Trolling For Salmon

Summer 2007

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
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by Adam Bolonsky

The two chief concerns of sea kayakers who haven’t fished before are about landing their fish and the possibility of capsize. There’s also deep mythology about kayakers getting taken on lengthy Nantucket sleigh rides.

A couple of debunks then. Some ocean fish are large and strong enough to tow a kayak fifteen feet or so, or to pull it sideways, or to yank down a gunwale if the weather is rough and the fish’s surges catch the paddler off balance.

But the only Pacific Northwest fish large enough to tow a kayak any time or distance are truly enormous species such as the rarely appearing bluefin tuna (up to 500 pounds), the far-offshore yellowfin tuna (up to 200 pounds), and the deepwater halibut (maximum weight virtually unlimited). Fishing for these deep water species requires specialized gear and such heavy line that if caught by a casual sea kayak angler will simply snap the line—and that will be the end of it.

You’ll more likely want to target the more manageable salmon species in areas that oceanographers refer to as tidewater, nearshore and estuarine, which happen to coincide rather nicely with the places kayakers like to paddle.

There are lots of different ways to catch a salmon, including trolling, mooching, jigging and fly fishing. If you have the patience and the disposition, you can also fish with live bait, which requires catching fish to catch fish.

Let’s focus on trolling, the simplest and easiest method, and the most natural for sea kayakers, as it requires forward movement (read paddling). Trolling is well-suited for bays, channels and passages drained and filled by tidal currents, and areas around points and headlands aerated by tides and breaking waves. Seek out the backeddies in tidal flows and troll the edges of what anglers refer to as seams—those distinct lines which form between the roughwater flow of a tidal current and its backeddy. These are the places where feed fish congregate and which therefore attract salmon.

You really only need a few pieces of basic gear—lures and a rod and reel or a handline. A net might come in handy when it’s time to land your catch, or you may prefer to use a gaff. And if you’re successful, you’ll need a sharp, thin-bladed knife with which to clean and cut up your catch.

To protect your investment in gear, attach leashes to your rod and paddle—both hands may be needed to deal with your catch and you don’t want to watch your rod disappearing into the depths or your paddle floating off in the current.

For simplicity, low expense, and ease of storage, you can’t beat the handline—a wooden shuttle around which you wrap a hundred yards or so of dacron line. There’s nothing mechanical to break or maintain, and ease of storage is a big plus. Saltwater fishing rods, on the other hand, have delicate line guides and are either difficult to store in a hatch or need to be broken down into two spindly, fragile sections that still don’t fit easily into a hatch.

If you choose to fish with a rod, you can equip your kayak with a rod holder or simply jam the butt of the rod into the front of your pfd when paddling. Mark your hull or rod with duct tape so you can measure your catch to check if it’s legal.

There are any number of lures available on the market, and fish go after different lures at different times and places. Your best bet is to check with the locals to see what’s hot at the moment.

If you’re after smaller salmon (e.g., pinks) you can troll with any of a broad class of inexpensive metal lures called spinners. Spinners have a small metal blade or willowleaf that spins around a metal shaft when the lure is trolled or retrieved. Because they are made primarily for freshwater fishing, they tend to be rather small and spindly, and they break easily. But, small lure, small fish—so spinners can be a good choice for first-timers.

If you’re feeling bold, you can troll using a heavier rod or handline with salt water lures like buzz bombs, spoons or plugs. These lures aren’t fussy or intricate; they are heavy, sink fast, and wobble and flash like distressed baitfish when they’re trolled. Anglers often use a flasher or herring dodger with their lures to enhance the action and help attract the fish. Note that in Canada and in some states barbless hooks are required.

Lures can be fished at a wide range of depths. Although their design variations are complex, the basic principle is the longer the spoon, the wider and more slowly it will wobble, and the deeper you can fish it. Conversely, the shorter the spoon, the shallower you fish it, and the more lively and dart-like its friskiness. You can control how deep your lure swims: paddle faster and the lure rises; paddle more slowly and the lure sinks. If you’re not catching anything, try varying your paddling speed.

The deeper you fish, the more likely you are to hook a Chinook. Strong as mules and with deep reserves of stamina, the large Chinook salmon put up long, stubborn fights beneath the surface. The shallower you fish, the more likely you are to pick up a Coho—at which time all hell will break loose as the acrobatic Coho begins aerial, streaky leaps and runs around your kayak.

Troll from your offside, so that you use your more coordinated hand to hold the rod or handline as you twist towards your offside to land the fish with your weaker, less coordinated hand. Fishing from your offside also puts your boat control and balance under the influence of your stronger and more coordinated onside leg and hip. To land the fish, play it until it tires to avoid having an over excited passenger aboard, reel it to the gunwale, net or gaff it, or grab it behind the gill flaps.

Fishing regulations change from year to year, so make sure you have the current regs and a license. Although your chances of getting cited for an illegal catch in remote waters are slim, regulations are in place for a reason. Pacific salmon face a treacherous array of survival challenges caused by humans: commercial fishing pressure, pollution, loss of spawning habitat, poor governmental management, the ongoing effect of dams and logging operations and in some areas, problems associated with fish farms. So though that undersized or out-of-season fish might look delicious, do the right thing and put it back.

For Regulations

Canada
www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish/default_e.htm

California
www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/oceansalmon.html

Washington
wdfw.wa.gov/fish/salmon/constraints_to_fishing.htm

Alaska
www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/sf_home.cfm