2019, Pinks Reports

[h20hunter]

So just south of muk....first real bay i soaked a few oots and had decent crab. Really....i just like a nice smooth area around 50 feet that isn't very steep....dump em and fish.

[CP]

Quick limits this morning despite going 4 for about 20.

[Stein]

Anyone willing to pm me a good spot for crab in the shipwreck area or thereabouts? I may take my kids/dad this weekend and give it a try. I’ve shared lots of real specific info by pm and understand not to publicize.

If you launch out of Everett, look toward your left as you head down there and you'll see the popular spots.  Most places with crab in that area will have pots to show you where they are.

[OutHouse]

Those are all great looking pinks. Not like the half dead ones I used to catch on the Puyallup near the Fred Meyer. Some were still in good condition others not so much.

[Stein]

Bite was unimpressive last night although the run from Everett down was as smooth as I have ever seen, absolutely great night to be on the water especially if you don't have ac at home.

We hooked 2, landed one and missed one or two bites in an hour and a half of fishing.  There were maybe 8-10 boats and I didn't see many caught.  Bummer, I was hoping there would be a good evening bite so I could hit it more often.

Since fishing was slow, I took a few pics of how we take care of the fish for those that want to take advantage of this incredible resource.  This works the same with most Coho, but different for Chinook and pig silvers just due to their size.  As far as I am concerned, this will produce the best meat possible for any given fish.

Step 1, catch them.  Usually the hardest part, except for pinks and then netting them is the hardest part.

Step 2, bleed them.  You can either give them one light, well placed bonk or just cut them and they will be dead in a few seconds.  With the bonk, you aren't trying to for a home run, just stun the fish.  One moderately light and well placed bonk is all you want.  Don't be the guy that looks like a scene from a gangster movie pounding on your fish.  You can't bleed out a dead fish, the heart must be pumping to get the most amount of blood out.  I use a knife to cut under the chin between the gills and take one side of the gills with me, harder to explain than do.  You can also use scissors and or even tear out the gills with your fingers if you like it caveman style. 

I have a 5 gallon bucket I fill half way with water and cut the fish in the bucket and leave it head first.  The bucket reduces mess on the deck by at least 50%.  Do this as quickly as possible after catching as the pinks will dance around and get bruised if you just let them flop all around.  If you fill the bucket full, you will get wet if you stand next to it.

Step 3, gut.  I give them maybe 5 minutes to bleed, sometimes even less.  The goal is to not let them stew in warmish bloody water for the rest of the day.  I use a Coho Cleaner which works great because the mess is outside the boat and I can just leave it there while I fish.  Do a good job, get the kidneys all out.

Step 4, ice.  I have an icemaker at home, so I usually start with about 20 pounds.  You don't need that much, one normal 7# bag would be ok, two better.  If you can use freezer ice, it will be as much as 40 degrees cooler than wet ice, I store mine in a chest freezer maxed out.  Mix enough clean salt water into the cooler or fish box to submerge the fish.  This icy brine will get freakishly cold, my hands hurt when I have to take the fish out and the water makes sure every part of the fish is in contact with cold.  If you toss a whole fish on top of the bag of ice, it will take about six days to completely cool.

Step 5, clean.  I use the bloody bucket to wash out the Coho Cleaner and then a half bucket of clean salt water to rinse it.  Another half bucket to clean the slime off the deck, a rinse on the knife and then the fish is clean and cold and I'm ready for the next one.

As I mentioned, this works for most coho, but if the fish get too big they can flop out of the bucket and fling blood everywhere which sucks.  In that case, I usually bleed them in the net, gut and then ice.  Gutting keeps the mess at home very minimized, speeds the cooling, slows decomposition and basically leads to a better product.  When I get home, I filet and the spine, head, skin and tail go into the crab bait freezer and since there are no guts, there is nothing to throw away and broil in your garbage can for a week.

It took longer to type this than it does start to finish, you can really get a good rhythm going which is helpful if you have a fish coming over the transom every few minutes during a good bite.

This is what works for us.

[Brushcrawler]

That’s good advice right there. Works for any fish you catch.

[Stein]

I forgot Step 6, make something tasty.  Tonight it was tempura salmon which was excellent.  One pink would easily feed a family of four, they seem to be running rather chunky this year.  I left the fish on ice overnight as we didn't get home until after 9 pm and it turned out better than if I had filleted it earlier, the meat was firmer and held up very well.

I usually eat what I can fresh and then either can or smoke the rest (I don't freeze fresh pinks).  They are the perfect size for setting aside batches for the smoker and turn out perfect.  I also can some up for use during the winter.  If I'm lucky, I'll also have canned crab and razor clams that I use for cioppino as well as seafood stew.  During the holidays you can use smoked and canned for some great dip.

[h20hunter]

Looks great and I prefer my fish iced for at least a few hours before the filet knife. Overnight on ice is a good thing.

[h20hunter]

Anyone out or going out tomorrow am? Taking a buddy out for his first salmon. Will run south and put gear in right at Shipwreck and work that area. Long outgoing tide. Will start at 35 and 45 on the riggers, trad himpy gear. Any extra advice welcome.

[bigdub257]

What trolling setup and depth seems to be working the best for you guys when specifically targeting humpies? 

[h20hunter]

I troll slow....1 to 1.5.....I average 35 to 55 down but watch the sonar....I've had nonstop action before at 150 in 150 feet....I also like short leaders and double hooks.

[h20hunter]

Set up standard for me. White dodger then a little pink hoochie. I like to add maybe a glitter skirt, maybe a spinner.....but I'm also a good example of pretty lures catching more fisherman than fish!

[7mmfan]

The only thing that I might add to that H20 is one of those wiggle head deals in front of your squid, and a slightly longer leader. Something about the way those things make your squid swim works exceptionally well for pinks and silvers. Might be worth a try. I don't know if anyone locally sells them though, I bought them online.

That being said, they're pinks, so if they're around, you'll pretty much catch them, especially on a morning tide.

[Stein]

I agree with 7mm, pinks are by far the most aggressive salmon biters out there and they come in the greatest numbers.

Below is what I use on both downriggers, 16" leader length.  After a couple days, the red paint gets worn off on the hooks and they are gold and get bit the same so I'm not convinced hook color matters.

[CP]

This has been the hottest lure for me this season.  Pink hoochies with a herring strips work as well; keep the leaders short.  White (non reflective) flasher, always.  I never use a flasher or dodger that reflects the sunlight, I believe it scares off a good number of the biters .  Troll slowly, look for schools on the surface and head their way when they show.  Fish first light to the 1st tide change if you can.