SEATTLE -- Seattle s Duwamish waterway is overflowing with pink salmon and people trying to catch them.
It was a Labor Day bonanza on the 1st Avenue Bridge where anglers packed in shoulder to shoulder to get in their casts. Dozens more spilled out onto the rocks and pilings on the east side of the river.
With the Seattle skyline for a backdrop, the sport fishers successfully pulled in hundreds of pinks as they school up before bolting up the Duwamish. More anglers were waiting for them upriver and having equal success. The every other year pink run has become a local favorite attracting all ages.
It also attracts those who cheat by snagging the salmon as they pass by. Most people fishing on the bridge follow and enforce the rule of keeping only fish that are hooked in the mouth. We did see one man bring in a salmon snagged in the tail who then stuck a hook IN the fish s mouth and kept it. State Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officers often watch this area for poaching and other signs of trouble.
The season is now officially open on the Duwamish and will stay open for the rest of the year. Pink numbers appear to be peaking now and will slowly dwindle as the season goes along. For more on the rules and regulations you can call up an online version of the State Fishing Regulations.
