Every fisherman has a a favorite lure or method of fishing to catch salmon. I still remember the different lures that caught those big fish for me down through the years. That silver plug, that white and green spoon, that "special" hootchie and flasher. Nostalgia comes rushing back every time I see these lures in the tackle shop or in my box. If these lures worked for me so well that time, then why not the next time I go fishing? Here's the thing.
Like any fish, salmon feed from instinct passed to them for millenia from their gene pool. They are not meticulously analysing every lure and bait that passes by, choosing the ones that look the most realistic. They feed when they're hungry, and at predictable times of the day, such as dawn, dusk and tide changes. When they are in the feeding mood, they will strike at anything that resembles the food in their native water. But…that is not to say you will catch them with anything in your tackle box or that favorite lure, even though you got a big one using it just last year!
When the fish begin to feed, there will be dinner already present to feed on. Herring, squid, needlefish, pilchard, anchovies and even perch will be roaming the waters, waiting to become the next meal for the hungry salmon. Often when I clean a salmon, I notice that the stomach has only one type of bait. Very rarely do I see three or more kinds of baitfish in the entrails. The salmon will be stuffed with herring, or sqid, or anchovies depending on the type of feed in the area. So when the salmon start to feed, you want to know what they are feeding on in order to maximize your chances of a strike.
If you know from observation or questioning of other fisherman that the salmon are feeding on herring, you will want to know the approximate size of the herring in the vicinity. Then you can match your lure to the size of bait in the area. If the salmon are feeding on needlefish, try a long, slender spoon or a needlefish style hootchie. If it's herring you are trying to duplicate, use an appropriately sized Coyote spoon or other herring imitation. Don't just wing it and hope your favorite lure will work for you this time.
One disclaimer. Salmon always seem to have a weakness for squid. Maybe that's why hootchies will work even when there are no squid present in the general area. They're like me. When they see calamari on the menu, they have to give it a try. So the next time you are on the water, do your best to match your lure to the bait, and if all else fails, fish a glow hootchie 41 inches behind a good flasher.
Keep your hooks sharp! Til next time..
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SHOULD YOU THROW AWAY YOUR NET?
In my experience, most fish are lost in the first 20 seconds after hook-up, or right at the boat. I'll go over some techniques that will help you cut down on lost fish right after hook-up in another segment.
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I’m consistently amazed at people who spend thousands of dollars on their boat and hundreds of dollars on their fishing trip, yet refuse to pony up a few extra cents for some good hooks. Underwater video often shows salmon nipping and mouthing the bait, finally swimming away unhooked. More on CHOOSING THE RIGHT HOOKS
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BAIT OR LURE? Which is more effective?
If you ask me, bait of just about any kind is more effective than the artificial lure. It doesn’t matter whether I’m fishing with herring strip, the rotary salmon killer, anchovy, or cut plug herring. Fishing for Coho or Chinook, bait will get more strikes, 8 times out of 10. Many of the biggest fish I’ve brought aboard were hooked on bait.More on Fishing with Bait or Lures?
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Much can be learned about the proper technique of fishing in ocean currents to watching how fish behave in the river when targeting them with lure or bait. You will get far more strikes drifting a bait or lure toMore on FISHING WITH THE CURRENT
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