Home Forums Fishing Saltwater Salmon off the beach with a flyrod

Just got into this a couple years ago, fishing for pink salmon (primarily, always hoping for a coho to join in, and many times searun cutthroat trout are also in the picture) off the beaches, usually near river mouths. Lots of fun using a 6 weight, tossing a variety of flies (fluorescent pink being the main ingredient, usually) to small schools as they move along the beach. Patterns like a pink comet, pink clouser, and pink cathy's coat are the typical patterns being used on the east coast of Vancouver Island.
Interested in knowing what others are using in other areas with this fishery.
It certainly is an interesting fishery when you are spotting schools moving along the beach and trying to intercept them, all of this happening in 2-5 feet of water.

Pat,if there's lots of cutts and a few cohos off the creek mouth,try a dry fly!I've caught both on a little green deerhair fly called "Salmon Candy.It was originated by Steve Raymond for creekmouths in Puget Sound and is similar to a small green Tom Thumb.It works,my first fish with it was a 5lb.coho! Monashee

Did you fish that with a dead drift in the river current, twitch it, or ? The searuns are a nice diversion between salmon. Best morning last year had me release 7 or 8 in a couple of hours, along with a few pinks that went to the smoker! First couple hours of the day have generally been best, more so if I can hit a tide changing to a flood tide!
Pat

I actually fished the Salmon Candy anywhere along the beach not just the creekmouths.Cast let it sit and then a twitch retrieve. Monashee

Thanks, I'll give it a try this year!

Chasing fish off the beach is one thing I miss having moved to the interior.The coho I mentioned was caught at Cates Park in North Van,we also used to have some good cutt fishing in the Crescent Beach area and up on the Sunshine Coast.Another fly that worked well off the beach was a small heavily dressed muddler,fished the same way.Good luck! Monashee

When I lived on Kodiak Island early 80,s. I caught quite few Silvers & Dog or Chum Salmon on egg patterns. I waited for a off shore wind to make casting easier quite fun and amazing how strong a fresh dog salmon was.

Few years ago I was catching pinks and chums in Seward along the beach there with a fly rod.
The fish would surge with the high tide to enter a small creek to spawn there, but not before would I flip a streamer in front of them.

It was a real ball!