How to catch Salmon in Michigan – Pro Fishing Tips

How to catch salmon in Michigan Rivers.

One of the best how to tips for Michigan Salmon is casting Thunder stick lures for Kings in early morning. How to rig the Thunder stick is the key. (1) Remove the split ring on bill, then use a cross lock snap to your main line. The cross lock is stronger and allows the lure to swim freely. It’s also a very quick way to change lures or colors. (2) Double Split ring on the tail hook. Single Siwash hooks hold fish better. King Salmon love to spin while hooked. A double split ring – Single Siwash keeps salmon from throwing the hook.

Best Thunderstick Tips for salmon in Michigan. Salmon Fishing Michigan Casting Thunder Stick lures for Michigan Salmon. Add a cross lock snap and a single hook. This helps land more King and Coho Salmon in Michigan rivers.

Less Line Twist – Soak spool of line in hot water. Makes casting a lot smoother & takes out line twist.

Pro Tips for Michigan Salmon Fishing… Have you ever experienced line twist when applying new monofilament line to your spinning reels?

Hold your newly filled spool under hot tap water. In this process, the hot water softens the fishing line, and changes the “Service spool” to the “Reel Spool” memory” to fit the new spinning reel spool. Thus allowing for longer, twist free, smoother cast!!! Hot tap water is best, when the line cools, it will take the shape of the smaller spinning reel spool and make for much easier casting with less twist. Skein Fishing for King Salmon on the Pere Marquette & Big Manistee River below Tippy Dam is a very effective technique. Cut the skein into small chunks. (Quarter sized or larger) Place skein eggs on the hook using an egg loop knot. Using an 8 gram float, rig up a slip style egg sinker and 30″ leader to the hook. I usually use 15 lb fluorocarbon leader. Adjust the float set up to half the depth of the water.

King salmon usually suspend in Michigan rivers, so half the depth is pretty accurate for salmon fishing. Drift the float rig set up through the holes and deep water for early season salmon on the lower Pere Marquette and Manistee River. ​ Salmon have a keen sense of smell. Covering human scent is a major key in catching salmon in Michigan rivers. Wearing nitrile gloves while handling eggs and bait certainly helps. Take care to wash your hands in river water before touching your bait. Once the bait is on the hook never let it touch the floor of your boat, where it may pick up the smell of oil or gasoline. Be especially careful not to have strong smelling scents such as sunscreen, gasoline or cigarettes on your hands when touching bait. And don’t be afraid to use attractor scents to increase the appeal of your bait. ​Tired of back lashes in your bait casting reels? Tape your spool with an inch tab of electrical tape. Cut a one inch piece of tape. Make the longest cast that you’re going to make, then pull out six more feet. Place the tape on the spool. Then reel the line back over the tape. The taped portion of the spool will be as deep as the backlash will go. Making back lashes much easier to get out! If you hook a large salmon or steelhead, the tape will pop off the spool if the fish takes more drag. While guiding, this tape trick is an absolute game changer! Teaching children or newbies becomes much easier when the baitcaster spool is taped. It also works well on spinning and center pin reels. Michigan Salmon Fishing Report

Skein fishing for King Salmon in Michigan. Fish chunks of skein eggs under a bobber for salmon during the day. Fishing eggs for salmon is very productive.