Atlantic Salmon FAQ - salmon lies, hooking and playing

Contributed by Bob Boudreau (copyright)

Salmon Lies

Identifying salmon lies is a process of recognizing the various types of water in a river and understanding the prioritized needs of a salmon. (Also see H. Kanemoto's FAQ on Reading the Water and Finding Trout) There are five major types of water in a river system:

rapids - deep, fast and rough water.
riffles - a shallower (3-4 ft.) form of rapids characterized by broken water over a bottom of smaller stones.
runs - flowing water that has a relatively smooth surface with deeper water than a riffle, (4-6 ft).
pools - deep, slower moving water with large boulders on the bottom (6 ft. +).
flats - usually wide sections of the river with a relatively constant depth of 2-4 ft., unbroken surface and slow current. The bottom is usually flat.

The driving force behind a salmon's migration to fresh water is reproduction. The beginning of the spawning cycle is determined primarily by water temperatures and when the critical temperatures are reached the salmon will be found on their spawning beds or redds. Spawning usually takes place in October or November. The beds are in the shallower waters at the back end of pools and runs, at the head of a riffles or in the smaller tributaries off the main river. They characterized by clean, flowing, oxygen rich water with a silt free, gravel bottom.

Although salmon do not have food needs when in fresh water, they require the comfort of proper water temperature and oxygen content, the safety provided by access to deeper water and shelter from strong current flows which allows them to hold their position in the river while expending minimum energy. These needs are met in the runs and pools commonly found in all salmon rivers under normal water conditions. Until such time as the correct spawning temperatures are reached, the salmon make their way up river at various speeds and will lay up or hold in runs and pools throughout the river.

Salmon lies will change with water conditions as do trout lies however trout lies and salmon lies are different. As mentioned previously, salmon do not feed when they enter fresh water and lies are not based on access to food but relate more to comfort, safety and shelter requirements. Look for breaks in water flow, depressions in the river bottom, large rocks where salmon can hold without expending much energy. Salmon like to have access to deep water and this combination with the above results in preferred lies. Pools and runs meet these requirements.

General Observations

Salmon will often lie in the tails of pools where the water seems to lift up and gain speed.
Salmon will also lie where the water slows down and flattens out after running into a pool from rapids or riffles.
junction pools or any pool where a tributary enters the main river is a likely location for salmon to hold.
Salmon are moving upstream, unless water is extremely low, and in the normal course there is a certain turnover of fish in a pool as salmon move in and out.
A rising river provides good fishing before the water turns muddy. When river banks are full however, the salmon take advantage and move upstream rapidly often ignoring or not seeing the flies presented to them. Salmon begin to take again when the water begins to drop and they start to hold in the pools and runs.
Although salmon will take a fly better in shallow to moderate water (2-8 ft.) versus deep pools (10 ft. +), they become more difficult to catch each passing day if they are not moving up river due to low water conditions.
When the water is extremely warm, salmon seek out cool, oxygenated water near springs or streams pouring into the main river and can sometimes be seen in large numbers with their backs out of the water and their noses pointed into a side stream.
Salmon will move up into the head of a run or pool in the evening either for oxygen or as a staging maneuver before continuing migration upriver.
Salmon will sometimes face downstream in a large, deep, back eddy and can be fished successfully with adjustments to casting technique so the fly is presented broadside in front of the salmon.

Wading

Most salmon rivers require the angler to wade to reach certain pools or to position oneself to make the proper fly presentation. Chest waders are recommended for larger rivers. Wading in large rivers can be dangerous especially under high water conditions unless caution is practiced.

Wade at a 45 degree angle down river when you are trying to cross.
Carry a wading staff with you to assist in crossing strong currents.
Two people can lock arms or put the arms over each other's shoulders and cross together, with one person on the up river side and the other on the down river side.
Many rivers have slippery bottoms and some are almost impossible to maintain your footing. Felt soles are highly recommended and for very slippery rivers, felt soles with metal studs should be used.
There are divergent opinions on the use of wading belts. The majority however believe that the use of a wading belt can be beneficial should you fall in.
Do not attempt to wade in extreme run-off or spate conditions.
Be careful when wading deep, and proceeding down river while casting through a pool. It is easy to move down river with the current in deep water. Should you find that you can't wade any further because the water is too deep and you realize that you cannot turn to shore because of a drop off, it is extremely difficult to make your way back up river into the current without you feet going out from under you. If you find yourself in this position, walk slowly backwards first until you are at a depth where you can turn around safely.
If you find yourself in the river, try to lay on your back and point your legs down river. This will allow you to try and avoid any rocks or other obstacles that you may encounter.
If you are not familiar with a river, it is helpful to ask local anglers the best areas to cross the river when trying to get to certain pools. It is suggested that on a warm day with warm water, (or in a swimming pool), get in the water over your waders and try to move around. This should only be attempted in a safe area with assistance or supervision. The object is to experience the sensation under controlled conditions hopefully avoiding a panic reaction should you fall in accidentally.

