Back home - August in review part 2

The last couple weeks of August were a blur of fishing trip after fishing trip. The first thing on the agenda was a trip for Pink Salmon. The smallest of the Pacific Salmon, Pinks are only around in Washington during odd years, so I always try to at least get out a few times for them when they are running. So the night before my first outing for them Colton and I did a little fly tying challenge, with only a handful of materials at our disposal, we had to invent a fly and then try to catch something on it and whoever caught the most on their fly won. Won what exactly, I still have no idea but still I wanted to win.

My fly tying concoction a pink and purple prawn

So in the morning we meant up with another buddy of mine (Eric) at the dock and headed out for some Pink fishing. While the run was predicted to be around 6 million fish to the Puget Sound this year, the numbers in our area have been a little less then what I am used to. Due to that it took us a bit of hunting to find some fish, but finally we got into some in the mid-morning. For about an hour we had some decent fishing and my fly fished on a fast sinking line got the first pink of the day.

My first Pink of 2011

However, the fish just didn't seem to be overly thick or in much of a biting mood so before long we had to go hunting for more. We found some good numbers after about a half hour of searching and while the fish still required some work we managed to pick up a few more. Unfortunately, for Colton his fish popped loose after a solid battle and while he hooked a fish on the next cast and landed it, the competition only applied to salmon and not flounders.

Colton's Starry Flounder

While it wasn't lights out Pink fishing like I have seen in the past, it was still a great day on the water.

After the Pink Salmon outing, my buddy Wayne invited me out to Sekiu on the Olympic Peninsula for another salmon trip. While I tried hard to get something on the fly, the fish just weren't up top and with only a brief hook up for a day's effort I finally switch to conventional gear and started getting results. Fact of the matter was this was a meat hunting mission and the conventional gear could get the results with the fish at 50' to 75'.

Morning on the water

Wayne with a nice Pink Salmon

A nice sized wild Chinook Salmon just before release

Some BBQ and smoker guests

End of a beautiful day on the water