Salmon are probably the most sought after species on the west coast. There are a number of salmon fishing techniques used in BC. Whether you are shore fishing by the sea, trolling in the ocean or fishing the streams and rivers of the pacific northwest there is a surefire method to use.
Trolling
Trolling is by far one of the most popular salmon fishing techniques to use when fishing in BC. For the most part there’s two ways to go about it; this is dependent on whether you have a downrigger or not. A downrigger is definitely ideal but there is a workaround for that to get your bait down to the correct depth and keep it there.
Trolling for Salmon with Downriggers
The most effective salmon trolling setups will include a flasher and a bait or lure. The whole point of the flasher is to attract the attention of the salmon. Flashers are designed to emulate feeding salmon. This obviously attracts other salmon that figure there is a school of baitfish to be had. After the Flasher is the actual presentation that gets the salmon to strike. There are several different options here.
All of the following bait presentations are trolled behind the flasher. It’s always a good practice before you drop your rig to your fishing depth that you troll at the surface for a few seconds to make sure everything is spinning properly.
Trolling for Salmon Without Downriggers
While having a downrigger is ideal there are other options for trolling for salmon without downriggers. The first one involves using a 3-way swivel or a slider swivel with a weight attached to it. This is typically around the 10-ounce mark although you can use heavier for fishing deeper or trolling slightly faster. The weight leader is often lighter pound test. If you’re running a 20 pound main line then you will want to go with somewhere around 10 lb test for your sinker. The reason for this is if the singer gets snagged on the bottom the lighter leader will break off so you won’t lose your entire rig.
Your second option is to use a dipsy diver such as the Luhr Jensen or Rapala one. These devices basically help your entire rig dive. These divers come in several different varieties depending on the depth at which you want to be trolling for salmon. The average range is between 20 and 100 foot divers. Dipsy divers are used in line and are placed above your salmon flasher.
Rhys Davis Teaser Heads
When fishing with a herring or 5 to 6 inch anchovy, a Rhys Davis teaser head is used. For the bait fish a lot of people treat them overnight in a brine solution or even coarse salt just to shine up the bait and stiffen them up.
The Rhys Davis teaser head is basically a little helmet that fits over the anchovies head with a pin that keeps the bait in place. Through this head is threaded a leader with two barbless hooks. One of these will be set in the bait around the dorsal area. This hook will have a little bit of tension placed on it in order to put a bend into the bait. This bend is what gives the bait a spinning action in the water. The second Hook is typically left just floating free around the tail of the anchovy or herring. Typically these hooks will be 3/0 or 4/0 barbless hook.
Cut Plug Herring
Using a cut plug Herring is another method of presenting bait behind a flasher. This type of bait setup is also used in the mooching technique. I’ll write more about mooching below. Basically a cut plug Herring is a herring that has been cut on a slight angle just behind the gill plate. Then the entrails are removed and similar to the teaser head a pair of hooks on a monofilament leader is used to secure the bait. One hook is secured to the top of the rib cage through the spine, the second hook is normally passed through the side. The second hook is either left floating free or attached towards the tail of the herring.
Hoochies
Hoochies are artificial soft bait lures that represent squid. This is a natural part of all the west coast salmon’s diet. Similar to salmon flashers hoochies come in a multitude of different colours. Some favorite hoochie colours are pink, green and silver/blue. Remember if you’re going to be trolling deep make sure to go for colours that are visible at that depth. For example red is one of the first colours to fade out in the water column. Many anglers also add a commercial fish attractant to provide scent.
Hoochies typically have two barbless hooks on a leader separated by a couple of inches, with a few beads above that followed by the hoochie. The hooks are configured one up and one down. The second hook sits around the end of the skirt. There is then a length of leader 18 inches to 36 inches going to the flasher or dodger.
You can buy these rigs pre-made or you can get the hooks, beads, and soft bait separately. Making your own hoochie rigs is a cheaper option. Not to mention it gives you lots of options for customization and experimentation.
Wiggle hoochies are another configuration of this popular lure. It is effectively a hoochie squid with a “bill” on the front similar to a crankbait. This produces a very erratic swimming motion.
Mooching
Mooching is a fairly old salmon fishing method. Most commonly utilizing a cut plug herring (see above section), although a hoochie can also be used with mooching. Typically 15 to 20 lb test is used. Choose a heavier pound test if you are expecting mainly large chinook salmon (king salmon).
A Sliding sinker/weight 2-8 oz (depend on current) is followed by a bead chain. Two single hooks one attached at the ribcage and the other around the dorsal or threaded through the bait and left floating behind.
