King salmon, also called Chinook salmon, are the largest of the salmon family. They occur naturally in Northern California, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska and are an introduced species in the Great Lakes. King salmon live most of their lives in salt water, then return to freshwater rivers and streams to spawn. Anglers take king salmon in either deep or shallow salt water depending on the season and in freshwater during annual salmon runs.
Downriggers
Within the Great Lakes, king salmon tend to hold in deep thermal layers where the water temperature is around 53 degrees Fahrenheit. When trolling for king salmon, try using a downrigger to get your lures down deep. Use your fish finder to identify at what depth salmon are holding, and set your lines to within 20 feet of that depth.
River Mouths
As rains begin to increase water levels during late summer and early fall, king salmon start staging at river mouths in preparation for spawning. Try trolling or casting around river mouths during this time.
Spawning
According to North Superior Charters, once king salmon enter small streams to spawn, they stop feeding. At that time, baits or lures that salmon view as food will not work. Instead, anglers use lures, such as rapalas or spinners that have rainbow or brown trout patterns, to trigger aggressive attack responses in king salmon.
Bottom Bouncing
Bottom bouncing is a popular way to fish river mouths for king salmon. Rig your line to a three-way swivel attached to a long leader and baited hook or lure. Tie a short leader to a pencil or drop-shot weight and then to the three-way swivel. Work this rig along the bottom, bouncing it along with the current. Work a drift pattern close to you first, then work the pattern away from you a little farther with each cast.
Artificial Baits
Try artificial lures, such as spoons, Kwikfish, rattletraps, Spin-n-Glos or WiggleWorts when trolling for king salmon. Spoons and spinners are also effective when casting for king salmon. Try bouncing these lures across rocky bottoms to encourage a strike.
Natural Baits
For natural baits, try plug-cut herring on heavy jigs or run rigged herring on downriggers. The term "plug cut" refers to the diagonal cut used to remove the head of the herring. This causes the rigged fish to spin in the water, attracting the attention of king salmon. When actively feeding, salmon also respond to fish eggs. In more shallow areas, try a cluster of salmon eggs on a hook under a bobber. Work the bobber with the running tide.
Tackle
King salmon are big fish and require tackle that can take some weight. Use 15- to 30-lb. test line as the main line for a salmon setup. Use a reel that can handle around 200 yards of line. Try one of the new superlines that are thinner at the same pound weight to load more line on your reel. For leader material, step the line down to a 10- to 15-foot length of 12- to 15-lb. test. Heavy-duty swivels and hooks, sized No.1 to 3/0 and made of heavy wire, are also necessary to handle a big king.
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