C
cobias
0
Heres some 'secret' tips. These will work on all salmon and steelhead.
1. weather, pressure fronts,lunar "tide" tables: anadromous fish (salmon and steelhead) are programed by millions of years of evolution. They adapted and learned to feed and migrate by the change in the tides. We can learn a lot from these environmental factors. I wont go into detail but all ocean fish feed and migrate based on the moon phazes. Usually when the moon is at a hard tidal pull (ie full moon or no moon) the feeding activity is at its greatest. When the moon is at a low pull or influence (half or crecent moon) the feeding will be less active. There are some variations to this but this is the general rule.The reason they migrate based on tides is because before man made jetties and dredging the water had to be high enough for fish to cross the sand bar at the river mouths.When salmon enter fresh water this evolutionary program still effects their behavior.They are more active at hard tidal changes. Its a fact! Get a tide book or better yet order solarlunar tables and use them. THEY WORK! People who say they dont either are lying or dont want you to know!
Pressure fronts also have a huge impact on salmon and steelhead. To make it simple...salm/steel will be MOST active when you have a drop in barometric pressure. It tells them that "rain is comming so its ok to procede upstream".They will get absolutley rambunctious when a drop happens. Especially after there has been a long dry high pressure front.This is the best time to be fishing. The day before, the day of, and one to two days after a low pressure front moves in can be real good. The next best time would be when there has been a long low pressure front (cold,rainy) and then a high pressure front moves in. This tells fish that the water will be safer and easier to travel thus casing them to get a little more active. A stable low front and especially a stable high front are the poorest times to fish. Weve all seen those steelhead in mid summer laying in a 3 feet deep riffle that look like they are frozen in a trance....thats how they react to high pressure....waiting until its "safe" to move upstream.They can be caught but its tough....go light. Watch weather forcasts for pressure fronts or buy a barometer.
River level. a lot of people take the standard wisdom of green means go! Meaning when the upper rivers have droped to that deep dark green look that its the best time to go....well if you follow that your a little late on the draw. I would say milky green means go. Not quite the same ring to it but it is the best time. I actually prefer to fish rivers that are slightly cloudy all the time. I remember one year they were doing work on a dam on a river that is usually clear.It was a verry milky green.Brownish green. People were throwing a Fit! They all went to fish the "other" river to fish springers. I and a lot of other guides knew better. One day when the river was at its cloudiest me and another guide landed 12 spring chinook in one hole!!! A good rule of thumb is to fish a river when its on the drop from a high stage or when its at a stable flow....low water is tough. But if its low and clear and a low pressure front is moving in it can be awesome if you size down your gear.
To pute this all together the first and most predictable thing to take into account is the lunar/tide phazes. They are predictable and you can arange your trips around them. Secondly look at the water conditions/level.Third look at pressure fronts. Now if you can go fishing whenever you want i would pute pressure fronts first but i know most of us work and weather fronts can be fickle. If you have that "holy grail" moment ie; high tidal influence, low pressure front moving in, water stable or on the drop....BE ON THE RIVER!!!!!!! CALL IN SICK!!!! You will catch fish. I promise!
Oh, i almost forgot. Water temp. summer steelhead are the only fish that i know seem to be somewhat oblivious to water temp. I have had them chase my rig in 38 degree water and have caught them fishing for smallmoth and shad in 67 degree water. Dont know why but they dont seem to mind that much. Winter steelhead will bite in cold (38-40) water but its a soft bite. You can do very well on them in these conditions because they keg up in predictable places....deep slow holes, not frogwater but SLOW DEEP holes. You usually never feel the bite but they seem to hold on and it feels like your pulling in a log.They dont fight well in these conditions but you like i said you can do well. A bobber and bait setup is deadly in these conditions. Fall and spring chinook usually dont show activity until the water is around 47-50 degrees. Stick with bait (herring,eggs,shrimp ect) when temps are 47-56. when they go above that temp 57 and up plugs and hardware are the game.....
2. scent: Salmon and steelhead can smell one part per BILLION!!! Thats right...BILLION! So if there is a pinpoint drop of say gasoline smeared on your plug or corkie it smells to them like a gas soaked rag would smell shoved in your face. NO JOKE. The only reason people catch fish at all is becase the water will "clean" and dilute some of this. Remember all the rave about wd-40 for salmon? How it was a secret fish catching scent? There is some truth to this because it has a sweet smell that salmon/steel like but the main reason was because it is a solvent that would clean oils off of lures and bait.Once your bait/lure hit the water all the oils would float to the surface with the wd-40 leaving you with a "clean" bait. The best way to be sure is to CLEAN EVERYTHING that goes into the water: Boat,anchor,oars,line ,weights,rigs, swivles,lures,plugs,boots,hands, gloves,scisors,knifes,...anything that goes into the water. Tackle boxes as well should be TOTALY clean and smell free. I clean everything . I use lemon joy and baking soda with water for all the big stuff and rigs and toothpaste for the plugs lures (original crest). Store tackle in a scent free area...not in the closet or in a garage. Lots of bad scents there.
3. Sight: Paint all terminal tackle/divers dark flat green (large jet divers and flashers u dont need to if they are attractors). Always use flourocarbon leaders....always.
Follow these steps and i will garunteeee you will catch fish every time you go out! Its hard work but would you do it if you knew you could catch at least one salmon/steel every time? Next topic...simplify your approach.
