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Sight Fishing
for
Alaska King Salmon
(chinook salmon)
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Sight Fishing Alaska King Salmon
There is nothing quite like Sight Fishing the mighty King Salmon out of small creeks and streams. Even in Alaska this is not the usual or common way to fish for these mammoths of the north. Typically, the Chinook are found in larger rivers where the angler is reduced to either back-trolling out of a boat or blind casting. While the angler can be successful this way, though not usually producing a high number of hook-ups, it is quite boring, especially for the fly fisherman. We at Lake Marie Lodge are in a very unique area where Sight Fishing is more common than not.
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So let's break down the steps involved and needed to Sight Fish King Salmon. There are really only 3 parts to the mystery for the fly fisherman to solve: 1) Water Conditions, 2) Equipment, and 3) Technique. These really are the pieces to any fishing puzzle that have to be properly fitted together to have a successful fishing trip and adventure.
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The first step is finding water where King Salmon like to hold or are moving through on a regular basis. King Salmon like deep holes or channels with moderate current. A couple of places where these conditions exist are the confluence of where a smaller stream flows into a larger river or upstream on the smaller stream where deeper holds are formed in the bends or a deep channel in a longer, straighter stretch. |
In most cases in Alaska, as most anglers familiar with King Salmon know, these fish move in large rivers. Some actually spawn in these large rivers, but others only use them as a means to reach their spawning grounds – small creeks. Where these two different flows meet they usually create an area of deeper water made by the backing up of the smaller stream as it tries to empty into the larger river.
| Here you will find a meandering deep channel under what appears to be a straight, wide calm bayou like stretch of water. This area is usually about a quarter to half mile in length. |
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What the angler needs to do is fish the meandering channel that runs beneath this stretch of water. Get your fly down deep as the King Salmon hold 12 to 18 inches off of the bottom. Now I am sure that you are saying that this is not Sight Fishing, and you would be correct. From here the fly fisherman needs to head upstream on the small stream.
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This is the beginning of the spawning area for the salmon. The King Salmon arrive bright and fresh in these smaller streams and spread out in the deeper holes as they wait their turn to spawn. All the anglers need to do is make their way upstream and keep an eye out for King Salmon holding in the outer bends or in any hole that is five feet in depth or deeper. These are easy to recognize, as it is really impossible to hide such large fish in such small crystal clear streams.
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There are only a couple of key points that need to be covered when talking about equipment. A rod weight of 9 or 10 is what we suggest, one with a fairly stiff backbone. There are times when an experienced fly fisherman may be able to get by with an 8 weight rod. A word of advice, if the King Salmon makes a run for it downstream and the angler is fishing with a lighter rod, drop the tip of the rod and let the drag system of the reel handle the run, not the rod. King Salmon have been known to break many rods. A good quality rod will help keep the rod from breaking. At Lake Marie Lodge we use St. Croix rods because of their long tradition of quality fishing products.
A reel with a good drag system that matches your rod weight is what is needed to fight these large fish. Ross Reels have many reels that meet these criteria. We use almost exclusively weight forward floating line while sight fishing king salmon out of small streams. However, if you are more comfortable with a sink tip line then by all means use what you are most experienced with. Don’t worry about tapered or extremely small diameter leaders as King Salmon are not leader shy. We suggest a leader strength of somewhere between 15 and 20 pound test and a length of 10 to 12 feet. You may even want to add a stronger shock tippet because King Salmon have very sharp teeth.
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Okay, so as a fly fisherman you now have your equipment ready and have found the mighty King Salmon as they hold in the small stream awaiting their turn to move to the spawning grounds. The next part of the equation is the fly. There are basically only a few flies that we use at Lake Marie Lodge and they are the JW Enticer, the Green-headed Leech, and on occasion to try something a little different the Lake Marie Salmon Popper. For full tying instructions and recipes visit our Fly Pattern Page.
| The reason I like the JW Enticer (shown at right), and the Green-headed Leech is that they are very visible flies. The other key ingredient is the color green. Over the years we have come to the conclusion that green is by far the best color to catch King Salmon. |
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However, don’t get stuck fishing with only one color because they all can work. In fact, we recommend that you have a variety of colors in your fly box because they come in handy when the fish don’t seem to want to bite. The simplest way to entice a strike out of salmon that are being stubborn is to simply change the color of your fly. When you do change your fly color, don’t just change your shade, change the complete color such as green to red, or orange to black. By doing this we have been very successful over the years.
