Northwest Reel Life October 2024 Volume 4 Issue 2 - Flipbook - Page 26
annual returns to our rivers.
Chum Salmon are usually
very aggressive once they
enter the river. They will
travel and hold in slow to
moderate currents that are
deeper than 4 feet. You
can target them from the
tidewater all the way up to
their spawning grounds.
Once they transition into
spawning mode, and flood
into the shallow spawning
areas, leave them alone
and let them do their thing.
We really need them to
procreate to ensure their
long-term sustainability.
Catching Chum can be a lot
of fun. They are aggressive
fish and fight much like a
Chinook. Chum mostly feed
on plankton and shrimp
in the ocean. Purple, pink,
green/chartreuse are great
colors for targeting Chum.
Small hoochies work well.
Tie up your hoochies with
a 30-40-lb fishing line with
short leaders of two to
three feet behind an inline
sinker or use hardware such
as spinners with hoochie
skirts to target the soft
edges and corners. As with
any salmon, you can catch
Chum on pretty much
anything and anywhere in
the river but understanding
their habits will increase
your catch ratio.
The following techniques
will offer the shore and
boat anglers some great
options. You can try using
a float/bobber and jig (tip
with shrimp or prawn if
allowed), twitching jigs
much like Coho, casting or
pulling plugs, drift fishing
a corky and yarn tipped
with prawn/shrimp or
flavored with a scent such
as herring, sardine, shrimp
and anchovy which are
awesome for Chums, or
you can try your hand at
throwing flies. I am a big
fan of using hardware and
my favorite is a Blue Fox
Vibrax Size 5 spinner in
chartreuse or pink with a
hoochie skirt. I find this to
be the most fun and active
method to cover water and
entice a testy Chum to bite
in pretty much any type of
water. When they decide to
bite your offering, it is game
on.
Check the regs and get out
there. Catching Chum is a
ton of fun. You can catch
your Coho for the BBQ and
freezer and if allowed, wrap
up your day on the water
targeting some Chum for
the fight of it. Have fun and
good fishing!
