TROLLING TACKLE AND TECHNIQUES

I have been fortunate enough to fish with most of the modern sport fishing rods and reels used in this part of the Pacific Ocean. However, after many hours spent casting with shooting heads and sinking lines, I often came up empty handed. To overcome this, I've replaced high-speed conventional reels typically used for salmon trolling with big game fly gear equipped with smooth drag systems, carbon graphite composite rods and high tech fishing lines. When I fish, I generally troll four rods and reels, terminal tackle and weights. Smooth drag systems allow you to fight a fish with better control than with old-fashioned star drags. The carbon-graphite composite rods I use are an alternative that allows me to have a better feel of the fish. This gives me a more intimate, exciting and sporting fight. The high-tech fishing lines are both stronger and thinner than traditional monofilament fishing lines, and can go to the depths that the salmon are schooling with less drag. They also hold knots and cut through the water better.

Since I replaced the conventional gear with the big game fly rods and reels, I still use the same baits, trolling lures and leaders that have been proven in our waters. Again and again, trolling with these fly rods has resulted in trophy fish. I am now addicted to the exciting scream of a fly rod's drag when a 30 pound plus salmon takes the bait. As far as rod and reel choice, I couple a Penn International fly reel with a size 14 or 15, double-handle, big game fly rod. These rods are equipped with a gimbal, so they can be placed securely in a rod holder, and can easily handle a 30 pound plus salmon or a 1 1/2 pound trolling sinker.

One important note when choosing a rod for salmon fishing: Salmon have extremely soft mouths, and any slack in the line will result in the hook simply falling out. Therefore, you want a rod with a slow taper, which will bend uniformly aft of the reel, and thus help the angler keep constant pressure on his quarry.

FINDING SALMON

The sea bird called the "murre," which looks like a penguin, is the most important sight for the salmon fisherman. Both the murre and salmon feed off the anchovies. There is no better sign of salmon feeding below than a group of these birds hovering over the ocean surface. Often, the fog makes it impossible to actually see them, so their call becomes the next best thing. Other birds that feed off the baitfish are the local seagulls and pelicans. These birds are also plentiful in these waters and tend to hover over schools of hungry salmon.

I also look at the current lines on the ocean surface. The line where two currents meet becomes obvious because of the color variation. The salmon feed on large concentrations of bait where the currents meet. Usually, the fish school in the darker-colored section. Greg Goddard, in his book, King Salmon: A Guide to Salmon Fishing agrees that the sight and sound of the murre and the division of the current lines are the salmon fisherman's most valuable tools in locating schools of salmon.

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