Species guide · Oregon
Pink salmon fishing in Oregon
Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, a sea-run species also called humpy, humpies and humpback salmon. Listed for the Pacific Northwest region. Puget Sound pinks return in odd years only.
Season by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
Pacific Northwest
Shoulder season, changing this week- Jan: Not present
- Feb: Not present
- Mar: Not present
- Apr: Not present
- May: Not present
- Jun: Not present
- Jul: Shoulder season
- Aug: Peak season
- Sep: Shoulder season
- Oct: Not present
- Nov: Not present
- Dec: Not present
Peak: Aug. In season (shoulder or peak): Jul to Sep.
Research notes, Pacific Northwest region
Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca pinks return in odd-numbered years only (2025, 2027), peaking mid-August. Values are for odd years. In even years, treat every month as 0.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 0
Not scored in this forecast: Coastal waters from Cape Blanco OR to Pt. St. George CA out 10 nm, Coastal waters from Cape Falcon to Cape Foulweather OR out 10 nm, Coastal waters from Cape Foulweather to Florence OR out 10 nm, Coastal waters from Florence to Cape Blanco OR out 10 nm and Columbia River Bar.
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 46°F to 62°F, best between 50°F and 57°F.
- Water depth
- 5 to 400 ft of water.
- Structure
- Beach, point, estuary, bay, open water and inlet, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers incoming tide and high tide, with light current.Pinks travel in large schools along shorelines toward their home streams, and WDFW notes they are not tied to tide rips the way coho are. Beach anglers near stream mouths usually see schools move in close on the flood and at high water. Tide guidance here leans on guide consensus rather than agency data.
- Light
- Bites best around dawn and dusk.
- Pressure
- Little response to pressure changes.
- Wind and sea limits
- 18 kt of wind and 4 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
Pinks travel in large schools along shorelines toward their home streams in late summer and often come within casting range of beaches and points near river mouths. Cast small pink spoons, spinners or flies, or troll a pink hoochie or spoon slowly behind a small flasher at 40 to 80 feet in open water. Puget Sound pinks run in odd-numbered years only.
- Methods
- casting from beaches, trolling slowly, fly fishing
- Lures
- small pink spoons, pink hoochie behind a small flasher, pink and white spinners, pink casting jigs, pink shrimp or clouser flies, bucktails
- Bait
- herring strip
Regulations
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Synced with ODFW Sep 20, 2026.
No reviewed pink salmon rule for Oregon is on file yet. Check with ODFW before you keep one.