PLAYING & LANDING FISH

So the salmon is on, you see the bite, what the hell do you do now? Here I will talk about how you go from getting a hit from a salmon on your line, to having it in the boat. Organization and quickness are key here. You don't have alot of time and there are certain things that must be done to land the fish. This is an area where fishing buddies also make life much easier!

SEEING FISH HIT

How does a fish hit look like? You can tell from the rod primarily, as long as your line is taught, and will develop a keen eye for it as your experience goes on. You will see one of three things, as I always told my guests.

Firstly you may see the rod start twitching and jerking as if someone is pulling on the downrigger cable. This usually means that the fish is not off the downrigger and, as we already mentioned, you will have to quickly reel in the slack and pull the line off the downrigger and set the hook.

Secondly, you may see the rod go completely slack. This means the fish has pulled the line free of the release clip and is swimming towards the boat. Quickly grab the line and begin reeling in as fast as you can to set the hook and keep tension on the line.

Thirdly, you will see the reel begin unwinding like crazy and the fish taking off...enough said. A quick hook set might be helpful but just let it go.

HOOKSET

As mentioned, sometimes a hookset is more vital than others. The most important is when you see the line twitching from a fish nibbling on the end. In fact 9 / 10 salmon that follow your line will not actually bite it. I believe this statistic was determined by Charlie White in his underwater camera series. He noted that many salmon will follow your bait around and around and then turn away. The difference is sometimes they go for it or if the bait starts disappearing, as we mentioned in the Downriggers section. This means that if you pull up your lines and there was a salmon following it many times the fish will hit. Setting the hook just requires reeling in any tension is a split second, if needed at all, and giving the line a moderate, not insane, yank, to ensure the hooks have penetrated into the salmon’s mouth.

Hooksets for Different Salmon

A big spring will require a decent yank to make sure those hooks dig in to those rough gums of his. If you are in a school of pinks or sockeyes, not nearly is the case. These fish have very soft mouths and a big yank will yank the hook right out of the fish’s mouth. Only enough to ensure that the salmon is hooked on. Point being, Springs, toughest mouth, Cohos moderately tough mouth but not as much, Chums, Pinks and Sockeyes soft mouths.

SHARP HOOKS

Setting the hook is essentially making sure that the sharp hook has not just slightly stabbed the fishes mouth but has penetrated in there as far as possible. Sharp hooks are what ensures this. Hooks should be so sharp that they ‘stick’ to your nails, as a test. Note that hooks rarely come sharp from the factory, sharpen them yourself. I sharpen every hook I am about to put in the water!

LOSING SALMON AT THE START

As I always tell my customers, almost every time a fish is lost is either right at the start of right at the end. The reason for losing them right at the start is due to the hookset not being done properly or the hooks not staying in right. The answer to prevent this is being quick on the rods and properly setting the hook, with sharp hooks in the first place!

TYPES OF HOOKS

There are single and treble hooks around. Single hooks generally tend to hold the salmon better while treble hooks generally sting or hook salmon better. This being said, if for example you have a Coyote Spoon down, (which has a large single hook), a good hookset is only going to make sure the fish won’t get off. If you are fishing with a treble hook only, a big hookset might actually dislodge the hook, so be careful. This is why every guide I know, including myself, uses a single / treble hook system for rigging bait.

PLAYING THE FISH

Once the fish starts to run, after the hookset, make sure the drag is set properly, (loose enough so the salmon can run), and place your palm under the reel to act as a brake, making it harder for the salmon to take out line. Make sure you keep that rod tip up, keeping the tension the entire time. (the barbless hooks, in use by law, will come out if the tension is not kept). Let the fish run against the rod and your palm.

Once it is getting tired, begin reeling the fish in, keeping the rod tip up. Do not ‘haul’ in the fish. Hauling is whereby you pull back the rod, reel in the slack, and repeat this over and over again, as if you were pulling in a log. This will only cause you to give the fish slack and therefore lose fish. All you need to do is reel steadily in, as quickly as feasible, and keep that rod carrying the tension. If the salmon wants to run again, you will see it in the rod, by the rod growing more curved, meaning the salmon is tugging.

