If you wish to consistently catch difficult salmon and trout, you'll need to perfect and master every aspect of your angling game.
Story last updated at 2/24/2010 - 1:25 pm
Defining what makes a salmon or trout difficult to catch isn't as easy as it sounds. For example, a vast majority of fly-fishers feel that the bigger the fish are, the more difficult they are to catch. But this isn't entirely true, as many times big fish are some of the easiest to grab and it's the smaller fish that can frustrate even a well-seasoned fly rodder. So what does it take then to successfully catch those difficult salmon or trout in our local waters? In short, salmon and trout that are difficult to catch are most often caught by design, rather than simply by luck. And if you, as a fly-fisher, wish to enjoy this upper level of fly-fishing-consistently catching difficult salmon and trout-you'll need to perfect and master every aspect of your angling game. Here are a few tips to get you started.
To catch difficult salmon and trout by design simply means that you must have the appropriate tackle and gear that matches the conditions, the necessary skills to apply your tackle and gear, general knowledge of the species you are targeting and an intimate understanding of the water you are fishing. Together, these components are your roadmap to catching difficult and challenging sport fish-here in Southeast Alaska, salmon and trout. I break down difficult-to-catch fish and salmon and trout into two major groups: selective grabbers based on species and those situated in difficult, challenging lies.
As sport fishers, we know some species of salmon are fonder of fly offerings than others. With little debate, pink salmon raise the bar when ranking all of our local salmon in terms of their overall "grabability" or willingness to intercept a passing fly. Pinks have an innate affinity to grab virtually any fly that is moderate in size and pink in color regardless of whether the fly is dead drifted, stripped or twitched, or fished on a swing, or even skated on the surface. Pink salmon simply love to eat flies, and I rank them first in the scale of grabability. Next in this list come the silver salmon. Silvers also love to grab flies and at times they can be just as grabby as pinks. On the other hand, there are occasions when silvers can become extremely obstinate and very tight-lipped. This usually occurs when they are ripe and mature or when tightly schooled in low clear water. I rank king salmon next. In spite of their robust size, kings can be very grabby especially when fresh. Closing out this list of salmon are chum and finally the most difficult are the sockeye. As I mentioned above, a general knowledge of your target species is critical to designing your angling plan.
Catching salmon and trout found in difficult lies is almost always a question of presentation-how you approach the fish, where you make your cast from and what tackle you should select. Most fly anglers are well aware of a fish's vision, and the effects of water depth, and adjust their approach, either upstream or downstream to compensate for this in order to prevent spooking the fish. Generally speaking, difficult, challenging lies are those areas that present physical obstacles to the angler, and in particular, the drift. Some of the most common obstacles include the following: trees which might inhibit your back cast, a submerged tree, branch or root ball that provides a current break or depression for holding fish, swift pockets with stratified currents and deep slow flowing pools. The key to handling difficult lies is to adjust your casting position to accommodate your presentation. Casting position is almost as important as the cast itself when targeting difficult fish in challenging holding lies.
Fly-fishing offers many challenges and personal rewards. It's a sport that has no rules, only laws and ethics. And beyond this, a fly fisher's only true constraints are those that are mostly self-imposed. As you spend more time on the water, sooner or later, things will come together and much to your surprise, you'll find yourself hooking that fish that you thought you'd never get to grab. And you'll land it too!
Good luck and tight lines!
Rich Culver is a fly-fishing freelance writer and photographer and member of the Scott Fly Rod Company's Pro Staff. He can be reached at flywater@alaska.net.
