78 Northwest Sportsman AUGUST 2019 | nwsportsmanmag.com
escapement goals are the Nooksack,
Skagit, Stillaguamish and Snohomish.”
Prime saltwater shoreline locations
for pinks include:
Port Townsend: Point Wilson
and Marrowstone Island’s eastern
shoreline;
Whidbey Island: North Beach,
West Beach, Fort Casey, Keystone,
Bush Point, Lagoon Point and
Possession Point Bait House;
Kitsap Peninsula: Point No Point;
Edmonds-Mukilteo: Picnic Point,
Mukilteo Lighthouse shoreline and
nearby pier and the Edmonds Pier;
Seattle area: Lincoln Park, Carkeek
Park, Alki Point, Golden Gardens near
Shilshole Bay and Redondo Beach;
Tacoma area: Dash Point State
Park pier and shoreline, Browns
Point Lighthouse Park and Point
Defiance Park.TAKING CARE OF your catch is important
and can result in a very good eating
salmon, especially when smoked or
grilled. As pinks are mostly caught
at the height of summer, when
temperatures are very warm, those
that aren’t properly handled quickly
can become soft, mushy and lose
their flavor.
Once you land a pink be sure to
bleed it out by cutting the gills and
then clean and gut your catch. Then
get them on ice quickly in a cooler or
KoldZone- or KatchKooler-type bag.
The best fishing for pinks occurs
in the early morning and later in the
evening just before sunset, but they
will hit all day long. Most pinks can be
found from just below the surface to
as deep as 80 to 125 feet, and they will
go deeper especially on sunny days.
The top tip when fishing from
a boat is to troll very slow! You can
catch them at any speed, but those
who plan to target them should ramp
down the speed.
Lastly, don’t be surprised if you
hook a Chinook or coho while fishing
for pinks and just remember to check
the rules on whether you can keep
them or not. NS