Salmon Fishing

Salmon are native to the world’s two largest oceans and the rivers draining into them.  The Atlantic Ocean has only one species, the Atlantic salmon and in the Pacific Ocean there are several species: pink salmon, chum, sockeye, coho, chinook and amago. All salmon spawn naturally in freshwater typically in the headwater and tributary streams of rivers. The migration to suitable habitat may commence up to a year before spawning takes place in the autumn and winter with salmon ceasing to feed and directing all their energy instead to reproduction. Usually the female salmon will excavate a depression in the gravel with her tail, and deposit her eggs into this. One or more males discharge sperm over the falling eggs to fertilize. The eggs are then covered with gravel to a depth of several centimetres by the female. The parents then leave the eggs in the nest or “redd”. The ova begin developing right after fertilization, and will hatch after about 180 days. The just-hatched fish are called alevins. Once they begin to swim freely (three to six weeks after hatching), they are called fry. Fry quickly develop into parr and feed on aquatic insects and grow for one to three years in their stream. Once the parr have grown to 10–24 cm in body length, they undergo a physiological pre-adaptation to life in seawater while still in freshwater, by smolting. In spring, smolts leave rivers and go to the rich feeding grounds of the Ocean where they feed primarily on fish.

Some salmon, called grilse will reach maturity after one year at sea and return to their river in summer weighing from 1 to 4 kg. Salmon exhibit a remarkable homing instinct, by which a very high proportion are able to locate their river of origin using the earth’s magnetic field, the chemical smell of their river and pheromones. A journey of up to 5,000 km makes salmon “the king of fish”.

Salmon are an elusive and complicated quarry for the angler and their behavior can be greatly affected by many factors, including the season, the prevailing weather conditions or even the time of day. It has been established that salmon do not feed in freshwater and so the reason why they are tempted to take bait or a well presented fly seems to be down to curiosity or annoyance. The longer they sit in freshwater the less inclined they are to take a bait. This is why freshwater salmon fishing is so challenging and also so rewarding. When salmon move into freshwater in the colder months of the season, they often progress slowly up rivers. However, as the water temperature rises, this is reflected in the salmon’s metabolism and they become more active. For salmon anglers who fly fish the key water temperature is 7C/45F. Below this temperature one should fish a sunk fly and above this temperature salmon will move to one fished on a floating line. This is also true for other forms of salmon angling and the old adage would be ‘when cold, fish slow and deep. During the summer the best taking times for salmon are very early in the morning and the last thing at night.

The classic way to fish for salmon is with the fly. A river current will impart movement to the fly and most loughs fish best when there is a good wave. Dapping natural insects is a popular form of lough fishing from a boat. A long light rod (at least 14ft) and a blow line are used. An echo sounder is a useful aid on the larger loughs. The equipment is used primarily to ascertain depth, and to locate fish and the depth they are feeding at. Spinning for salmon can be a very effective method when conditions suit. In heavy water it may also be the only realistic option to take a fish. The main bait fishing techniques are shrimp/prawn and worming.

Salmon like cool water temperatures with quickly moving rivers and many hiding places and the annual salmon run is a good time to fish for them. When you are going to fish make sure you are familiar with the fishing area where you are going to fish and know where the salmon gather. When you are casting your line, do it quickly, cleanly and don’t make a large disturbance on the water. The fishing spot should not be in the blazing sunlight since the salmon like cool temperatures and will retreat to shady places or deep down under logs or other natural hiding places. Try to aim the lure so it will be near the fish, but not too close as not to startle them. Try to fish for the salmon you can see instead of for the ones that you can’t. Then you can react faster to a bite and will have a better chance of landing the catch. If you are fly fishing, let the fly float freely, let it look natural and don’t repeat the same pattern over and over. The salmon needs to think the fly is a real one, and unpredictable. Make sure the fly goes directly over the fish to taunt him into biting. Make sure that you don’t fish when the sun is directly overhead since the fish will have much trouble seeing the fly. The best time would be near dusk or dawn, when the sun lights up the fly and the fish will be hungry for a snack. If you loose sight of the fly, make a new cast, since you will need to keep track of where it is to make it look realistic and to successfully lure the salmon. If the fish doesn’t bite after a while, try to use a different lure or fly and don’t jerk the fly or lure when you see the salmon going for a bite. Keep acting natural, since often catches can be lost if a person reacts with panic and give the line a jerk. Make sure that you have sure footing where you are casting from since the salmon tend to be avid fighters once they are caught and you will need all the advantages you can get. Once you have a bite, tire the fish out by keeping some tension on the rod and line. When the fish runs, let him, but don’t let the line go slack as the fish can break free in this situation. This will tire him out in time. Tight lines!

The salmon is perfectly wonderful simply grilled and otherwise unadulterated. Measure the thickest part of the salmon and cook for 10 minutes per 2.5 cm (1 inch) if the fish is fresh or fully thawed, the secret is not to overcook wild salmon. Then let it rest off the heat for up to 5 minutes, loosely tented with foil. This will allow the fish to continue cooking and the juices to settle, ensuring a moist and tender texture.