(Also see G. Cox FAQ on Wading Safety Tips.)

Raising a Salmon

Should you raise a fish on a cast but you do not hook him or "feel" him, then you should:

follow up with the same presentation
try the same presentation with a shorter line
lengthen your cast
try a slower or a faster presentation
tie on a smaller fly and make the same presentation
tie on a larger fly
rest the fish for a few minutes
go back to the original pattern and presentation
change positions if possible to give the salmon a different look (angle) at the fly.

Common wisdom suggests that a hooked fish (you can feel the weight of the fish), which immediately gets off will not promptly take another fly. (Sometimes called "burning" a fish.)

Playing a Salmon

Salmon will generally move to take a wet fly and then turn and go back to their lie. Once the weight of the fish is felt the rod is lifted to set the hook. Salmon will rise to a dry fly vigorously if they are taking and not just looking. A common mistake is to pull back on the rod too early and take the fly out of the salmon's mouth.

Once a salmon has risen and taken the dry fly, you should hesitate until the salmon has turned with the fly before setting the hook. If you wait too long however the salmon will spit out the hook. Do not move your rod until you feel the pull of the fish. This can be difficult to do at first for fishermen with previous trout experience. Proper timing comes with practice. Grilse seem to take a dry fly quicker and do not require as long a hesitation before setting the hook.

Once hooked, a salmon will make an initial run. During this run, any slack line should be fed through the guides carefully to avoid knots. Loose line should be recovered as soon as possible either by feeding out line to a running fish or reeling in slack line if the fish is stationary or moving towards you. You should always try to maintain some amount of pressure on the fish but do not try to hold a fish tight on the surface just after hooking him. Give him some scope to move back to his lie or deeper water. Keep your rod tip high to allow the tip to act as a shock absorber, avoid snags and to be able to quickly drop the rod tip to reduce tension on the line. Try to position yourself opposite or even slightly down river from the fish while playing him.

During head shaking, reduce the line pressure. When the salmon jumps, drop your rod ("bowing to the fish"), to release pressure on the line. Many salmon are lost during a jump when the pressure is not relaxed. The salmon can fall on the line and break the leader or pull the hook out. It is suggested that nearly 50% of all salmon hooked are lost.

Play a salmon as aggressively as possible so as not to exhaust it unnecessarily if the fish is to be released. Keep maximum pressure on the fish and do not let him rest. Apply sideways pressure to keep the fish moving and off balance. Should a large fish, that is going to be released, take an extremely long period to land then put excessive pressure on the line to break off the fly rather than injure the salmon due to exhaustion. This can be done by pointing your rod tip directly at the fish, taking the line in your hand and giving a sharp tug. This will break the tippet, releasing the salmon.

Landing a Salmon

A salmon may be landed by using a net or by hand tailing. Gaffs or tailers are not permitted anywhere in North America, (except Quebec where tailers are permitted). The mesh of the net should be made of cotton and not nylon. Nylon can do more damage to the scales, protective membrane and eyes of the salmon. The net should be large and sturdy. Although there are many schools of thought, the generally accepted method to land a salmon in a net is to net the fish from below by putting the net 2-3 ft. under the surface and having the angler back the fish into the net then lifting. Some angles put a rock in the bottom of the net to keep the mesh down.

Hand tailing a salmon can be quite exciting and, if done properly, may cause the salmon less harm if he is to be released. The object is to bring the salmon under control and to grasp the tail, (sometimes referred to as the wrist), of the fish just in front of the caudal (tail) fin and behind the adipose and anal fin. You must be careful to use enough pressure so that the fish does not escape but not too much pressure that might cause injury to the tail muscles. Hand tailing a grilse is particularly difficult because the tail is smaller and subsequently there is less to hold on to. When grasping the tail of a grilse use the thumb and index finger or thumb and first two fingers. Some anglers use a cotton glove on their hand when tailing a fish.

Hand tailing can be difficult and proper technique comes from watching others and practice. A salmon can be broken off or injured if the technique is not executed properly. If you are playing a fish that will be released and you are not comfortable with the technique, ask someone for assistance and let them tail the salmon rather than playing the fish to exhaustion.

A salmon that will be released should not be beached, dropped, held by the gills, played into rocks, held up by the tail or taken out of the water for extended periods of time.

Contributed by Dave Liverman and many others..
Any corrections, questions or comments to Dave Liverman