Aries Tackle

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The Fall Salmon Run

    When it comes to busy streams, not only in the water, but along it's banks. The fall Salmon runs are the maximum when it comes to activity. The rivers start to load up with fish in mid August, depending upon your location. The Salmon, both Chinook (Kings) and Coho begin their seasonal migration toward the river mouths to start an extraordinary journey to spawn. When they begin moving into the bays and harbors in late July and August, everyone knows it is just a matter of time for the conditions to get right and the run to start. 

    Water temperature and water flow are the two main factors. Under normal circumstances, the rivers have lower water levels at the end of summer. This fact alone creates warmer temperatures. Less water, takes less sun and heat to keep temperatures up. Once the water temperatures start to drop and the water flow increases, both of which are determined by the cooler fall rains, the salmon begin the process. Salmon are very easy to catch, which is one of the reasons they draw a large crowd. There still is a myth that exists that salmon won't bite. How or where this started, who knows, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The fact is they do bite, and those that fish salmon with a fly rod have the greatest advantage of hooking up, and  landing these fall monsters for a number of reasons that we will get into.

    Many of the anglers today are unable to spend a great amount of time fishing the salmon. Mostly due to the short time the fish are in to spawn, along with the fast pace of society today. Most will get a day or so, possibly on a weekend or two. This fact alone goes to say that most do not understand the fish they seek. There are several stages that the salmon go through in the spawning process, which in turn effects the different techniques, or presentations to be applied. Usually the first, fundamental mistake, made by the spin fisherman is the choice of line. Many will automatically load their reel with line as if they were after Moby Dick. Then stock up on large sinkers, of which any left over could be used for ballast in their kids radio controlled sail boat next summer.

    Right from the beginning, is where the fly fisherman starts to get the advantage. Many who fish ocean run salmon will have to go heavier with all parts of equipment, but the rod weight of choice for the great lakes area is probably a 9', 8wt. Some, myself included, will fish a 9', 7wt. with no problem. A quality graphite rod and a good disc drag reel is essential. You will want a WF floating fly line, so that you can roll cast, due to the fact that there is not much room for a back cast on most rivers. Plus, be able to roll over some of the bigger flies when needed. A tapered leader is the last part of your equipment and a 9' in a 2x, 3x or 4x is enough. Depending on the water clarity, water volume, the amount of debris in your favorite waters and the stage of the run. The lighter the leader will provide you with more and better hook ups. Salmon can see very well and light line is a defining advantage. 

    Playing one of these guys, most often than not, is relatively simple. Don't try to horse them. Regardless how heavy of equipment you have, if you horse them, they are going to win most of the battles. With my students and clients, I preach that they just keep pressure on the fish. Keep him moving, don't let them stop and rest. And most of all, if he wants to go - let him run, don't try to stop him. The more you resist him, the more muscle he will put forth. Just keep him on the move and let the current be a part of your strategy. If he wants to go upstream, great. That burns a lot of energy. If he wants to go downstream, let him. He is more than likely going down to the first hole and will want to stop and rest. Many times, after going down, he will want to go back up and that is to your advantage. Play him smart and use his size to your advantage, not his.

    Now, the stages and what patterns to use. With fresh fish, first entering the river systems. The salmon really have not went through any major changes yet. These fish will take streamers more so because they are still used to feeding on baitfish in the lakes. Streamers like the Blue Smelt, Green Smelt, and Mickey Finn are good first entry patterns. They should be fished with a dead drift and you should concentrate on deeper runs and holes. These are the places that the salmon will hold for a while. Going back to the spin fisherman for a moment. He grabs up big weights. When fishing the fly rod, weight needs to be kept to a minimum. One split shot size B or one BB is adequate for most streams. This allows you the advantage of a "true drift". You are not bottom bouncing or dragging at a slower pace than the current. I'm not saying that salmon are smart, but they are a long way from stupid. The split shot should be placed about 2" to 3" up from the fly. This distance allows the fly pattern to still twist and turn in the current as anything natural. The same applies through out the river, regardless of your choice of pattern. Nymphs and Egg patterns can be fished in this first entry as well, using the same presentation. Nymphs like The Michigan Wiggler, the Spring Wiggler and the Girdle Bug. Egg patterns like Yarn Flies, Halo Flies and Sucker Spawn. In the lower stretches current is sometimes slower and you can have good success fishing these patterns under a strike indicator. 

