Let’s face it, salmon fishing is challenging at the best of times.

You need everything going your way. One way of maximising your time on the water is to work the options by using a range of techniques at various locations. At any one time there will be one spot where the salmon fishing is better than another, and one technique best suited to catching fish there. This situation keeps me on my toes and is exciting and challenging at the same time.

Salmon fishing seasons vary between rivers, and techniques used depend upon the environment (from the surf to up-river pools) and since salmon are fish that tend to congregate in groups or ‘runs’, an angler’s ability to move between locations and turn up at the right place at the right time is all-important.

Let’s look at some options regarding gear, locations and timing, along with some observations on the current 2012 season, as well as the role of the internet and social networking, (of all things!).

To cover the field for salmon fishing, ideally you should have four rod set-ups, possibly five.

River rod:

For fishing guts, pools and slow runs. A powerful, short rod (7-8ft/2.1-2.5m) that’s often used for fishing Zed spinners in the river.

Surf rod:

12-15ft (3.7-4.6m) long with a fast action for long casts if required, matched with a sturdy overhead reel with a generous line capacity. Overhead reels are best, as they tend to stand up to the punishment that surfcasting requires. The ABU 7500 is the workhorse of reels.

Lure rod: for working lead weights and feathered or rabbit-fur lures. A medium to slow action is required. These rods are matched with a large Moocher reel that resembles an oversized fly reel.

Up-river rod:

Essentially a heavy-duty trout rod for fishing, say, 12-15lb (5-7kg) line and large trout spinners. It is used when the river is low and clear.

Fly rod:

For fishing clear water conditions. A 9-weight fly rod (at least) is required.

Getting around

Usually I take at least two rods out at a time, so it pays to have a large pack to carry the gear, or if better off than me, an ATV or jet boat. A kayak is ideal for getting around at river mouths, because you can easily take three or four rods and all the gear with you, and then freely move around the river mouth. A kayak is also great for getting your catch back to the car – salmon can be heavy!

Types of water

Surf: the surf is a great place to fish when the river has been low and clear for a while, as salmon will stack up at river mouths waiting for a fresh. Wait for a nor’wester to blow and flatten out the surf at east coast river mouths.
Surf fishing is a lot of fun. Often the salmon’s take will be very gentle, as they regularly swim in with the lure, so strike hard at any change in the line’s tension. Also keep your hooks needle sharp. I like to use fine-gauge hooks with small barbs and rounded-in-section points – they are ‘sticky sharp’, which is often the difference between success and failure when fishing the surf.
Clear water in the surf is required for best results. Key river mouths for surfcasting are the Clarence (north side access), Hurunui (my favourite), Waimakariri, Rakaia, Rangitata, Opihi and Waitaki.

The gut:

The gut at the river mouth is a top location to catch fish, but often crowded (by other anglers more than salmon, sadly). Essentially the rivermouth gut is the first deep, slow, piece of water that salmon hold in when entering the river. Guts often fish best when the river has freshed and there is some colour in the water.

A zed spinner on a river rod is best on the incoming tide. When the flow speeds up on the outgoing tide, the lure rod used with up to two ounces of lead weight will get your flies into the strike zone. The gut at the mouth is best fished when a run of salmon is going through.

The runs and guts up-river of the lagoon:

Often the first two kilometres of the river above the lagoon (in braided rivers) provide areas where salmon are forced to move through relatively few channels (braids) compared to further upriver. This makes them easier to find, but still requires you to cross channels.

These locations are not as accessible as the gut at the rivermouth, so attract fewer anglers. Often the best fishing will be when there is a slight fresh in the river. A river rod with a zed spinner or Quicksilver works well in slower water. In faster water, especially on the Rakaia, a lure rod works well. As guts are often smaller pieces of water, a dawn start may be required to secure a good piece of water. If the river stays stable, a gut may fish well for a couple of months, providing a reliable location to catch a salmon or two.

Upriver pools:

Often, when the river clears (and later in the season), salmon will start stacking up in pools upriver. Using heavy line on a trout rod is an option. The upper Rangitata provides the only truly upriver option now, as regulations on most other rivers in Canterbury prohibit salmon fishing in the western zone.

Lakes and lagoons:

There are also options for catching salmon in lakes, with Mapourika, Paringa and Moeraki on the South Island’s West Coast being top options in February and March. Trolling lures in the tidal lagoons at the river mouths is an often overlooked option. At present there is a large lagoon at the Rakaia mouth suited to trolling lures for salmon at high tide.

Universal rules

Sharp hooks!

As most salmon are not feeding when anglers encounter them, a salmon’s take is very gentle, so sharp hooks are vital to secure a hook up.

Often the most reliable time for salmon fishing is from dawn to 10am.

If you have limited time for salmon fishing, be sure to fish early in the morning. Not only will you secure a good spot, but salmon often bite more readily in cooler water. If the river is low and clear, then dawn fishing is the only time worth fishing.

Understand the tides.

Salmon are generally caught at river mouths around high tide and the beginning of the outgoing tide. At such times, clearly-defined currents get the salmon moving.

Salmon fishing is always best in the first day or two after the river has freshed

(had a minor flood), so having your gear ready to go at a moment’s notice is important. Follow the rivers’ flow on the internet and keep your finger on the pulse.

Keeping in touch with other anglers is important.

Email, Facebook and chat groups on the ‘net all provide these options. In any one season, 80% of the salmon would be caught during 20% of the days, so you greatly increase your success by heading out when the fish are running. As the numbers of salmon running up each river are typically in the low thousands, and the rivers cover such a vast area, the challenge is to work in with a group of say, 5-10 fishing buddies, to improve your success by sharing information.

Salmon are powerful fish.

Check your drag is working smoothly, and test and re-tie your knots regularly!

Finally, and this relates to the first point, play your salmon carefully, as they may be only lightly hooked. A heavy hand will often pull the hooks. Better to play the fish gently and gradually tire it out.

Overall the 2012 season is shaping up well after a slow start. Salmon fishing varies a lot from year to year, so when seasons are good, like now, it pays to make salmon fishing a priority. If you’re lucky, your relationship will still be intact at the end of it – salmon fishing is addictive once the fever starts!
 

	This article is reproduced with express permission of NZ Fishing News written by Peter Langlands - 2012 Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited Originally published in New Zealand Fishing News ----- Advertisement -----