leader length for pinks in the river

shardknight · Post by **shardknight** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 11:58 am

what length leaders should i use for pinks in the puyallup river?

jonb · Post by **jonb** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 2:20 pm

you should twitch jigs, no leader required. a pink blue fox spinner works great too. as for leaders... if you must drift fish, 4'-6' would be ethical, 8' or more would be concidered flossing by most and unethical. my opinion is other legitmate(above mentioned)techniques are far more productive than ethical drifting with a 4'-6' leader.

JoshH · Post by **JoshH** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 3:09 pm

I don't fish the Puyallup, but in the Snohomish and Skagit if I am cast and retrieving, usually anywhere from 3-5 feet, drifting typically about the same. If I am plunking from a boat using a 3 way swivel attached to a 4-6 ounce triangle lead, I vary the leader length to the spoon based on current, again 3-5 feet.

Jigs or a humpy special, no leader. Hook it up and go.

9 times out of 10 I am closer to 3 feet than 5, and I've only drift fished once and hated it. Retrieving or Jigging has always been more productive for me.

W4y · Post by **W4y** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 3:11 pm

Oh no, you said the "f" word. You started off the season here right. I'm waiting for the flamewar to start any day now.

KarpKilla · Post by **KarpKilla** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 4:02 pm

i don't fish the Puyallup, but when I fish with corks and yarn or Dick Nites in the Snohomish and Skykomish I use a 4' to 5' leader, works great. But i always prefer to use a Buzz Bomb in the Snohomish and a pink jig or spoon in the Sky.

gfakkema · Post by **gfakkema** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 4:44 pm

Duwamish Amish · Post by **Duwamish Amish** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 4:45 pm

Have any of you guys actually fished the Puyallup? The water is mud brown, with no visibility until the winter. If you're employing drift gear, you really don't need anything longer than a few feet.

shardknight · Post by **shardknight** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 5:04 pm

thanks

jonb · Post by **jonb** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 8:53 pm

in low clarity conditions i find a size 3-5 gold blade blue fox in shallowish water to be affective, or twitching jigs in moderate depths. sounds perfect for the puy. if i were to drift fish, it would be in low and clear situations, that seems to be the only time where downsizing your presentation makes sense. i wouldnt drift a cork either, id drift a fly, egg sucking leech with a pink egg specifically.

Blunatic · Post by **Blunatic** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 6:56 am

Technically drifting is flossing, if you ask me (no one did lol), ... if you want to get right down to it, the only difference is a 4 foot leader means your only fishin 4 feet of the river, 10 foot leader 10 feet of river, 37 foot leader, well you get my point. The puyallup is always muddy this time of year so an actual "bite" while you're drifting is less likely than actually flossing the fish.

I really don't have a problem with someone who is drifting/flossing to catch a fish to take home and eat, but when they start spouting off how great of a fisherman/sportsman they are and they stand out there for hours flossing fish to prove they can catch 20,30 50 fish a day... that is not really being an ethical fisherman... Just my humble opinion

gfakkema · Post by **gfakkema** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 8:26 am

jonb · Post by **jonb** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 10:16 am

id like to echo gfakkema statement, in low very clear water downsizing your presentation is a must, drift fishing can be done without flossing under those circumstances. you can drift roe and get fish to bite easily. or as a flyfisherman an egg sucking leech pattern WILL produce legitamate bites on the swing, which is a fancy word for drifting a fly. i would agree that drifting in mud brown water would most likely be flossing. which is why i suggest a big bright flashy presentation like a spinner spoon or twitched jig. its really sinple, muddy go with big and bright, low and clear, small and subtle.

shardknight · Post by **shardknight** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 11:17 am

how do you twitch jigs? i have not heard of it and what jigs do you use?

Blunatic · Post by **Blunatic** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 12:37 pm

In response to jonb and gfakkema, I totally agree, thanks for clarifying the point.... some of the best coho bites I have had were drifting tiny gear in clear water, it's like your rod tip explodes or because it's such an aggressive bite you almost drop your pole LOL!

dwh4784 · Post by **dwh4784** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 3:05 pm

This "flossing" sounds a lot like the guys I went night fishing for Kokanee with a few weeks back. Twitch-twitch-twitch-jerk....repeat.....repeat. Super lame way to fish if you ask me. They caught way more fish than I did and most (but not all) were hooked in the mouth/head area, but that isn't fishing IMO.

gfakkema · Post by **gfakkema** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 3:29 pm

jonb · Post by **jonb** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 4:11 pm

shardknight wrote:how do you twitch jigs? i have not heard of it and what jigs do you use?

pink maribou or squid jigs, 1/4oz-1/2oz , every sporting goods stor on the west side that carries fishing gear has them. very affective. let it sink to the bottom and very lightly lift the rod tip repeadetly, no force nessesary, it will take some practice and time to get it down. pinks absolutely hammer a well twitched jig.

shardknight · Post by **shardknight** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 5:37 pm

jonb wrote:
shardknight wrote:how do you twitch jigs? i have not heard of it and what jigs do you use?
pink marabou or squid jigs, 1/4oz-1/2oz , every sporting goods store on the west side that carries fishing gear has them. very effective. let it sink to the bottom and very lightly lift the rod tip repeatedly, no force necessary, it will take some practice and time to get it down. pinks absolutely hammer a well twitched jig.

thank you i will try it when i go for pinks.

shardknight · Post by **shardknight** » Mon Aug 10, 2015 2:26 pm

can you twitch jigs inn the salt water?

jonb · Post by **jonb** » Mon Aug 10, 2015 7:27 pm

absolutely, its very affective too. up your jig size in the salt to a 3/8oz or even 1/2oz if your fishing deep. pink maribou, pink/white will slay them.

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leader length for pinks in the river

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