Salmon Fishing Gear and Technique

It's raining hard at our house today.  I'm still smoking salmon, but the cool weather calls for use of an insulated box and a tarp over the smokers to keep in the heat and shorten smoking time.  I lined a large cardboard box with Reflectix and covered both smokers, leaving space at the bottom for good circulation.  I then covered the works with a plastic tarp to keep moisture off the box.  A few rocks on top keep the tarp from blowing off in the wind.  This set-up allows me to easily reach the smoker pans for refilling.  You'll find that in cool, wet weather, smoking time can increase by several hours if you're using the light aluminum smokers.

I thought that this might be a good time to talk about salmon fishing gear and technique.  Let me start off by saying you don't need to spend a lot of money to fish salmon, but your success will increase if using quality gear.  Many Alaskans using simple spinning gear that costs less than $100 for their complete set-up.  When using spinning gear for sockeye, I prefer a good reel that holds at least 200 yards of 15 to 20 pound mono.  I've used Shimano open faced spinning reels for many years, and they have held up well.  The spinning rod should be at least 7 feet long, so you can "feel" the bottom and the fish.  The rod should be of medium/heavy weight.  Ugly Sticks are popular and tough enough to withstand the fight of a strong 7 to 10 pound sockeye.  Costco, Sportsman Wearhouse, Fred Meyers, and Wal Mart in Anchorage or Fairbanks will have a good selection of spinning combos available once you're in Alaska.  Most guides rig up their spin fishing clients with 30 pound mono.  Not a bad idea in crowded conditions as you can get your fish in quickly with fewer line breaks.  At the end of the line you will simply tie on a fly of your choice and crimp several split shot 24 to 30 inches above the hook.  The number of weights depends on the size of the split shot and the current of the stream.  More on that later.

Fly fishing gear is a little more complicated, and more expensive.  I have several fly rod/reel set-ups that I use dependent upon what I'm fishing, and where I'm fishing.  For sockeye, a seven weight rod with a large arbor reel, and a strong drag, as well as the ability to "palm" the rim, is a necessity.  If you use a lighter rod and a lesser reel, you will likely struggle, and break or lose your gear.  Broken rods and lost fly line are a common occurrence when fishing with light gear.  Sockeye are strong fish, and coupled with powerful stream current, landing them is next to impossible with  improper gear.  What do I use for sockeye?  A few different options.  I started out this season with a seven weight, 9 foot Cabela's blank, that I built up myself.  The rod has a fighting butt, and has held up well.  The reel on that rod is an old Cabela's Hemingway model with seven weight floating line, an exposed rim for palming and a decent drag.  I back my fly line with about 150 yds of 30 pound backing.  My second, and newest fly set-up is an eight weight, ten foot, Temple Fork Outfitters, four-piece, with a Sage 1850 large arbor reel, and 9 weight floating line.  My nephew, Colby, quickly upgraded to this set-up, after fishing for a few days on the Kenai.  I tried out his rig and was convinced quickly that the ten foot rod provided for longer casts and improved catch.  That prompted me to let loose of the $400 for line, rod, and reel.  The Temple Fork rod has a lifetime replacement warranty, so the initial cost is offset by the fact you can replace it for $25, no questions asked.  We will soon find out how that works out, as Colby's rod broke yesterday.  This kind of fishing is hard on equipment, and your wallet.  Fortunately, Colby has a 9 foot Ugly Stick and his good reel to hold him over, while waiting for a new rod.

For larger salmon, a nine or ten weight rod may be necessary.  Kings and Cohos are bigger fish, requiring more substantial rod weight in most conditions.  Where I tend to fish for coho's (not on the Kenai), my seven and eight weight rods work fine.  The Kenai requires the heavier stuff.

Flies used for salmon are as varied as your imagination.  For sockeye on the Kenai and Russian, I use number 4, long shank fly hooks with an upturned eye.  The Russian River patterns work well.  Color may, or may not be important.  Generally, when the fish are abundant, and "on the bite", color doesn't seem to matter much.  At the beginning of the run, or later on, you will find yourself changing out flies until you find a color, or combination of colors, that works.

