How to Fish for Salmon in Rivers

Here's some basic advice to get you into the river and fishing for Salmon.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 9 or 10 foot pole w/a sensitive tip
• Spinning Reel
• 12 to 20 lb test line
• Corkies (bait)
• Waders (hip or chest)
• Fishing Vest (optional)
• State Regulations Booklet
• Fishing License and Salmon Punch Card

1. Visit a local fishing shop or major sporting goods store like Cabella's, Sportco, or Sportsman's Warehouse. They usually have a board that will list what Salmon are biting on what river. This step can put you in the right river at the right time. Scouting a river before you plan to fish it helps you find the best spots. Be sure and pick up the current regulations booklet for your state. This booklet will tell you what rivers are open when and what kind of Salmon you may fish for (Chum, Silvers etc). Salmon do not live in rivers but are heading to their spawning grounds so they are closely regulated by the state to be sure they are given a chance to reproduce.

2. 
    

   Get the correct gear. A long pole (9 to 10 feet) is necessary because when you are standing in the river you are shorter (closer to the water) and you need a long pole to be able to cast correctly. Be sure your pole has a sensitive tip. Salmon bite lightly, and with the river pulling at your line you won't feel the bite with a pole that has a heavy tip.
   
   A decent spinning reel. Trust me - don't go cheap on the reel or the line - spending your day unraveling your line instead of fishing just sucks.
   
   Bait and small weights. The best bait to start with are called Corkies. You can buy them completely rigged except for the weight so they're easy for beginners. Corkies are designed with Salmon river fishing in mind.
   
   Waders are important. Even if it's summer you want to wear them, because rivers never have warm water, and you want to be comfortable and thinking of your cast - not thinking of how you can't feel your feet anymore ... Also most waders have tread that will help you grip those slimy rocks better.

3. 
    
   Quiet Spots are best.

   Don't bother fishing in fast moving or busy (lots of small waterfalls) water. Salmon in rivers are heading upstream to spawn. They rest often because it's extremely tiring for them to always be fighting the current. Quiet parts of the river are where they're hiding. Behind boulders, a quiet bend in the river, a shady spot on a hot day... anywhere the water is calmer they will be resting. Spawning Salmon are not hungry but they are territorial and aggressive. The way you fish should reflect that. Just as you tease a Bass (or a domestic house cat) to attack your bait, it's the same with river Salmon. You want to cast ahead of them and let your line and bait float downstream to them.

4. 
    

   There's a way of fishing to make sure your line goes where you want it to - lots of times what happens is your line will float downstream before your bait. But you can help stop that with a technique called 'mending'. First you cast ahead of where you would like your bait to be (where you think the fish is) then let it float downstream - when the line starts looking like it's going to pass your bait then point your pole upstream with your arm extended and the tip of the pole in the air. This will help pull the slack out of your line and help get the bait floating ahead of the line again. This technique takes time to get good at, so don't be surprised if you yank your bait upstream the first few times. You'll quickly get a feel for it.

5. Be patient and keep casting, eventually you'll get a bite. You'll feel it through that sensitive tip of your pole. Setting the hook is done with a wrist movement and not an arm movement. The motion needs to be quick and short. After that - have fun reeling them in!

6. Read the book: 'Steelhead & Salmon Drift-Fishing Secrets' by Timothy Kusherets. This book gives loads of advice about how to read a river, what a bite feels like, all the gear involved, and everything else you need to know to be successful. More information there then I could ever pack into a small article! Costs about $20. Look for it on Amazon or at Barnes & Noble, or your favorite fishing store.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember your camera! Most salmon you'll throw back.
• Keep a small notebook in your tackle box for notes on what bait worked when and on what river.
• Remember it's in the wrist, not the arm. So when the Salmon strikes it's a small quick jerk to hook him, not a huge pull.
• Don't forget your fishing license and Salmon punch card.
• When Salmon start their metamorphosis into those big jawed prehistoric looking creatures they turn into, they are not good to eat. If you're luckly enough to catch one of these zombies - take your photo and throw it back.
• Never wade into a fast moving river, even if it's shallow. Rocks on the bottom are uneven and slimy. Which makes it easy to slip.
• Be aware that if you fall into the river your waders can fill with water quickly and pull you down the river, or if it's freezing water give you hypothermia.