[CreekGuy]

I made my first trip for kings up on the PM last week, and being from Kentucky originally could only go on what the guys in the local flyshop recommended. They advised the 'CHUCK AND DUCK' method, with a 15lb monofilament butt, sliding weight/barrel swivel, and then a 10lb segment with an egg pattern 12inches down from the swivel and a bright fly, egg-sucking-leach, streamer, etc. at the end.

As far as I can tell, my hookings were all legal (all 3 of them) although I never landed one. They all got into the logs. Other people there were snagging with big trebel hooks, etc. They had stiff rods and 30lb test, so they muscled them in.

I REALLY have no desire to snag a fish, but it seems the only thing worth going after is Steelhead, and they aren't really running yet that I know of. If I can't entice a bite from a Chinook or Coho, I don't want to even try. Does anyone have solid advice for how to do this? I'd appreciate any help. I have a friend coming this Friday from England who really wants to fish, but I don't know where to take him. We're thinking of camping in the UP, but unless it's Browns, I don't think I'm going to go stand with a bunch of jerks and try to fish legally while they snag left and right.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated, thanks. Feel free to e-mail me if you need to.
Erik ([email protected])

 

[fishing addict]

I,use a three way swivel with a 3" dropper for split shots,and a 6-8 foot leader.I, tie a small treble(#10 or #12) with a very small amount of pink yarn on it.Throw it in the river and retrieve slow to medium.When you think you snagged bottom set the hook,and you will either have moss or a salmon.This rig makes mouth hooks more often than not.

 

[flyrod4steelhead]

CreekGuy,

Alot of people are in the same boat, as with me. Salmon have their day's, sometime's they "will hit" anything and everything that you use, other day's, they won't touch a single thing, probaly won't even take a look at your offering. Somtimes the bite for Salmom will only last a few hour's, and that get's discouraging to me. I run the same set-up "chuck-n-duck" (why is it called that anyway's?). I get a fair share of foul hookd fish, but on the other hand, I get some fair take's as well. Another way to try for them, is the Indy rig. [email protected] give's a very well written description of both set-up's on their web page
www.fishbaldwin.com

Hope this help's.

 

[pikedevil]

No offence FA but the rig u describe sounds like the ultimate lining rig.....when u run such a long leader after ur weights ur leader has more opportunity to swing into a fishes mouth....when u pull it the hook slides through and usually u end up hooking a fish right in the outside corner of the mouth, sometemes even in the mouth if the hook misses and shoots into the fishes mouth (that happens a lot more then most people relize).....i dont want to get into wether lining is a bad thing or not but the point is that a lined fish didnt take ur fly at all, he may have been legally hooked and it may seem that way.

 

[Getaway]

OK, here we go again. First of all, snagging is illegal....nuff said.

Methods used for snagging or line running will not be tolerated here. Any further and this gets closed.

Thanks

 

[Spanky]

hehehe, he's got his finger on the button! Isn't fall great!
Glad to see the mods staying on top of this( even though I tease him)
I hafta agree with pikedevil on this one, sorry fishing addict!

 

[Nichol Dance]

Erik,


The very best salmon fishing I ever have is working bends very close the the mouth. They are fresh fish coming out of the lake and are not entirely disinterested in hitting a fly. I'm using fly line and a fly rod and fish at odd times to avoid crowds. I sometimes use a sinking tip line and 6-8 lb tippet and fish with egg flies primarily.

regards,


Nichol

 

[fishing addict]

I've,only salmon fished the river one time,last wed..The guy who took me has fished for years,and showed me this rig.He did mention something about tight lining.All the fish we landed were inside mouth hooks,so I,assumed it was legal.I,know it seemed better than the silver minnow(lead weight with 2 big trebles),or the bass sinker attached to a large treble that everyone else,I,saw was using.All the fish we landed had these other rigs stuck to there sides where they had broke off.I,try to fish legal always,and will do some more research on this.I,do not condone poaching,in any shape or form.Thanks for the heads up.I,tried to find those other rigs mentioned by fr4sh,but could not find them on that website?

 

[AceMcbanon]

I've always used spinners but with a lot of fish moving a nd few holding I tried a rig which involved me using a sinker up about a foot and then a single hook with a pink marshmallow on the end then the spawn, then another marshmallow on the end of the hook. So basically the sinker weights down and then the hook and spawn float halfway up in the current. IU put it in a spot where the fish are always moving up a narrow area and it has produced nothing but mouth hookups, I've had a couple fish get caught in the line but that is about it. Plus im using 6lb test so it breaks farily easy. I'm assuming this is legal?

 

[Fishndude]

Try swinging streamer-type flies across and IN FRONT OF the Salmon. If they are going to bite, they will move forward to do so.
The people who are hooking fish by repeatedly drifting through the fish are probably foul hooking the vast majority of their fish.

If you want to drift through a pod, I would recommend using an indicator (float of some sort) to reduce the chances of foul hooking.

If you fish behind the spawning Salmon with egg patterns, you might be surprised by Browns and Steelhead, who I am sure are feeding heavily on Salmon eggs right now. Anywhere you cannot see the bottom would be a great spot, especially if there is spawning gravel just upstream.