Tie your fly on with a good clinch knot and take the running end through the loop twice for extra grip.  If you don't tie a good knot on the fly, sockeye will pull out the knot and you'll lose a lot of fish.  To connect leader to the fly line you can use a nail knot, or make a small loop on which to tie your mono.  I usually start off with a nail knot, then end up making a loop as I re-rig after losing my leader in the heat of the battle.  The reason for using a loop is that you will surely lose your fishing position if you're messing around re-rigging streamside....a quick loop on the end of the fly line is much faster than a nail knot and gets you back to the stream much faster.  The loop does not seem to bother salmon fussing with your fly at the end of a 7 to 9 foot leader.

The amount of weight you use, and where you position it, will affect the action of your fly, and ultimately your hooking and catch rate.  For fast water I use three or four number two split shot affixed 24 to 30 inches above the fly.  Regulations state that your weight must be a minimum of 18 inches above the fly.

Casting takes a bit of practice in crowded conditions.  Let out line about the length of your rod, then pull another arms length off your reel, before side casting or roll casting the works 30 to 45 degrees upstream.  Make sure you get the fly ahead of the leader.  Once the fly hits the water, keep the line as tight as you can (no belly in the line, if possible).  Follow the line downstream with your rod tip, being careful to feel the bounce of the weight along the bottom.  If you don't feel the tap tap tap of the bounce, you won't get strikes.  If the lines stops, or if you feel a bump, set the hook, it's likely a fish.  If you snag often, reduce the weight by one split shot, making sure you are still bouncing bottom.

Once you hook a fish, keep the tip of the fly rod up and hold onto the reel crank, using the palm of your hand and the pre-set drag on the reel to slow the fish.  Pull the rod toward shore, and downstream to help turn the fish.  Let the equipment help you tire the salmon.  Don't rush.  If the fish pulls off some line, let it run a bit before applying more side pressure.  If the fish runs upstream at you, reel like crazy to get the slack out of the

line.  Eventually, the fish will wear down.  Hopefully, you'll have a net or someone nearby to assist with landing the fish.  If not make sure the salmon is exhausted before you try to land it.  A net is handy, but cumbersome to carry, so I may or may not use one, depending on where I'm fishing.  A legal fish is hooked in the mouth, and the mouth only.  Foul hooked fish must be released immediately.  Foul hooked fish are also a pain to get in.  If you hook a salmon in the back or tail, you've got a fight on your hands, which can easily result in lost line, or a broken rod.  If a fish runs away with your line, quickly follow it downstream, reeling in line as quickly as possible.  On a crowded stream you will need to run past several other, not so appreciative anglers, as you pursue your foul hooked fish, so try to avoid foul hooking as much as possible.  Proper fishing technique will alleviate much of the foul hooking problem.  That being said, you will still foul hook a few when their are many fish present, so prepare yourself.  It was a foul-hooked fish that prompted my ER visit a few days ago.  Watch out for that flying hook when it breaks loose.  If using spinning equipment, this will be less of a problem, as mono doesn't stretch and rebound as violently as fly line.

I hope that this post has answered a few of the questions I get from folks regarding equipment and technique for sockeye fishing.  If on the Kenai, and in Cooper Landing, stop by Kenai Cache Outfitters for fishing information, as well as quality equipment and tackle, before hitting the water.  Also, don't forget your hip or chest waders, rain gear, stringer, plastic bags, and bug dope.  I like to fillet my fish streamside.  The fillets go in gallon sized baggies, then into a backpack for transport to the cooler.  If you are a tourist and need to store, freeze, and ship fish, the best place in Cooper Landing is the Kenai Cache.  Their website is kenaicache.com. 

Enjoy your Alaska fishing experience, be kind to your fellow fishermen, and watch for flying hooks and slippery rocks.....and..uh....possibly a stray brown bear, or two.