ROD & CREEL 27 



CHAPTER V. 

 SPINNING FOR SALMON 



SALT WATER. Excellent sport can often be obtained by 

 this method of fishing. In salt water, if you fish in a suit- 

 able place and at the right stage of the tide, you will 

 hook more cohoes by spinning than you will by trolling and 

 there are some places where spring salmon can be caught in the 

 same manner. In most places the state of the tide has to be con- 

 sidered, and what will suit one place will be useless for another. 

 For instance in the Narrows of Vancouver Harbour you fish 

 on the beginning of the flood tide, outside the Narrows on the 

 ebb, while up at Seymour Creek, five miles up the inlet, the only 

 time worth fishing is about two hours after the tide begins to 

 flood and then only if there has been a long run out. On the 

 other hand, in some of the bays up the coast nothing but a high 

 tide in the evening is any good. 



For this sort of work you can use the rod and tackle described 

 for spinning for steelheads, only as a general thing a Victoria 

 Spoon will be better than a Devon, especially if there are any 

 spring salmon about. 



All fishing is done from a boat which is anchored usually in 

 very shallow water. The best places are just in an eddy on the 

 edge of pretty swift water. Sometimes it is best to go away out 

 but this is not often necessary. 



Fresh Water. Cohoes run up most streams in the fall and 

 will give quite good sport, but if you want something better you 

 should try for the spring salmon which run in July and August. 



Unfortunately there are not many streams at all easy of 

 access where the fish run and the water is in condition to fish, 

 and the best of them change so rapidly that many disappoint- 

 ments, especially in July where the fish are first come in, are 

 bound to occur. Still it is well worth trying as the current is so 

 strong that even a ten-pound fish will be able to put up a tremen- 

 dous fight, and there is always the chance of hooking one three 

 or four times that weight. 



For this form of sport you need a very powerful rod and 

 strong tackle or you will lose most of your fish. It should be 

 the same as for "steelheads" only heavier all round. 



Baits. You need a very large stock of baits as you will lose 

 a good many as the fish are very fond of lying in water where 



