Charter Sockeye Salmon Trips: Catch'em On The Fly
Charter hunting and fishing trips aren't just about putting meat into your freezer — they're also about exploring unique locations for prized game with experienced guides, using the best equipment. This is certainly true of charter salmon fishing trips. Although you can opt to troll for salmon, tussling with a sockeye on a fly rod might be the most exciting fishing adventure of your life.
Here are some techniques used by salmon fishing charters when hunting big salmon on the fly.
Drifting
Salmon are migratory fish. How your salmon charter will target them largely depends on where they are within that migratory pattern.
Late Summer/Early Fall
Salmon begin running up the rivers and streams where they were hatched in late summer and early fall. During this migratory stage, they aren't always hungry, but they are easily provoked to strike defensively. Many charter salmon fishing guides will help their clients hook them on the fly by drifting down the streams and rivers the salmon are running up. Not only does this allow clients to cover a lot of water, but it also allows them to easily cast flies in the maws of cantankerous salmon. This method can be particularly effective when you drift into slack water or eddies where salmon often rest before making the push stronger rapids and currents. If you're a relatively new fly fisherman, drifting is about the easiest way to target them with a fly rod.
Wading
Salmon swim in some of the coldest and most powerful waters on the globe. This environment makes targeting them a matter of delicate timing, particularly during the late spring and early summer when snowmelt can cause conditions to change rapidly.
Late Spring/Early Summer
When targeting salmon on the fly in late spring or early summer, you must adapt your tactics and/or location depending on the conditions. Many charter salmon fishing guides will take clients to remote locations to wade for salmon. Wading provides a number of advantages; once your guide finds concentrations of salmon, you can pick them off for the rest of the day. Some of the disadvantages of wading for salmon is the advanced casting often required. This is particularly true if you need to make tight roll casts or long whip casts. If you are relatively new to fly fishing, you may want to contact your salmon fishing guide before your trip just in case you need to get in a little practice before your trip.
Contact a salmon charter company like Sims Sea Charters, LLC for more information.