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//Pink

Pink

The odd-year multitude — smallest salmon, biggest numbers.

Quick IDWhite mouth, black gums; large oval spots; thin tail wrist; males hump; odd years only.

The fish

Pinks are the smallest and most numerous Pacific salmon, and in southern BC they run on a strict two-year clock that brings them back in odd-numbered years in enormous numbers — a spectacle fishery when it's on. Spawning males grow a dramatic humped back, earning the nickname "humpy" or "humpback."

Beads that bite back — hand-poured in BC

How to identify

pink salmon male showing spawning hump and large oval tail spots
  • White mouth with black gums.
  • Large, oval spots on the back and both tail lobes, and a distinctly thin tail wrist.
  • The smallest salmon; ocean-bright fish are silver, and spawning fish turn grey above and white/cream below — not red — with the males' unmistakable hump.

Lifecycle & migration

Pinks migrate to sea almost immediately after emerging from the gravel and live a fixed two-year cycle, which is why a river's pink run appears only every other year.

Run timing & conditions (BC)

  • July–September, odd years. When the run is on, sheer numbers make for fast, accessible fishing.
  • Best conditions: pinks stack in the lower and middle river; they'll take a small egg imitation readily, and being visual feeders they respond well to pink and to a touch more colour as visibility drops.

Best BeadnFloat beads

  • Low & clear: 8mm (8–10mm), pale pink / peach — pinks stay keyed to pink even when clear.
  • Green & dropping (prime): 12mm (10–12mm), hot pink / peach / light orange.
  • High & coloured: 14mm (12–16mm), hot pink / orange — brighter and larger for visibility.
  • Blown out: 16mm, hot pink.

When pink run

Updated for 2026

No Fraser pink run in 2026 — next run 2027.

Pink salmon run the Fraser and Squamish in odd-numbered years only, on a strict two-year cycle. When the run is on, fish stack up from around August through September in huge numbers — an accessible, fast-paced fishery. In even years there is no Fraser-system pink run.

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Beads that match

Tap any condition to open the full tool.

Low & clear8mm (8–10mm)

Smallest salmon — pinks love pink and peach even when it's clear.

Open tool
Green & dropping · prime12mm (10–12mm)

Prime pink window: pink and peach roe imitations shine.

Open tool
High & coloured14mm (12–16mm)

Brighter and larger for visibility; pinks stay keyed to pink.

Check live river conditions before you go — level, flow and the bead that matches today's water.View rivers →

Fished on: Fraser River (at Hope) · Squamish River

When do pink salmon run in BC?
Pink salmon run BC's Fraser-system rivers only in odd-numbered years, from around August through September, with fish first showing in July. There is no pink run in even years.
What months are best for Squamish pink salmon?
In odd-numbered years, August and September are prime on the Squamish, when pinks stack up in huge numbers for fast, accessible fishing.
Open tool
Blown out16mm (14–16mm)

Bright below a clear trib; otherwise wait.

Open tool
Open Bead Match for Pink →
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