Do You Ever Wonder Why Sports Are Played Worldwide?

Posted on: 7 March 2019

If you're about to head out on a salmon fishing trip, then you're probably excited to bring home and enjoy several large fish. How do you ensure you're not the one who comes home with nothing in spite of all your efforts? Here are five tips to help you catch more salmon!

1. Use only fresh, live bait.

There are companies that sell artificial bait and cut plugs for salmon, but nothing beats fresh, live bait fish. This is especially true in more heavily fished waters where the salmon are used to seeing cut plugs and other bait. Keep your bait alive by changing out the water every hour or two during your fishing trip. Covering the bucket also helps.

2. Don't touch the bait with unwashed hands.

This tip is also useful in heavily fished waters where the fish have learned to avoid humans and their scents. Rinse your hands in salt water before baiting your hook, and rinse them again often throughout the day. Avoid using any hand sanitizers or heavily scented lotions for a day before your fishing trip, too.

3. If a lure is not working, try something else.

Salmon can be very picky when it comes to lures. Their preferences may vary based on how often the waters have been fished and what they have seen before. So if a lure is not working within an hour or two, give up and try something else. The old phrase about insanity -- that it's doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results -- truly applies here. 

4. Stay shallow.

Salmon typically feed on chum and pinks, which spend most of their time in the first 25 feet or so of water. So when casting your line, make sure you don't go any deeper than this. Use a lighter line and lure so that it does not sink as far down into the water, even when you've cast it out far.

5. Keep your hooks sharp.

Salmon are large, sturdy fish, and as such, their mouths can be tougher than the mouths of other species, so make sure your hooks are razor sharp. There's nothing worse than feeling a nibble and then not having your hook sink in -- sharp hooks will prevent this from happening.

With the tips above, you won't be the one coming home empty-handed from your salmon fishing trip. Talk to a company that offers salmon fishing charter services to learn more. Happy fishing!