Fall Salmon fishing is an extremely fun fishery to be a part of. Double digit fish days are not uncommon, and bringing home a pile of fresh salmon meat, which can fetch over $30 per pound at the grocery store is incredibly rewarding. Not to mention the fish can be HUGE! Making some grilled teriyaki Salmon, or smoking a pile of the meat can also be a great way to impress your friends and family (smoked salmon also makes for great gifts to pass out during the holidays!).
On the river you'll hear stories all the time about anglers hooking big salmon and losing the battle. While there are many factors that can contribute to that, being equipped with the correct fishing rod is definitely a big one. Having the correct rod for the specific technique you are using will also increase your effectiveness on the water and allow you to fish more comfortably as well.
There are many ways to skin a....deer. There are also many ways to catch a salmon. Here are a few of the most popular techniques and what Lamiglas rods either work best, or were designed specifically for them.
"Twitching"
Twitching jigs for fall salmon is a favorite amongst anglers. It's a very active form of fishing for them, you are constantly casting, jigging, retrieving, etc. It is also a deadly effective method for Coho, Chinook and Chum Salmon.
The Infinity "Twitch" rod, model ISS79MTS, is a fast action 7'9" graphite rod built specifically for twitching up salmon. The fast action of the rod allows you to twitch the jigs upwards effortlessly, and the length and light weight of the rod let you twitch all day long without fatigue.
We also have a twitch rod in the more affordable X-11 series, the LX79MS for cork handle and LX79MSGH for graphite handle. This is also a fast action, 7'9" rod, but unlike the Infinity Twitch, is a 2 piece which makes it easier to transport.
Casting Spinners
Tossing spinners for salmon is also a very fun and effective way to catch fall salmon like Coho, Chinook and Chums. Like twitching, it's an active technique, constantly casting and retrieving. Rod length can be optional here to an extent, twitch rods work well but a lot of people will also use rods up to 9'4" for tossing hardware.
As shown in the photo above, the Redline 9'4" Medium Heavy spin rod, model HS94MHS, is a fine option for throwing hardware. It's got a sensitive enough tip that you can feel the spinner blade working, and a limber enough action to load up and launch a spinner across the river. The Medium Heavy power also gives you plenty of backbone to land coho and chinook.
New for 2019 is a rod we designed with one thing in mind, casting spinners! The Infinity "Spinsation" rod, model ISS90MS, is a 9' two piece USA-Made masterpiece. It has the perfect taper and action for fishing spinners effectively. The rod also features an exposed foregrip so you can touch the blank while fishing and feel every turn of the blade on your spinner.
Don't sleep on Twitch rods as great rods for throwing spinners either, especially on smaller creeks and streams when you have brush at your back or are casting into tight spaces.
Float Fishing for Salmon
Maybe the most popular (and effective) method for catching fall salmon, especially finicky Chinook in tributaries, is float fishing bobber and eggs. We make a wide variety of rods for this popular technique.
We have an overwhelming number of rods that work amazing for this technique. What you are looking for is enough length (9'4" and above) to be able to control your line, keeping it off the water and out of the current, and mending it effectively. You also need power to not only set the hook on a big salmon, but control it while you are battling it to the bank or boat. For this reason, make sure your rod is at least a Medium Heavy, or has a line rating of 10-20 pounds or greater. Below is a partial list of rods we recommend for float fishing fall salmon:
- Si Series SI106MHS or SI106MHC
- Infinity Series ISS106MHC
- G1000 Pro Series GP106MHC
- Redline Series HS94MHC, 94HC, 106HC, 94MHS, 94HC
- X-11 Series LX96HC, 96HCGH, 96HCGHP, 106HC, 106HCGH
- Closer Centerpin CCP12MH
- Redline CenterSpin HS12CS
Boat Specific Techniques
Oh where do we begin? From plug fishing, to back bouncing, to hover fishing, to mooching, to trolling, there are a plethora of techniques savvy boat fishermen employ in addition to the ones mentioned previously in this article. For the sake of time, we are going to just highlight a couple of our rod series that we made just for the boat guys.
- From the USA-Made blanks to the tough, performance Fuji Components. These are the best boat rods that money can buy. If you’re hanging rods out of rod-holders, pulling divers, loading into downriggers, sending plugs out...it will be optimally handled by the XCC Series.
- Based off of our ever popular and proven XCC Trolling series, and combined with the look and feel of our Redline Salmon & Steelhead series. These fiberglass/graphite composite rods are brought to you in actions that have been proven for decades. The HS934HC and HS1064HC will help you put more salmon in the boat whether you are trolling flashers, plug fishing, plunking or working a downrigger. The moderate action of the fiberglass in the tip will allow you to read what your gear is doing at all times, and allow the fish to take your bait without ever feeling the resistance of the rod, while the graphite in the butt section provides you with all the power you need when guiding the fish into your net.
- The Classic Glass series holds true to its name featuring a timeless fiberglass design. The continous even bend of the fiberglass blank makes for a great salmon down-rigger, plug or trolling rod. The forgiveness of the blank can be useful when a fish is thrashing around near the surface, especially with barbless hooks. The Classic Glass is a fully fiberglass option; it excels in ways that a normal graphite rod can’t.
Whatever your preferred method of salmon fishing is, or if you just don't know where to start, we hope this article helps you out in your rod search.
Now get out there and get on the water, this is a time of year that you do not want to miss!
