Salmon Fishing

General salmon information and fishing tips:

1. Generally, the best times of the day are during the times when there is low light and so too, on cloudy days. On bright and sunny days, salmon will usually collect and assemble deep in the holes.

2. Take note that salmon do not feed while in the river. When they do strike, it is a behavior that is learned. Salmons are known to be predatory and aggressive when in the lake, up until they go into the river.

3. Set the hook by yanking downstream with your rod three times. To get a better set, pulling on the line with your free hand can help. Sometimes, when you lift the rod straight up, it will pull the fly out of the mouth of the salmon.

4. In order for the hook to go through the thick jaws of the salmon, you should always sharpen your hooks.

5. Fishing with a partner can be enjoyable and at the same time help each other to spot a salmon. While one is fishing, the other can be high up on the other side of the bank observing the reaction of the salmon and where exactly they are. Polarized glasses are very helpful when doing this and would bring satisfying results.

6. Finding a good hole where there are many salmon inside and you can fish there for the whole day!

7. Your weight as well as the length of the tippet should be adjusted so that it matches the holes depth and the depth of the fish. Your weight should not drag, but should only touch the bottom every now and then. Note that a tippet that is three feet long will set the fly six inches up to two feet off the bottom.

8. By adding a foam indicator at the top of your fly, you can get your fly higher in the water column.

Fly fishing tips:

Chuck-n-duck is the most familiar and easiest, method in using a fly rod to fish for salmon.

Popular four line formulas for chuck-n-duck:

The River Guide

100+ yards of 30 pounds backing
20 feet of Amnesia line
100 feet of shooting line
3-6 feet of Maxima monofilament (6-8 lb. test)
20 feet of Maxima monofilament (12 lb. test)
Swivels and weight

The Simple Set-Up

100+ yards of 30 pounds backing
10 feet of Maxima monofilament (12 lb. test)
100 feet of shooting line
Swivels and weight
3-4 feet of Maxima monofilament (6-8 lb. test)

The simple and cheap Set-up

100+ yards of 30 lb. backing
100 feet of Amnesia line (15 lb. test)
20 feet of Maxima monofilament (12 lb. test)
Swivels and weight
3-6 feet of Maxima monofilament (6-8 lb. test)

The combo

100+ yards of 30 pounds backing
100 feet of shooting or Amnesia line
3-12 feet of Maxima monofilament (10-20 lb. test)
Swivels and weight
4-10 feet of Maxima monofilament (2-12 lb. test)

Fishing in Salt Water

There will always be challenges whether one decides to fish either in the river or in the open sea. The important thing to remember is to have patience waiting for the fish and doing your best to catch it when it appears.

To be able to fish, a person needs to get a fishing license since this is a requirement by law and the regulations regarding fishing varies from one state to the other.

The first thing one needs for salt water fishing is a boat. It can range from a simple row boat to a yacht. The size of this vessel depends on how many people will join the trip.

For people who will do it in-shore, a 15 foot sailboat that comes with a cuddy forward to serve as a shelter when it rains should do the job. The boat should not be heavy and yet adequately sturdy to not be swayed by the action of strong waves or some bumps on the beach or on the rocks.

One should always try the edges of the perimeter first instead of plopping bait or lure in the middle. This is because it will scare the other fish away. By going through the sides first, one will have a better chance of catching unsuspecting fish in the middle.

If one decides to go "down below" some time, a cod-line is a necessity for everybody to enjoy saltwater fishing. A perch-line will also be good and if it's time for mackerel fishing, a mackerel jig will be an excellent help.

The right time to start salt water fishing is on the ebb tide. This should be during an early time of the morning to ensure that the trip will be a productive one. This will put the tide in one’s favor and if the wind is light or not fair, this will also help in going home quickly.

The best place to start fishing is going to a fishing ground that is well known to the locals.

Many anglers who are too impatient move from one spot to another which at times make these people miss a hotspot further decreasing the chances of catching fish. It is advisable to cast out a couple of times before moving on using different types of bait. This should be done from the shallowest to the deepest point.

Sharks in the area can disrupt people from catching fish. By pouring some fish blood on a paper towel or newspaper and rolling it into a ball then casting it overboard, sharks will follow the current and leave the area increasing the chances of catching fish.