One-handed rods, basic set up
Starting with the rod, I have found that a 10 foot 8 weight rod is ideal for this type of fishing. The 10 foot rod makes line handling easier and the eight weight line is ideal for handling the average size salmon that we catch. Reels need to be well built with good drags and with adequate capacity to hold an eight weight fly line and at least 150 to 200 yards of 20 or 30 pound backing.
There are several good options for fly lines. You can choose to use a multi-tip fly line so that you can have the option of using different sink tips. Another option, which most fishermen choose, is to use a standard weight forward floating fly line. Both options are excellent. Where most fishermen have trouble with their set ups, when fishing with full floating lines, is from their leaders on. You need to do more than tie on few feet of fishing line and throw a fly on. Salmon do not like to move vertically to take a fly. However, salmon will move horizontally to intercept a fly. What this means to us is that salmon fishing is a, get the fly down and in their face affair. A properly designed leader makes a big difference in how easily a fly can be presented at the proper depth. For this, I have found leaders that are made with heavy butt sections, and 10 to 12 feet long work the best. This leader length includes approximately 32 to 36 inches of tippet. I have found it hard to find good leaders for this type of fishing. As result, I like to tie my own I have provided a few of my personal leader formulas. This is a good time to talk about weight. I have found over the years that best way to add weight to my leader is with split shot. Place the split shot just above the tippet knot on the leader. The tippet knot will keep the split shot from sliding down, and the use of split shot makes fine-tuning the weight much easier.
Set up for sinking lines and sinking leaders
Fishing with sinking lines and leaders require a little more thought in the set up in regards to the tips sink rate. The biggest trick is to determine the correct sink rate of the sinking line that you are fishing with. The best advice I can give is to go ahead and fish with it, keep it simple, the KISS rule. With experience you will quickly learned what sink rates work best for you.
Most of the time when we are fishing for salmon, the water is at a low to medium flow, around 285 to 350 CFS. When the water flows are like this, we can get away with using sinking leaders from Rio lines and Airflo lines. I use a lot of these sinking leaders and they come in several different sink rates. The sink rates that I use are from 3.5 inches per second to 7 inches per second. They are also available in lengths from 5 to 12 feet, I pick leader length to suit the situation. These sinking leaders are relatively inexpensive and with a few leaders you can handle a wide range of river conditions. The sinking leaders are easy to use just connect them to the end of your standard floating fly line and add a 4 to 6 foot leader, this will include the tippet. When water flows are much larger, I use a 10 to 14 foot sink tip and I will still use the same four to 6 foot leaders.
Two-handed Rod set up
Most spey rods are designed for salmon and steelhead fishing. Any spey rod from 12 to 14 feet in 7 to 10 weight will work just fine. You want to find a rod that fits your style of fishing. Spey lines are much longer than standard lines for one-handed rods. As a result, reels with large capacity are needed to hold these big fly lines. Discussion on what fly lines will work best for this type of fishing is more than I like to get into now. However, I do prefer multi-tip lines in what ever belly style of line you choose to use. The reason for use of multi-tips lines is versatility, allowing you to fish full floating lines and long leaders to a variety of sink tips. As for leaders, the only difference from one hand rods to two handed rods is the leaders that I use when fishing full floating lines. This is where I prefer a longer leader of 12 to 14 feet including the tippet. When I'm fishing sink tips I stay with the 4 to 6 foot leaders.
As I've said before, salmon fishing is not rocket science. Properly set up, leaders and a good presentation, you will quickly notice that you can catch fish on several different flies. When I'm having trouble catching fish, I first look at my set up and make any adjustments that are needed. Then, I think about the presentation and how well I am showing my fly to the fish. After that, the fun starts and then you can start playing the flies.
LEADER RECIPES
Salmon and Steelhead leader for floating line and tippet 3' 6 to 10#
LBS. DIA. Length Tied with
40 .024 30'' Maxima
30 .022 24'' Maxima
25 .020 20'' Fluorocarbon
20 .016 18'' Fluorocarbon
15 .015 15'' Fluorocarbon
Salmon and Steelhead leader for Sink tip and leader and tippet 1' to3' 6 to 10#
LBS. DIA. Length Tied with
30 .022 12'' Fluorocarbon
20 .016 12'' Fluorocarbon
15 .013 12'' Fluorocarbon
Spey rod with - floating line and tippet 3' to 4' 8 to 12#
LBS. DIA. Length Tied with
40 .024 30'' Maxima
30 .022 26'' Maxima
25 .020 22'' Fluorocarbon
20 .017 18'' Fluorocarbon
15 .015 15'' Fluorocarbon
Jay Peck is a fishing guide, fishing the Lake Ontario tributaries: Fishing the Salmon River for Chinook Salmon and Steelhead from September to October, and then Sandy Creek in Monroe County and lower Genesee for Brown Trout and Steelhead from November and on. Jay's then on the Salmon River