Spinning Reels

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Spinning Reels for Salmon Fishing

In a previous article, we dealt with a few of the considerations when it comes to spinning reels for salmon fishing. Features to look at included drum size, line capacity, and the materials used to manufacture the reels. This article will take a look at some of techniques that may prove useful when casting for salmon in both their usual saltwater ocean environment and for landlocked species such as kokanee and for ocean going salmon when they are returning to spawn.

Weights

Weights are really synonymous with salmon fishing, whether trolling or casting. If you are casting or trolling spoons and blades, for example, you need to make sure that they are weighted. In the case of trolling, spoons and blades need not only to reach a level where they will catch the attention of the fish but must also present a convincing presentation to the salmon; these fish can be very wary and won???t bite what doesn???t seem right.

When casting using spoons and blades on the ocean or on a river, you will probably want to use a weight to add some distance to your line. Spoons are pretty light and therefore hard to cast, but the addition to your line of a small rubber weight in place of one of the spoons will help you to increase the distance.

Convincing the fish

The spinning reels for salmon fishing that you select need to give a convincing presentation to the salmon that you want to hook by imparting a good action to the bait on the other end. Salmon fishing is very popular today, and many of the methods that once worked for really expert anglers are well known and don???t have the success rate that they used to; it???s kind of like if your favorite food was vanilla ice cream. When you were a kid, it used to be a rarity, so just getting it was a treat. Today, you can get it pretty much anywhere, so what you need to make it a treat and worth eating are toppings or additions to the ice cream.

The same is true for salmon. A plug wrapped in some kind of attractant used to be a sure bet when out casting; the salmon sensed the attractants and went into a predatory response. Today, everyone is using attractants of some sort, so the salmon are going for only the best presented delicacies.

Eggs and roe, herring or sardine fillets, and even herring caught on jigs all do best when they are used in conjunction with attractants. Attractants are the sprinkles on the ice cream to the salmon, and they work even after a few casts. In fact, some attractants have even caused salmon to take craws and bugs, although they usually ignore insect bait representations as a predatory species.

Most traditional lures will work when using spinning reels for freshwater salmon fishing or saltwater fishing, including trolling and casting spoons and blades. Herring caught on jigs, trailers, eggs and roe are also some of the most effective baits out there. The thing to keep in mind is to make the bait as tempting as possible through the use of attractants, artificial or natural. You can have some of the best spinning reels or casting reels for salmon out there, but without the right bait, there will be no fish.