Salmon fishing is a thrilling experience that many anglers aspire to try at least once in their lifetime Using a fly rod to hook into these mighty fish takes skill, knowledge of their behavior, and the right techniques This guide will provide everything you need to know to get started with fly fishing for salmon.
There are five species of Pacific salmon that anglers commonly pursue:
- Chinook (King)
- Coho (Silver)
- Sockeye (Red)
- Pink (Humpy)
- Chum
These fish are anadromous, meaning they hatch in freshwater streams and rivers, migrate to the ocean to feed and grow, and return to their natal rivers and streams to spawn.
Adult salmon cease feeding once they enter freshwater. They will still attack flies and lures, though, because they are mean and want to protect their spawning grounds. Their bodies change in order to get ready for the hard trip upstream, and the flesh starts to break down.
When and Where to Catch Salmon
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West Coast: Depending on where you live, the salmon runs on the west coast happen from April to November. Alaska sees fish earlier while California/Oregon gets them later.
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Great Lakes Area: The best time to see salmon in rivers that flow into the Great Lakes is from September to November.
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East Coast: The Atlantic Salmon run happens from May through November. June-August is peak season.
Some top salmon fisheries in North America include
- Kenai and Copper Rivers (Alaska)
- Skeena and Fraser Rivers (British Columbia)
- Lake Ontario and its tributaries
- Lake Michigan tributaries
- Rivers in Oregon and Washington like the Deschutes and Columbia
- Miramichi and Restigouche Rivers (Atlantic Salmon)
Rods, Reels, and Line for Salmon
A 9-10 weight rod in the 9-10 foot range is ideal for most salmon fishing situations. On smaller streams, a lighter 7-8 weight will work, while Spey rods up to 15 feet are needed for big water.
Your reel should have a strong disc drag system capable of stopping hard charging fish. A large arbor design helps pick up loose line quickly.
For floating line fishing, weight forward or double taper lines work well. Sink tips and full sinking lines are required for getting flies down deep. Leaders should be 10-15lb fluorocarbon.
Flies for Salmon
Some top flies to have in your salmon box include:
Streamers: Zonkers, sculpins, bunny leeches, marabou jigs.
Eggs: Glo bugs, beads, pegged eggs in orange, pink, red.
Nymphs/Stoneflies: Golden stones, rubber legs, prince nymphs.
Atlantic Salmon Flies: Bombers, hairwings, tube flies.
Play around with sizes, colors and weight until you find what’s working. Local fly shops are the best resources for patterns.
Techniques for Fly Fishing Salmon
There are several techniques you can use, each better suited for different river conditions.
Swinging Streamers/Wet Flies
This method works well in wider rivers and consists of casting quartering downstream and letting the fly “swing” through the current. Strikes often come at the end of the swing as the fly lifts towards the surface. Use sink tips to get the fly down to the zone.
Nymphing
Dead-drifting flies under a strike indicator or tightline is extremely effective in smaller rivers and streams. Weighted stonefly nymphs and beadhead eggs get down quickly. Set the hook on any slight pause or hesitation of your indicator.
Spey Fishing
In larger rivers, Spey casting with two-handed rods allows you to cover more water. This technique is popular for Atlantic salmon and Steelhead too. Use heavier tips and sink rates to achieve the proper swing speed and depth.
Chuck and Duck
This simple technique involves casting directly upstream and letting your weighted fly tumble along the bottom as the current takes your slack line downstream. Effective in deeper pools. Can also incorporate floats/bobbers.
Backtrolling
From a boat, slowly back down a pool while stripping streamers. Use weight and sinking lines to reach depth. This allows you to cover the entire water column.
Best Practices and Tips
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Look for current seams, ledges, riffles, and structure where salmon hold and wait for food.
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Make repeated casts to cover an area thoroughly. Persistence is key.
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Use fluorocarbon leaders for low visibility. Salmon have excellent vision.
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Keep your rod tip down and give no slack on the hookset. Salmon have bony jaws.
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Play fish aggressively and don’t give them an inch. Their powerful runs can spool you quickly.
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In smaller streams, use a net or tail them quickly. Don’t remove Salmon from the water if possible.
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Barbless hooks allow for easier release. Consider pinching down barbs.
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Let Salmon recover fully before release. Don’t remove them from the water.
