Drift fishing help

[Dotafishing]

So a couple days ago i heard that the Green/puyallup rivers were stocked with salmon so I thought maybe id give it a try. I got to the river about 10 in the morning and fished until about 3 p.m. with not one bite. I was using 2 bullet weights, 4 foot lead line, yellow/pink corkies, and different colored yarn. I also tried using some spinners. Its got really frustrating because I am a really good bass fisher. This was also pthe first time i have EVER fished on a river=s. If anyone can give me some pointers on what i was doing wrong it would be much appreciated. I also don't know the best way to tie a yarn knot.

Thanks,
Dakota

[Amx]

With river fishing it is very important to know WHERE to fish along the river, as well as WHERE to fish out in the current stream/in spots out in the river. I don't river fish except for Bass on the Columbia and Snake, but look for boulders that break the current and slack pools. Salmon and steelhead fishermen will have to tell you the rest to do.

[kingfisher101]

Well yes green and puyallup are full of fish the way i drift fish isone snap swivelwith some lead on it i usesly use like 1/2 ounce attached to the snap part of the swivel on the front eye goes your mainline better have some strong knots then on the bottom eye goes your leader for clear water like the green i use about 6 to 7 ft of leader on the puyallup which is all brown you can use like 3 to 7 ft of leader because the fish wont be spooked with they see your weight or swivels.so corky and yarn the best colors are pink orange green chartreuse black and any other color your corky should be like size 10 or 12 what i do to keep the corky sitting still is jam a toothpick in there and break it off and for yarn i use an eggloop knot and just slide it on there. My best combo colors that worked best for me and any river is probably

Pink corky pink yarn
Orange corky pink yarn
Pink corky orange yarn
chartreuse yarn and green corky

all those work dont be afraid to try something new.

P.s add some shrimp scent to your yarn it will give you more chances and type will work as example smelly jelly ,shrimp oil,shrimp spray.all those work.

Good luck!

[flinginpooh]

Ill shoot ya a pm.

[Dotafishing]

Thank you all so much for helping! all other information is also helpful aswell

Thanks again,
Dakota

[kzoo]

I've been a bass fisherman most of my life, I started river fishing when I moved to the Seattle Area. Different type of fishing, but very exciting, especially the winter steelhead fishing.

Anyways, check out what Gringo has to say about twitching jigs in the Duwamish/Green. Good Luck.

http://washingtonlakes.com/forum/yaf_po ... pinks.aspx

[Matt]

Instead of using an inline sinker such as a bullet weight or egg weight you want to use something with a bit of drop to it, either a Slinky style weight (beads sealed in a little nylon bag), a pencil lead, or a cannonball weight off of a dropper. The idea is to keep your bait NEAR the bottom not IN the bottom. The strike zone when drift fishing is in most cases the lower 2 feet of the water column and depending upon species this can vary greatly.

In this image you can see the pencil lead on the left, and the slinky on the right.



Illustrated below is how to rig a dropper setup, most commonly used when fishing Dick Nites, although can be used for any type of drift fishing.



Both of these setups will allow your presentation to be a few inches up out of the rocks, and depending upon how you rig them they will break away leaving your swivel and leader if you get hung up on bottom. You can use surgical tubing as they do in the photo to secure the lead, or do as I do and just punch a hole right through the led and clip it to the snap swivel. Use one end of the barrel portion of the swivel to attach your mainline, and the other end to attach your leader so that the snap hangs down and swings freely in the middle with the attached lead.

The bite when drift fishing can also vary greatly, it is quite likely you are getting bit, but not detecting the strike. When using just a corky and yarn, the bite is often very subtle and may feel like no more than a trout or whitefish pecking at the offering, as a bass fisherman, I am sure you are familiar with identifying the difference between a fishes touch and the bottom, weeds, or a snag. This skill of identifying and classifying bottom inputs vs fish strikes is imperative when drifting as you likely only have a single second (or less) to react to a quick strike before the fish spits your offering.

If you drift with bait such as shrimp, or eggs, the bite is often more noticeable, but not always! Also, when using bait, the fish tend to hold onto the bait much longer, giving you ample time to react. Also, fishing with lures on drift gear such as a dick nite may provide more noticeable strikes, although again they can be quite subtle and often times you will feel your gear STOP drifting rather than any strike, if it stops at any point in the drift SET THE HOOK, its fish on time!

