Surf Fly Fishing For Chinook Salmon

Sounds like some whacked out hoax.....It was, but my wife Nikki and I were there to experience it. I can honestly admit that it was the most insane fly fishing moment ever in my life, and I can tell it was Nikki's too.

This fish was hooked about 10 feet away from the shoreline, and it took me way into the backing.

We were about to leave for the day from a rivermouth spot (don't ask where - this is social media time and too many people see these posts and can crowd up an already too crowded fishery), and a man came up to me and said he kept on seeing fish surfing in the waves way down the beach from the river mouth. I was inquisitive, and decided to go check it out, but it seemed far-fetched.

Fish were zooming around all over as you can see with the surface disturbance a few feet off the beach.

When I got there, there was not much happening, and I was feeling like he saw something that was probably a thing of the past. Just when I was about to give up, I saw a tail slash out in the froth of the surf, and then some bumpy nervous water with fish surging about. I gained interest again. I noticed the fish were trying to get up the river, but they were taking a path along where the surf met the sand because there was a trough of water that was up to two to three feet deep, while sandbars that were inches deep created barriers to get into the river. In essence the river was cutting along the shoreline before it went out to sea, but the rivermouth was too shallow for the fish to actually be able to enter the river. The fish were sitting off the rivermouth in the shallow channel down the beach eating the last baitfish before making the entry to their natal waters on the next high tide. All of this was going on with several seals nearby looking for easy pickings.

Not your typical looking place to be fishing for Chinook Salmon.....

 I positioned myself into several different angles to the spot and stripped and swung my Clouser Minnow into the nervous water as it would periodically come by me. Nothing was happening, and it was annoying seeing it all go down, and not being able to feel one of these fish on the end of my line. I was watching my baitfish fly come through perfectly, and there were no fish chomping it down. I then looked into my fly box and put on a heavy dressed Clouser that I would consider the higher water or cloudier water version. I assumed that maybe they were not seeing the smaller ones I was fishing with in the surf with all of the froth, chop, and suspended sand. It turns out that that theory seemed to be the case because the first cast resulted in a 43" beast of a salmon. It gave me a battle I have not felt before on any fish so far in my angling experience.

This mean Chinook Salmon just tore me up for a very long time in the surf zone.

After that, I hooked another one on the next cast in the next batch of nervous water swimming by me. That fish was any bit as large, but I broke it off landing it in the surf after a long battle, and that the fish totally beat me up. It starting turning into a totally insane fishing session, where you would see a bunch of fish moving by and displacing water, and you would cast across and in front of it, and we would hook up with a salmon at will more or less. Nikki hooked up many times after I called it quits for the day, and I was super stoked watching her fighting mean vigorous salmon all on her own with no other anglers around. Then Nikki got into a fish that more or less took her for a ride with the backing seen several times. She had it in close only to have it rip off 100 yards plus of line and backing again. After she finally got the fish to budge and she pulled it back all the way to landing mode. The fish was almost broken of its will, and Nikki was forcing it into the last few feet of water before the sand meets the ocean, and then she yelled in frustration as the the hook pulled free. I could have reached down and tailed it for a second or two, but I was holding our nicest camera, and it isn't waterproof. Too much multitasking trying to hold a camera above the water and tailing a huge Chinook. It's better for the fish that it got away without a closer look, but not for Nikki being able to check out her catch up close and personal.

Fighting Chinook Salmon in the surf is without a doubt the most intense way to experience their power.

After that we couldn't muster up any more physical energy to think of tussling with another Chinook; so we watched the most beautiful sunset on a November day that was calm and warm. Life is good......

This fish really whooped me hard with a long battle with several long runs into the backing.

Oh yeah, and one thing of advice for anyone ever getting to experience this sort of a thing. You should probably have a 12wt for this, and I say this because normal heavy Chinook Salmon fly fishing gear of 9wt or 10wt rods is not enough for what these fish did to us while we tried to fight them in the surf. It is too painful in a good way.

Salmon Video - Check this One Out - Fly Fishing for Fall Chinook

This is a video I made several day back from a trip I took with my good buddy Ethan Nickel (owner of Ethan Nickel Outfitters) and friend Alia Hjorth (also Ethan's Fiance) in the fall of 2011. So this is not a current fishing report at all, but a video for you to sit back and enjoy of some really killer fishing we experienced.

We were targeting Fall Chinook Salmon coming right out of the tidewater. Fishing was pretty good out there, with several fish hooked up both days we fished. We were fishing with the standard Chinook Salmon tidewater outfits, with 10wts rigged with intermediate running lines and 28' shooting heads ranging from intermediate to Type II in density. We fished long leaders with 20# Mirage tippet and Clousers Minnows dressed with saltwater hooks and lighter dumbell eyes. You would cast out, count down while your fy line sank down, and then slowly stripped (long pulls more than strips) your line back. Every once in a while you would get a devastatingly crushing take, and it was fish on!! It was a blast out there!

Check out this video below:

Who Says Chinook Salmon Won't Take Flies?

My apologies to everyone of you who follows my blog for my lack of entries recently. I have been working way too much, building my new watercraft, and fishing when I have the moment to get out. Fishing has been pretty good lately; while everyone is complaining of having no water flowing in the rivers. We have had the lowest December flows since 1977, but the fish still have to make their runs no matter what. Crowds are down, and fishers using conventional tackle are not catching fish using their standard practices; while stealthy fly presentations can really shine during times like this.

