Fly Fishing For Coho Salmon (Silver Salmon)
Coho salmon spawn in most of the same rivers that you will find Chinook salmon. They typically come into the river after Chinook salmon. If you time the run correctly, you can catch both species, which makes fishing a lot of fun. Coho will be found in the same areas that you find Chinook in the rivers. They will also strike the same types of flies. Many anglers report good catches of coho on bright, colorful flies to go along with the standard single egg patterns, black flies and woolly buggers.
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Fly Fishing for Chinook Salmon (King Salmon)
Chinook salmon, also called King salmon, are known for making their famous fall spawning runs. In some places in Alaska, Chinook will make their spawning run in the summer. Chinook salmon will swim up rivers to make their annual spawning run and these rivers make it possible for anglers to catch these fish on a fly rod. Hooking a 20 to 50 pound salmon on a fly rod is an experience that you will remember for a long time. It is common to catch 15 to 20 pound Chinook salmon in the Great Lakes’ tributaries as well as on the west coast. In Alaska, you have a chance of landing a 50 pound fish with many fish in the 25 to 35 pound range.
When Chinook make their spawning run, they are in the river to get upstream and spawn. They will not feed once they enter the river. Many anglers disagree with the reason why they will hit a fly, egg or even some small lures in the river, but it doesn’t really matter why they hit these lures. It’s just important to know that these are the types of lures that they will still bite once they get into the river. Most fly fishermen have success with a single egg pattern, black flies, woolly buggers and a variety of others flies. You can catch Chinook in slack water as well as faster-moving currents. Once fish get into the river, they keep moving upstream and they will only stop to rest. Many fish are caught in the main river current as well as in the slack areas or pools near the main currents. One of the best spots to catch Chinook in the river is in a pool just above current. They will use this as a resting place.
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Fly Fishing For Brown Trout
Brown trout are tougher to catch than some of the other types of trout. Presenting a fly in the perfect location can be the key to landing a trophy brown trout. If you find fish, stay on them, but make sure to change your presentations until something triggers a strike. They can be fussy, but they will eat if you present something that looks appealing to them. Don’t be afraid to change flies. If you are stubborn to make changes, brown trout will win the battle most of the time and you will go home empty-handed.
Brown trout prefer cooler temperatures. They can be caught into late fall and early winter when most anglers are at home watching football. If you can brave the temperatures, you can find plenty of water all to yourself. These times of year provide the least fishing pressure and some excellent fishing for brown trout.
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Fly Fishing For Brook Trout
Brook trout are great for beginner fly fishermen. They are fairly small, averaging less than 12 inches in length, but they are very aggressive and they will eat almost anything you can find in your fly fishing box. Brook trout prefer areas of the river or stream that offer plenty of protection. Deep holes, undercut banks, brush, log jams and any other type of cover in the stream or river will be a good place to fish for brook trout.
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Fly Fishing For Steelhead
Rainbow trout that return to rivers for spawning are called steelhead. Steelhead will enter the rivers to spawn just like salmon, but steelhead will still feed once they get into the river. This means that you need to figure out what they are feeding on so you can present a fly that will tempt a fish into eating your fly. In rivers, steelhead will eat a variety of things such as insects, small bait fish, worms and even crustaceans. You can find some rivers that have spring and fall spawning runs. There is a strain of steelhead called the “Skamania” steelhead and these fish make a summer spawning run. Steelhead are known for their great fighting ability and they taste great.
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Fly Fishing For Rainbow Trout
Most fly fishermen would rather catch rainbow trout than any other species of fish on the fly. Rainbow trout feed on a variety of baits and they have built the reputation of being one of the best-fighting freshwater fish. They also taste great. Rainbow trout feed on a variety of things such as worms, eggs, small bait fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects and terrestrial insects. This gives you many options when you dig into your tackle box looking for a fly.
Rainbow trout can be found near or in faster water than most other trout. Rainbow trout will be found in slack areas, whether they are just current breaks from a rock or overhanging branches or just pools of slack water, but they tend to be near faster water or even in the faster water. Faster
currents typically hold more rainbow trout than slack pools, but you will find fish in both areas. Try finding current breaks and pools near fast water and cast throughout the entire area. This will help you pinpoint where the fish are feeding.
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White Street Pier - Key West, Florida
White Street Pier is located in Key West, Florida. This pier provides anglers an opportunity to shore fish for a variety of species. Below is a map of the pier. For more information on the area, please visit Key West.
Key West Shore (Surf) Fishing Spots
Shore fishing is very limited in Key West. The best case scenario is to get out in a boat, whether it be your own, a rental boat or even renting a kayak for some fishing near the shore.
If you do choose to fish from shore, there really aren’t too many options to catch quality fish.
The White Street Pier is located in Key West and fishing is allowed there. Snapper, sharks, snook and more are caught from this pier.
Some other options are to fish some of the bridges that are located throughout the lower keys. Check out the bridges for signs that show you where you can park or if you can fish from the bridge.
Visit Key West for more information on the area.
Topwater Lures for Striped Bass
Striped bass can be a lot of fun to catch on topwater lures. Striped bass will hit the same topwater lures that work for largemouths and smallmouths. Most anglers don’t break out the topwater lures until they see some activity. Watch for birds diving down to the water. These birds are feeding on baitfish such as shad that are getting chased to the surface by stripers. The striped bass can be in very large schools and these are the situations where you can get a limit in a hurry on topwaters.
Propbaits, stickbaits, poppers, chuggers and crawlers will draw strikes in this feeding frenzy. Just make sure you’re causing some type of disruption with your lures. When the frenzy begins, the more commotion the better.
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Topwater Lures for Muskie
There is definitely a time and place for catching muskies on topwater lures. Most of the time, you are going to have your success when water temperatures rise above 60 degrees and you’ll be fishing water 8 to 10 feet deep or less. There are exceptions to this, but if you stick to shallow water with warmer water temperatures, you’re going to have more success.
Muskie will definitely come up and hit a topwater lure. There are plenty of different baits on the market. Stickbaits, crawlers, propbaits and buzzbaits will all work for muskie.
Unlike bass, muskie prefer to attack the bait while it’s on the move. A nice, steady retrieve for most of the topwater lures will provide plenty of strikes. These baits have great action right out of the box. It’s just your job to make the hundreds of necessary casts to put it in front of an active muskie. Morning, evening, overcast days and night time are the best times to get a muskie to come up for a topwater lure.
Some good shallow water spots to fish are points, weedlines, protected bays and woody cover.
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