Every now and then, we fly anglers fall into a sweet state of grace -- where the fish climb all over our flies and we spend more time playing fish than casting.
On Wednesday morning, I was lucky enough to find Pink-O-Rama at Dash Point Park.
I arrived at the park at about 7 a.m., and I didn't expect such a great time. I expected a crowded parking lot -- and perhaps more cars and anglers than fish. I know it's been good -- at times -- during the past two weeks, but the big Pink Run of 2009 hasn't really hit high gear on the beaches.
At least for me.
That all changed on Wednesday. The parking lot was only half full, and anglers were well spread out over the beach -- as the tide was out. I couldn't tell whether it was slack tide or not, but the current was very, very slow. I usually drive over to Dash Point State Park when it is crowded chaos at Dash Point Park, but the vibe was very, very mellow.
As I rigged up my rod, I noticed the nervous water that a school of pink salmon makes as the fish swim into an area. That push of fish reminded me of some good advice from anglers on the www.washingtonflyfishing.com saltwater fishing message board.
Roger Stephens recently shared his thoughts about keeping the fly near the surface when you see a school of pink salmon near the surface. I didn't want to go to a floating line, but I strung my clear intermediate line and tied on a very lightly weighted, hot-pink, sparkle chenille Wooly Bugger.
That Wooly Bugger -- which had a very long tail and no hackle -- looked a lot like the flies Steve Saville ties for Dash Point pink salmon. I have a couple of Steve's flies -- thanks to a fly swap about a month ago in Gig Harbor -- and he showed me others when I bumped into him at Dash Point about two weeks ago.
My pink Wooly Bugger was slender, elegant and long -- and I loved how it undulated through the water. Thanks to Steve, I felt like I had a taking fly.
So did the pinks.
A pink slammed the fly on my third cast -- and ripped off line like a coho salmon. A big male pink was soon finning around at my feet, and I slid the barbless hook out and let it go.
Two casts later, another pink walloped the fly.
Then it got really slow -- at least where I was standing. I could hear anglers whooping it up about 300 yards down the beach -- toward Dash Point State Park. I figured a big school of pinks had moved in with the incoming tide.
I also figured that the fish would eventually reach my spot. Nearby boaters raced off to the ruckus, but I kept my spot, kept casting -- and kept cleaning seaweed off my flyline.
About 20 minutes later, a huge school of pinks pushed into casting range, and the catching got downright silly. I got bit on nearly every cast -- even as nearby Buzz Bombers eked out only a few fish. I could only suspect that the fish were indeed looking up. A lead Buzz Bomb is pretty hard to fish near the surface -- but a Woolly Bugger weighted with the tiniest bead-chain eyes I could find is easy to keep near the top.
The incoming tide even washed away the floating weeds. The water 20 feet off the beach was gin-clear, and I could see pinks hit my fly in a blur of sliver sides and white water.
The fish were rolling and boiling all over the place. Another fly angler -- his name was Darrell -- showed up and asked what I was using. I gave him a couple flies, and he checked into Pink-O-Rama.
Here's a shot of Darrell reefing on a nice pink:
The fishing was so hot that I expected a strike on every cast. Fish rolled and porpoised within a few feet of my waders, and it all reminded me of the fabulous fishing during the Big Pink Run of 2007.
This was even better, but it wouldn't have been nearly as good if I hadn't glommed onto the tips from Roger and Steve. I had to go to work, and I left that big school of snappy fish while they were still hot pink.
But it was a morning to remember. I kept a fish to grill for lunch -- and dinner.
I'll be back on the beach in a day or so for more pinks, but I will never have a better two hours of Pink-O-Rama than I savored on this day. The Big Pink Run of 2009 is finally here.
