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[Tex]

With the pink season fast approaching on the Fraser (some might say it's already started!), I've been thinking about incidental catches while fishing for pinks on the Tidal Fraser River.

2011's pink return saw me have a run in with a large fish of some sort while pink fishing... I'm still fairly certain it was a Chinook, but having never seen it I can't be absolutely positive. 

http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=27809.msg263431#msg263431

Have you ever had a similar experience?  I wonder how often anglers hook other salmon while pink fishing the Tidal Fraser.

Tex

[Humpy]

In the tidal, you never know what is at the end of your line, could be a pink or could even be a big northern pike minnow.

[cutthroat22]

Yup almost same situation as you.   Quite an adrenaline rush.  I always assume huge coho but really have no idea.

[Rodney]

I have seen chinook salmon, big and small, being landed while fishing for pink salmon in the Tidal Fraser River a few times. Also quite often, the big salmon turn out to be a big coho salmon (~15lb) which are pretty common in September. Occasionally I've seen big wild coho salmon being misidentified as a chinook salmon, which pretty much sealed their fate as soon as they hit the rocks.

[Tex]

Occasionally I've seen big wild coho salmon being misidentified as a chinook salmon, which pretty much sealed their fate as soon as they hit the rocks.

Or as the rock hits them.  LOL 

[Rodney]

Yeah that too. Once awhile my inbox gets photos of "big chinook salmon" from excited anglers during the pink salmon season, and I had to break the unfortunate news to them. That's why I'll be focusing a lot on making sure people read this thread I started last night.

http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=33431.0

[HOOK]

was fishing beside a girl along a tidal bar, it was her very first time salmon fishing and she wasn't having much luck. So I gave her a few pointers on retrieval speed, she started to catch the odd one (missing lots of strikes) and then wouldn't you know she hooks into a STURGEON on a pink lure and little spinning rod !!

she handed the rod over to her father in law after the fish went airborne only 10 feet in front of her scaring the life out of her. He did land it and while myself and another guy held the fish in the water they came over and got pictures. It was about 4 1/2 feet long.


Wish that would happen to me but I guess I can settle with the odd Chinook once in awhile 

[Humpy]

^^lol, even the odd coho would do.

[wizard]

like others, I've caught springs and cohos while targeting Pinks, but Hook's reply of a sturgeon reminded me of when my uncle hooked and landed a 5' sturgeon on a buzz bomb from my boat.  We thought it was a big spring until it crashed out of the water. 30 minutes later we beached and released it.  It was hooked nicely in the mouth proving sturgeon's are opportunistic feeders/hunters and that Buzz Bombs when fished properly can catch just about anything. 
Fish with care and treat ALL the fish you catch this season with respect! good luck

[yoda]

Heh Hook, that was me and my daughter in law. Now i know who you are.
Wasn't that awesome? That sturgeon must have been cruising the shore line picking up roe from cleaned pinks.
That was so weird seeing the hook in his mouth. Must have thought it was a peice of roe.
Thank's for the landing job by the way. You and your friend were quite helpful.
Too bad i did not get approval for posting the pic from her. She still has the record for longest fish caught in the frser on the lightest
gear in this family.

[1son]

Giant NPM are my usual by catch for pinks but lets hope that changes this year

[Johnny Canuck]

No ones ever gotten a steelhead huh? I just looked at that thread you started Rodney its a great idea, may be an idea to add some pics of steelhead in it as well. Seen a few steelhead killed by people calling them springs in the past.

[Rodney]

In 2007 I accidentally foul hooked a sturgeon when fishing for pink salmon. The line was 8lb test, only partially spooled on a Shimano Sustain 2500 spinning reel. It took pretty much all the line out down to the knot and for some reason I managed to gain my line back and eventually landed it. You can still see the little hole on the dorsal fin from the hook.



In 2010 I was targeting bull trout with my ultralight spinning rod (2 - 6lb). The reel was a Shimano Twin Power 1000 spinning reel, spooled with 6lb test. As soon as I hooked this fish in the shallow water by some reeds, I knew it was not a bull trout. It took awhile, but eventually this coho salmon was landed.

No ones ever gotten a steelhead huh? I just looked at that thread you started Rodney its a great idea, may be an idea to add some pics of steelhead in it as well. Seen a few steelhead killed by people calling them springs in the past.

Yeah, was going to add a steelhead but don't have one from the Tidal Fraser, but will probably add one from another system in anyway, just for ID purposes.

[Bently]

I was out at Deas Island a few years back casting spoons for pinks, there was two other guys there as well doing the same thing when one of them got into a large fish {obviously not a pink salmon}, it turned out to be about a 15 lb wild Steelhead, beautiful fish and the best part was the angler new the identity right away and released it immediately. Quite exciting at the time.

[Tex]

In 2010 I was targeting bull trout with my ultralight spinning rod (2 - 6lb). The reel was a Shimano Twin Power 1000 spinning reel, spooled with 6lb test. As soon as I hooked this fish in the shallow water by some reeds, I knew it was not a bull trout. It took awhile, but eventually this coho salmon was landed.

That coho is an incredible specimen!  Nice one, Rod!

I also love reading that report from you a few years back when you landed that pig of a Chinook on a small spinner (though it wasn't in the tidal fraser).  Awesome!