Gearing Up for the Season

By Chris Chin The fly bins are filled. Lines are all cleaned and slicked. The backings have been checked and the rods are shined. The 2009 Atlantic salmon season is kicking off in a few weeks. This year, we are hoping that the salmon will arrive early. You won't have to wonder where I'll be on the first weekend of June! Anglers from a variety of "boards" are calling to get information on salmon fishing. Among the myriad of questions, folks ask "What setup do we need for Atlantic salmon?" Well, for starters, the river where I fish, the Ste-Marguerite in central Quebec, is not a big river. The current is mild compared to the "big" rivers on the lower North Shore of the St-Lawrence. We can also usually hide from the wind when needed, so bucking headwinds and double hauling the whole line really isn’t necessary. A standard kit for 90% of the anglers here is a 9 foot 8 weight mounted to a well made reel with a smooth drag. The work horse rods: 5-8 wts I use a wide selection of rods depending on the conditions. In my old age, I've moved over to lighter and shorter rods. I keep the 10 foot 9 wt for special conditions. 6, 7 and 8 weights are the norm. 5 and smaller are for trout. IMHO, the key to setting up a salmon rod properly is to find a well made reel with a smooth drag. Your reel should also be able to hold a few hundred yards of backing. Well made does not mean expensive. My "lender" reels are all under 150$ and have been banged and abused by friends, family and clients for over a decade. It is only important to find one which can keep drag pressure on the line while smoothly unspooling line as needed. We use the drag to slow down a runaway salmon, not STOP it. The reel should have a reliable and smooth drag. I set the drag on my reels so that the spool doesn't back spin when I give a hard yank on the line. After that, I'll very rarely touch the drag setting while fishing. The pressure of the line running through the guides will give enough added drag to slow down a salmon. Palming the reel is still an option, but very few beginners can do this smoothly and you also run the risk of busting a knuckle (or worse!) on the handle. A few years ago, a friend actually dislocated his thumb when he snagged it on the handle of his reel. Andre M. Showing good form up against a very determined late June Buck. Backing on a salmon reel is not a luxury. Sure, on many occasions, on a calm pool, the salmon won’t even get into the backing. Then again, when the darn critter decides that it wants to change Zip codes, you'll be awfully thankful that you spooled on some backing and checked your knots! Yes Andre – you will have to recuperate all the backing (he got within 10 yards of the spool …twice!) Fly lines for Atlantic salmon here are full floating. Weight forward (WF) lines are more popular than double tapers (DT). The really heavy Bug or Nymph tapers are a bit much, but will still work fine for turning over big bushy dry flies. Most gear that I lend out is spooled up with WF floating. My personal rods use DT or long belly WF floating because I roll cast a lot and mend even more. Sinking tips or full sinking lines are used on very rare occasions … maybe once every 2-3 years. A well balanced salmon rig helps a lot while casting big dries or when you need to really get out there into the seam. This doesn't mean that it will be expensive. My #1 loaner rig is an old graphite 9 ft 8 wt (90$) with a Cortland LTD 120 (original graphite), a WF steelhead taper and 250 yards of backing. The whole kit costs less than 325$ (Canadian!) including the line. Do my "high end" rods cast better than the less expensive rods? Yes, but most anglers won’t really notice a difference. Then again, my XP's and Stream Dances are more accurate at 110 feet than the other rods. Do I cast over 95 feet very often? No! Lastly, the very best rod 'n reel combo that money can buy will NEVER catch a salmon if you don't have enough money left over to get out to a river! Andre – Showing the correct utilisation of a Canadian "Third Hand Rod Holder" after 90 minutes up against a very aggressive Buck. Tight Lines and screaming reels to you all! ~ Chris Chin – St-Severin, Quebec Side bar: Oh !! … 2 notes on fighting big fish. First off, keep the rod 90 degrees to the line. A whole lot of rods have been busted when an angler pulls too high! This is especially true when the fish is in close (or under the pontoon or canoe). Secondly, when you put pressure on, you should only hold the rod by the handle. Apparently, if you grab the rod blank up from the handle, the pressure on the rod won't load all the way into the butt and the blank can break! (This is news to me…but a very reputable rod maker explained it to me the other day). Editor's Note: Read this one too: Castwell, Don't Put Your Hands Up Your Butt! ~ Chris Chin, St-Severin de Proulxville, Quebec.