Salmon Tactics

[barrone77]

I am reletivly new to fishing river for samonoids. I have fished the white river the last couple weeks and have taken only one fish. What are some tactics you guys use? I have many spoons( cleos, kastmaters, ect.) and a few spinners and plenty of spawn but do not know what to use or how to present the bait.

[7mm deerslayer]

hey barrone, I fish over at Tippy Dam on the Manistee just west of Cadillac. I was up there last weekend and just slayed the salmon on 12lb trilene vanish and a spawn bag. its best to use fresh spawn if you can get your hands on it. My best luck is middle of the day just walking the banks looking for a good hole where they're laying in and toss it right in front of there face. Some of the guys I fish with use the cleos and arent having much luck. If you get really frusturated just walk over and ask the guy next to ya. Hopefully he will let you in on a secret or two of his own. Good Luck and let me know if you find anything else out.

[Erik]

I think I would go with the eggs. If you do find fish holding in the river though, make sure you get above them and "tail out" your drift in front of them. I see so many guys trying to hook fish while they are standing straight out to the side of them. The best you can hope for in that case is a foul hook up. The name of the game when it comes to river fishing for salmonoids is hang time! The longer you can get your bait in front of a salmon the more likely he is to bite it. If your off to the side, your drift will pass too quikly by the fish. If you get above the fish and "tail out" the bait stays in the strike zone longer. You probably wont be able to see the fish when you do it this way. Just find the fish and then move up above them, noting where they are at and try to tail out in that spot. Thats the way I do it, and I've caught quite a few this season.
Good fishing!

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Phish

[COON350chev]

Originally posted by barrone77:
I am reletivly new to fishing river for samonoids. I have fished the white river the last couple weeks and have taken only one fish. What are some tactics you guys use? I have many spoons( cleos, kastmaters, ect.) and a few spinners and plenty of spawn but do not know what to use or how to present the bait.

In my adventures on highway 134 in Cedarville,Mi near Lake Huron I have had alot of luck with glow in the dark cleos, mostly green.For myself the glow green has worked the best at night in the streams and rivers. All you need to do is present it about 10 feet behind the fish and slowly pulling it by the side of the fish, just dont touch it because it will spook. Just keep presenting the cleo on the side of the fish until it goes past the head about five feet, then repeat this process. Mainly all your trying to do is piss the fish off, that will make it attack no matter what. I use polarized glasses and a battery operated lantern to locate the fish, just dont let them salmon pull you in.

[steveb]

i used to be stationed at K.I. Sawyer AFB and Michigam is a great fishery. In any event, I'm in Northern California and fish for king salmon on a regular basis. We probably have some of the best runs in the lower 48. Roe is excellent as are large spinners. But everything depends on flow and depth of river system. Bait casting outfits are best because they give the best drift control.