If someone has never fished a Great Lakes stream during the fall then it would be very easy for them to not fully understand just how brutal a fresh run fall salmon can be. During the spring and summer we fly anglers spend our time whipping delicate three and four-weight rods, flinging super fine leaders down to 7 and 8x tippets, trying against all odds even for a young set of eyes to find a size 18 BWO drifting in the sunlit riffles, and catching fish that could easily be almost completely covered with the palms of our hands.
Around the third weekend in August Great Lakes fly anglers go through a metamorphosis. We put the light weight dry fly rods in their tubes, stash the 7x leaders in a cool, dry place 'til next season, and open the arsenal: we bring out the heavy 8, 9 and 10-weight rods, as well as restock ten & twelve-pound test Maxima line.
Just like clockwork, on the first of September we go forth armed with this heavy equipment and sulk on the riverbanks until daylight, looking for that old familiar friend known as “King Salmon”. As the morning light breaks we catch our first glimpses of huge, torpedo-shaped monsters as they fight for position on a gravel redd or fade in and out of a dark hole. As soon as there’s enough light to see we tie on our flies, test leaders and prepare to do battle with a 30 lb. heavyweight that is rightfully named "The King.” It's a safe bet he's already prepared to do battle with us, but are we prepared for what’s to come?
If not, then read on –
First let’s look at rods, since they are the most commonly asked about piece of equipment when it comes to salmon fly fishing gear.
Rods:
Salmon can be very large and ferocious fighters, so a rod that has plenty of backbone (the butt section) is imperative. This does not mean you have to spend a small fortune on your choice of stick; nor does a salmon rod have to have a super sensitive tip.... a strong butt section and an overall fast or moderate/fast action will be enough. A fighting butt on the reel seat is also a big help during long battles with big Kings.
As to rod (line) size, that depends on the water you plan to fish. Personally, I will never carry under an 8 wt. rod for salmon. I know several guys that use 7 wt. sticks, but they're the exception. An 8 wt. will help control these fierce fighters much better. As far as length goes, I like a 9 foot rod, but a 9’6” is also a good choice. Spey rods in 10-12 wts. are also put to use on the larger river systems.
Reels:
A good quality disc drag reel with capacity for lots of backing is a must. I've seen cheaper reels almost literally “explode” when connected to a 30 lb. salmon that decides it wants to get away in a hurry. Reels such as the Harris Solitude and Ross Reels are well worth the money on a salmon rod. Load up with as much backing as you can to provide plenty of protection against a big run as well as giving you more line retrieval with each turn of the handle.
Lines:
Lines depend on your style of fishing. If you chuck&duck, you can use lines such as Amnesia, Cortland running line, Zip Line, or the new Jim Teeny C&D line. For indi rigging, a normal floating line in weight-forward is always a good choice.
Flies:
There are unbelievable numbers of flies for salmon and patterns vary greatly from one region to the next. Here are some of the better Great Lakes patterns you should have with you.
Black Stoneflies; Green Caddis; Egg flies (moe egg & glo bug style); Egg-sucking Leech; Marabou Speys; Woolly Buggers; Simple hair-wings like a Skunk; Hex Nymphs, Hare's Ear Nymphs (large sizes) and Pheasant Tail Nymphs.
Leader material:
Most fishermen are pretty set on their favorite leader materials but I'll offer my thoughts anyway. I prefer to use Maxima Ultragreen. This is a very abrasion-resistant material, well-suited to the wood-laden rivers systems that I fish; it maintains its strength very well in any water temperature and is thin and supple enough to provide exactly what I want from a leader material. I normally use 8 lb. test most of the time and rarely tie on anything below that strength. Anything less and I think you'd give up control of the fight to the fish. I will go to 10 or even 12 lb. if the water is high and stained, but 8-10 lb. seems to be the most commonly used by myself and others.
Where to look for Salmon:
Salmon are on a mission when they enter river systems; they are keyed in on spawning and aim for the same gravel redds they were spawned on, sometimes swimming many miles upstream as soon as they enter the river. One of the best spots to seek them out is on some lucky find of spawning gravel, and then work the first deeper hole downstream. There will be fish up on the gravel, but most times they're more preoccupied with spawning than hitting a fly. Find a hole about six feet deep just under a good gravel bed and you'll find some active fish, resting between their spawning and moving duties. If you find a hole that has a current break such as a downed tree or old stump in the hole - all the better!
