Fishing Report of the Week: Pink Salmon in Skagit River
Northwest Fishing Reports
Angler: JoshH
Fished: 09/05/2021
Air: 66° - 70°
Method: Anchored
Species: Pink Salmon
Color: Pink
Weather: Cloudy
Tackle: Spoons
Time: Morning
Posted: 09/05/2021
After fishing the Skagit the day prior with Russ Elgin, I met a fellow kayaker at the Edgewater Park launch and headed up river about 1 mile. Once we found the spot we wanted to fish, minus a few lulls, it was pretty much non-stop action. With the amount of current in the river, it was pretty much necessary to anchor up unless we wanted a full on work out.
I don't know how many in total I hooked up on, but it was a lot. Released some, lost some, and kept my 4, the last fish being a good sized pink at 25 1/2 inches. I was using an Elgin Fishing God's Tooth Spoon set to slow action, 4-5ft of leader, and a 1/2 ounce dipsey weight. Even only fishing in 4-6ft of water, with the current 1/2 ounce was needed. Best method seemed to be to cast the lure straight back, then a extremely slow retrieve with very subtle twitches. Many times there were multiple hook ups or hits or 1 retrieve. I could have caught and released about as many as I wanted to this morning. The friend I was with did keep track, he landed 23 not counting all of the hook ups that got off.
Some really look down at these fish, but with proper care of the catch, they are better than some make them out to be. I've got a full freezer that I will be able to pull out and smoke in the coming months to make dips, chowders, sandwich spreads, Caesar salads etc. with. They are also a great fish for folks newer to fishing, young and old a like as they are a lot more forgiving with presentation and are very accessible, and are just a ton of fun to catch on lighter gear. Get out soon and enjoy these feisty fish that fight a step or 2 above their weight class. They won't be around a lot longer.
Video shows the action from the morning.
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