How to Fish for Salmon From Lake Shores, Piers & Harbors
The Great Lakes are home to both king salmon and coho salmon. People who think you have to own a boat or hire a charter fishing captain to catch these salmon are mistaken. There are plenty of salmon caught from piers, break walls and shoreline areas. The fish aren’t there year around; but when the fish are in, landlubber anglers with the right tackle and some fisherman’s luck can catch as many salmon as the fishermen in the boats.
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Instructions
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Shallow Fishing
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1
Purchase a variety of bait to use on each trip. Chances are one will be better than the other, but the next trip the fish may be biting one of the other baits better. Salmon eggs, fresh shrimp, squid, nightcrawlers and large minnows are all used at one time or another.
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2
Tie a strong hook to your fishing line using a palomar knot. This is a strong, easy to tie knot. Double the line through the eye of the hook, then tie a simple overhand knot in the doubled line. Drop the hook through the loop created when you doubled the line before pulling everything tight.
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3
Attach a float 4 feet above the hook.
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4
Impale your bait onto the hook
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5
Use a rod and reel to cast the bait out into the water.
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6
Wait and watch for the float to be pulled under or towed rapidly along the surface signaling a salmon has taken the bait.
Bottom Fishing
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7
Repeat Steps 1 and 2 in the above section.
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8
Attach a weight to the fishing line 3 feet above the hook.
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9
Impale your bait onto the hook.
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10
Cast out and let the weight sink the bait to the bottom.
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11
Open the bail on your reel and wait for a salmon to pick up the bait and swim away, pulling additional line from the reel and signaling you’ve gotten a bite.
Artificial Lures
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12
Cast artificial lures far out into the lake. Heavy spoons and spinners are preferred since they can be cast farther, but some anglers use plugs or other lures as well.
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13
Experiment with retrieval speed to see if the salmon are in the mood to hit a rapidly retrieved lure just under the surface or a slowly retrieved lure worked near the bottom.
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14
Experiment with lures of various colors to see if the salmon are exhibiting a color preference on the day you are fishing. Often, silver or chrome lures work best one day, the next day the fish may snub those in favor of chartreuse, lime green or red colored lures.
Fighting the Fish
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15
Set the drag on your reel fairly loose. Most pier, harbor and shoreline areas are fairly devoid of stumps, weed beds or other obstructions so letting a hooked fish run against the drag is the best way to wear it out so it can be easily landed.
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Tighten the drag slightly once the fish is tired and nearly ready to be landed. This will allow you to control the fish and lead it to where it can be netted.
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17
Use a large, long handled, landing net to scoop the fish up out of the water. The easiest method is to team up with another fisherman to net each other’s fish. The person with the net should put the net in the water in front of the fish. The fisherman should lead the tired salmon towards the net. When the fish and net are nearly together, the net can be quickly scooped under the fish and lifted out of the water.
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Tips & Warnings
Check the fishing regulations for the state in which you are fishing to learn how many rods an angler is allowed to use simultaneously. Many allow using two or three. In those areas, shore fishermen often fish a bait near the surface and/or on the bottom while casting lures with another outfit.
Great Lakes salmon programs are supported by the sale of a special stamp required in addition to the usual fishing license. Make sure you have the proper license and stamp for the state in which you are fishing.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Salmon and caviar image by Tamara Souchko from Fotolia.com
