by James Brauch, January 31, 2005

There are five rules of fishing which most successful fishers follow, even if they are unaware they are following them. Fishing a river for salmon, steelhead and trout require an understanding of these rules and how they relate to rivers.

FISH WHERE THE FISH ARE, NOT WHERE THEY AIN’T: In a river, this rule has more than one part. You must know at what times of the year the fish will be in the river and you must know in what parts of the river each species will be. For example, it would be foolish to fish a local river for sea-run cutthroat trout in June. The rivers are open then (June 1) but the sea-run cutthroat do not start to move up the river until August or September (they are called "harvest trout" for this reason). The task is to find out when your targeted fish species enters the river system and then determine where in the river they tend to hold. The following is a partial list of fish species found in the river and most productive waters to locate them:

Steelhead. Winter hatchery fish enter the system generally from late October into January or February (with the majority of the fish in December and early January) for their spawning in late February or March. The native run comes in starting about the same time but the majority seem to come in late February and March. Summer steelhead start coming as early as March or May with no real major run. The season opens June 1 and there are Summer Steelhead available at that time. I feel it peaks in September and October just in time for the start of the winter fish. These fish stay in the river system all summer and winter, spawning in February with the Winter Steelhead (I don’t know how they tell each other apart). Steelhead tend to hold in 3-6 feet of water, at the head of holes or the tail-outs, in front of or behind large rocks and on specific travel routes. They will go to deeper water to hide during sunny weather, low water or when disturbed but hang on the edges of this deeper water. They prefer to have foam or swirling current over their head or some other cover to protect them from above.

Chinook Salmon. Spring Chinook enter the local river systems in May and June into July with the majority of the fish in June to July (the Columbia River fish enter sooner due to the distance they must travel). Fall Chinook enter the system in September and October. They tend to prefer the bottom of deep pools where they challenge each other on a constant basis for the females. They spawn in the larger gravel in shallower water and you can often observe them fighting over the nests. Take a drive to the Wenatchee River in October for this show.

Humpies or Pinks. These salmon enter the system in late August into September and early October in massive numbers. They are an odd year fish (1999, 2001, 2003, etc.) but there is a growing population of even year Pinks in the local rivers which are protected at this time. Pinks cover the entire strata of the river high and low and let you know when and where they are in the river. Concentrate in the deeper water but expect them anywhere in the river.

Coho or Silvers. Coho enter the river system around September into October and November with the peak in late September and October. There are Coho present in the river well into November and early December on some years. They prefer deeper water and will occupy top to bottom but the majority of the biters I find closer to the bottom.

Chum or Dog Salmon. One of the more prolific and fun fish to catch, the Chum salmon may the "dog" of salmon but they can be lots of fun. They enter the system from October into December with the majority in November and early December. Chum salmon are found in the 2-5 foot water close to the shore and are often missed by fishers who tend to stand where the fish are and cast over them. Watch closely and you will see Chum Salmon rising behind and among the fishers, totally ignored.

Sea-run Cutthroat trout. These trout make their spawning run in August or September ("when the red ants fly") and will be found in traditional trout water at the seams, riffles, in front of and behind rocks, in front of and behind salmon schools and in the "soft" water. They try to avoid the large salmon schools for self preservation-salmon attack them!

Match the hatch: Most anadramous fish do not feed once they enter the fresh water system so matching the hatch becomes a bit more difficult than in most other types of fishing. If the fish has no interest in eating, how can bait possibly induce them to strike? Fortunately, baits and other lures do work and they work well once you discover the secrets of how to use them. You have two things in your favor when trying to induce a strike. First of all, these fish have been feeding almost constantly since they emerged from the egg and now, years later, they will still pick up food if only out of habit or curiosity. They have no arms so the only way they can pick up anything is with their mouth-set the hook! Secondly, often these fish are very aggressive and will attack some lures or items which invade their territory either because they perceive it as a threat or are just having a bad scale day. They can only attack with their mouth-set the hook! Following are methods I have found to induce a strike, there are many more and examples will be shown in the class.

Steelhead. Summer Steelhead will actively feed at times and will take eggs or bait

for food value. Try sand shrimp, small cluster eggs, worms, and artificials of these items along with small corkies. They will also take spoons, spinners and plugs. Winter Steelhead do not actively feed but will take the above items in larger sizes. The major difference will be how they will be taken. Food items will be mouthed and spit out with a subtle motion missed by many people. The "take" is seldom hard with Winter Steelhead and can be confused with the weight tapping on the bottom. Spoons, spinners and plugs will be taken with gusto. I have seen fish travel across a river to take a spoon or a spinner but bait has to hit them on the nose to get their attention.

