How to fight "silver bullets"

[Guest Fishing For Life]

Ok, I know this is going to be embrassing but I still have to ask

otherwise, I will keep being humiliated by those "silver bullets"

 

I have never thought about this until now since I have rarely lost salmons

since I started salmon fishing two years ago. What I had never realized was

the fact that those are not silver but rather green/dark coz' I usually started

around mid/late Sept.

 

Anyhow, enough crap. Lets get into real businese.

 

I was lucky enough to find 10+ salmons in a local trib with no one else is around.

However, I could not even land any one of them. must have broken leaders 50+

times during the 6 hours I was there.

 

Sheffield 13'6 rod + centerpin was the choice of my weapon for the first time (I bought them last steelhead season)

For whatever reason, they actually avoided my line when the leader is more than 4-lb test

(unless the water was so shallow & clear to the point I can see them move yesterday I had never been a "thin" leader believer)

 

this is how it went for the entire 6 hours. Drift, drift, BANG, set hook, it sat there forever

until it wants to move then 10 seconds of fight ... GONE ... repeated for 50+ times

 

I basically had no control of them and they just went wherever they wanted even the smaller ones (10+ lb).

Even the smaller ones were way way more powerful then 15+ lb trout I have landed ..

If I try to STOP them ... the line breaks ..

 

It even got to the point which I started praying after setting the hook ... "please please let me land one"

and all I could do was to hold it as long as I could and not even trying to control it as if i would for trout.

 

What ticked me the most if the loss of a 25+ lb alpha male I patiently and luckily fought over 25mins

until it decided to go downstream ... at the last 5mins ... i thought it was tired and started trying to pull it

sideways to the shore ... my rod was bent to the point i thought it might break and the damn this would not

even more a bit.

 

Please give me advices even though I thought I have done everything I could and it was just

because those beasts are just too much

 

Thanks ... btw, I attached a picture ..

[Canuck2fan]

Well first off with fluoro leaders you should be able to go heavier.... Where are the break offs occuring? If they are close to your knots then you have NOT been lubricating the line enough while tying the knots. I also try to pre tie all my leaders to the hook at home where I can dip the line into a dish of water on my desk as I pull the knot tight. I then take the hook put a good test on it..... Once it passes that test I wrap them around a piece of pipe insulation. Then on the stream I know for a fact I have 10 to 15 properly tied leaders. So at the stream all I have to do is tie it to the swivel.... Same thing applies though make sure the knot is WELL lubricated when you pull it tight. I always where possible hold it under the water while tightening it.

 

Now if the breaks are happening away from your knots do this simple test and take a section of your leader material about 4 four feet long wrap it around each hand and snap it tight a couple of times. If it breaks your leader material is crap and you need to throw it away. I have had some many bad spools of leader material that now I just use Vanish main line.... I had one spring trip where I kept losing fish and my buddies were razzing me about not being able to tie knots properly. No one could break my line with a steady pull on it so I thought it was fine, but when a buddy snapped it we knew right away that the leader line was the culprit.

 

Lastly remember it is the rod not the line that tires the fish, so when the fish has to bend the rod before taking line that in theory is weakening the fish.

 

Good job on getting hook ups though but if you can't land the fish quickly it is better that they break off than you kill them by playing them for a half hour.... especially as the water temps are high still.

[scuro]

4 pound test....geesh. You would have to play that fish to death to land it. I have noticed that salmon that appear to be worn out kick it up another gear when they see the end coming....either your feet or boat side. May be a 40 minute fight instead of 25 is the ticket.

[kemper]

Salmon in the rivers are tough. If you can get them early in the run they WILL bite no matter what most say, actually I got one today that I will be reporting on later. Problem is in fighting a 20 lb fish on a 3 lb leader. It just doesnt work especially when they are still chrome. The only realy course of action is to use a heavier flouro lead or fish an area where you can walk 2 km in either direction without anything in your way. Good luck with that lol.

 

praying works too.

[ccmtcanada]

I've fought one salmon in closed quarters in the creek kemper is talking about. The fight lasted about 10 seconds on 10 lb test before I knew that I was out of my league!! LoL. I'll stick to catching them at the mouths.

