Snagger rehab.

My better judgement has left for the night and out of frustration I've decided to post this fun topic as I am preparing for my yearly trip. I've been chasing salmon every October for 10 years. I was introduced to the species by a group of snaggers. Three big splits four ft leader and an octopus hook with a piece of sponge...cast it out ...let it drift down and give it a pull. I agree that this is not sportsman like. And since my first year I have been trying to catch these fish legally. I scour the internet and talk to whoever I can. Ive bought tons of tackle. I have yet to catch one. Not a strike..nothing in ten years of trips. I usually give up on the last day of the trip and go back to snagging since my group have all caught fish and I don't want to be left out. I want to catch these fish the right way...but I have not one damn clue as to what that is. I have seen anglers catch these fish in the mouth (few and far between) and I ask them what they are doing. Well Id be better off asking them for money cause then I might have a chance at getting something out of them. Ive told this story to guys in the pro shops and they tell me "well...that's salmon fishing it takes practice" and "that's why its called fishing not catching". So for all those guys who are ready to tell me what a jerk I am for snagging these beautiful creatures. I would love to know what I am supposed to do to catch a salmon the right way. Why haven't I been able in ten years to figure out the secret. Because I have certainly learned that whatever the method is that catches fish is an epic secret. Im sure the method of snagging would disappear if everyone could easily learn the proper method.

i think your main problem, other than snagging, is timing, october is not the ideal time to try for salmon, not around here anyway, they are pretty much dead by then. you want to get out when they are just getting into rivers and creeks and have a serious appetite, so mid august, or close to.

Drift bait/fly directly into mouth, set hook, win?!?!?

It takes good skills to fish for salmons...it take even greater skills to snag them...not only will you be watching your line, the water and fish...you will also be constantly looking behind your back for the CO. And FF is right. October is a little late for salmon.

The BEST advice I give all my friends who come with me.

1. I am not a good teacher
2. I don't have patience for a thousand questions
3. Just observe and mimic what I do, I am not a magician. I dont posses any more skill than anyone else.

Honestly speaking, people just don't get 13' rods to just look cool, they also don't use these tiny hooks and light line with light split shots to look cool.

As for the October thing, that has some truth but isn't written in stone. Last year I was catching until Mid October.

Instead of asking and getting the shaft, just observe what and how these guys are doing it. Fishing for salmon does not offer that instant gratification like with allot of other species. One of the reasons allot of people enjoy salmon fishing.

In 10 years, I am sure you would be able to have observed some people. Heck when I was younger and I was wondering what others were doing (I was like 10 years old) I would fish the pools they were, the guys with larger success rates, I would intentionally snag their lines and offer to untangle it. This way I could see what they were using, the set up and the weights. I would NOT encourage you to do this as an adult, but a child is easily forgiven.

There is also factors that are specific to the waters you are fishing, flow rate FOW, over cast, sunny, water temps ect. The list goes on.

I would suggest finding a book on salmon in specific, it will explain information that alot of people wouldnt dream about. Especially as to why they are in the rivers. Part 2 of that exercise would be to get a river fishing book.


As TCP said

Drift bait/fly directly into mouth, set hook, win?!?!?

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This will sound very controversial, but I find that zombie salmon are actually willing biters compared to fresh ones. With fresh and moderately fresh salmon hundreds of them will see the lure I throw, but very few are actually interested. With zombies you can literally sight fish for them and watch them come up and grab your plug or spinner if they're interested.

The zombies I think have spawned and are waiting to expire. Like the last meal for them

I went out for my first time not on a boat a few weeks ago. But its more like pissing em off. keep drifting that same fly,lure roe or beads past them and they will hit it out aggression. Salmon don't feed once they are in the rivers its more of aggression and when they hit roe its competition.

I hooked up 4 times clean in the mouth and other ton of times where snags from them fighting in the pools. You loose tons of tackle trying to target these fish cleanly when you snag em and they run and break off and I go once to get a hen for eggs when the steel and browns run hard and I dont target em again. Too crazy and expensive getting these guys in the rivers.

What kind of water are you fishing??

It's clear alot of guys in this thread (and in general, the entire forum) are fishing smaller, clearer waters where they can see the fish that they're targetting. If you can see the fish... it can see you.

I've hit countless salmon in deep pools (meaning i cant see them) where they hit a roe bag or bead aggressively and the hookset is clean in the jaw.
I'm of the opinion that fishing in a spot where 1500 other guys have been drifting for the past 4 weeks, for salmon that are stacked up in 3ft of water, is not going to result in fish being caught ethically.

I'd say do some research on locations, versus setup. I'm sure you've got a number of ideas regarding setup... so experiment. My salmon rig is the same one i use for steelhead. Absolutely zero difference. I highly, highly doubt that many of the fish landed in the very popular holes that have been hammered every day for a month, are not intentionally flossed.

only way to get em in the east ditches. drift straight into the mouth. Or float on one side, roe bag on other, sink line into mouth, pull tight. They really dont bite. chris is right. the fish can see you, they just sit hoping and praying that you dont floss them.

Its a joke.

I agree that in the bigger pools, like the ones on H-tribs . You can get legit takes, same rig you would use for steelhead. I have hooked up with chinooks there plenty when targetting steelhead. they fight alot better in 14 fow then in 2 fow . I would try your luck on the huron tribs.... unless you wanna floss like a boss ..................but then thats really not rehab, innit, that would be a relapse

Masterbaiter said:

This will sound very controversial, but I find that zombie salmon are actually willing biters compared to fresh ones. With fresh and moderately fresh salmon hundreds of them will see the lure I throw, but very few are actually interested. With zombies you can literally sight fish for them and watch them come up and grab your plug or spinner if they're interested.

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zombie salmon REALLY fight like an old boot. Why in the hell would you want to catch one. might as well hook into a log and kick it downstream. Would be a bout the same battle, minus the rotting flesh you have to touch to retrieve your hook.

Here is some basic info about Chinook Salmon

TCP- careful about that FOW statement, keep in mind 14 FOW ur talking lake fishing or big water like the whirlpool. Heavier gear, while I agree its the same fish. The Technique is completely different.

Fighting fish in a lake oppose to a river its all about preference.

iJay said:

Here is some basic info about Chinook Salmon

TCP- careful about that FOW statement, keep in mind 14 FOW ur talking lake fishing or big water like the whirlpool. Heavier gear, while I agree its the same fish. The Technique is completely different.

Fighting fish in a lake oppose to a river its all about preference.

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Im not talking about a lake, Im talking about a popular h-trib pool that is roughly of that depth.

Lots of pools on the waters I fish are 10ft + deep. Not a lake, nor the whirlpool

I love those pools

Sounds like another victim of salmon fever.

Here's what you got to do. Close the message forum tab, tie whatever rig you think works within the morality of the law and enjoy your day on the stream and forget what everybody else is doing.

And it does take practice. You got to make a presentation that looks natural while triggering an reptilian response that comes straight from instinct. Basically you got to piss them off enough to nip, while not spooking them.

Easier said than done, right?

Good luck out there and forget about the others.

Some nice 6-8FT pools in the east end too,just gotta do the legwork .

10 years of trips and you havent yet figured out the most important thing - you are targetting the wrong species!

Diana Danger said:

10 years of trips and you havent yet figured out the most important thing - you are targetting the wrong species!

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Bingo!

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