Kormos runs a similar setup for king salmon, on Lake Ontario. He employs a 12-foot 3-inch G. Loomis rod and Mykiss center pin reel, loaded with 50-pound braided mainline and a 30-gram pike-style float. Then he runs a 3/4-ounce trolling sinker on a 4- to 5- foot leader of Seaguar Grand Max testing 7 to 12.5 pounds, and finally a snelled Gamakatsu Octopus hook baited with a golf-ball-size chunk of spawn. “Whether you’re fishing lures or bait, you have to remember that salmon in these situations aren’t really feeding,” Kormos says. “You need to set the hook fast.”
Wisniewski adds that if there’s little current and no chop, a finesseful approach is required. He switches to a light spinning rod with 4-pound mono and a 1/32-ounce white crappie jig of his own design, rigged with a pearl 11⁄2-inch tube, tipped with a waxworm and set below a float. This method works great if there’s just a bit of current and waves are light. At times he wades the banks, casting a 1/2-ounce egg sinker and spawn on a 4-pound mono or fluorocarbon leader. When it lands, he drags the rig over sandy bottom ridges, slowly pulling it toward shore until he feels an increase in resistance, which indicates the sinker is starting to climb up the back of the next ridge. “Hold it right there,” he advises. “That position keeps your bait right in a trough, and fish use them like highways.”
On the sandy Michigan side of the lake, Nate Wilson, another guide with Morlock’s Indigo Guide Service, has had success using an Okuma center-pin reel to pursue November steelhead, saying it’s easy to get a perfect drift with the setup. He switches between drifting bait, jigs, and flies on his 11-foot St. Croix rod, filled with 10-pound-test Sufix Elite mono and a 3- to 5-foot leader of 8-pound P-line.
Don’t Lose Your Tackle
Salmon and steelies aren’t known for subtle strikes. “Keep a strong hold on your rod because they can hit harder than a jealous boyfriend,” warns Litwiller.
Many fishermen have begun adding a double anchor system to their boats with floats attached to the ropes. If a fish gets too ornery, they can quickly detach anchors and use the trolling motor to chase the runaway, swinging back to retrieve the floats and reanchor after the fight is through. “When you’re hooked to a trophy,” explains Lewis, “there’s no time to pull anchors.”
Steelhead and salmon typically strike hard, but at this stage of the game they aren’t actually feeding, as mentioned; you need a strong, sharp hook and a quick hand, since they tend to hit and spit. Most rivermouths are wide open, so looser drags land more fish. But if you’ve hooked a beast that won’t stop, tighten the drag, start chasing and, better yet, do both.
Numerous fish near rivermouths are in prespawn condition, preparing to migrate upstream. They’re usually very releasable, especially if the fight is short. When dealing with wild fish, release them carefully. But if you’re targeting a stocked fishery, higher harvests often are acceptable, especially if you’re dealing with Pacific salmon.
This world-class action is within a short drive of millions of anglers living near Great Lakes ports, from Duluth, Minnesota, to Buffalo, New York. A bit of homework pays off in smoking drags this time of year.
*Jason Daley, Madison, Wisconsin, is a freelance writer and avid trout angler. Guide Kevin Morlock, Walhalla, Michigan, runs Indigo Guide Service, indigoguideservice.com, 231/898-4320.
