I will be taking a trip to MI this year to fish for pink salmon for the first time. I caught plenty of kings and cohos here in NY but this will be a new experiece for me. My question is what flies do you left coasters use for pinks? In what colors and sizes? I'll be tying my own flies so any help you can give me would be great, Thanks

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The Hubert Humpy has worked pretty well for me over a number of years. Tied on a size 8 34007 Mustad hook, the body is pearl Diamond braid with bead chain eyes and a strip of pink dyed rabbit tied down over the back and trailing about the length of the hook shank. Originally tied for humpies on the Stillaguamish River, it proved to be very effective for mature coho on the beaches of Puget Sound in September and October. If this isn't a clear enough description shoot me an e-mail and I'll try to elaborate.

look for schools, casting or trolling pink crappie jigs works well, good luck!

Cerise, and cerise/white egg patterns work as good as anything. They pile up pretty thick in most of the Midwest rivers. Some guys I know use the double sperm fly (pom poms with mono) and do pretty well on them in the rapids on the St Marys' in Sault Ste Marie. You'll find, that you leader hook most of them. Hook coming from the outside to the inside on far cheek of the noggin. Most of the time, they aren't in great shape when they come in to the rivers. A five weight rod is all you need to have a blast. Gets kinda old after you catch a 100 or more. Be nice to them, as the little kids really enjoy catching them, and they are kind of a giggle to catch for a while. Good for mink trapping making fish oil. Used to pick up their dead carcasses on the river when I was in high school, and render for fish oil. Mink sprout wood when they get close to em. Come to think of it, I do too. LOL