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[Brian the fisherman]

Is it just me or do I have buck luck....
for the last 3 pink seasons not including this one. I have caught on avg, 4 males to every female.
this ratio following suit this year as I have caught 4 females and 16 males.. so is it just that the males are being more territorial or is it just that the females are just not as interested in attacking out of aggression.

The lot of the fish recently have come from a Pink jig.
all but one fish have been males on the jig
when flyfishing a pink clouser I only hit females.

Don't know if my choice of bait mattered in the male/female ratio... not enough hookups to determine this.


What would you fellow anglers ratios be?
Perhaps someone who is more schooled in the spawning cycle of salmon than I can provide some helpful insight on this matter.

Tight lines to you all time to get ready for another morning of fishing.

[BentRodsGuiding]

Bucks are more aggressive. try twitching a lighter jig to them . I use 1/4 ounce lead heads with a 3" pink grub on the back and we are about 60% males for catching. Keep your twitches very small almost like you are fishing a fly and I think things will change for you.
Also females have softer mouths it seems as we lose many of the small females and cant shake off a big humpy if we tried.

[mbowers]

To determine if you've got buck luck you really need to know what the ratio of bucks to does is where you're fishing at the time too.  Looking through scientific papers a run of pinks could be 3 bucks to 1 doe so catching 3 bucks for every doe would be "average".

[fic]

this ratio following suit this year as I have caught 4 females and 16 males.. so is it just that the males are being more territorial or is it just that the females are just not as interested in attacking out of aggression.

I caught pretty much the exact number of males and females as you, beach fishing this year.

[deepcovehooker]

I would say that my ratio is much the same over the last few pink seasons.  I think my chum ratio would also be in the 4 to 1 rate. 

I guess the males in the fish family are as aggressive as the males in the human family.

[clarki]

To determine if you've got buck luck you really need to know what the ratio of bucks to does is where you're fishing at the time too.  Looking through scientific papers a run of pinks could be 3 bucks to 1 doe so catching 3 bucks for every doe would be "average".

You are onto something here. This topic was discussed on this forum several years back, and one of the posters mentioned a paper that discussed how bucks made up the majority of the early to mid season pink catch because they migrated upstrem earler than the does.  But I can't find the thread  

[Animal Chin]

You are onto something here. This topic was discussed on this forum several years back, and one of the posters mentioned a paper that discussed how bucks made up the majority of the early to mid season pink catch because they migrated upstrem earler than the does.  But I can't find the thread

Seems this was the case for me this season. Early on all males, then more way more females as the season progressed (the next week that is). One day it was all females on blades and a fly.

[BCfisherman97]

Males seem to be more aggressive. But it is strange that I always notice I hook more female on a chartrues clouser, probably just luck tho.

[milo]

On Sunday on the Squamish  I couldn't hook into a male to save my life.
I think it depends on the school. Some are mostly males, others are mostly females.
I am probably wrong, but that is my impression.

[wonder]

ive always felt that way about pinks but this year me and my friends got into way more females so far, i changed my setup a bit and use a much smaller lure dno if that changes anything but i prob got about 15 females and 5 males last trip 

[adriaticum]

When salmon return to their home rivers males come in first.
They usually select territories and stay there.
Later come females and choose the best sites for spawning.
The ratio of males to females is how you know whether the season has just started or it's ending.
Also when males spawn out fully they die usually within a day or so. Females are usually alive for several weeks guarding the nests.

[zabber]

When salmon return to their home rivers males come in first.

^^ This is what I read elsewhere as well ^^

I caught mostly males with the spoon I was using, earlier in the run, but since switching over to fly-fishing I've been getting about 50:50 male:female... Maybe even more does than that lately... In fact, earlier today I was wondering if maybe the males were more likely to go after a 1/4 oz Gibbs croc than the females... Mind you, the run is nearing the end so that might be the explanation for that observation... That being said, one of my buddies has been lamenting that he can't get into a female for a the life of him... Might just be luck, or fly selection, as we fish the same water...

Nothing wrong with the males, though, imo. People give them a hard time, but they're just as good eats when fresh. The only downside is they don't come with roe skeins, if that's what you're after.

[Brian the fisherman]

When salmon return to their home rivers males come in first.
They usually select territories and stay there.
Later come females and choose the best sites for spawning.
The ratio of males to females is how you know whether the season has just started or it's ending.
Also when males spawn out fully they die usually within a day or so. Females are usually alive for several weeks guarding the nests.

This makes a lot of sense to me.

Thanks to all who replied.

[Easywater]

There's an online version of a salmon book that I read several years ago and posted about it here (2009): http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=21409.msg204612#msg204612

"Sex ratios in pink salmon populations tend to fluctuate considerably throughout the spawning season. A predominance of males is characteristic among the fish first entering the stream and those first occupying the spawning grounds. As the season progresses, the proportion of females entering the stream and on the spawning beds increases. During the main part of the run the sex ratio tends to be close to 1:1, and towards the end of the run there are usually more females than males"

The book is here - very interesting reading for those that want to learn more about pink salmon ("Pacific Salmon Life Histories"):

http://books.google.ca/books?id=I_S0xCME0CYC&pg=PA137&lpg=PA137&dq=%2Bmigration+%2B%22pink+salmon%22&source=bl&ots=_uzzuH3hhY&sig=rLsf_J1G4367pir8Z_oy6c6V-SM&hl=en&ei=cmKVStumCJPWlAfE0fyvDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#v=onepage&q=%20migration%20%20%22pink%20salmon%22&f=false