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Atlantic Salmon

Introduction

Named by early Romans, the Atlantic salmon (salmo salar), or "leaper," is arguably the most sought-after game fish in North America.

Distribution

Offering excellent table fare, the Atlantic salmon's original range is from Greenland to Cape Cod in the Atlantic Ocean and from Russia to Portugal.

The Atlantic salmon is largely an anadromous species, except in some Canadian northeastern lakes where small populations are landlocked. In Canadian lakes, resident landlocked salmon are called ouananiche.

Habitat

Formerly, the Atlantic salmon faced harm from industrial waste and pollution, illegal netting, and disrupted spawning habits throughout its North American range. U.S. and Canadian wildlife officials now monitor the water quality of northeastern rivers, and have constructed fish ladders to bypass dams and other blockages to spawning grounds. Extensive stocking of salmon in rivers once thought lost offers hope that the Atlantic salmon will thrive once again. In Iceland, forward thinking and early management have saved the fish from the devastation of industrial exploits, and today many healthy fisheries are flourishing.

Previously, many of the best Canadian salmon rivers were privately controlled or anglers were required to pay extremely high prices for lodging and guide services. In the present day, the Canadian government refuses to renew many of these private leases. Once the private leases expire, the Open Crown Waters (as the public rivers and streams are known) are open to all licensed anglers. In the U.S., Maine's successful salmon fishery - the result of years of restoration projects - is open to the public.

Behaviour

Atlantic salmon spawn in the fall. The first salmon to reach the rivers and streams connecting to the Atlantic Ocean are the fish that sporting anglers love to catch. The fish that enter the area to spawn later are heavy with eggs and milt, and lack the coveted vibrancy in appearance and fighting spirit.

Like other members of the char group, the female digs a redd (nest) in the gravelly bottom, and deposits her eggs. Sometimes, the female will immediately swim downstream and build another redd and repeat the ritual.

Newborn salmon, called alevins, feed on their yolk sac for six weeks after hatching. When the yolk sacs have been absorbed, the fish leave the gravel beds to feed on plankton. The parr, as the fish are called at this stage, remain in the rivers for two to five years before migrating in late spring and early summer. When the fish approach the estuaries near the ocean, they develop a silver colouring that replaces their troutlike markings. At this stage, the silvery fish are known as smolts. Schools of smolts feed together before moving to the sea near Greenland and sharing feeding grounds with European smolts.

Smolts that spend only one or two years at sea and then return to their original rivers are called grilse. Grilse generally weigh from two to four pounds. Some rivers have runs consisting predominantly of these returning fish, while others have a mixture of grilse and mature salmon, weighing between ten and thirty pounds. Atlantic salmon may reach weights of almost one hundred pounds. The record rod-and-reel salmon, caught in Norway, weighed over seventy-nine pounds.

The smaller mature Atlantic salmon that remain in rivers during spawning season and winter are called black salmon or kelts. Kelt fishing is legal only in New Brunswick, where anglers target the larger ten pound kelts that congregate amid smaller three and four pound grilse. Kelts feed enthusiastically in the spring before their swim to the ocean, and will pursue almost any artificial fly. Though in excellent physical condition, kelts are not as tasty as the bright salmon from the sea.

Biologists disagree about whether or not salmon feed on their return run following sea spawning. Scientific observations suggest that the changed body chemistry of spawning fish halts their digestive stomach juices. However, the feeding instinct remains, and any brightly coloured orange or red artificial fly will often trigger a strike.

Fishing Techniques

The only legal method of catching Atlantic salmon is to use artificial flies. Complete Atlantic fishing outfits range from reasonably priced rods and reels to elaborate thousand-dollar outfits. A decent salmon fishing outfit consists of a well-made 8 ½-foot trout rod with a strong backbone and a reel with a 3¼-inch diameter spool with one hundred and fifty yards of fifteen-pound test backing. Under normal water conditions use a 7½-foot leader tapered to a tippet of four pounds (2X). When conditions are low and clear use a 9½-foot leader.

Wet or dry flies will catch Atlantic salmon, though the traditional patterns for both flies are difficult to tie. The modern patterns, simple to tie and comprising little more than a fluorescent body and bright wing, are more effective for all fly-fishing levels. Small No. 6 and No. 8 flies cast without a tail (in a "butt pattern") are easy to tie and produce under average water conditions. In high and discoloured waters, larger No. 4 flies attract the fish, while in low and clear conditions smaller No.12 flies are successful enticements. Generally, darker flies work best on clear bright days and brighter flies coax strikes on gray days and in murky waters.

