Best Pink Salmon Lures for River Fishing
I live near a few great Pink Salmon fishing rivers, where these easy-to-catch fish arrive en masse every other year. When they make their way through Puget Sound and into our rivers, they become a crowd favorite with everyone; from the seasoned angler to the novice.
Pink Salmon Migration Back to the River
Pink Salmon (also known as Humpy Salmon or Humpies), are the smallest of the five salmon species, but also the most abundant. Their primary range is Puget Sound in Washington State north through British Columbia, and most of Alaska. Pink Salmon are unique, because they have a very strict biological clock, and pretty much every single Pink Salmon lives exactly two years. In the southern end of their range, they return to spawn in odd-numbered years (2019, 2021, 2023). Alaskan rivers receive Pinks in odd-numbered years, but the largest returns happen in even-numbered years.
Pink Salmon and Beginner’s Luck
Pink Salmon season is the perfect time to get a first introduction into the world of river salmon fishing. In many rivers, you will be casting to dozens (if not hundreds) of salmon, and there are usually a few that are greedy enough to take the bait (pun intended).
Humpy Salmon Fishing Lures
I put together a short list of my favorite Pink Salmon lures for you. I would say that this assortment covers any river fishing situation that you will encounter when the Pinks come flooding in.
Humpy Death Jig
The Humpy Death Jig is your workhorse Pink Salmon lure. It is durable and effective. The 1/4 and 3/8 Ounce options are perfect for casting and jigging in the lower river stretches that we often find big numbers of Pink Salmon.
Aerojig Hackle Pink Salmon Jig
This is an absolute classic. The Aerojig Hackle series is perfect if you are fishing in clear water and want a smaller presentation that still has alot of action. Available in 1/16th, 1/8th and 1/4 Ounce, I’d recommed anything in light pink, cerise, pink & white, orange, peach or hot pink for your best bet at catching Pink Salmon in our local rivers.
Aerojig Marabou Pink Salmon Jig
The undulating action of the Aerojig Marabou is so aluring that it is one of my favorite jigs to fish under a float. As with any Pink Salmon lure, stick with light pink, pink & white, hot pink, cerise or peach for the most action.
Aerojig Rabbit Bead Salmon Jig
I really like the action and durability of the Aerojig Rabbit Bead Jig. Use the 1/8 ounce or 1/4 ounce under a float, or take the 1/4 ounce and twitch it in slow currents.
Beau Mac Pro-Series Salmon Jig
This classic jig definitely makes it onto our list of favorite Pink Salmon lures. Use the Beau Mac Pro Series Jig 1/8 Ounce size when fishing with a bobber, and the 1/4 Ounce size if you want a little light tackle twitching action.
Aerojig Twitching Jig
The full-bodied profile of the Aerojig Salmon Twitching Jig makes this the perfect choice if you are looking for a larger presentation for Pink Salmon fishing. 3/8 and 1/2 ounce options make this easy to cast and twitch back to you. I’d highly recommend this if you are fishing a deeper section of river and want another option aside from metal jigs like Buzz Bombs, Kokanators or Laser Minnows.
B2 Squid Jig
A small B2 Squid on a 1/4 to 3/8 jighead is a great lure for catching Pink Salmon. I prefer the Hot Pink Glitter, Glitter Orange or Triple Glow Pink 2.5″ rigged on either a Gamakatsu Round 26 Jighead or an Aerojig Twitching Jighead. It is important to use a jighead that has a collar so that the plastic squid remains rigged where you want it.
Hoochie Humpy Twitching Jigs
Plastic hoochie squid skirts make a great twitching jig for Pinks. The plastic skirts have amazing durability. You can catch and catch and catch on plastic squid jigs and never have to retire you lure from being too mangled (as often happens with marabou jigs). Same jig-head weight of 1/4 oz to 3/8 oz.
Dick Nite Spoon
You may be asking yourself, “why would a salmon eat a lure so dinky that it might be too small for trout fishing?” Well, I don’t have an answer for you on that. What I can tell you that the Dick Nite Spoon is one of the most effective Pink Salmon lures around. The most popular technique is to drift fish a Dick Nite, but some situations warrant fishing these lures under a bobber. Favorite colors are half brass/half nickel (50/50), nickel with pink head, pink/white and half nickel/half pink.
P-Line Kokanator Humpy Salmon Jig
If you are fishing in deeper tidal pools, or on a beach near the river where Pink Salmon are staging, the P-Line Kokanator Jig is a great lure to fish. These come in 1/2 Ounce and 3/4 Ounce and are perfect for fishing in water that is 5 to 15 feet deep.
P-Line Laser Minnow
The P-Line Laser Minnow my favorite all-time lure for catching Pink Salmon off of the beaches around Puget Sound. They are also a great option in the lower reaches of our larger rivers. Cast it out, lift the rod 2′ to jig it up, drop the rod 1′ to let it flutter down while reeling in a little slack, and repeat. The 1 Ounce is perfect for many deep lower tidal pools or saltwater beaches. Remember that in many areas, the factory stocked treble hook needs to be replaced with a single-point (sometimes barbless), match a 1/0 Gamakatsu Big River Open Eye & Size 7 Barrel Swivel with the 1 Ounce Laser Minnow.
Buzz Bombs for Pink Salmon Fishing
The Buzz Bomb is another classic salmon lure. Their two smallest sizes, 2 and 2L, are effective in the lower stretches of any major river. Here at home, we will fish with Buzz Bombs in the lower Snohomish, lower Skagit and Duwamish Rivers. Metal jigs move fast, which means that this lure will attract a strike from the most aggressive fish.
Bobber and Jig Rig
Float fishing is another great way to catch Pink Salmon. Run a smaller 1/16 oz to 1/8 oz jig below a bobber and let it naturally drift downstream. I usually don’t get to fancy with my jigs, but the jig box I keep in my winter steelhead pack has plenty of pink patterns that work well for Humpy fishing.
Spin Glo and Sand Shrimp Plunking Rig
Plunking has always been a great tactic for catching Pink Salmon. The setup is simple, and as long as you can find some fresh Sand Shrimp, you will be in for a productive day. Small Spin Glo’s in size 8, 6 and 4 are perfect for Pink Salmon fishing.
Brad’s Wiggler Plug
Brad’s Wiggler and Wee Wiggler plugs are great Pink Salmon lures. BS Fishtales make a number of great colors: pink, metallic pink, Dr. Death, and many others.
Maglip Plug 2.5, 3.0 & 3.5
Yakima Bait Company hit a home run when they introduced the Mag Lip plug several years ago. Mag Lips in 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5 are a the best plugs you can use to catch Pink Salmon. These lures are best trolled or back-trolled from a boat.
River Fishing for Humpy Salmon
When the Pink Salmon return to the river to spawn, they offer us all an awesome chance to catch a few salmon with limited effort and expense. When you do land your first Pink Salmon, make sure to bleed it and put it on ice immediately. These fish return at the end of summer when river waters are still warm. Because of this, a little added care goes a long way to preserve the quality of their fillets.
Pink Salmon doesn’t have the richness of a Sockeye or Chinook, but that is totally ok. In fact, many people that don’t like salmon because it’s so rich. But they might turn out to be fans of the mild flavor of a Pink Salmon fillet. I’m already looking forward to our next season!
Blackmouth Fishing at Racetrack January 20
