If you hear a distant, echoing laugh coming from around the country, don’t worry, that’s just all our Alaska West guests, still riding high from the epic King Salmon run this past season. Success was shared among all beginning-of-season guests.
King fishing is not a game of numbers in the sense that success is not guaranteed even if the numbers are good. They are large, powerful, fast, hard-mouthed fish that are difficult to catch (for both skilled and inexperienced anglers alike). Although we were fortunate to have many opportunities this past season, “success” is still few and far between.
As any angler who’s felt the thunderous grab of a Kanektok King on the swing will tell you, these moments are not only equal parts luck and timing, but also a healthy dose of river wisdom. There’s always space for preparation and improvement you can do to increase your landing ratio by avoiding the following typical blunders. So before you start plotting next season’s Swing For King Salmon Trip, let’s reel in those daydreams and revisit the essential tips (things to avoid) for Kings on the swing, so your next story has a happy ending and not just tales about the embellished one that got away.
Here Are The Things To Avoid Doing When Swinging For King Salmon
- Using the Wrong Hook. There’s no heartbreak quite like watching a chrome-bright King boil on your swing… only to come tight, feel the weight, and then—bloop… your fly comes out. Come to find out that King Salmon straightened your hook. Turns out that glorious, primo King salmon leech pattern you paid $13.00 for had a hook that was too small. Making sure your hook is the right size is paramount, especially if you’re buying expensive King Salmon swing flies. Furthermore, checking your hook point is about as proper as counting the cash your buddy owes you, but it’s a necessary check for every successful swing session. So give those shiny new King salmon flies a once-over. Just because it’s fresh from the shop doesn’t mean it’s sharp. King salmon don’t forgive, and the difference between a story and a series of bad words might just be a hook change or poke at your thumbnail.
- Setting the Hook Too Quickly. A “textbook” king take is as follows: tap, tap, tap, deeeep pull. It’s critical to wait for the deep pull before burying the hook. Do not set the hook on the first hint of a grab. Chances are, you will pull the hook right out of his mouth every time. Wait for the heavy pull and then drive it home. Waiting for the deep pull before setting the hook is extremely important.
- Setting the Hook Upstream. One of the most common mistakes we see from new to Spey anglers is that they try to set the hook either straight up or to the upstream side. Rather, always set the hook in the direction your fly is swinging. In other words, if your fly is swinging from left to right, when it’s time to set the hook, set low and hard to the right side or the downstream side. Setting in the direction of the swing promotes the hook is under tension all the way into the King salmon’s mouth, prompting the best hook set possible.
- Pulling Too Softly. After setting the hook, two things lose more King salmon than anything else: time (length of fight) and not keeping enough pressure on the fish. It’s not uncommon for a big fish to take 100 yards of backing, and to keep enough pressure on the hook (because you have an appropriate hook), and maintain the pressure at that distance, you need to pull hard, really hard. At any duration of the fight, if you’re not making the fish work, the fish is resting. Don’t let him! Keep your rod low and towards the bank, and bend the rod all the way to the handle for as much of the fight as you can, Under Pressure.
- Changing the Rod Angle. Whilst trying to get a King Salmon to the net, if you’re constantly pivoting your rod from downstream to upstream and back again, you are reducing your chances of success. When you pivot your rod from one extreme to the other, you’re essentially leveraging the hook back and forth as if you’re trying to take it out of the fish’s mouth. So you set the hook ‘with the swing,’ downstream pull hard to the downstream side, and fight from that position for as long as possible. Make the fish force you to change your rod angle, but until then, keep the heat low and towards the bank for as long as you can.
- Meddling with Your Drag. Fighting big fish requires complete engagement. Your reel hand needs to be ready at the helm to gain back any inch of line you can, the moment he gives you a chance. Therefore, the last thing you want to worry about while fighting a fish is whether or not you set the drag right. Set the drag appropriately ahead of time and try not to mess with it while fighting your fish. How much drag is appropriate? Here’s a tip, when it comes to King salmon, if it’s easy for you to pull off with your finger tips alone, it’s probably not heavy enough. You also don’t need a vise grip on it. It could cause your leader to “snap” on a deep pull.
- Fishing only the Deep. Many first-time King salmon anglers are aware that King salmon love rolling in the deep, the deepest, darkest pocket of a run. However, experienced anglers know that while that is often the highest concentration of fish, King salmon are found in all levels of the water column, not only in the ‘bucket.’ Fish the entire run, fish it thoroughly, and never underestimate the short cast.
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