A guide is invaluable when fishing unfamiliar rivers and streams. Atlantic salmon congregate in areas specific to each river, but generally the fish prefer moderately flowing rivers near obstructions close to the bank in waters between 65º F and 70º F. Edges of areas where the current changes, over gravelly bottoms submerged in high waters, and in high water in long expanses of flat water below large pools are all casting hotspots. Fish the deep pools from a boat or canoe, anchoring at the head of the pool and casting 30 or 40 feet to different spots in the pool. Then drift slightly downstream, and cast again to the waters previously untouched. Cast to as much water as possible, whether from boat or shore. Some anglers prefer to wait before casting twice to an interested fish, but many strikes also occur after consecutive fly casts. If a fish appears interested in a fly and moves in the fly's direction but does not strike, often changing the size of the fly will result in an energetic strike.

Salmon fishing differs considerably from trout fishing. While trout anglers use the approach of presenting flies to actively feeding fish, several casts are often required to persuade or anger salmon to strike. Trout like to sit in familiar areas of the stream where the fast current brings food to the waiting fish. Salmon, on the other hand, swim to different stretches of the river and stream, and rest in the calm lengths away from the drifting current. Therefore, many trout anglers avoid these salmon hotspots, unaware that the salmon are not searching for food carried by the current.

Large dry flies that will send trout swimming for cover are usually great producers of salmon strikes. Salmon usually hook themselves on dry flies, so anglers must be careful not to set the hook instantly, as trout anglers are accustomed. To catch hooked salmon that run straight downstream and fight leaping in the air to shake the fly free, try lowering the tip of the fishing rod as the fish leaps, to prevent the fish from falling on the tight line and breaching the tippet. Use the force of the current to fatigue hooked salmon that run upstream. When the fish has tired, lead it to a "tailor" (a noose that slips over the fish's tail) and expect to give line as the fish approaches. Sometimes salmon are spooked by the looming appearance of the angler and will gather enough energy to make a desperate rush downstream.

Landlocked Salmon - Description and Habitat

Landlocked salmon, inhabiting over three hundred lakes in northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada, do not migrate to the ocean, even when given open access. In all other respects landlocked salmon are identical to Atlantic salmon. The fish was first discovered in Maine, where the rod-and-reel record salmon weighed twenty-two and a half pounds, caught in 1907. Most fish today average between three and five pounds, and larger catches over seven pounds are considered trophy fish.

Landlocked Salmon - Behaviour

Because of the decreasing size of landlocked salmon, their diet consists mainly of small smelt, yellow perch, and the occasional insect snack. Dry flies occasionally hook a landlocked but most fish prefer live bait, especially smelt.

Landlocked Salmon - Fishing Techniques

Anglers that fish tributary streams at ice-out in the spring are likely to catch the salmon that follow the large schools of spawning smelt. Using medium-weight spinning gear, cast worms, plugs, spoons, spinners, and lively smelt (hooked beneath the dorsal fin) from bridges and jetties where the streams meet the lakes. Also, try trolling a medium-sized No. 6 or No. 8 streamer fly at the mouth of the stream following ice-out. Use a sinking line to pull the fly to deeper depths, and long-bodied streamers in Gray or Green Ghost patterns.

Once the smelt runs have ended, use a light or medium-weight fly rod with at least one hundred yards of backing to troll the shoreline and shallow bars around islands. Popular landlocked salmon gear includes ultra-light spinning tackle and four-pound test line. A long, sweeping rod pattern creates a dart-pause fly pattern that draws strikes as the fly pauses. Atlantic salmon feed near the surface of cool spring waters; therefore, weighted flies are unnecessary.

In warmer waters, landlocks hide in deep, cool waters and are a challenge to find. Heavy lead-core line and Davis spinners catch fish in deep waters. In rare moments at dawn and dusk when landlocks feed briefly at the surface, use a lure or fly resembling a minnow, especially when smelt are sighted. Before the fall spawn, landlocks return to the surface and actively feed. Fall fishing may not yield the same catches as spring fishing, but streamers, spinning lures and thin-bladed spoons are likely strikes.

Extensive stocking programs and "artificial fertilization" hatcheries in northeastern U.S. are promising signs that the Atlantic salmon will sustain a healthy population throughout its range.

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