"Chuck and duck" explained:
Many fly fishers hear the term chuck & duck and have no idea what people are talking about. I’m not sure if it is just a localized Great Lakes method of taking salmon & steelhead, but I know it is widely used in the Great Lakes basin, so I will explain just what it is and how to do it here.
[Note: "Chuck-and-duck", in its many forms, is known well outside of the Great Lakes Basin. Ed.]
Chuck & Duck or C&D, as it’s called by its many followers, is simply a method of using a fly on a fly rod and getting the offering down to the fish’s depth in a hurry without the need for a back cast. Since there is no backcast, this method is very popular for some of the small, tight, confining streams here in Michigan such as the Pere Marquette, and other lesser known small streams that receive a salmon run in the fall.
When you are chucking & ducking you are not casting the line as you would in conventional fly fishing, but rather, it is the weight of the split shot that is pulling the rest of your terminal tackle through the guides and toward your designated target.
Let’s look at the set-up. You can use the same rod and reel that you would normally use for salmon or steelhead; the main difference is the line.
The line for a C&D rig is a small diameter running line. You can use a running line made by many of the line manufactures such as the new line by Jim Teeny, or another popular choice is inexpensive, coated mono called “Amnesia”.
Once your running line is spooled up you need to rig for C&D. The following diagram shows the most commonly used C&D rig.
#1 Main line - running line or Amnesia.
#2 Swivel - usually a size 14 black, 2-way swivel.
#3 Mono leader from the swivel to your point fly - this piece of mono is usually about 4 feet long.
#4 Split shot. Just enough to get it to tick bottom during the drift.
#5 Point fly.
#6 Dropper fly. Join your point fly to your dropper fly with about 16-24 inches of mono tied from hook bend to hook eye.
Casting the C&D rig is admittedly not the prettiest thing in the world. Trust me, you won’t be mistaken for Lefty Kreh while you're C&D casting, but it is a very effective method for taking Great Lakes Salmon. C&D is commonly used to fish the deeper holes on the stream.
Start by positioning yourself at the head of a likely run or hole and strip out the amount of line that will get your offering through the hole. Hold the stripped-out line in large, loose coils in your stripping hand, with the split shot a couple feet from the rod tip. Bring the rod back slowly to almost a vertical position, letting the split shot swing farther back behind you, then on the quick forward motion “lob” the split shot as it starts its forward movement. You will let go of the line with your stripping hand. I like to form a circle with my thumb and middle finger of my stripping hand creating a “guide” for the shooting line to go through as it is being cast out; this helps to avoid tangles.
Once the rig is in the water simply take up the slack with your stripping hand and follow the drift with your rod tip. You will want enough split shot to just be able to feel the weight ticking the bottom as it drifts along through the pool. When salmon hit a C&D rig there is no worry about feeling the take, they usually take it with a vengeance.
This is the basics of a Chuck & Duck or C&D rig. Is it pretty? No, it is not. Is it “true” fly fishing? No, not really - but is it an effective method for taking a Great Lakes salmon of twenty to thirty pounds in a small stream? You bet it is!
A final note on Salmon:
Salmon fishing is what you make of it. I have seen many conversation/websites get out of hand during the salmon season due to people's opinions of tactics employed and even the fish themselves. As little as twenty years ago it was thought that salmon did not strike a lure/fly at all once they entered a stream, so many people resorted to snagging them. Then about fifteen years ago, the views changed on that and it was proven that salmon will take a properly presented lure/fly/spawn bag while they are in the river. While it is true that they do not “feed” once they enter the river, they will take a fisherman’s offering, whether out of hunger, aggravation, or instinct. It does happen.
If you expect that every salmon hook-up you have is going to be a fish that struck your offering' then salmon fishing is probably not for you. Foul-hooked fish DO happen; it’s just the nature of the game. When you have 20-30 fish in a hole the size of the average front yard you cant help but to line a few fish, but as long as it's unintentional and the fish are released, then its just got to be excepted as something that happens. There are many biters out there, so don’t believe those people that say they are all foul hooked. Put in the time it takes to find the fish, learn what to use and how to present to them and you'll be rewarded with some legal biters. The thing to remember is to just get out there and have fun. Salmon are a wonderful fighting gamefish that will just about tear your arm off if given the chance, so get out there and enjoy them.
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