth tying up some natural herring colors because it seems like when there’s tons of bait around the fish don’t seem as aggressive towards the usual chart/pink. Or more likely I’m just overthinking things 🤷. I decided to head out when the fellow a few people down from me elbow to elbow said something along the lines of “It’s just like fishing the Puyallup!” Good looking tides this week so hopefully the marine layer and bait stick around.
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I tied up a few natural patterns today based on the bait size I saw on Thursday, though no fly patterns have been particularly hot for me this summer. It’s been a strange year so far for coho.
Good move calling it a day when someone compares Puget Sound to fishing the Puke. 😉
SF
 
Wadin' Boot said:
Speedbird do you have a super pink marabou-y sorta fly for the pinks? Here's a screengrab from Kfish's post in Show us your humpies thread. Apologies if you already have something like this but whipping something like this up might get you in a few more on fly. It sounds like you are in the right spot, technique, lane etc

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Funny enough I do have a couple marabou clousers, will try them this coming weekend if they are still around
 
More paddleboard shenanigans today. Fished from 9-1030 at the local beach again. Seems like the mob of people and boats were swarming the river down the way so it wasn’t too crowded. Certainly not as many fish around but went 1/2 on the #6 clouser including my biggest pink.
 

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Fun day yesterday with @Kfish and @mtskibum16. The coho Lou landed was a beast. It was also the second weekend in a row where we fished over tons of humpies and had sub par days. We hooked fish but yesterday should have been a 30+ fish day for each angler if you wanted. There were that many. Acting odd though, no where near a river but milling about, purposing and finning in the hundreds, a 1000 yards offshore in the middle of Puget Sound like estuary fish.

Slow today as well for me and @mtskibum16. Jigged a bunch and got into fish but only two keeper coho + some adults of the non target variety. Only fly fished and hour and a half or so and it was shaker city for us.

Pretty odd year so far. I’ve usually ice boxed enough rezzies to be comfortable with my salmon supply for the year by now but I only have a handful to date. Going to have to chase ocean fish hard in September.
 
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One thing I love about Puget Sound is regardless of how long you’ve fished it, you still get to experience new things.
I hooked up a very nice coho right at the rod tip. Always fun to see the eat. The fish jumps twice immediately after feeling the hook then rips all the line out of my basket while running parallel to shore doing its best bonefish imitation. It then does a 90° turn out to open water beyond the kelp bed.
That is when Herschel decided to join the show. I was soon into my backing while I wrestled with the fish and the sea lion. It eventually let go of the fish and it immediately jumped. I backed up the beach as fast as possible. While doing so, I trip over a log behind me. My form wasn’t great but the Russian judge gave me a 8.5 for my back flop technique.
Amazingly, I still had the fish on when I got up but it was again in the mouth of the sea lion. I bound down on it and eventually the hook bent out. I can’t blame the hook. I was really torquing on that fat bastard. Good to know my knots were solid. To add insult, a couple that must have watched the whole thing from the bluff applauded my performance…or lack there of. 😂
That is the first beach fish I’ve ever lost to a pinniped in 60+ years of beach fishing Puget Sound.
SF

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Stonedfish said:
One thing I love about Puget Sound is regardless of how long you’ve fished it, you still get to experience new things.
I hooked up a very nice coho right at the rod tip. Always fun to see the eat. The fish jumps twice immediately after feeling the hook then rips all the line out of my basket while running parallel to shore doing its best bonefish imitation. It then does a 90° turn out to open water beyond the kelp bed.
That is when Herschel decided to join the show. I was soon into my backing while I wrestled with the fish and the sea lion. It eventually let go of the fish and it immediately jumped. I backed up the beach as fast as possible. While doing so, I trip over a log behind me. My form wasn’t great but the Russian judge gave me a 8.5 for my back flop technique.
Amazingly, I still had the fish on when I got up but it was again in the mouth of the sea lion. I bound down on it and eventually the hook bent out. I can’t blame the hook. I was really torquing on that fat bastard. Good to know my knots were solid. To add insult, a couple that must have watched the whole thing from the bluff applauded my performance…or lack there of. 😂
That is the first beach fish I’ve ever lost to a pinniped in 60+ years of beach fishing Puget Sound.
SF

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That is an amazing story!
 
Pink fishing died off but we got to watch the T137s this afternoon for a while which is always a treat.

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Yes, the guy in the last pic is an asshole. Ran up on them at full throttle right before this, and then cut them off right after this photo.
 
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