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EZ on Salmon
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Targeting, Techniques and Equipment:
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Once you do find a good river that's got fish in it where do you look? Easy!! Find deep wood, and you'll find fish. It's amazing to me how an open water, non-structure relating fish can become such a structure monger. These fish feel comfortable, at least as much as they can in this strange new environment, underneath and inside of log jams, trees, and anything else that provides them overhead protection against predators and light levels. This can make targeting them a bit tough at times, but it can be done. Your also going to find them in holes with out major woody debris, but you'll notice they'll tend to be deeper and the fish a bit on the spooky side.
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Targeting deep holding fish can be tough, especially to fly fishers that typically fish waters only a couple feet deep. Plug and bait guys will have no such problems. A few techniques for the fly guys would be Chuck-N-Duck, Sinking Lines, and Indicator fishing with a one hander or spey rod, which is becoming more and more popular.
Chuck-N-Duck, as much as I hate to say it, is hands down the most productive way to target these deep holding fish. Later we can have the debate if it is or isn't fly fishing, but for now let's just agree it works. For an in-depth look at Chuck-N-Duck read "A guides explanation" by BBT's own Steve Fraley.
Sink tips and full sinking lines are by far going to require a lot more work and may or may not be capable of reaching the depths required, especially in small deep holes with a good current. Look for an article on SST's (Sinking Stuff Techniques) soon.
Indicator fishing is slightly less productive than Chuck-n-Duck, easier than sinking lines, and provides a very visual method of fishing and strike detection. It'll also cut down on the number of foul hooked fish. While indi fishing is all pretty much the same, there are a few variations on the technique. Try these 2 articles for more info: Fraley "Floating Lines & Indicators, The Way I see It", and Ted Voise's "Downstream Indi's".
Rods, reels, line, and tippet will vary greatly depending on which technique you choose to employ. The aforementioned articles should give you a decent idea of the gear used, so I'm only going to take a general look at these items.
There are a ton of adequate rods made by a growing number of manufacturers to choose from. I'd recommend stopping by your local fly shop and discussing selection before you just go out and get your "whoopin' stick". Typically, a rod in the 8-9wt range is standard with lengths staying generally around the 9 - 9 1/2' mark. A good powerful butt section will aid in moving, or should I say attempting to move, salmon out from structure. The action of the rod will more often be driven by personal preference and/or technique. This is where the fly shop guys earn their keep!
If you're someone who's just gotta have the best and most, feel free to dump a whole lot of (wasted) money on a technique and species specific rod; enjoy! Now for the rest of us that don't have unlimited funds, don't get too concerned about all the variables in choosing a rod. Don't blow your entire bank roll on it, save it for the reel which in my mind is more important. Make sure the rod you choose is at least an 8wt and leave it at that. Learn to fish the rod and you'll be surprised how versatile most rods can be.
By this time if you've got any money left you're going to need a reel. As I said above, spend your money for the reel, not the rod. There are quite a few decent reels out there running the price spectrum from around a hundred bucks to well over a grand. Spend what you can afford, spend the most you can afford, but be wary. Just because a particular reel is expensive doesn't guarantee it's a good choice. I'm not one for making brand name references, and I won't start now, but check out some of the "Quest Tested" reviews to see what the staff fishes and how they stand up.
When picking out a reel look for a couple key items; drag, material, and manufacturing process. Most of the more popular reels for larger species are going to be large arbors for one, have some sort of disc drag system, NO CORK DRAGS, will be made from quality anodized aluminum, and should be machined, not forged (Although there are a couple very good forged reels for the price). You should plan on spending between $150-$350 bucks on a good reel. My personal opinion is to spend a little more and buy one reel that'll last you years, not spend a little and replace it every few years... but that's just me. Just keep in mind these fish can make powerful hundred yard runs, and more than once. Trying to stop, or at least slow 'em down, requires a good quality reel and a bit of luck!
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Introduction
NEXT - Patterns
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Coming Soon
Choosing Sinking Lines
Summer Smallies
And much more!
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