A Chrome Bright Chinook Salmon Fresh From the Salt

Two weeks ago, I had a few days to fish for fun with a couple of good friends. We fished for Chinook Salmon, and conditions for getting into fresh "tide-runner" salmon were just right. We were using 10wt single handed rods with heavy duty reels matched up with very serious drag systems. The fly lines we had on were shooting heads with intermediate running lines, and the shooting heads we used were either a Clear Intermediate or a Type II (both 28' long). We had on leaders that were 12' long made of fluorocarbon with a tippet strength of 20 pounds. You have to be ready to put the screws to these fish; since they want to charge directly for any woody structure in the pools; so heavy duty equipment is a must.

Black & Chartreuse Size 6 Clouser Minnow in the Grill

The rivers have been so low; to the point where the salmon coming in have nowhere to go but the deepest "pond-like" holes. You have to present your fly in the fish's holding depth in those holes, and you have to have your fly down and parallel to the bottom during the entire retrieve or swing. The fish are not on the bottom, and they are more likely to be about 1/3 from the bottom according to the depth of the water (they are 4' off the bottom in 12' deep water). In the pools with little or no current, you must retrieve your fly, but not like stripping flies for brown trout. The strip is very slowwwwww and steady, with really long gradual pulls on the line. You are more or less causing the fly to swing; since the current can be so slow, where your fly will sink to the bottom unless you keep tension on it. Think of your presentation as soaking the fly, and not stripping it back in a jerky motion, but pulling it back to you over a long slow retrieval.

The Name "Spot Backs" is very appropriate for Chinook

Most of the grabs I had were in between strips when the fly was simply sitting out there soaking in front of a willing Chinook's face. The grabs were rather awesome; as you would feel a mushy hard pull that instantly converted into throbbing big head shakes. There was no doubt when you got into one, and then it was game on for a while. The 10wts folded over like a steelhead on a 4wt; which is something every fly angler has to feel. The drags on the reels are set where it is painful on your hands to strip the line out of the reel; yet when you have one of these salmon run, your reel peels line out like a drag racing car. Serious POWER!!!

This fish was abused by Sea Lions while crossing the bar......

It was slightly painful watching the guys dunking bait off of their bobbers staring at us hopelessly while our tackle was being battle tested. Not one bobber dunk either day for any of them. Our equipment is relatively simple, and the things that the fish are biting on are even more simple. A #6 fly at the end of a fly line is much more simple than a 6" bobber off of a slider, with swivels, shrimp cocktails, lots of lead weight, and level line reels. Two days in a row, we were the "Top Boat" coming into the takeout. The guys using conventional tackle were not catching anything; while we experienced some of the best Chinook Salmon fly fishing possible.

Size 6 Chartreuse & White Clouser Minnow in this Chinook's mouth

The best highlight of the two day trip was Alia's first Chinook Salmon that she ever wrestled with. She fought the fish as Ethan and I coached her frantically. She had an agonizing battle, and was abused by this beastly tide runner, but eventually the fish yielded. She was so stoked on the fish, as we all celebrated with yells of joy and stoked feelings. Ethan and I took lots of great trophy shots of her beastly fish, before rowing back into the honey hole to get into some more fish.

Picture Perfect first fly caught Chinook Salmon - What a Catch!!!

We had a truly amazing time out there, and times like that remind me of how fortunate we are to live at such a special place called Oregon. Most people travel and spend a ton of money to fish for salmon in Alaska; while there are times when places in Oregon can offer the best fly fishing for salmon possible.

Fall Fly Fishing Recap

Lately, my life has been a bit too busy for being able to keep up with the blog postings like I would like. My apologies for you followers, but I will try to be more on it in the future. Recently, I have been doing mostly fall salmon, and it has been fair for my report. Some years, the rains seem to hit just right where the fish are coming in fresh, and they are biting hard. Other years lack the rains that raise the rivers up, and the fish tick tack in, and darken up in the tidewater reaches. This year seems to be an amplified version of the latter, and the rains finally have made some of the coastal rivers rise up to a status that would let good fish passage through.

The fishing should get good with this blast of rain, and all of the fish that have been showing up later, will be jetting up the rivers. If you have not tried to catch a chinook on your 10wt, then I highly recommend you try it.

Huge dark mature salmon that ran well over 40 pounds & battled this angler's daylights out

Some of the days we were picking up fish at a slow rate of one every few hours; while one day recently we saw fish everywhere, and the best and brightest fish were hanging out in the deepest holes. Coho just seemed to really show up in large numbers at one of the systems, and they are stirring up the pools with catapulting airs and lots of rolling around in the larger smooth pools. They can take your fly incidentally while Chinook fishing, and they can offer a great battle with lots of airs and line ripping runs.

Chrome Coho Salmon Fresh the Salt

Some days there can be so many Coho salmon around, and it can make for a tough time trying to get through them to get to the target species the Chinook. Funny problem to have where you are catching a lot of fish, but they are not what you are looking for when you are fishing. I remember many years back; having a day where my friends and I were breaking off Cohos left and right on purpose because we wanted Chinooks, and we could not get past the thick running Cohos. This year that has not really been a problem, but the last time I was out, the Cohos were thick.

Gorgeous Chrome Bright Wild Coho Salmon Caught on a Oregon Coastal River

Soon the south coast systems will be in shape for the famous Chinook fishing, and rivers south of the Umpqua along the coast can be totally amazing if you line them up with the right conditions. It can be the best Chinook salmon fly fishing on the planet at times, and you can catch chrome bright kings with sea lice on them. Often you can be fighting a fish that is bleeding from a sea lion bight; while you see your size 8 Orange Comet pinned in the corner of its mouth. Crazy!!! Get yourself out there and experience the intense power of a fall chinook. It is like fight a dump truck with attitude, and it is something every fly angler needs to experience.

Sixes River Chinook Salmon (taken several years back)