RIVER FISHING cont.

Chum or Dog Salmon: One of the more prolific and fun to catch, the Chum salmon may be 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 anglers 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. If you fish properly, you can catch Chum behind the other anglers.

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!

2. Match the hatch: Most anadromous fish do not feed once they enter the fresh water systems 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 willattack some lures oritems 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.

Steelhead: Summer Steelhead will actively feed at times and will take eggs or bait for food value. Try sand shrimp, small egg clusters, worms, and artificials 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 by Winter Steelhead with a subtle motion missed by most people. The "take" is seldom hard with Winter Steelhead and can be confused with the weight tapping on the bottom or some other "non-fish" happening. Whenever anything happens to your offering which is out of the ordinary, set the hook! Spoons, spinners and plugs will be taken with gusto. I have seen fish travel across a river to take aspoon or a spinner, but bait has to almost 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 siize for Steelhead, and larger corkies or cheaters. Remember , Chinook will average in the teens with some into the 40 plus pound bracket. You must give them larger offerings to get their attention and to entice a strike. Chinook prefer slow offerings so increase your lead to slow down the bait. Chinook also tends towards larger spoons, spinners and plugs.

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