Northwest Sportsman – August 2019

nwsportsmanmag.com | AUGUST 2019 Northwest Sportsman 71

FISHING

By Mark Yuasa

T

he pink salmon is considered

an odd ball in the salmon

species realm. If Rodney

Dangerfield had been into fishing he

would have said, “Anglers just don’t

give them the respect they deserve.”

That respect for pinks – a salmon

returning mainly during odd-

numbered years and often referred

to as “humpies” for the distinct bump

that grows on the backs of males near

spawning time – began to change

around the start of the 21st century,

2001 to be exact. That’s when runs

suddenly skyrocketed to well above

3 million every other year.

Anglers soon found that pinks

were relatively easy to catch. This

boon created bonus daily limits, and

some show-stopping late summer

and early fall moments for both boat

and shore-bound anglers from the

Strait of Juan de Fuca clear up into

Puget Sound’s rivers.

During that time the largest return

Never Fear,

The Odd-years

Are (Still) Here!

While Puget Sound’s pinks are at a low ebb in their up-and-down cycle,

hundreds of thousands of the little scrappers are returning to the region’s rivers.

Despite a low return, there are

still opportunities this season

to retain pink salmon in Puget

Sound and some of the region’s

rivers. Andrew Soper and Mark

Schildt show off a pair they

doubled up on during 2015’s

return. (YO-ZURI PHOTO CONTEST)