Pink Salmon

Ever dream of a place where schools of thousands of salmon eagerly await your cast, ready to pounce on nearly any lure that moves and flashes? How about a river where it's not just possible, but very likely, to catch thirty, fifty, even a hundred fish a day? Imagine no more-because this dream fishery occurs on the Kenai River in August of even numbered years (2006, 2008, 2010) when literally millions of pink salmon (humpies) move in to spawn.

The perfect place to introduce a reluctant spouse or impatient child, hooking and releasing mass quantities of stubborn fighting 4-10 lb. pinks on light gear is fun for all. Its non-technical nature, triple and quadruple hook-ups and never-a-dull moment action virtually guarantee big grins!

Timing peak pink fishing is easy; on the Kenai River, shoot for the middle of August on even numbered years and you can't go wrong. Humpies begin trickling into the Kenai in late July/early August, but historically August 5-10th sees a huge push of fish suddenly arrive. Pink salmon fishing remains excellent through the end of the month.

Finding a place to fish for pinks is anything but difficult. In the lower river, as fish enter on each and every tide and slowly pick their way up river, any soft, slow water will hold eager fish. This includes inside seams and below islands. Virtually every eddy will have schools of resting pinks. Likewise, in the middle river, any back channel or braid will hold good quantities of fish. Adding to their non-technical nature, pinks have a habit of porpoising frequently, showing themselves constantly as big, black schools of fish that repeatedly roll at the surface.

Catching pinks couldn't be simpler: cast something flashy, steadily reel it in just off the bottom and FISH ON! Pixee wobblers and nearly any spinner in shades of red, pink or orange are hard to beat. If and when you get tired of casting spinners, any small diving plug, such as a K13 Kwikfish or Hotshot, will provoke repeated strikes when allowed to "run" in medium speed current.

Yes, pinks are a blast to catch! But at this point, I should address a pink salmon's eating quality. While nowhere near the firm, dark meat of a red, silver or king, pink salmon are far from the "gross, inedible fish" that some locals might lead you to believe. Anyone making this claim is either spoiled with way too much sockeye or they haven't had smoked pink yet. With careful selective harvest (avoid keeping the slimy, hump-back males or spawner females) and a six fish limit, pinks are perfect for those wishing to have a blast AND fill a fish box with great eating smoked salmon!