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)