Some Fact Finding Analysis on Salmon Fishing

[bassfighter]

My Analysis on Salmon feeding habits within the last two month, Pattern different from all other years.

 

It is more important to figure out when fish will likely hit our presentation, than to mere guess when more fish entering into a pier or river system. My information facts finding results were collected after 13 attempt on Pier Salmon fishing. I also constantly spoke to locals on what was happening days before and after a rainfall.

 

4 skunk evenings were 1-2 days after a rainfall and on colder evenings with higher then normal water level. Fish refuse to bite:

1. Hardly seen any fish landed by most anglers. In general , fish not interested in feeding, though I still have 1-2 hook up. Fish still visibly jumped or surfaced on these so called slow nights. Took us many hours of fishing time to just get a hit. Two out of four unsuccessful fishing nights I had were on a Sunday evening, well crowded by weekend anglers. Temp had dropped around 12-15 degrees. Norm temp days before or after these cold front were 18-22 at night.

2. Pattern of fish not feeding seem to be 1-2 days after a rainfall and cold front temp came in with less than 15 degrees at night. Having E or NE wind under 10km/hr or at night. More rainy days before does not necessary mean more fish landed.

3. Lots of anglers also showed up on days after a rainfall. Less probable spot for us to fish.

4. Skunk night are good information gathering nights , to help us weed out these nights, to become more experience in planning out our next fishing adventure.

5. Prime fishing spot known by most anglers, where fish enters within the river mouth or at the pier, were not necessary producing as much as previous year's numbers. Prime Fishing hot Spots were widely open and available by 11pm, especially during weeknights, Anglers leaving early means no new anglers coming in for the later midnight shift, since many were getting skunk days after rainfall.

 

A friend who landed using lures for the first time fishing for Salmon http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/bassfighter_album/Untitled-2.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/bassfighter_album/IMG_0009-1.jpg

 

Prime89, another board member successful evening fishing with me http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/bassfighter_album/IMG_00071.jpg

 

Few picture I had , I chose to stop taking picture to speed up the release of my catch, No fish taken or killed No need roe either!

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/bassfighter_album/firstsalmonfor2012.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/bassfighter_album/IMG_0006-2.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/bassfighter_album/IMG_00041.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/bassfighter_album/IMG_1763.jpg

 

 

9 successful evening totaling more than 20 Salmon landed by me to date and at least 25 more lost fish. 85% of fish landed were with spoon or other lures, While remaining 15%, I was using pompom with Oyster oil or marshmellow during coarse fishing. Warm nights with temp between 18-22 degrees and low water level make fish active to hit on anything:

 

1. Just based on my landed numbers excluding friends I brought to the site that landed, I consistently land at least couple and lost at least couple more Salmon on each successful nights. More were landed by other anglers that fished with or around me. Fish were aggressively taking lures more so this year then through coarse bottom fishing. On a hot fishing night, we experience lots of bump while casting lures or bump on our line while coarse fishing. On a Hot fishing 1-2 hr time frame, we got a hit within 10 minutes of casting, the rest of non casting time were used up from fighting with the fish right to the time some photos were taken. Fish most active time frame was around 10-1 am. Fishing frenzy seem to die down just before 2am. We did however landed once after 3:30am. Since it was too tiresome to fish too long again, and fish seemed to be active before 1:30am, we never fish past 2am again in our future Salmon fishing adventure.

2. Best fishing nights were 2-3 days after the rain, Water level inside the river were back to its lowest level. Cold front prior nights change dramatically back up to 20 degrees warm evening. High Humidity were visible due to our tackle box being wet with moisture. Wind direction normally came from the SW or NW at 10-20km/hr. The rougher the water , fish seem to be more active.

3. When fish wanted to bite, they hit on anything regardless of no glow on our lure, and regardless of how experience an angler was. Line just have to be on the water during that short fish feeding frenzy. The less time we shorten our fish fight, the more fish we hook. Since I brought few Novice anglers, who took a while to land a fish, I was not able to fish more than I should have. It took us just few minutes after landing one to get another hook up. Fishing was that easy when fish just want to bite!

4. I avoided the Normal pattern from the past after evaluating few skunk nights. Less anglers showed up on pressumed slow nights means more room for us to fish. We just have to be at a spot and fish will be active when the right moment for them to feed.

 

 

More Rain and cold front this year does not necessary mean more fish landed even if more fish seemed to have arrived:

 

1.Rain might have brought in more fish to the area, but fish might be on a spawning/migration mentality ,they have the instinct to enter into river system and stop feeding.

2. Murky river flow quality/clarity seem to not be suitable for fishing, though somewhat slightly higher level due to some rainfall, water temp inside the river were way warmer than the temp at the mouth of the lake. Fish might hesitate in hitting or not necessary like the warm water temp flowing out of the river this year, so they stage more at the pier. In the past colder fall weather pattern, when the water temp at lake Ontario were already colder by August month, fish might find the river water temp suitable for migration.

3.Many seem to not do as well this year fishing on known spot close to the river mouth, gotten skunk when they fished 1-2 days after the rain, especially when a cold front sets in where the temp drops to under 15 degrees, regardless of the higher water level.

4. River water level has been low this year due to minimal rainfall. Many fish decide to turn back, hesitate in entering the river and decide to hang around the bay or mouth of the river for a while, waiting patiently for right temp , then the fish will be back in the feeding mood.

5. Feeding pattern inside the river might be somewhat similar to fish staging at the mouth of the river, if the fish, waiting at a deeper pool before a rainfall , believe they have not reach their spawning location, they might be tempted to feed again.

6. Less anglers showed up means we have more room to move around. In spite of the freedom to move on a good fishing night, we tend to stay on one spot without having to explore somewhere else.

 

Conclusion on when to aim that fish will hopefully be actively feeding:

Avoid fishing at least 1-2 days after a rainfall. Fish might be on migration mode.

Check previous days weather pattern to avoid cold front days or nights. Wait for more stabilized temp.

Avoid fishing with the crowd and on weekend, Mon-thurs seem to be good fishing nights.

Check water level above normal to avoid too high level http://www.wateroffi...tml?stn=02HD012 Low consistent water level this year seem to be better for pier fishing. During winter months, the warmer temp..... the better.

Edited October 4, 2012 by bassfighter

[GreenCanada]

Awesome summary!

 

Thanks for putting that together for us

[bobowski]

Wow. Thanks for taking the time to write that report. Pretty interesting stuff. Seems like the Salmon were hitting opposite to when they are so called "supposed to".

[BillM]

You forgot about shear dumb luck.

[Twocoda]

Nice report...the one to two days after a rain fall is traditionally rule of thumb for best pier fishing although it has sometimes been questioned due to other variables such as upstream mechanical alterations eg. a dam being opened up to feed the river in aiding fish for a big push upstream which will ultimately shut down the mouth of the river and make for a fish frenzy further up...I find when a river crests and starts to go down is when things get really active regardless of the location on the river...Thanks for sharing your thoughts...

 

Cheers

[12 Volt Man]

great report. I also find that when the fish are jumping they are not hitting.

 

when you can't see them, they are hitting.

 

I would also add that I seem to do much better with a chop on the water. waves are good around the piers.

 

calm days seem to be tough.

 

I have landed 3 big ones so far this year, with my largest being this fish that was weighed at 24 pounds. I could hardly pick it up. super fat.

 

I hope to get some more and some rainbows and browns in coming weeks.