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 Standing
on the ledge of one of the Skagit River’s most famous Chinook holes,
I think to myself about why it is so famous…. Its deep, its fast,
and its hard as hell to fish.
Drift fishing in my own perspective is the fundamentals of Chinook
fishing. What it consists of is a weight that essentially drifts
with the rivers current, bouncing your bait along the bottom into
a suspected area where fish lie. Although it sounds relatively easy,
it is not and is often one of the most struggled with tasks in all
of Salmon fishing.
Spring Chinook are often found in some of the most challenging holding
waters in the river. They will lay at the head of a run, which often
times is 15-30 foot deep, as well as in the swirl of a back eddie,
and also in deep slow water. All these areas offer distinct challenges
for the fisherman, but can offer great rewards--if you know what
you’re doing.
The first step in drift fishing is the weight, and this is the area
where most people make their first mistake. Most people do not use
enough! You have to absolutely be in control of your offering at
all times in a drift. The weights I prefer for drift fishing are
the Cannon Ball and the Bass Casting style Sinker. These weights
get down fast based on their design and flow well over rocks. I
always have weights ranging from 1/2 to upwards of 6 ounces at all
times for my drift fishing adventures. this qualifies me for all
sorts of water. I always run my weight on a dropper of some sort
(between 6-12") but when running a dropper you will want to use
a 3 way swivel. This allows the weight to spin freely not causing
any line to twist. Always I tie a over hand knot in the dropper,
this allows for easy break off of weight and not your whole rig.
If you tie it close to the weight you will be able to re-tie with
the same dropper. As well as heavy sinkers it is wise to carry a
variety of pencil lead and slinkys for smaller rivers or shallower
rivers.
For hook selection I do not run anything less than a 2/0, generally
I will always run a 4/0 for Chinook. The larger gap between the
hook shank and the point of the hook gives you more leverage in
faster water with big fish. So go big or go home!!!! I rig my drift
rod in general with 15 to 20 pound mainline. I will also run the
same diameter leader as well, so if I was running 20 pound test
I would also run a twenty pound leader. Leader length is dictated
by the current water clarity of your chosen river. If the color
is off I would use 14-20" leader. If its running clear I would run
up to 36" at the most. I would not run much more than that as it
will cut down on your being able to feel the bite.
Some anglers will also incorporate a drift bobber into their rig,
and I am no different. Spin and Glo's and Corkies all have their
place in your arsenal, although they need to be based on the water
conditions. If the water is clear, running a big huge Spin and Glo
is a disadvantage to the angler and will deter bites. A more subtle
approach of running straight bait or using a small Corkie works
well.. But believe me-- if the water has color I would be running
a Spin and Glo! Drift bobbers in the Red, Pink, and Green colors
work well for Chinook. Shrimp, Prawns and Eggs all work as well.
I would recommend bringing all three and mixing them up trying different
combinations to find out what is working. You don't want to be the
guy throwing eggs when dude on the right of you is nailing fish
on shrimp.
bring it all.. fish it all...
Get my Drift?
So as mentioned before, Chinook often hold in deep flows. This needs
to be taken into account when you are about to cast your offering
into the water. As you make your cast to your target area, and your
offering touches the water you must open your spool to release your
offering to sink to the bottom in your target area. If not, then
your bait will be pulled toward your position only to find the bottom
of the river, far from the fish. As your bait sinks, wait for your
weight to touch the bottom. You will feel a distinct thump. As your
weight hits, you can then click your spool and begin your drift.
If you do not feel the bottom anymore, it might be necessary to
let more line out to prolong your drift or put on more weight. Now
you are in the zone! You are fishing in front of fish, and you are
in control. As your bait travels down the river, be alert of your
drift-- Chinook can bite with a passion and they can also bite your
bait very passive as if a trout was nibbling on your eggs. In so
many words as your bait drifts, you are the bait. Become the drift...
Zen master.
Spring Chinook are notorious for laying in the back eddie created
by an obstruction. Back eddies are often another area that are hard
to fish for Chinook, often times the current on the surface is far
faster than on the bottom. First thing you must do when approaching
a back eddie is to size it up. Determine which way the water is
turning, and base your casts around that. see set diagram below
at the right...
Eddie's require a constant monitoring of your bait to make sure
you are on the bottom and not swept up in the current. You would
do this by raising your rod tip and dropping it. If you raise your
tip and drop it and do not feel that distinct thump, which we talked
about before, then you must release line until you do. If you keep
on doing this and are constantly letting out line with the same
results, then you must use a heavier weight.
1.
First make your cast in the 1 position. You should free spool your
bait to the bottom. When you feel the distinct thump of the weight
touching the bottom, engage your reel or bail. As you do this your
bait will begin it's drift, and since it is an Eddie, the bait will
follow the current flow and thus be working counter clockwise towards
your position. You should constantly monitor your bait as it drifts
by raising and lowering your rod. Also, as your bait works towards
you, it might require you to reel up some slack as well.
2. As your bait continues to swing from 1 till 2, it will be swinging
towards your position and like before, you want to constantly raise
and lower your rod tip feeling the bottom as your bait works through
the position closest to you. A lot of the time the fish will hold
right next to your position on the edge of rock or the structure
that causes the Eddie
3. As your offering reaches 3, this is where the current from the
main river will start hitting your bait , as well as the current
and swell from the Eddie. When you raise your rod tip, you will
likely drop it and feel your weight not hit the bottom. You will
want to open your bail or spool and try to steer your offering back
into the Eddie to number 4, this in turn will continue your drift.
Once you feel the bottom, you will want to close your bail. Otherwise
your bait will continue on a straight path down the fast water far
from the Eddie you are fishing.
4. Once you are in the number 4 position, most the time this is
the shallowest part of the Eddie itself. Your bait will drift along
fine, and you will start the cycle all over again.
Now is the time for Pacific Northwest spring Chinook so go out and
have fun--and if you see me on the river please feel free to say
hello! Happy fishing and God bless.
Nick Petosa
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