I hate this time of year
Every fall quite a few of our Southern Ontario Rivers are overrun with Salmon. For many fishermen this is an exciting time of year. Well it isn’t for me. Part of what got me interested in fishing was the difficulty of it. Making your way up and down a River hoping to get a sudden strike. You won’t find me on a boat with fish finders, or depth gauges. I don’t have thousands of dollars of high tech equipment to locate exactly where each fish is hiding. I don’t fish in stocked ponds in order to guarantee a catch. I’m a purist. Not a total purist because I don’t Fly Fish. I have huge respect for those of you that do. It’s something I’d like to try one day out on the River with an experienced Fly Fisherman. I just haven’t had the time or opportunity to do so yet. I use a Spincast Rod and Reel. It’s what I’ve used for years, and I’ve become very adept at the subtleties of casting with it.
Dumb questions
Quite a few of my friends know how serious I am about fishing. When word gets out that the salmon are running they inevitably give me a call. These are people I rarely hear from. Usually our correspondence is through Facebook or Instagram. As soon as I answer the phone I know what question is coming. “Which lures would you suggest for Salmon”? It doesn’t sound like a dumb question does it? Actually if they asked me the exact same question at a different time of the year I would provide them with a serious answer. During the few weeks that the Salmon are running though. It’s got to be one of the dumbest questions ever. I’ll tell you what I tell them. Whichever lure you own with the greatest number of large hooks. It doesn’t matter the colour, style, brand, or size. As long as it has a bunch of hooks on it, and adding a trailing hook wouldn’t hurt either. This is my advice, and I’m sure you know why. You are far more likely to snag a salmon while they are running then get a legitimate strike. In some cases you can land far more fish with a long handled net. Just leave your Rod and Reel at home.
Zero challenge endeavor
If something is far too easy, then why do it. As I mentioned earlier, one of the reasons I love fishing is the difficulty of it. Although I have done it on occasion, I don’t enjoy sight fishing all that much. I’d much rather get a good hook set off a sudden strike than watching for when a fish is about to take my lure. The more information you have before a fish strikes, the less enjoyable landing it becomes. Fishing for Salmon during the run is like sight fishing on steroids. It’s so easy to land a fish that the satisfaction of doing so is gone. What makes it even worse is that the same friends that ask me what to use. Subsequently post pictures of their “catch” after. That’s like playing a game of one on one basketball against a six year old, and then bragging that you beat them handily.
It had to be Salmon
Here’s the kicker. If you were to ask me what my favourite fish to eat was. I wouldn’t even hesitate. I’d tell you it was Salmon. I absolutely love Salmon. So much so that I was on a cruise to Alaska, and one the highlights was having fresh Alaskan Salmon fried for me with only Salt and Pepper as seasoning. If we weren’t on a schedule I could have just stayed there, and continued to eat salmon until I passed out. The temptation to just take a quick trip down to the river to snatch a few salmon is huge. So why don’t I? First of all the majority of salmon that are making their run aren’t the best to eat. Secondly you will know that I don’t keep what I catch. I am a catch and release fisherman. Thirdly, and this is essentially what this post is all about, it’s just too damn easy. Now I enjoy watching the Salmon Running as much as the next person. I just hope that I don’t go down to the river, and spot an “angler” taking a selfie with their trophy fish.
