Guide to Catching Pink Salmon on the BC Mainland

Rod Toth Pink Salmon Jig Fraser River BC

With predictions of over 27 million pink salmon returning to the South Coast rivers of British Columbia this season, sport fishers will have a great opportunity to experience some of the fastest and wildest salmon fishing action around.

Pink salmon are the smallest of the five Pacific salmon species and are often considered a nuisance among anglers who are chasing larger Chinook and coho in marine waters. But if you approach pinks for what they are, you’ll quickly discover just how much fun they can offer.

Pink salmon mouth and tail

These small, hard-fighting salmon may not have the size of Chinook or coho, but they more than make up for it in sheer numbers and nonstop bites.

Whether you’re casting from ocean beaches as the first schools begin to arrive this month or targeting them in rivers later in the season as they move upstream to spawn, pink salmon offer fast action in both salt and freshwater. The methods described here work well in both environments, with just a few simple adjustments to jig weights and retrieve styles depending on where you’re fishing.

Pink salmon on Vancouver Island (photo: Eiko Jones Photography)

Simple and Effective Gear For Pink Salmon

One of the best parts about pink salmon fishing is how simple it is—making it perfect for introducing new anglers or kids to the sport. Here’s all you will need:

• Spinning rod and reel
• A few jigs, spoons, or spinners

Pink salmon on spinning rod Photo: Rod Toth

Jig Fishing

My favourite and most productive method for catching pink salmon is jig fishing. For a detailed article on jig fishing check out my article on, “Twitching, Hopping, and Jerking Jigs like a Rockstar“.

Here is what I use:

For ocean beaches
⅜-ounce or ½-ounce jig heads
3″ pink Curly Tail Grub

For the Fraser River & tributaries
¼-ounce or ⅜-ounce jig heads
Same 3″ Curly Tail Grubs

Grub colours (pink reigns supreme)

My favourite is FloGlo Pink (fluorescent pink with fuchsia glitter).
Pearl Fuchsia
Bubble Gum Pink

Pink salmon jig heads and curly tail grubs

The Twitching Technique (How to Fish the Jig)

To fish the jig, you’ll be best served using the method we call twitching.

1. Cast your jig out.
2. Use a sharp lift and drop of the rod tip to create a hopping action.
3. Let the jig fall—bites usually happen on the drop.
4. After each hop, reel in a bit to pick up slack.
5. Don’t over-reel or you may pull the jig away before the fish can bite.
6. Vary your hops: Some days: softer, gentler hops work best. Other days: larger, more aggressive hops trigger strikes.

Setups like this work perfect for pink salmon Photo: Rod Toth

Spoons

For anglers who want to keep it even simpler, or when teaching new anglers and children to catch pinks, the spoon is a simple yet effective technique.

Gibbs Megawatt is an excellent spoon for targeting Pink Salmon Photo: Gibbs

How to fish with spoons

1. Use the same spinning gear as for jigs.
2. Cast past where you see pinks surfacing.
3. Retrieve steadily just above bottom (“low and slow”).
4. Faster retrieves can work, but slower is often better.

Cast and retrieve or use a slight jigging motion. Try jerking and letting it flutter to trigger strikes.

Spoon sizes & colours

¼-ounce and ⅜-ounce spoons
Pink front, silver back

Recommended spoons

Gibbs Megawatt
Cobbs Croc
Gibbs Koho 35
Gibbs Koho 45

Also worth trying: Tasmanian Devil

Pink salmon spoons that work Photo: Rod Toth

Spinners

While jigs and spoons have been by far the most productive methods for catching freshwater pink salmon, casting and retrieving pink spinners has also worked well on days when the jigs and spoons weren’t producing.

Use pink and silver spinners (sizes 3 and 4).
Most important: keep the blade spinning just above bottom.

Fly Fishing for Pinks

Fly fishing for pink salmon is also extremely productive. A deep dive article on catching pink salmon on the fly is here.

Here’s all you’ll need to get started:

• 6-weight fly rod
• Intermediate sinking line
• Pink and chartreuse flies (small size)
• Use bead-head flies to add lift-and-drop action on the strip-in.

Pink on the fly Photo: Rod Toth

Recommended Rod and Reel Setups

The following rod and reel setups are what I use to catch pink salmon, but any medium-action spinning setup will work. Oversized gear can take the fun out of fishing, and gear that’s too light can make it harder to quickly catch and safely release these salmon.

For beach fishing or casting spoons and for spinners in rivers

• 8’6″ medium power spinning rod
• 3000–4000 size spinning reel
• 12 lb monofilament line or 20 lb braided line with 12 lb monofilament leader

For jig fishing on ocean beaches or in rivers

•  7’–7.5′ medium power, fast action rod
• 2500–3000 size spinning reel
• 20 lb braided line with 12 lb monofilament leader, or 12 lb monofilament line

Note: Braided line is superior for twitching jigs.

When and Where to Fish

Now that you are set up with tackle for catching pink salmon, here are a few tips to help you find these little scrappers.

Best Tides for beaches and lower Fraser River

• End of incoming tide
• High tide
• Start of outgoing tide (brings fish within casting distance)

Watch for surface activity: Rolling, splashing, or schools surfacing. If you see them, you’re in the right place!

Pink Salmon frenzy

Timing

• Beaches: August is prime time
• Fraser River & tributaries: Start strong in early September
• Some years: one day it’s tough fishing, the next day it’s a fish every other cast.

The Best Pink Salmon For Eating

• Target ocean beaches or the lower Fraser for silver-bright fish.
• After a week or more in freshwater, colours darken and males develop large humps.
• Darker fish remain fun for catch-and-release.

Brent Barker with his first silver pink salmon Photo: Gil d’Oliveira

The Giant Return of Pink Salmon is Essential to the Health of Our Rivers

These small salmon provide a rich bounty of nutrients to so many creatures within the rivers, from tiny insects to birds to the white sturgeons.
As a guide on the Fraser River, I have witnessed large sturgeon chasing and eating pink salmon on the gravel bars where the salmon spawn. To see an 8′ or 9′ long sturgeon explode out of the water with a live pink salmon sticking out of its mouth is truly amazing.

Don’t Miss It

Pink salmon only return to BC’s South Coast every odd year, and if you miss out on this spectacular fishing in 2025, you’ll be waiting until 2027 for another shot. So grab the kids, the grandparents, or your neighbour, and hit the water to take advantage of this wonder of nature.

Regan’s pink salmon Photo: Rod Toth

Tight lines and bent rods!

Rod Toth “Bent Rod” is a professional fishing guide and tackle manufacturer in Chilliwack, British Columbia, with a passion for ethical sports angling. A lifelong resident of the West Coast, Rod has dedicated his adult life to pursuing the diverse game fish found throughout BC. His enthusiasm for fishing is unmatched, and he cherishes every day he spends on the river. Inspired by his extensive travels and fishing trips with various guides across Canada, Rod aims to share the authentic and rewarding experience of ethical sports fishing with people worldwide.