 

[Spanky]

This could get angry so I'll just mention this and you guys can take it how you want to.(getaway put that finger down now)

Most of the experienced anglers already know this , so I mention it to help the younger or new anglers understand what is happening.

If you have ever seen footage of a salmon on the redds or even cruising the river currents, once they start to turn dark....They Can't Close Their Mouth.Just go to the N.W. streams forum and check out all the cool photos from last weekends salmon outing up north. Notice how all these dark fish have they're mouths open, even the live ones.

Drift a bait through the strike zone enough times and get the depth( amout of splitshot) right and you can "outline" anyone nearbye. Line slides through and eventually they will hook up on the far side of the mouth, or if you are getting the right angle, it will slide through and catch the inside of the near jaw. Swing away and if you are lucky/good you will get into the tough skin, but at this time of the year the mouths and jaws of these fish are very hard and hard to penitrate, thats why alot of hook-ups don't stay stuck.

I know alot of folks are gonna dispute this for whatever reason, doesn't matter to me.
Is it legal...yep, is it ethical?... thats up in the air as far as I'm concerned.
before anyone shouts at me, Yes I know they will move forward to crash a chunk of spawn or a crankbait, to me that is ethical, I have had many kings take baits deep into the mouth by just dropping the baits straight back behind the boat, but to keep casting at the same fish over and over, till you get it sliding just to the other side of their head is just....questionable.

I just wanted to explain this to those who may not of understood the"mechanics" of the lining technique!I hope I didn't ruffle too many feathers!

 

[Getaway]

You had to open that can of worms did'nt ya Spanky..

 

[Spanky]

RUT ROW!

I was jus sayin what the voices in my head told me too!.

 

[wrenchman]

i was up at the ausabel river and if i spell the name wrong i am sorry there were lots of folks there already trying to snag and i am interested in doing it right
i am new to the samon fishing so i am trying what others have told me to try so my problim is what diff is there between drifting spown and pink yarn or pink beads or for that mater a pink lead head
this post is not to get tempers up i fish for almost all other typs of fresh water fish but salmon or trout

 

[Zofchak]

I don't condone snagging or tightlining, but often times if the salmon are not in a a biting mood drifting something in front of them over and over and over again is the only way to get them to hit. I have spent hours sight fishing the same small schools of salmon with the same rig only to be ignored for the first 200 casts and have fish come after the bait on the 201st. I think the real key is to change up your offering alot colors, speed, depth. And be there at the right times early morning, evening and at night. And of course when ever they are biting, with spawning salmon that can be a real tough guessing game.

Also. Try circle hooks for salmon. They tend not to snag as easy and they rarely ever come out of a fair hooked fish.

 

[flyrod4steelhead]

When you go to their home page, scroll down, and watch on the Lower Right Hand Corner. Their will be a pic. of Steve with a Brown, underneath the pic "Steve's Explanation of Chuck-N-Duck and Indicator Rigs For Migratory Fish." I would post a link to that exact page, but for some reason, I can never get 'em right.

I use the same set-up as you and creek guy explained. However, if you reel slowly, then feel something at the end, and set the hook...You are attempting to snag, Am I correct??? Not trying to ruffle any feather's this morning Do to this is a very touchy subject to everyone here...

 

[fishing addict]

Thanks,I,found it.After doing some more research,I, found that what we were doing is legal.I, haven't got to go again,since then.Have been doing pretty well on Pike,Walleye,& Smallmouths,around here though.I,sure enjoyed the the one time,I,did get to go to tippy,and hope to get there or a similer place again soon.The salmon are running through Grand Ledge right now,but they don't really stack up to where you could fish like that.I've tried spinners & spoons,but have only ended up with P,W,&SM's ; so far.I'll get lucky one of these days.

 

[CreekGuy]

We tried and tried with streamers, eggsucking leeches and egg patterns without luck. HOWEVER, on throwing some Yo-Zuri's we found several of even the older kings would hit voraciously! I mean they nailed the lures and took off! I had a smaller king which was still really fresh, and my buddy managed to hook three big older kings, the largest pushing 30lbs! He was blown away by the sheer number of fish and their size! In Europe they've polluted their rivers for the most part he said, and to see the P.M. run of salmon was a trip of a lifetime. Thanks everyone for the advice, sorry to have stirred up a hornets nest.

P.S. I doubt I'll ever target river kings again, but I'll be after the Steelhead for certain. Thanks again, Erik Olson

 

[slim Jim]

I was only able to get out salmon fishing once this year, that was up to ausable rv. I was using a 1/4 once slip sinker, barrel swivel, with a 8 in leader of 6 lb test. tied a yarn egg pattern i made on the end of the leader. I'm just wandering is this set-up legal to use? had hook ups with salmon but lost everyone. I think this will work very well for steelhead.

 

[flyrod4steelhead]

Slip sinker above the swivel, then a leader, with your hook tied to the leader? Yes that is legal. Just don't put your weight below the hook, as this is NOT legal.