Throughout the fight look to the rod to judge how to play the salmon. The rod should have a decent curve to it. Too little a bend means reel faster, too much means slow down or let it run.

In some cases the fish will run at you. I had a Coho off Port Renfrew this fall that swam right at the boat the entire time and basically right into the net. This involves you reeling as fast as robotically possible to try and keep up with the fish, keeping the tension. It’s not easy!

LANDING THE FISH

When you have tired out the fish, it isn’t running as much anymore, have all the gear out of the water, including downriggers, the thought of a net might come to mind. When ready, keep slowly winding the fish in towards the boat. Try and guide it headfirst to where you want it, but do not ‘horse’ it in. (force the fish or tug it against it’s will). Also try and keep it away from the rear of the boat and try to prevent it from going under the boat. Reel the fish right up to the side of the boat, headfirst, to the net, which will at the last second swoop down and net the salmon.

Keeping the Flasher Above Water A point being about when the salmon nears the boat, is to try and keep the flasher out of the water. This will eliminate the chance for slack line between the fish and the flasher if the fish keeps swimming different directions. Keeping the flasher above the water as much as possible will allow you to have a more direct tension between you and the fish, and less of a chance it will get off.

However do not do this if the fish wants to run, if it wants to run, keep the tension and let it go.

Salmon Swims Under the Boat

Try not to let the salmon swim under the boat if possible. However if it does, put your rod down under the water past the bottom of the boat. This prevents the line from fraying against the boat’s hull. Keep the line free from touching the boat, engine included. Fraying could mean snapping.

Downriggers Not Up

If your downriggers are not up, keep the salmon away from the cables, or other lines in the water, at all costs! It is better to risk breaking the fish off by horsing it and causing too much tension, than to let the fish swim circles around the downrigger cable, thus fraying the line and also losing any tension you may have had on the line. If the fish tangles in the downriggers, moving your rod around with the fish is ideal, but in general, make any attempt to net it that you can, as the odds are that salmon is getting away.

LOSING SALMON AT THE END

As previously mentioned, one of the times when many salmon are lost is at the end of the fight. This is due usually to the temptation of just ‘pulling the salmon’ into the net. It’s so close! It’s almost in the net. If it wants to run, let it go. You are more likely to lose a salmon by horsing it into the net against its will than to let it take another 5 minute run.

NETTING

When the time does finally come for the net to be out, grab the net, with one hand make sure the actual netting is held tightly in so as not to let the netting touch the water and scare the fish. The net should come to the fish as a complete surprise. Finally, when the salmon is right there, swoop the net quickly in, and net the salmon headfirst, always headfirst. Once this is done, turn the net over so the salmon cannot swim out and lift it into the boat.

The first thing you should do once the fish is netted, if not done so already, is identify the fish and make sure you can keep it. For example if it’s Coho season and you see an adipose fin, (meaning it is not a hatchery), in most places, that means put it back. As always, this area just means check the regulations and know how to identify salmon.

Releasing Fish

If you land a fish and do realize it has to go back, for example Wild Coho, Sockeye or perhaps Steelhead, do so carefully. Minimize scale loss by not keeping it in the net for long, (or at all if possible). Quickly remove the hook, if possible in the water over the boat, pictures are always nice, and then place the fish back in the water holding its tail and neck, carefully. Revive it by allowing water to flow through its gills while holding it. If you let a fish go that is not revived, the local eagle might hold it for you!

Once it is ready let it go and enjoy the experience it just gave you for what it was!

SEEING OTHERS ANGLERS WITH FISH

If you see another angler with a fish on, start turning away, immediately! You do not know how deep the fish is, where it is running, or even where it is. I have seen many fish lost, including some of my own, due to other boats not giving enough room to those playing fish. The temptation is to go and watch and then ask how deep they caught it, what on, etc. Do this later. Do not be one of those idiots on the water who is in the way!