Salmon Schools

[Markhum2006]

I am new to salmon fishing. Just went out for the first time last week on the north shore and had some success. I was happy to justify spending the amount of money I have this past winter on salmon gear (lures, rods, reels, fish hawk, etc.) by bringing home some fresh salmon. I told the wife, I can either spend money on salmon in the grocery store or on the lures and bring home fresh fish for years to come. As long as I keep bringing home fish, I will hear less and less about the cost of this expensive habit

 

While fishing, I was catching a bunch of shakers but every now and then I would get into a bigger 20+ fish (about 1 big fish for every 10-15 smaller ones). My question is do salmon of the same size school together or is there a mixture of size? This is assuming salmon even school together.

 

If people are fishing and they start to catch nothing but shakers, do you leave the area or keep working it to get the bigger ones that may be there? It can be a hassle to be constantly resetting everything due to the smaller fish.

 

 

[work2fish]

Are you running spoons? If so that explains the shakers

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[Tim Bromund]

Fish deeper, mature kings prefer colder water.

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[Tim Bromund]

That is deeper in the water column.

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[Markhum2006]

Yes, I was using spoons. I was fishing all depths from 40 down to 100ft. I guess I honestly wasn't paying attention to what depth the bigger ones were hitting but I will pay more attention in the future.

 

So the shakers don't like really hit on FF or meat rigs?

[work2fish]

They'll still hit it but with much less frequency in my opinion. I'd run 1 spoon in your spread and maybe a cheater on that spoon rigger and then a Sd and fly or rocket and a paddle and meat or paddle and flyou. One of the latter on a wire line, copper,lead core. Spoons work Well early and then Flys and meat typically better now and later

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[momay4000]

I completely disagree with abandoning the spoons. Why would you ever stop running something that's catching silver fish? Do what Tim says above. Run your baits deeper. Also running meat on a deep rigger in the ice cold water 42-48 degrees can work well for bigger chinook.

Spoons work all day long and from spring to fall

Mix in flashers and flies though but I wouldn't run just one spoon for sake of just catching bigger fish

Good luck

[LongLine]

ditto Tim & Chris.

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Sk8man]

Try running the spoons closer to the weight  (e.g. 10-12 ft) and possibly use a magnum sized one as a slider above it.

[momay4000]

Try running the spoons closer to the weight  (e.g. 10-12 ft) and possibly use a magnum sized one as a slider above it.

 

Excellent advice as well

[markmonkey1]

I usually run a free slider but it's always the smaller spoon. Good idea on the magnum. Would you run the magnum slider fixed above the main lure (i.e. attach w/rubber band), or as a free slider, which would in theory get to about 1/2 down the main line.

[bout time]

I usually run a free slider but it's always the smaller spoon. Good idea on the magnum. Would you run the magnum slider fixed above the main lure (i.e. attach w/rubber band), or as a free slider, which would in theory get to about 1/2 down the main line.

One of the best setups for Kings off spoons is a MUP rig. (Mag Up) which is a Mag spoon on a fixed slider about 10' above smaller spoon in same pattern.

Like said above above if you're hitting smaller fish drop your riggers deeper as the smaller fish to seem to be in top portion of column with bigger fish deeper in colder water

[Charlie P]

"I am new to salmon fishing."  You might want to pick up Keating on Kings and his other book Great Lakes Salmon and Trout fishing. 

 

Very good information breaks down a lot of the stuff you'll need reduces the learning curve.

 

http://www.bluehorizonsportfishing.net/salmon-fishing-books-videos.html

 

 "My question is do salmon of the same size school together or is there a mixture of size?" Yes they do.

Edited July 17, 2016 by Charlie P