1. weather, pressure fronts,lunar "tide" tables: anadromous fish (salmon and steelhead) are programed by millions of years of evolution. They adapted and learned to feed and migrate by the change in the tides. We can learn a lot from these environmental factors. I wont go into detail but all ocean fish feed and migrate based on the moon phazes. Usually when the moon is at a hard tidal pull (ie full moon or no moon) the feeding activity is at its greatest. When the moon is at a low pull or influence (half or crecent moon) the feeding will be less active. There are some variations to this but this is the general rule.The reason they migrate based on tides is because before man made jetties and dredging the water had to be high enough for fish to cross the sand bar at the river mouths.When salmon enter fresh water this evolutionary program still effects their behavior.They are more active at hard tidal changes. Its a fact! Get a tide book or better yet order solarlunar tables and use them. THEY WORK! People who say they dont either are lying or dont want you to know!
Pressure fronts also have a huge impact on salmon and steelhead. To make it simple...salm/steel will be MOST active when you have a drop in barometric pressure. It tells them that "rain is comming so its ok to procede upstream".They will get absolutley rambunctious when a drop happens. Especially after there has been a long dry high pressure front.This is the best time to be fishing. The day before, the day of, and one to two days after a low pressure front moves in can be real good. The next best time would be when there has been a long low pressure front (cold,rainy) and then a high pressure front moves in. This tells fish that the water will be safer and easier to travel thus casing them to get a little more active. A stable low front and especially a stable high front are the poorest times to fish. Weve all seen those steelhead in mid summer laying in a 3 feet deep riffle that look like they are frozen in a trance....thats how they react to high pressure....waiting until its "safe" to move upstream.They can be caught but its tough....go light. Watch weather forcasts for pressure fronts or buy a barometer.
River level. a lot of people take the standard wisdom of green means go! Meaning when the upper rivers have droped to that deep dark green look that its the best time to go....well if you follow that your a little late on the draw. I would say milky green means go. Not quite the same ring to it but it is the best time. I actually prefer to fish rivers that are slightly cloudy all the time. I remember one year they were doing work on a dam on a river that is usually clear.It was a verry milky green.Brownish green. People were throwing a Fit! They all went to fish the "other" river to fish springers. I and a lot of other guides knew better. One day when the river was at its cloudiest me and another guide landed 12 spring chinook in one hole!!! A good rule of thumb is to fish a river when its on the drop from a high stage or when its at a stable flow....low water is tough. But if its low and clear and a low pressure front is moving in it can be awesome if you size down your gear.
To pute this all together the first and most predictable thing to take into account is the lunar/tide phazes. They are predictable and you can arange your trips around them. Secondly look at the water conditions/level.Third look at pressure fronts. Now if you can go fishing whenever you want i would pute pressure fronts first but i know most of us work and weather fronts can be fickle. If you have that "holy grail" moment ie; high tidal influence, low pressure front moving in, water stable or on the drop....BE ON THE RIVER!!!!!!! CALL IN SICK!!!! You will catch fish. I promise!
Oh, i almost forgot. Water temp. summer steelhead are the only fish that i know seem to be somewhat oblivious to water temp. I have had them chase my rig in 38 degree water and have caught them fishing for smallmoth and shad in 67 degree water. Dont know why but they dont seem to mind that much. Winter steelhead will bite in cold (38-40) water but its a soft bite. You can do very well on them in these conditions because they keg up in predictable places....deep slow holes, not frogwater but SLOW DEEP holes. You usually never feel the bite but they seem to hold on and it feels like your pulling in a log.They dont fight well in these conditions but you like i said you can do well. A bobber and bait setup is deadly in these conditions. Fall and spring chinook usually dont show activity until the water is around 47-50 degrees. Stick with bait (herring,eggs,shrimp ect) when temps are 47-56. when they go above that temp 57 and up plugs and hardware are the game.....
2. scent: Salmon and steelhead can smell one part per BILLION!!! Thats right...BILLION! So if there is a pinpoint drop of say gasoline smeared on your plug or corkie it smells to them like a gas soaked rag would smell shoved in your face. NO JOKE. The only reason people catch fish at all is becase the water will "clean" and dilute some of this. Remember all the rave about wd-40 for salmon? How it was a secret fish catching scent? There is some truth to this because it has a sweet smell that salmon/steel like but the main reason was because it is a solvent that would clean oils off of lures and bait.Once your bait/lure hit the water all the oils would float to the surface with the wd-40 leaving you with a "clean" bait. The best way to be sure is to CLEAN EVERYTHING that goes into the water: Boat,anchor,oars,line ,weights,rigs, swivles,lures,plugs,boots,hands, gloves,scisors,knifes,...anything that goes into the water. Tackle boxes as well should be TOTALY clean and smell free. I clean everything . I use lemon joy and baking soda with water for all the big stuff and rigs and toothpaste for the plugs lures (original crest). Store tackle in a scent free area...not in the closet or in a garage. Lots of bad scents there.
3. Sight: Paint all terminal tackle/divers dark flat green (large jet divers and flashers u dont need to if they are attractors). Always use flourocarbon leaders....always.
Follow these steps and i will garunteeee you will catch fish every time you go out! Its hard work but would you do it if you knew you could catch at least one salmon/steel every time? Next topic...simplify your approach.