Important aspects of drift fishing:

1) Keep your presentation in contact with the bottom, that's where the strike zone is. You should FEEL your lead "ticking" along bottom every 2-5 seconds. If it is DRAGGING along the bottom continuously you are using too much weight.

2) Don't cast too far upstream, its a recipe for a snag, and you will never feel a strike. Cast to appx 11 o' clock, and allow the gear to swing naturally through the drift.

3) Don't "high stick" your offering. Keep your line at a 45* angle where it enters the water. Less than 45* is ok, but once you start approaching 90* you're high stickin' em. The rod angle is personal preference, just don't hold it straight up in the air.

4) Follow your gear through the drift, don't just stick your rod out there. Cast, mend out the excess line from your cast by either lifting the rod tip, reeling in slightly, or a combination of both. Now follow through on your cast and point directly at your gear. As the gear drifts downstream, follow the line keeping your rod tip lined up with the offering, this way, you will be able to detect to extra subtle strikes, and it is CLEAR if the gear STOPS moving through the drift. Asside from mending your line at the very beginning of the drift you should NOT be reeling during your drift (with the exception of the use of Dick Nites in which case you want to reel SLOWLY as the gear passes in front of you, then stop reeling and allow it to drift naturally from 2 o' clock to the end of the drift).

5) Most of your bites will come at the very end of the drift so don't reel up too soon! Wait for it to go all the way down, and even consider freespooling and paying out a little line at the very end, this often times pays of in numbers! Make sure to cast in a way that your gear gets to the point you think is holding fish at the END of the drift, don't cast to where you think the fish ARE. Let your gear drift naturally INTO the strike zone, do not bomb the fish! You will only be spooking the fish, and frustrating yourself and those around you.

Drift fishing is an art form, and not for everyone. There are TONS of other techniques that are as effective, or more effective in different circumstances. Don't expect to learn overnight, but with patience and persistence it will come to you. The ability to read water and identify where fish will travel/hold is imperative in all aspects of river fishing, learning this skill takes time, but will increase your catch 10 fold.

Good luck.

[flinginpooh]

Never free spool it at the end of your drift fishig for pinks on the river. People below you are gonna get your line. Tempers will flair when it happens over and over. I did send you a pm. If you can meet me at the puyallup I can show ya what Im using how to rig it and show ya fish being caught. I cant promise you fish but I can show ya what I do and it will be on you to hook em. I dont offer this to everyone. Let me know if you want to take me up on it. Actually showing you is better then just reading about it.

[jens]

Do you think anglers who are new to drift fishing, should use a long leader or short leader?

[Matt]

Well, obviously freespooling is a discretionary call. In a combat zone its a no go, but I am spoiled fishing out of a sled all the time, haha.

[EAmon___hoffman123]

I found out that using a slinky(the black bag in matt's pic) is harder to change it and get the weight right. When you are using pencil led you can change until it start's bouncing of the bottom.

[Matt]

The biggest deciding factors for whether I go with a pencil lead or slinky are bottom substrate and depth. In deeper slots, go with the lead, it is denser and sinks more quickly. In shallower gravel runs go with the slinky, they flow naturally in the current, and tick the bottom more gently than solid lead.

[chefjake99]

I agree with you Matt. I also like to attach the slinky to a snap swivel and then run the eye of the snap swivel through my main line so it works more like a slider. I have found that it is easier to tell the difference between a strike and the bottom. I dont think it is difficult to change out the slinkys i keep them from 1/8 oz to 2 oz in a box that is labeled. Just snap one off and snap a new one on if the weight is not right.

[curado]

i agree with the pencil lead. but be cautioned in using it. make sure its in the tubing snug or else it will fly off when casting.

[flinginpooh]

i agree with the pencil lead. but be cautioned in using it. make sure its in the tubing snug or else it will fly off when casting.

Thats why I dont use tubing. I have a pair of pliers with lead punch. I flatten then punch lead and attach to swivel. Much better. Im gonna be meeting up with dakota and a friend of his and show them the ropes. Just need to work on the day.

[returnofthefish]

If I see a number of fish roll in a certain area of a river, can I assume thats where the fish traveling lanes are even if its in front of the line of guys in waders?