[kemper]

Here she is, a pretty big one that took a single egg in a deep fast pool on my trout rod. I was looking for resident browns and bows WAY upstream. This fish is about 3 weeks early to this spot versus a normal year. 5 lb test and a 13.5 foot rod gave me about a 12 minute fight. I was clearly NOT prepared for this fish I was just killing time with little trout as I trapped minnows.

 

[lucabrasi]

The Sheffield or the Guide Select? If it's the Guide Select, say no more. That rod has no backbone, used it last spring, promptly replaced it with the Raven IM8.

[solopaddler]

I use 8-10lb test fluoro for early salmon and have no problems landing fish.

 

You're a bit undergunned with that rod though, it simply doesn't have enough backbone to be able to use heavier tippets and turn fish easily.

 

If you're not concerned about killing the fish, you can still land them with your rod/reel though,just be patient and take your time.

In these warm flows the fish will most likely die after a prolonged fight due to lactic acid build up and shock.

 

Anyhow, when you're fighting the fish with your long rod and pin, contrary to popular wisdom, don't hold the rod high overhead.

Hold it mostly sideways. Lock your pin down completely only giving the fish an inch when it's absolutely necessary and apply SIDE PRESSURE.

It's simple physics, holding the rod down low as opposed to high overhead it's much easier to turn the fishes head and lead them where you want them to go.

[Greencoachdog]

There's only one way to handle big unruly fish in shallow water:

 

[Rustic-Fisher]

I Second Solopaddler, Backbone in a rod is everything if ya want to beach the any river run chinnys.

It is doable with your outfit, but just easier with more backbone in the rod.

At least your into the fish!!

Enjoy them, even if they snap off

RF

[fishnpro]

Hey, how did you end up doing after I left??

[MJL]

For salmon I normally use fluoro leaders from 8-12lb.

 

Totally agree with Solopaddler on fighting technique. Side pressure most of the time with the spool locked giving line only when you really have to.

[PatrickGG]

Four Pound fluoro leader on a 10'6 rod with 8 pound main line works good for me.

[yo_guy]

Show me those fish that's giving you a hard time and I'll show you how to land them with my flippin stick.

[Guest Fishing For Life]

Alright guys,

 

after gathering all advices, this is what I am goign to do:

 

- Leave my trout rod at home (13'6 Sheffield Guide Select)

- Take out my 11" medium-heavy Shimano Spoon Casting rod

- Load my centerpin with braided line + 8 lb leader ...

 

I will horse it like a deadbody ... put it sideway until my rod breaks ..

that rod is $60 anyways ... gotta revenge!

 

Thanks!

[kemper]

That probably would be your best bet.

 

Also, in a pool with 10 plus salmon is would be almost impossible if alot of the fish you hooked were not in the mouth. It happens when there are lots of big fish in small water, I am not saying you were doing it on purpose but I would bet my pin that probably 25-40% of the fish were hooked in fins, tail ETC. The thing is when a big fish like that is hooked anywhere but the mouth you will NOT be able to turn them. Its impossible, and you can usually tell very quickly if a salmon is hooked properly because they headshake like crazy when hooked in the mouth and dont take quite the same distance of runs. In the mouth you have a good chance, in the tail just snap it off and dont kill the fish trying to get it in.

Edited August 26, 2008 by kemper

[Guest Fishing For Life]

Thanks for the reminder, Kemper.

 

Like you said, I snagged them accidently from time to time and

I usually quicklly gave it a hard yank to snap off the leader b/c

I know it is impossible to land them

 

All fish/break-off were ones hooked into their mouth but unable

to land them, sigh

[addict]

ultra heavy baitcaster loaded with 80lb power pro 3 prongs and marshmellows.or just let em spawn up the creek and actually get them to bite hook em and have a blast landing them in the harbours piers and river mouths.

[Basskicker]

Here we go again.....bored are we? Call me later.....but I prefer 100lb power pro and cod hooks....and gummy bears.

 

Jason

[fishnpro]

ultra heavy baitcaster loaded with 80lb power pro 3 prongs and marshmellows.or just let em spawn up the creek and actually get them to bite hook em and have a blast landing them in the harbours piers and river mouths.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh you mean line them right.

[PatrickGG]