King Salmon Fishing Techniques

As men who are fortunate enough to make guiding a career; Mel, Brian, and I are often peppered with questions from the general public.

• What’s the secret today?
• What are they hitting?
• Do you think this would work?
• Where would you use that?

Those are just a few of the questions we are asked on a regular basis at boat ramps up and down the Clearwater River.  Is there a fool proof technique? No.  There is no holy grail, everyday is different and for us that is what keeps guiding fun and fresh.  In my opinion, nothing will out-fish confidence.  Confidence in your technique, confidence in the water you chose to fish, and most importantly confidence in yourself.

With that being said, you can improve your odds by picking the correct technique according to water conditions and run timing.  In the following few paragraphs we will briefly explore my three favorite methods of catching spring Chinook on Idaho’s famous Clearwater River.