Liz Bennett fights a Skagit River pink salmon from the boat while the late PFF shop dog, Rogue, inspects the action.

Fly Fishing for Skagit River Pink Salmon

THE RUNDDOWN

• From the town of Sedro-Woolley to Marblemount
  
• Pink salmon only arrive on odd numbered years like 2023, 2025, 2027 and so on.
• September through mid-October is prime pink salmon time. Earlier is usually more fun when most of the fish are bright, fight better, and it is easier to avoid spawning fish.
• Watch regulations closely for which sections open on certain dates.
• Bank access is limited but available. Walk-in access is much easier in the Sept-Oct time of year because the river is low and gravel bars are exposed.
• Floating the Skagit River in a raft, drift boat or pontoon boat is very easy in almost all areas of the river.

WHEN TO GO

• State fishing regulations change every year so keep an eye on how those regulations may change the following dates.
• September thru mid-October – Fish will still be in the river after mid-October but many of them are quite crusty by this time and be careful to avoid any fish on shallow spawning areas. Even if fish aren’t there, their eggs could be, so avoid walking on shallow riffle areas during this timeframe.

TACKLE

Single-hand rods in 7wt or 8wt. Two-Handed rods of 5wt to 7wt. Use light sink-tip lines in most situations {but faster sinking sink-tips and floating lines can be very useful to have on hand). A multi-tip line system is great to have for either single-hand or your two-hand rods. Leaders should be about 6ft long for sink-tips or 10ft long for floating lines. Most anglers like around 12lb leaders for pinks.

FLIES

Flies for pink salmon in the Skagit should be small and have some weight in the form of lead eyes, a conehead, or a beadhead. We want these flies to sink quickly on a slack line. Some of our most successful pink salmon flies on the Skagit River are: Humpy Bug, Pink Salmon Clouser, Hot Shot Comet – Pink, and the Deep Six Salmon – Pink.

WATER SELECTION

For pink salmon, look at the river and try and determine the traveling path the fish will take to travel up the river. Then, look for spots, like a shallow riffle, significant depth change or hard rapid that will impede their progress. Water just downstream of this impediment that has a depth of 3 to 6 feet deep with a modest to slow current is usually a good spot to find pink salmon piled up and willing to take a fly. Don’t worry about casting to the middle of the river. Often, the fish stay quite close to shore as they wind their way along the sides of current seams and look for ways to avoid strong, energy-robbing currents while still maintaining enough depth to feel safe. Deep, slow-water areas will also congregate pink salmon and in these areas they will frequently jump on the surface, showing their locations. These deeper, slow-water areas can be good too, but often the fish in these spots can be difficult to get to eat a fly. The good news is, pink salmon are usually around in large enough numbers that it is easy to find spots and know your casting over fish.

TECHNIQUES

Most anglers prefer to swing flies for pink salmon and our favorite approach uses either a floating or sink-tip line. We’ll only use the floating line in shallow water and with clear water conditions. Deeper water, say 5 feet or more, and when water clarity is low, a light sink-tip will hook more pinks on the swing.

The common technique is to cast perpendicular to the current and allow the fly or the sink-tip to sink. Then, begin a soft swing with the rod tip dropping down and downstream to reduce the tension on the line. To the fish, the fly should drift downstream and past them as it slowly swims across their fishy faces. Once or twice during the swing, quickly strip the line or pop the rod tip to make the fly suddenly jump. As it drops back down is when a fish often picks it up.

When the fly is about three-quarters of the way through its swing, begin a slow strip retrieve. This is another moment when the fish often decide they can’t take it anymore and grab on. Finishing the swing with a strip retrieve can also keep the fly from getting too deep and too close to the bottom, and subsequently snagging fish in the back. 

Other techniques to try include stripping the fly throughout the entire swing. Varying presentations can unveil the fish's preferences from day to day or even hour to hour. Try long, slow strips for one cast and short, quick,  aggressive strips on the next. Some days the fish will show a clear preference for one method over another. 

If swinging the fly isn’t your thing, simply dead-drifting the fly works as well. You’ll want a floating line and a fast-sinking fly. Cast upstream just like you’re nymphing for trout. Either use a strike indicator or keep a sharp eye on the end of the line. Any hesitations in the fly’s movement could be a fish so be quick to set the hook.

SUMMARY

Fly fishing for pink salmon in the Western Washington Puget Sound area is an exciting, unique fly fishing opportunity we’re fortunate to have in our backyards. The season sneaks by quickly so put some dates on the calendar and let us know if we can help with that new rod, fresh new waders, some salmon-worthy leaders, or a bunch of new, confidence-enriching flies.