As I journey into my secound year with the Amundson Outdoors WIND WARRIOR SPEY ROD 4-PC 14 foot 3″, this year’s adventure starts with the Pink Salmon in the Campbell River. It is an excellent time to pick up and improve the casting abilities that I acquired last year—Readying myself for the coming of the later season, Chinook, Coho and Chum salmon.
I have learned from my first-year adventures that you had to have a full set of various sinking tips if you are going to cover all parts of the river.

Today I decided to fish the Fly fishing only zone. Fishing in this part of the river is for only catching and release. Based on the river’s depth and speed the angler selects a sink tip that will drop to the level that the salmon are in that part of the river.
The manufacture makes it easy to recognize by colour the different sink tips. Storing them in a sink tip wallet that compartmentalized each tip separately allowing quicker access and changes.

-T-8 240 grains (6-7 in/sec, white)
-T-11 330 grains (7-8 in/sec, green)
-T-14 420 grains (8-9 in/sec, blue)
-T17 510 grains (9-10 in/sec, black)
-T20 600 grains (10 + in/sec, none)

Today I used a 10 foot T14 sink tip to my 24-foot floating Scandi shooting head that attached to a floating running line. The T14 matched the river flow speed to the depth that the pink salmon I was targeting.

Often, the pink salmon is close to the shoreline, so positioning yourself up the river so that the Spey line will swing into their zone is the angler’s best strategy.
The river is flowing from my left to my right favoring the right handed angler . Nothing fancy on my casts. Using the traditional D Spey cast, I was able to cast 3/4 across the river. I felt pretty good as last year I was not as confident, and mistakes were often restricting my casting distance.
My selection of weighted flies was limited. It would be pink or blue on a number 4 hook, 3x long.

Casting down mid-river and mending the line, I slowly allowed the line to swing while giving little twitches. Most takes were within ten feet from the shoreline but, they quickly moved out to the fast water.

Pound for pound these little salmon put up a excellent fight.
The day was successful, with eight pink salmon landed and released. Today reminded me of riding a bike; it only gets better with practice.

Next, Spey’s adventure this coming fall will be for Chinook salmon. The challenge will be fishing on a river flow that favours the left hand angler. That is, the river flows from my right to my left. It will be a significant challenge for my casting technique, the fly’s presentation, and landing these full power salmon.

Stay tuned