Additional Resources
For more tips and tactics for fly fishing salmon, check out:
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[The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing for Salmon] (https://howtoflyfish.orvis.com/video-lessons/chapter-twenty-six-fly-fishing-for-salmon)
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[Tips for Fly Fishing for Salmon] (https://flylordsmagazine.com/fly-fishing-tips-techniques-salmon/)
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[How to Catch a Salmon on a Fly Rod] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1nW4TAKEXA)
With the right preparation and skills, landing one of these iconic fish on a fly rod is an attainable goal for any passionate angler. Follow this guide and you’ll be hooked into a salmon battling for your reel in no time!
Fly size and pattern selection
Most salmon fishermen with a lot of experience only use a few different fly patterns. The size they use changes depending on the water’s height, temperature, and clarity. When fishing deep down, a bigger fly usually works better than a smaller one. A small fly is even more likely to be missed when there isn’t much light or when the water is cloudy. A big fly, on the other hand, can scare fish away on bright days when they might have eaten a smaller fly. Here are some guidelines for selecting flies to suit various river conditions. Double or treble hooks may need to be one or even two sizes smaller if you use them instead of single hooks. We chose Ally’s Shrimp because it stands out well and works well in colored water, and Stoat’s Tail because it’s dark and seems to work best when fishing for shy salmon in clear water. You will need them in a range of hook sizes.
River Height |
Water clarity |
Fly pattern |
Fly Size |
|
High |
Coloured |
Ally’s Shrimp |
2-4 |
|
Low |
Coloured |
Ally’s Shrimp |
6-8 |
|
High |
Clear |
Stoat’s Tail |
8-10 |
|
Low |
Clear |
Stoat’s Tail |
10-12 |
Multi-tip Salmon Fly Lines
Salmon fly lines have changed a lot in recent years. You can now buy so-called “multi-tip” lines in addition to the normal full-floating lines for summer and the fast-sinking lines, which are still the best choice for very high water. These lines are based on the shooting-head lines which have been popular in Scandinavia for some time. They have a head that is only about 30 feet long and a long running line in the back that is about 90 feet long.
Depending on the conditions you are fishing in, you can attach different tips that are about 15 feet long to the head of the line. These tips include floating, intermediate, fast sink, and super fast sink. When you want to fish in a different way, you don’t have to wind in the line and change the reel or spool because of the loop-to-loop connections between the head of the line and the chosen tip. This is a big advantage over traditional lines.
You can spey cast these multi-tip lines, but many anglers, especially those who aren’t good at it, find it easier to cast these shooting-head setups, which also let them go farther on big rivers.
We believe that choice of fly pattern is one of the least important considerations when salmon fishing. Thats not to say that any old fly will do in any situation. far from it. A fly’s weight, size, and amount of dressing all have a big effect on how well it fishes. Don’t be fooled by the many colors, though; we’re happy with just two patterns and several sizes of each. Some are heavily weighted, while others only need the weight of the hook and the sinking properties of the fly line or leader to get to the right depth.
This is very important: your fly needs to be able to be seen by salmon that are running or resting at different depths and levels of water clarity. The tips below will help you improve these aspects of fly performance.
Steelhead & Salmon on a Fly – How To
FAQ
What size fly rod for salmon fishing?
What weight fly reel for salmon?
What fly line to use for salmon?
How to fly fish for salmon for beginners?
The key to salmon fly fishing for beginners is to master the cast since in this type of fishing, you’re casting the line and not the lure. When fly fishing for salmon, setup is a critical component to casting success. Today, most anglers opt for a graphite fly rod.
What is fly fishing for salmon?
Many anglers would argue that fly fishing for Salmon isn’t just a way to cast a line. It’s a way of life. As one of the oldest forms of angling, what attracts many fishing enthusiasts to this technique is the tradition, enthusiasm, and pure challenge surrounding it.
Can You Fly FISH for salmon?
Most anglers will nymph fish for salmon on the smaller and mid-sized rivers, but on the larger rivers, swinging flies with spey rods or streamer fishing are good methods. Many of the rivers also have good trout fishing for brown trout. East Coast anglers will only have Atlantic salmon to fly fish for.
What is the best fly fishing setup for Alaska salmon?
An angler fishing with all the right size gear For Alaska Salmon Fishing The best fly fishing setup for salmon includes a suitable rod weight from an eight to ten-weight fly rod with a good fly reel with a good drag system. For most salmon fishing, you will need a floating line, a tapered leader, tippet, and fly.