Our annual return of king salmon are trickling by our camp at Alaska West, and in a few short days we’ll be targeting them with one of our favorite tools for anadramous fish, spey rods!
With that in mind, and seeing how some of you might even be joining us, we thought it might be a good idea to present you with..
3 Tips for Spey Fishing for Kings
- Wait on the hook set. A typical king take goes a little something like this; yank, yank yank, deep pull. Waiting for that deep pull before setting the hook is extremely important, wait for it!
- Short casts catch fish too. Long casts are fun to make, and certainly have their purpose, but never underestimate the water in close. It’s not uncommon on our river for folks to hook their largest fish of the week with their skagit head still in the guides! Fish the close water first, trust us on this one.
- Fish the tailout. Contrary to popular belief, the deepest/darkest bucket of the run is not the only worthwhile water to explore. Just like steelhead, it’s not uncommon for kings to hold in the tailout – the shallower ‘transition’ water at the end of the run. Fish out the run, the whole run, with confidence.
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