Pink salmon
Also called Humpy, Humpies, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha
Pink salmon are Pacific salmon that return to freshwater to spawn, then die. They are the smallest and most abundant Pacific salmon in many runs, and are often called “humpies.”
- Group
- Salmon & steelhead
- Category
- Species
- Level
- Intermediate
- Water
- Freshwater
Last updated
What Pink salmon means
In the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, pink salmon show up in coastal rivers and lower mainstems during their spawning migrations. They are anadromous, they hatch in freshwater, grow in the ocean, then return to freshwater to spawn.
They are known for a strict two-year life cycle, which often creates strong “odd-year” or “even-year” runs in a given region. Males develop a pronounced hump and hooked jaw as they mature, which is where the nickname comes from.
For fly anglers, most pink salmon fishing is done with swung or stripped flies in moving water, or with short drifts in slower seams. They will eat small baitfish and shrimp-style patterns, and they are also commonly caught while targeting other salmonids in the same systems.
Why it matters on the water
Run timing and run year matter more with pinks than with many other salmon. If you show up in the wrong year for that river, the fishing can be completely different even if conditions look “right.”
Pinks are aggressive and travel in numbers, so they can turn a day into steady action and lots of fish handling. That affects choices like tippet strength, how quickly to land fish, and whether to bring a bigger net when the river is crowded with salmon.
Read next
- Chum salmonChum salmon are an anadromous Pacific salmon species, Oncorhynchus keta, known for strong runs and aggressive behavior in freshwater during the spawn.
- Coho salmonCoho salmon are Pacific salmon that hatch in freshwater, migrate to the ocean, then return to rivers to spawn. They are also called silver salmon and are a common target on Alaska and Pacific Northwest trips.
- Sockeye salmonSockeye salmon are Pacific salmon that hatch in freshwater, spend most of their adult life in the ocean, then return to freshwater to spawn. They are known for strong runs and bright red spawning color.
- SteelheadA steelhead is a rainbow trout that migrates to the ocean and later returns to freshwater to spawn. Unlike Pacific salmon, steelhead can survive spawning and may repeat the cycle.