Current direction

[Poorboy2004]

Do you all think it's better to fish with the current or against the current or does it just depend on what the fish want for the day? I always figured normally the fish face the current but I'm new to salmon fishing

 

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[Sk8man]

Some folks think that lake fishing and current conditions are like stream fishing where fish often orient toward the flowing current and i believe it is a mistake to look at the operation of underwater current the same way in both situations. Most salmon and trout actively feed by foraging and traveling about looking for bait which may or not be anywhere near the path of the current. Underwater current in the lakes  can be running in different directions at once with cross currents and up and down in the water column where it is not as contained as in a stream. In places in lakes where points occur with currents rounding them, and the mouths of streams where currents flow into the lake there may be more similarity. I know some folks like to troll with the current but most of the time this may be of little value because it adversely affects the action and way lures run; especially spoons (kills a lot of the action). In strong detectable current going against and across or on diagonals to current may provide the best lure action. You may however have to adjust boat speeds accordingly. It is a good idea to see how a lure is running at the side of the boat before deploying but the underwater current can greatly change this action and you may need to slow your speed a little in some cases.

Edited July 29, 2020 by Sk8man

[spoonfed-1]

2 hours ago, Poorboy2004 said:

 

Do you all think it's better to fish with the current or against the current or does it just depend on what the fish want for the day? I always figured normally the fish face the current but I'm new to salmon fishing

 

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Usually doesn't matter to the fish. It's more of a speed thing dependent on what you have in the water and how you adjust your boat speed to the current. Plenty of days working the same area I have been taking more shots going in one direction while another boat in the area is getting bit more moving in the opposite direction.

[Gill-T]

Generally speaking, I try to run into current. First, I want all my gear straight out the back, second, it saves on gas, third, big fish are lazy so if given the same lure action, lazy fish won’t want to exert as much energy in theory. As others have stated, any given day, the fish may want lures presented in a certain direction. If you are over fish, keeping your bait in the zone on a trolling pass as long as possible means trolling slower ie. going into the down current.