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Now to the fun part, the casting, playing and landing of the mighty King Salmon on a fly rod out of a small creek. First of all and probably most importantly, don’t just walk up to the pool and wade right out into the stream! On an undisturbed hole, King Salmon can be holding in the shallows close to the bank. These fish, when approached properly, are aggressive to the take of the fly so the angler absolutely does not want to spook them. Circle wide and approach the hole and salmon from upstream. Since the fish are facing the current and are very sensitive to movement on the shore be sure to move cautiously. In fact, the first cast should be well before the angler can even see into the hole. Try to place the fly at least 3/4‘s of the way down and right along the edge of the hole where it changes from deep to shallow. This targets both the King Salmon that are holding in the deep water and those that could be holding up in the shallows. Many times the fly fisherman will get a good strike on the very first cast. Remember that the majority of the time salmon won’t turn and follow a fly downstream; they will hit it from the side or follow it upstream and take it from behind. This is why we at Lake Marie Lodge really like streamer flies tied with rabbit (zonker) strips because of the active movement they have in the water when stripped in on the retrieve.
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If a strike wasn’t enticed on the first couple of casts, back away from the stream, then move forward till the King Salmon are visible where they are holding. Once the angler have spotted the fish, the weight of the fly may need changing to meet the depth and flow speed of the current in relation to where the fish are holding (Note: all of our salmon flies are weighted, some heavier than others.). We try not to have to use split shot because you don’t want to do anything that could be detrimental to the integrity of your leader. King Salmon will test the leader enough during the fight. Cast upstream far enough to allow the fly to sink to the depth of the salmon (about 12 to 18 inches off of the bottom) and swing the fly just off of the nose of the targeted King. As it passes by the salmon’s nose, give the line a couple of quick, short strips so that the fly has active movement and pulses directly in the line of vision of the fish. King Salmon are not actively feeding in fresh water so the angler must do everything in his power to entice a strike. A strike may occur on the first cast, or it may take several. Presentation and Patience is the key to Sight Fishing King Salmon!
The King Salmon has taken the fly, now set the hook! King Salmon have very hard mouths and a good hook set is a must. The best way is to use a strip set. Point the tip of the rod at the fish, grab the fly line and give it a good hard yank. There are a couple of reasons for strip setting, one is the aforementioned hard, bony mouths and the second is that many times they will immediately turn and run downstream as soon as the hook is set. If you set the hook with your rod by jerking up on it, the fish can easily break it in its initial run. We use circle hooks quite a lot on our King Salmon flies because they tend to hold much better.
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Another reason that the angler doesn’t want to be wading when Sight Fishing King Salmon comes into play now, if the fish turns and runs down stream the angler must also move down the gravel bar or bank with it. Try to keep to the side of the fish! A King Salmon in current is impossible to horse, but an angler, if properly positioned, can guide the fish or turn it by applying pressure from the side. Drop the rod tip when applying the pressure as this also adds a better angle and keeps more of the fly line in the water. The more line in the water, the more stretch and durability of the leader and less pressure on the knots as the angler fights the King Salmon.
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Try to keep the fish in the hole upon which it was hooked. By staying to the side of the King Salmon the angler should be able to accomplish this by guiding and turning the fish's head. After about 10 to 15 minutes of play, the fly fisherman will have a chance to land the King Salmon. It will rise to the surface and begin to roll, at this time apply more pressure to try and get the head of the fish pointed toward shore or the guides net. If the angler is being assisted by a guide with a net, it is the angler’s responsibility to bring the fish to the net. If the guide does not have a net, then the angler needs to pull the fish into the shallows or slightly up on shore to where the guide can gain control of the fish. Be careful, this is where fish are most likely going to be lost. With all of the leader out of the water, it becomes very easy to break and if the King Salmon is able to turn back around to face toward the water it can, with just one flip of its tail, snap the leader. By chance, if the angler is unable to land the King Salmon at this point, the fish will try to head to the deepest part of the hole and put its nose on the bottom. The fly fisherman must keep the fish moving, do not let it rest, it will probably put up about another 15 to 20 minutes of a fight before there is another chance of landing it.
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Once landed, if the angler is practicing catch and release, do not remove the fish from the water! However, this does not mean that the angler cannot pose with the prized catch for a photo opportunity.
| Have the cameraman get ready first, this means already in focus and framed, and while kneeling down to the fish grasp the base of the tail with one hand and place the other hand just behind the pectoral fins and lift the fish just to the top of the water, not out of the water.
These are really nice looking photos as they show the fish very well and also show the fly rod and stream from which it was caught.
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We hope that this information is very helpful and that sometime in the future that it comes in handy. If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to email us and we will promptly get back to you with an answer. For further information about Sight Fishing King Salmon or Surface Fishing Silver Salmon or on Lake Marie Lodge in general drop us an email or give us a call and we will send you a CD that has videos and slide shows on these topics. If you are planning a trip to Lake Marie Lodge for Sight Fishing King Salmon, the best time to schedule your trip is from the middle of June to the middle of July. Remember, we are a small lodge and book up fast so don’t procrastinate or you may have to wait till next year to come up and try it. We do accept reservations a year in advance with just a nominal deposit required.
Lake Marie Lodge
P. O. Box 210429
Anchorage AK, 99521-0429
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Message Phone:
(907) 333-3477
Lodge: (907) 733-7743
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Images, Format, and Content: Copyright 1997-2004, Lake Marie Lodge
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