During the fall months, our lonely, quiet streams of summer become chaotic centers of activity, both in and around the water. As the temperature begins to drop and leaves fall from the trees, a subdued signal summons the secretive migration of king salmon back to the headwaters where they were born. Kings begin their run up into the rivers as early as mid August and pods of fish may continue running until late November with anglers following their every move.

Placing flies in the right spot while tailoring your techniques to aggressive fish will hopefully pay off with that trophy salmon you've been searching for and dreaming about. Fortunately, learning just a few specific techniques can improve your chances of hooking and landing your trophy king salmon.

Tackle Considerations

Using the correct fly rod makes all the difference in the world when it comes to fighting salmon. For these hard-fighting fish, a 7- to 9-weight rod 9' or more in length is ideal. Another essential item when fly fishing for kings is a fly reel with a quality disc-drag system. These fish will take long, powerful runs that spool out plenty of line, so a reel that can handle this type of beating is a necessity. As far as your fly line is concerned, a heavy weight-forward (WF) floating fly line is what you are looking for. Floating WF line will allow you to present flies in any part of the water column, while also allowing roll casts in tight, covered areas.

A tapered leader is the last part of your equipment setup. Carrying a few 9' leaders in varying sizes (2X, 3X or 4X) is a good idea. When King salmon first make their way into the river, they're not normally leader shy. But after a day or so in these streams, or when the water conditions become low and clear, they can become very wary. In this case, attaching a light tippet section (4X or 5X) to the end of your leader will make a huge difference in the number of hookups you receive.

Presentation

When presenting flies to Kings, you have to remember that these fish are not eating out of hunger but rather striking flies out of aggression, territorial protection of the spawning area, or simply their inherent opportunistic feeding instincts. As for location, salmon will usually hold next to a boulder where the current is slower or at the tail end of a pool where they can expend the least amount of energy to stay put. If you're fishing the head of a pool, more likely than not, the fish will be along the edge of the current instead of out in the center.

A good idea is to use techniques that present flies to fish in an active manner to target the most aggressive fish. To do this, cast the fly at an angle across the stream and let the line swing down and hang the fly in the current for a few seconds accompanied with a few timely strips of line. This technique will drag the fly through the fish's strike zone and then work against the current as if trying to escape. Many salmon will strike as the fly swings in front of them.

If the active approach doesn't work, presenting flies using a dead drift is a good alternative. Again, cast the fly upstream of its respective target, but this time mend your line to keep drag from developing. As the fly drifts, follow the line with the rod tip and gather any slack line developing on the waters surface. If you happen to pass through a good looking run of water without hooking into a fish, give it a little bit of time. For some unknown reason fish will suddenly start to bite or stop biting, but if you are patient you should be able to figure out if there really is fish in the hole you are casting.

When you get a bite from a King, make sure you lift up and set the hook hard. These fish have very hard mouths, and you need to apply quite a bit of pressure to get a hook to stick. If you get a hit but miss the fish, quickly resume your retrieve and more times than not the fish will strike again. Hooked king salmon like to jump and roll like no other fish you've ever fought, so fighting these critters should be done aggressively. Knowing the limit between breaking your line and applying good landing pressure is a must. The longer you have a jumping king on your line, the better the chance is that you will lose it. The real key to landing kings is to keep them on the move so that they can not stop and rest. And most of all, if that big king wants to run, let him run. Don't try to stop him. If you plan to release the fish you catch, a quick fight is crucial. Remember: don't play a fish to exhaustion; otherwise you'll jeopardize its chances of survival after release.

Fly Considerations

When planning for a day out fishing, one of the toughest choices an angler has to make pertains to the size, color and style of flies to pack out. If you're chasing kings that have just entered the river and are still quite active, then streamer flies in bright colors should be your choice. These fish will strike streamers because they are used to feeding on baitfish in there natural habitat. Classic streamer patterns like the Gray Ghost, Green Highlander and Mickey Finn are good trial and error patterns. These bold large patterns often entice the fish easier than other patterns with natural subdued tones, especially when dead drifted through deep holes.

After the fish have been in the river for a day or two, they become wary of larger streamer patterns, and fishing small nymph patterns on 12 to 14 hooks or wet flies will work best. Some good nymph flies to consider are the G.R. Hares Ear, Hendrickson or pheasant tail nymph. Good wet patterns such as the Coachman or March Brown should do the trick as well.

As the fish start to move upstream and have been in the stream for a few days, small nymphs and shrimp patterns will become productive. Polar Shrimp and Spring Wigglers are good choices at this time. Anglers should be mindful of color at this stage. The rule of thumb to follow is to use dark colored flies on dark days. In bright, sunny conditions with clear water, Yellows, Pinks, and Oranges become more effective. A good idea is to change flies regularly until you find the right color. 

Right before the salmon start to spawn seems to be the time at which most anglers have problems hooking up with fish. The salmon will be cautious at this stage because they have had every fly, spoon and spinner bait thrown at them over the last few weeks. Try to key in on fish that are actively feeding near the "redds," or spawning nests. These fish will be located two to three feet behind females, drifting in and out and collecting food as it drifts downstream. Nymph and egg patterns are the best for this situation using the smallest hook size possible. Yarn eggs in various colors and Hot melt eggs are great for these conditions. If you are lucky enough to see male kings actively chasing each other around the redds, this is a great time to break out those large, sultry flies again. Marabou Leeches, Bunny Flies and Zonker buggers are great for attracting aggression strikes from these active males.

With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, most anglers aren't able to spend a great deal of time chasing king salmon. Inclement weather and the relatively short time these fish spawn means anglers may only get one or two good chances to catch these trophy fish. Salmon fishing with a fly rod can be easy and very productive if you just take the time to understand your quarry and their respective habits. So if you're planning a trip out on the water for some fresh run kings, be sure your gear is in working order, and get ready for the fight of your life.