Originally Posted by
chapmag
I had the misfortune of hooking a salmon while fishing for steelhead on the Feather River last fall. I was targeting steelhead at the riffle by the cement plant.
Once I hooked it I had to land it. I tried to break it off, but 12# Maxima (for the big steelhead I'd hoped to hook) and the spey hooks by design don't give up easily.
I got a nasty note from another fisherman who saw this and accused me of breaking the law and targeting salmon.
Besides just not fishing when there are salmon in the river, how do you keep from hooking them while steelheading? Thanks.
I hooked one last week swinging a fly. I let it nearly come to rest out of the current and into holding water behing and obstruction in the river where I hoped Mr. Steelhead was laying. A salmon was apparently laying there instead. I innocently snagged it (jumped out of the river several times, this is how you know you snagged it, they won't jump if hooked in the mouth).
I don't know how you can keep from hooking them, but I never fish a tippet stronger than 8lb Maxima on the American. Strong enough that I've never lost a fish by breakage, weak enough that a quick pull on a taunt line will break it. That's been my answer to this issue and it has worked for me more than once.
BTW, I only use 12lb Maxima to winch up my drift boat! That stuff is incredibly STRONG!
fly: Very light artificial fly fishing lure of which there are two types: the dry fly which isn't supposed to sink the way it just did; and the wet fly, which shouldn't be floating up on the surface like that. An Angler's Dictionary.
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