Before lowering the rig to the desired depth it is always a good idea to check the spin on the bait. The presentation is then free spooled down to your fishing depth. Making sure to keep enough tension on the line so that your weight and herring do not get tangled. As with jigging, a lot of the time the salmon will hit the cut plug herring as you are lowering your rig to your desired depth. After that you simply slowly reel it back in rinse and repeat.
This is a fairly stationary technique, so you want to make sure you have marked salmon on your electronics first. If you don’t have a fish finder you will want to find a shelf or other type of structure fish relate to. Another good trick is to look for seabirds that might be feeding on a bait ball of anchovy or herring.
Jigging for Salmon
Jigging for salmon works regardless of whether you are targeting king salmon, pink or any of the other species. One of your first considerations will be your fishing rod. Jigging is a fairly active technique so a rod with good sensitivity is best. You’ll want a moderate fast action. When targeting larger salmon such as chinook or coho you’ll definitely want a medium heavy rod. For something like kokanee salmon or their seafaring cousins sockeye you could probably get away with a medium blank.
Jigging Lures
When vertical jigging for salmon there are a number of different lures that will work just fine. One of the old standbys of course is the buzz-bomb which should be in any saltwater anglers tackle box. Apart from that most minnow imitation lures with a couple ounces of weight will do just fine. As you will most often be jigging in shallow water most of the colours will show up just fine. Hot pink, chartreuse and buzz-bombs with reflective tape on them are just some of the options.
Jigging on the Bottom in Shallow Water and Rivers
This technique is best for when you have identified a spot where salmon are holding. Always making sure to keep a bit of tension when you drop the line. Maintaining tension when jigging is important as a lot of the times fish will hit your lure on the drop. So if your line is too loose you might not even realize you have a bite and miss the opportunity to set the hook.
Twitching for Salmon
Twitching for salmon is a very effective technique in streams and rivers. With the twitching technique you cast out a jig to the spot where you figure the fish are holding. Then you begin a jerky retrieval method. Basically raising the rod and then as the rod falls slowly retrieving the line, rinse repeat. As with the standard jigging method if you don’t get a bite after several casts feel free to mix up retrieval speed.
Twitching Jigs
Twitching can be used to catch coho and chinook as well as sockeye, pink and chum salmon species. Jigs used for twitching are commonly a jig head with marabou (feathers) such as used in fly tying. Mustad twitching jigs are a prime example. There are also synthetic fiber versions and even your standard soft plastics. Jig size can run from 3/8 Oz up to 1 ounce depending on casting distance and speed of the current.
It’s always a good idea to pack a variety of different colours such as chartreuse, purple, red etc. You will also want to change up your colours depending on whether the day is bright and sunny or overcast. Also make sure you’re twitching jig has a bit of tinsel in it for flash when fishing silty or stained water .
Fishing for Salmon with a Bobber and Eggs
Using salmon eggs and a float is a very popular salmon fishing technique for rivers. With this method you are casting upstream and letting your bait float down across the area where the salmon are holding. Most people will use a baitcaster reel with a moderate action rod somewhere in the 10-foot range. The longer rod helps you keep your line out of the water reducing drag and making the hookset easier.
15 or 20 lb braid is a good option for this technique. The advantage of using braid over monofilament is its buoyancy. Once you have your fishing rod and line figured out you will next need a bobber or float. Slip bobbers are ideal for this fishing technique. Oftentimes the salmon may be in deeper pools, making casting with a fixed bobber cumbersome.
Next after your float will be a sliding or inline sinker somewhere in the 1 to 3 oz range. You’re basically going for enough weight to properly hold a float in the water for proper strike indication. The float size will depend on how strong the river flow is and the current .Between your sinker and floats you will also want a bead to protect the knot attaching to your sinker.
Bait and Hook for Salmon Eggs
A 1-2 foot leader with lighter lb test than the mainline is used. This way the leader breaks before the mainline incase of snags, saving most of your tackle. The 15 to 20 lb fluorocarbon leader is tied to a 1/0 to 3/0 barbless bait hook. Hook size will depend on species you are targeting and therefore bait size. Thin wire hooks are best assuring the hook drives home when you set it. Be sure to pass the hook through the salmon egg skein a few times. A specialized knot known as the bait loop knot ties the fishing line around the salmon eggs to ensure you don’t lose your bait when casting .
A Few Last Words
In closing you will notice I didn’t mention fly fishing salmon techniques. This is simply to keep this article shorter as we could spend another half hour going over fly fishing.
As you can see there are many different salmon fishing techniques. The good thing about all these varied techniques is whether you have a boat or are confined to shore you can still fish for and catch pacific salmon.