Northwest Fishing Reports

I just moved to Whidbey Island from Oklahoma and need to adjust my largemouth/smallmouth bass fishing style to fishing for salmon. I have read a lot about fishing for pink salmon and the oncoming horde approaching the island soon. I have tried to find out from locals about appropriate tackle but have had no luck . So, my question is, how long a rod should I purchase to fish for pinks from shore or in the rivers. What power should it be. What brand and model. What size/ brand spinning reel would be best for saltwater and especially for pinks. What kind of line will I need, and what line test. I have read about Dick Nite lures and they appeal to me as my lure of choice. However, I still am open for alternatives. Have any advice? Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Welcome to the PNW. I don't have any particularly special rod/reel for pinks. Almost anything that you can cast well would work, so longer is better in general. I use my steelhead setup which is a 9'6" 8-12lb rod, the reel is a shimano 2500 series spinning reel with 12lb test mono spooled up on it. For lures, the go to is the pink buzz bomb, that's probably the most common, but almost anything in pink (spoons, jigs, spinners) will work. Good luck!

Get yourself an 8'6" Okuma celilo with a 2500 size reel, load it up with 15 lbs. power pro and you'll be set all season. In the salt use a 1 oz or so buzz bomb, chuck it out there, once they move to the rivers, use 1/2 oz or 3/8 oz pink jigs.

I prefer a pink 3/8 ounce jig over a buzzbomb. But they all work just fine.

3/8 -1/2 oz jigs all day buzz bombs scare fish .. if you do you a buzz bomb put on a lil pink hoochie and bead before the buzz bomb ( buzzbomb / bead /hoochie/bead /hook ) itll add a lil more action to it

Like said above, anything in the 8-9 foot range and 8-15 lb rating. I prefer medium/fast action as I feel it gives me a better twitch to my jigs and buzz bombs. I use the fore mentioned buzz bomb set up, 2 inch pink buzz bomb, pink bead, pink uv hoochie (1.5-2 inch), bead or bump stop (I found buzz bomb bumpers, that are not the round rubber ones found in the packaging that are made to go over slant eyed hooks, at Fred Meyers) and then I tie a double hook set up based off of a mooching rig. I snell two octopus circle red hooks, top is size 1/0 and bottom (stinger hook) is size 1. Not sure if the double hook set up keeps more fish on, but I feel it does. Superstition I guess. Also check and make sure regs allow dual single point hooks!!

I also use pink or white head jigs with pink hoochie. Depends on the day, but they annhiliate both.

Good luck and welcome!

1/8oz-3/8oz pink maribou jigs twitched. size depends on how deep the hole is, if in a boat troll white dodger and pink hoochie or dick night. buzzbomb would be my last resort if at all... a shorter 6'-7' rod in the 4-8lb test range is best for twitching smaller jigs. i typically line it up with 8lb maxima and do quite well with that. pink blue fox vibrax in the tailouts work well when they are on the move, especially during the peak of the run. for very deep holes a slip float set up above a 1/2oz free sliding weight then a swivel pegged 16"-24" above a 1/4oz pink maribou jig tipped with sandshrimp can be deadly too... the best set up depends on the hole. pinks are bitey, youll learn as you go, watch and copy what others are having success with. these set ups are for river fishing pinks.

First off welcome to the PNW.. if you ever have any questions about fishing around the area you can shoot me a message I'm more than willing to provide what info I have.. been fishing skagit valley and whidbey for my entire life.. also more than willing to meet up on the water and do some catching