An odd-year August around Puget Sound brings a wave of anticipation for what many hope to be a fruitful pink salmon return. These diminutive Pacific Salmon species average 3-5 lbs. and are collectively known as "Humpies" for their pronounced spinal curvature during their spawning run that only accentuates as they soldier on upstream. The hump is most prominent on males and not only are they rather wild looking, but that tall, wide body shape helps them pull well above their weight class, especially when they want to go sideways in the current. In years like 2025, when the run forecast borders on stellar, folks line the beaches of Whidbey Island, the broad sandbars of the lower Skagit and a myriad of productive North Sound and Lower Mainland BC pink salmon rivers to intercept the veritable highway of pinks making their way home to spawn. We often refer to it as "Humpy Madness."
Fly tackle is reasonably simple for pink salmon. You'll want at least a 6 weight rod in 9' or so and we often prefer a 7 or an 8 weight, which allows you to land fish much more quickly, gently send them on their way and is far easier on your equipment too. Floating, intermediate and light sink tip fly lines all have their place depending on the depth and speed of the water you're targeting pinks in. Flies are generally on the smaller side in terms of salmon, averaging 1.5-2.5" in length and are almost invariably pink in hue. Sometimes a darker cerise or fuchsia is better, sometimes a hot pink or shrimp pink, sometimes a light pink does the trick in air clear water when subtlety often pays dividends. Most humpy flies are simple, sparse and functional. The Pink Fink definitely embraces these qualities and is one of the more productive patterns we fish. It's tied on a stainless saltwater hook, has a little flash and a lot of movement and perhaps mostly importantly, is pink. You can toss the Pink Fink with equal success off a cobbled saltwater beach along a salmon migration route or into a current seam on your favorite river.
Like most other pink salmon flies, our favorite technique is to cast the Pink Fink straight across or angled slightly downstream in the current, allow it to sink for a moment, and begin a quickish, snappy retrieve with a short pronounced pause after each strip. The conehead will cause the pattern to drop during the pause and salmon seem to most relish whacking the fly as it falls in the water column. Feel free to use a smaller, lighter cone for shallower water or fill the opening of the cone with some lead-free wire to promote a faster sink rate. Whether you tie them or buy them, the Pink Fink deserves a permanent home in your humpy box.