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Prepare for the pinks (salmon)

CHESTER ALLEN; The Olympian | • Published July 10, 2009

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An estimated 5.1 million pink salmon will soon return to the Puget Sound area. Here’s what you need to know if you plan to catch some. Western Washington anglers are on the verge of a salmon-soaked summer.

An estimated 5.1 million pink salmon will return to Puget Sound – and Puget Sound rivers. Huge schools of pink salmon, which average 3 to 5 pounds, will begin swarming into Puget Sound within the next few weeks.

Angling for bright pinks in Puget Sound saltwater should be hot from Redondo south to Browns Point at the mouth of Commencement Bay starting in August.

This run of pinks, which return to Washington rivers every other year, is 2 million more than the now-legendary run of 2007.

The fishing should be hot, said Steve Thiesfeld, state Department of Fish and Wildlife Puget Sound salmon manager.

“The sheer volume of fish is incredible,” Thiesfeld said. “That’s why people like pink salmon – the idea of going out and catching many fish during an outing is fun, and it’s a great time to take children out salmon fishing.”

Pinks are probably already milling around near Sekiu in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Thiesfeld said.

The Puyallup River, which was an angling hotspot during the big pink run of 2007, will get about 700,000 fish this year, Thiesfeld said.

Further north, the Green River will get about 900,000 fish, the Snohomish River about 1.9 million fish and another 1.2 million fish will head up the Skagit River.

South Puget Sound’s Puyallup River is just about the southern border of the pink salmon’s range, although pinks have been found in the Nisqually River.

Anglers will be allowed to keep up to four pink salmon a day - or two bonus pink salmon with a two-fish coho or chinook salmon limit.

FISHING IN PUGET SOUND

Pink salmon transform into spawning colors – and the males develop huge humpbacks – soon after they enter freshwater rivers. Pinks that have been in freshwater for a few days are not as tasty as bright fish caught in saltwater or just out of saltwater.

Many anglers prefer to catch pinks in saltwater, where they put up a nice fight on light tackle and are good on the barbecue, said longtime Puget Sound fishing guide Keith Robbins.

“I prefer to catch them while flyfishing,” Robbins said. “It’s fun to sight-cast to the schools.”

Many gear anglers troll pink hoochies – rubber-skirted lures that resemble squid, Robbins said. Other anglers cast small, pink lures – such as Dick Nite spoons or Buzz Bombs – to the big schools of salmon.

Anil Srivastava, owner of Puget Sound Fly Company in Kent, said he caught many pinks while fishing from Puget Sound beaches during August 2007.

Pink flies fished on intermediate lines produced hot action, Srivastava said.

A boat allows anglers to get away from crowded beaches, Srivastava said.

Coho salmon are often mixed in with the pinks and can surprise anglers, Srivastava said.

At times, pink salmon will hit a fly or lure, which are often pink, on every cast. And sometimes it gets slow.

“Pinks are salmon, and they can get picky,” Robbins said. “You’ll see 200 fish in front of you, and they won’t bite a thing, which is frustrating. But then they’ll turn on an hour later.”

FISHING IN THE RIVERS

Pink salmon are aggressive biters once they hit the river of their birth, and anglers are quick to give them something to bite.

River pink anglers often drift pink Corkies into schools of fish, and Dick Nite spoons can work really well.

Pink is often the hot color for pink salmon, but they will bite other colors as well, Thiesfeld said.

As the fish swim up the rivers, their bodies change. Males develop hooked jaws and big humps and both sexes darken into spawning colors.

Many anglers claim that pinks will wallop just about any lure that is pink.

It’s easy to find out when big schools of pinks are in the rivers. Cars, trucks, campers, delivery trucks and even logging trucks are parked along nearby roads, and anglers toting gear are everywhere. The lower Puyallup River sees thousands of anglers when the pinks are in.

Pink and chum salmon return to Puget Sound by the millions, even as runs of chinook salmon and steelhead struggle.

Young pinks and chums leave fresh water for Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean soon after they hatch out of the eggs, while chinook salmon and steelhead – ocean-going rainbow trout – spend months or even a year in freshwater streams.

Young chum and pink salmon don’t face the hazards – many of them man-made – of living for a long time in fresh water, Thiesfeld said.

“What we’re seeing right now is that salmon with shorter freshwater rearing are doing better,” Thiesfeld said.

TAKING CARE OF THE CATCH

Many anglers believe that pinks aren’t as tasty as a fat chinook or coho salmon.

However, taking care of your catch is very important if anglers want a good meal of pink salmon.

Pinks kept for a meal should be bled, cleaned and put on ice immediately after they’re landed, Thiesfeld said. Keeping fish on a stringer for hours, especially on a hot August or September day, is a recipe for soft, poor-tasting fish.

“Any fish will taste better if it is bled and put on ice right after landing,” Thiesfeld said. “But pinks weather poor treatment very poorly, and they should always be put on ice.”

Pinks have a very mild flavor, and they are good table fare, especially when marinated and then put on the grill.

“And they are an excellent fish when smoked,” Thiesfeld said.

Now is the time to scout out good beaches – Dash Point State Park is a hotspot – or get boats and tackle ready for the big pink run of 2009.

“It’s going to be obscene out there,” Robbins said. “There will be a lot of pinks.”

Chester Allen: 360-754-4226

callen@theolympian.com