    Once the salmon have advanced farther upriver, and closer to their actual spawning grounds things begin to change in their appearance and demeanor. Males will start to take on a more golden look as they start to darken from their original silver/gray appearance. This will continue throughout the run, to the point of being almost black by the end of the run. The males now have started to stick with the hens. Not closely, but it is apparent which hen is drawing attention. You will see many fish start holding together along logs and debris or in shallower runs. Many will begin holding on gravel areas for moments at a time, before they slip back into a hole or run. They will also start to show an "attitude" as they start to keep track of other males. You will see the larger males begin to herd smaller males away from what they consider their area. Competition for the hens now starts to be apparent and size dominates the process. Even when males of the same proportion come together you can see some fighting take place. The hens will begin to fan gravel. However they are not committed just yet. They may fan a couple of spots in close proximity for a while or they may move upstream in search of a different location. The hens may fan an area occasionally, but will hold on a piece of gravel for a period of time. Males will begin to gather behind her, but not really crowding her as yet. At this point nymphs will become productive patterns. Polar Shrimp and Spring Wigglers are good choices at this time. One of the factors here are the wide choice of color combinations with these patterns. Color, at this stage, seems to become a larger factor. Rule of thumb is "dark days - dark colors". "Dark days" referrers to both low light conditions and darker water clarity. Blacks, Browns, and Olives become the most effective. More of the natural colors. When you have better light conditions or clear water, Yellows, Chartreuse, and Oranges become more desired colors. Of coarse there are a variety of shades in many colors and it is a good practice to change flies regularly. Not necessarily  patterns, definitely colors. Change on a regular basis until you find the right color. It can be the difference. I have fished over salmon many times and run the same pattern through with no success, changing color every 15 to 20 drifts. Only to get to a certain color and then hit 2 or 3 fish in as many drifts. Egg patterns are the same. Angel flies are a good egg pattern for this stage. They have a single colored egg with a white collar. Which shrouds the egg and changes the hue of the egg with each tumble or turn.

    The Final stage is where most seem to have more problems. The salmon now are in the spawning stage full bore. This is where the fly fisherman can really shine. Most fish at this point are crowding the hen on the redds. They are now very spooky because they have had everything in the book thrown at them, and the ker-plunking of heavy weights constantly bombarding their area. This is a time that someone, with a fly rod, can work active fish for extended times, where a spin guy will have them spooked off in a matter of minutes. At this stage I recommend my clients to just stand and watch for a moment and assess the situation. If you see the males lined up behind the hen look for one mid way back that may be drifting in and out of line a foot or two. This is usually a feeding fish. He drifts out to get into the current that is splitting, due to the cavity of the redd. Nymphs and eggs are the best for this situation. Smaller is better at this time. The New York Flea is one of my favorite egg patterns at this point. If you are seeing the hen fanning excessively and the males are very active with chasing each other, sometimes violently, this is a perfect time for larger, bulky flies. Egg Sucking Leeches, Bunny Flies and Zonkers. These are flies that can be seen by the males easily at a distance, as they approach the redd area. They will strike these hard, not as a feeding strike, but as a territorial strike. The competiveness is high and the males do not want anything in their area. Never target the hen in this stage. Once you spook her off, your done. The males will disappear. Either left with her or they are on to the next.

    If, during this final stage, you want to get into some big fish and more fish, follow the same tactics after dark. The bigger males will hold in some tough spots during the day-light hours, but will move out after sunset, into more accessible areas. They do not have to worry about anything because they are bigger and can move in on any hen and become the dominant male immediately. They also will be more relaxed and have a higher aggressiveness. They are king and they know it. The rest of the fish really settle down after dark. One of the best patterns for night fishing is the Scale Back Wiggler. This pattern can be charged with a penlight or a flash and will glow for a good period of time. It is only common sense that if you fish at night, know your area well.

    Salmon fishing can be easy and very productive with a fly rod, just as anything else, if you take the time to understand the fish and their habits. Learning your subject is part of the fun.