Chinook. Chinook will take the same items as Steelhead but the offering should be larger such as quarter size egg clusters versus dime size for Steelhead and larger corkies. Remember, Chinook will average in the teens with some into the 40 plus pound bracket. You must give them larger offerings to entice a strike. Chinook also tend towards larger spoons, spinners and plugs.

Humpies. Think pink for Humpies but don’t get hung up on that color since they also take greens and other colors at times. Humpies will take pink corkies with pink yarn and a small pink sand shrimp with gusto-or they will ignore everything you try and splash all around you. Try a small pink squid over a ¼ oz or larger lead head jig but use a trout rod since the strike will be on the fall and will be very light-you must set the hook immediately or you will lose the fish. Pink spoons will often get strikes as well as pink buzz bombs but be careful you do not snag the fish with a buzz bomb. The Dick Nite spoon has emerged as a real contender for Humpies recently, in the smaller sizes. Try half and half or the pink or green patterns. One of my favorite things to do is fish for Humpies with small pink or green flies. Look for the fish at the head of the holes ready to make a run up river, these are more likely to take a fly.

Coho. Coho in the Snohomish River system are notorious non-biters. You can induce the bite if you put your time in and are willing to try different things. They will take bait, they will take spinners (try a #3 Blue Fox in silver or chartreuse or a Mepps brass or silver), spoons and plugs. The best lure in the last ten years has been the Dick Nite spoon in half and half, green, chartreuse, brass and silver. Use the smallest you have and hang on. Jigging buzz bombs are very effective but you must not snag the fish. They will take it on the down fall, not on the up pull.

Chum. Chum Salmon will willingly take small green flies, small green Dick Nite spoons and small green corkies with a bit of shrimp or egg. Use anise scent (smells like licorice) on all you use and stand by for the fight of your life. These fish are the most willing biters and run like a freight train. Ugly fish and not top table fair but what a show they put on. They will also take spinners and spoons but keep on the green side. Note: I refer to small , not large presentations use this as your guide to catching Chum Salmon. They also will take a large plug.

Sea-run Cutthroat. These fish will willingly take bait in the river and often will be caught accidentally while fishing for other species. Your salmon gear will overpower these smaller fish so if you are targeting them, take lighter gear and fish where they are found, then if you accidentally hook that 30 pound Chinook you’ve always wanted to catch, you will have a heck of a story to tell when you get home about the one that got away.

If what you are using is not working then change what you are using. (If someone else is catching fish, find out what they are using.)

I will not go into great detail on this rule except you must change your gear if you are not getting strikes. Go smaller if you are using large or go larger if you are using small, especially in response to low clear or high colored water. Use a different size leader, e.g., go lighter if the water is low, a different color lure or corky, try a spinner or spoon if you where using bait. I could go on and on and I have many stories of a spoon or spinner catching a fish in the same hole I just went through with bait. One of the biggest mistakes by those of us who fish is to depend upon that "old reliable" that worked last week, yesterday or even just a short time ago. Fish constantly change their preference based upon unknown factors none of use can understand. Adjust to those changes and you will be a much more successful fisher. If you fail to change, you will often be disappointed! At the same time, watch carefully if someone is catching fish and copy what he is using if you have it. I have had people actually give me what they are using but this is the exception. Even if he is trying to hide his successful gear, you will see what it is if you watch closely.

It’s persistence not patience that catches fish.

This rule is similar to, yet totally different from, rule number three. Persistence means not only changing you presentation method and gear but also casting to different parts of the river, changing locations, maybe even changing rivers. A difference of just a few feet (some say inches) of your presentation may induce a strike. Especially with bait, your presentation must almost hit the fish on the nose to get it to strike. Fish a different part of the particular hole you are concentrating on so your presentation acts just a little bit differently or covers a slightly different part of the water. Experienced people will allow line to come off the spool so their bait "walks" down the middle of the drift (this is called "long lining"). There are a variety of things you can do to differ your presentation other than change lures or baits and one of them may be the key to catching a fish. Watch those who are catching fish and see if they are doing something different, then mimic it. Sometimes the difference may be extremely subtle such as shorter or lighter leader, look for it and copy it-there is no honor in fishing.

Keep it all in perspective.

I love fishing a river more than any other type of fishing! I like the challenge of reading the water, guessing where the fish is and how to present to the fish and then successfully catching that fish. I love the ambiance of the river with its constant changing, its wildlife and its motion. Fishing a river is a joy in itself and catching a fish is a bonus. Keep that attitude and you will always enjoy, like me, the beauty and delight in river fishing. On the other hand, I love catching fish also! I fish to catch fish, I can admire the river much more if it has been good to me but don’t let not catching fish spoil your day. This is the most challenging type of fishing and the most enjoyable-have a great day!