How do I get Salmon that are interested in something besides food to take a fly this fall in the Michigan tribs?
It’s about that time of year locally. Last year I didn’t have much success even though there were thousands of giants swimming in the water. Most of the people that landed these fish were snagging them and they might have been hooked on the head area but they weren’t eating. Tying up some Brooks stoneflies this week and some egg patterns, but am open to ideas on how to approach this better this season. I take no pride in snagging a fish.
Is it just aggravating the hell out of them over and over until they snap at it in a defensive or territorial way? Last years couple of trips to the tribs was pretty sad on my end. Nothing to brag about. Hooked a couple of big fish in the fins, and they were all released of course. Looking for an edge before the season gets going strong in a few weeks.
These fish are not really actively feeding but they will hit reflexively or out of irritation if a fly hits them in the face. I use flies with a a lot of marabou that seem alive and target fish that are not yet on the beds. Once they are spawned out and turning black they won’t hit at all. When trying to hit them in the face with a fly remember that the refraction of the water makes a fish you have spotted farther from you than it appears. I try to target the caomparatively shallow holes because I don’t like throwing the amount of lead required for the deepest ones. When the run is in full swing you will snag dying fish just because they are so thick in the water and their skin is so soft that the current dragging your fly across will hook them. You can sometimes pull your hook right out of them again. Actually I wish they would go away so I could fish the holes for pre-spawn browns running up from Lake Michigan without snagging up all the time.
For the big marabou type flies, something like a tequilla sunrise? One of things that I had problems with when going from very small spring creeks to the larger tribs was that I wasn’t getting down to the fish and my fly was blowing over top of them. I hate using split shot. This year will have some flies that will approach Polish style nymphs or czech nymphs as some refer to them. Tungstun and lead combined will be in some of those patterns that I will be taking along.
When they were dying toward the end of the season, I find it disgusting compared to my pretty spring creeks. Many dead fish lining the shore and bottom and I told myself that I wouldn’t be back during that time of year. Would love to hook up with the browns or steelies trying for a free roe meal though.