River Salmon Fishing Guide
River salmon fishing is one of angling's most demanding pursuits. Reading salmon water, then drift fishing, bobber-and-jig, plug pulling, back-bouncing and fly fishing.
River salmon fishing is one of angling’s most demanding pursuits. You are chasing a fish that has stopped eating, in cold water, on technical drifts that punish bad presentations. The reward is a chrome-bright chinook or coho that fought its way up from the salt to the water you stand in.
This guide covers reading water, identifying runs, choosing lures and baits, and the techniques - drift fishing, bobber-and-jig, plug pulling, and back-bouncing - that consistently produce river salmon.
Understanding Salmon in Rivers
Salmon enter rivers as part of their spawning migration. They typically stop actively feeding, but they still strike out of aggression, instinct, and territoriality. Your job is to put a presentation in their lane consistently enough to trigger a reaction.
The Major River Salmon
Sizes here are NOAA Fisheries’ figures from its species pages.
- King / Chinook - The largest of the Pacific salmon; a typical mature fish is about 3 feet and 30 pounds. Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes.
- Coho / Silver - Adults usually weigh 8 to 12 pounds; aggressive, willing biters. PNW and Great Lakes.
- Sockeye / Red - 4 to 15 pounds, plankton feeders, hard to provoke into a strike. Where snagging is prohibited - on most salmon rivers - a fish must be hooked in the mouth to be kept; read the rule for your water.
- Pink / Humpy - 3.5 to 5 pounds, the smallest Pacific salmon in North America; returns are much larger in odd-numbered years.
- Chum / Dog - 8 to 15 pounds on average, late-fall biter; aggressive on chartreuse.
- Atlantic salmon - A North Atlantic fish. NOAA Fisheries states that commercial and recreational fishing for Atlantic salmon in the United States is prohibited; it is fished on rivers abroad where a season is open.
Run Timing
Runs are named for the season the fish enter fresh water - spring, summer and fall chinook, for example - and the dates differ from river to river and from year to year. We give no calendar of our own: your state agency’s run-timing chart and fish counts, and a call to a local shop, are the source for the river you plan to fish.
Reading River Salmon Water
Salmon hold in specific water types that change with river height.
Resting Lies
Salmon need to rest between hard pushes upstream. Look for:
- Slow pockets along the seam of a fast run.
- Tail-outs of pools where the riffle starts.
- Behind boulders and current breaks.
- Inside bends of the river.
- Soft water along undercut banks.
Travel Lanes
Salmon move along the deeper main channel, often along a specific seam. Watch for boils, rolls, and porpoising - visible signs of salmon moving.
Holding Pools
Deep classic pools hold staging salmon, especially in low water. The head of the pool (where current enters), the seam down the side, and the tail-out are all spots to fish.
Key Indicators
- Boils, splashes, and rolls - salmon present.
- Cleaned patches of gravel in shallow water - spawning beds. Leave fish on them alone.
The Best Salmon Lures, Jigs and Bait
Oregon’s fish and wildlife department gives coho anglers a short list (ODFW): swing a spinner in riffles and faster water, a #3 in clear water and up to a #5 when it is murky, which ODFW calls the most popular way to fish for coho there; twitch a jig in slower pools, starting with 1/2 oz on a stiff 6.5 to 8 ft rod with 20 lb braid and a mono leader; and do not worry about colour, because coho will take just about any colour. Its twitching article describes the jig as a marabou jig or a squid jig made with hoochies, fished on braid with a fluorocarbon leader because coho often bite on the drop.
The lures and bait below fit those methods and the drift and plug methods further down. Each is described from its maker’s product page, checked on 26 October 2026; we have not fished them against one another, and there are no prices here: the Amazon link searches for the exact product, and we may earn a commission if you buy through it. Check your river’s rules first: bait, hook and season rules for salmon vary from water to water.
- Spinner: the Worden’s Vibric Rooster Tail, 3/8 or 1/2 oz, with a noise-making blade and an offset body that Yakima Bait says reduces line twist; the 3/8 oz is 2 3/4 in long with a #6 treble. Maker’s page · See on Amazon
- Jig: the Yakima Bait Maxi Jig, a marabou and flashabou jig on a 2X-strong Owner hook, 1/32 to 1/4 oz, the light end of ODFW’s range. Maker’s page · See on Amazon
- Diving plug for deep runs: the Yakima Bait Mag Lip 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0, which its maker labels an extra-deep-diving rattle plug for salmon, lake trout and walleye; the 4.0 is 4 in and 0.47 oz on a #2 treble and dives up to 18 ft, the 4.5 up to 20 ft and the 5.0 up to 25 ft. Maker’s page · See on Amazon
- Drift bobber: the Yakima Bait Spin-N-Glo, a buoyant spinner and bait floater whose maker lists casting, drifting, plunking and trolling among its uses. Maker’s page · See on Amazon
- Egg cure: Pautzke Fire Cure, a 16 oz egg cure that Pautzke, maker of Balls O’ Fire salmon eggs, sells to salmon and steelhead anglers for curing their own eggs. Maker’s page · See on Amazon
Drift Fishing
The dominant technique on Pacific rivers and Great Lakes tributaries.
Setup
- Rod: 9-11 ft drift rod, medium-heavy.
- Reel: Casting (level wind) or spinning, 4000-6000 size.
- Line: 15-25 lb mono mainline.
- Leader: 12-20 lb fluorocarbon, 18-30 inches.
- Weight: Slinky (pencil lead in parachute cord) or pencil lead sized to bounce bottom every 1-2 seconds.
Bait/Lure on Drift
- Cured salmon eggs (skein) - Top king bait. Pink, red, orange cures.
- Spawn sacs - Loose eggs tied in mesh sacs.
- Beads - Single or pairs of 8-12mm soft beads pegged above hook.
- Plastic worms / drift bobbers - Buoyant attractors above the hook.
- Winged drift bobbers - Buoyant spinning attractors with a hook below.
- Yarn flies - Color-tied yarn on a hook to imitate egg clusters.
Drift Technique
- Cast upstream at a 45-degree angle.
- Mend slack so the bait drifts naturally with current.
- Let weight bounce bottom every 1-2 seconds - tic-tic-tic feel.
- Follow with rod tip; keep line tight enough to feel strikes but not so tight that you drag.
- Strike on any pause, pull, or change in tension.
Bobber-and-Jig
A simpler technique that excels for coho, chum, and pressured fish.
Setup
- Rod: 9-10 ft medium-light to medium spinning rod.
- Reel: 3000-4000 spinning.
- Line: 30-50 lb braid mainline.
- Bobber: A float sized to suspend the jig at the right depth.
- Leader: 12-15 lb fluorocarbon, length adjusted for depth.
- Jig: 1/8 to 3/8 oz marabou or rabbit-strip salmon/steelhead jig. Pink, chartreuse, black, purple.
Bobber Technique
- Set the bobber depth so the jig drifts just above the bottom.
- Cast across and slightly upstream.
- Let the bobber float through the drift naturally - no twitching.
- Watch the bobber. Any twitch, dunk, or unnatural movement - set the hook.
- Strike up and back with authority.
Bobber fishing keeps the bait in the strike zone longer than drift fishing and minimizes snags.
Plug Pulling (Side-Drifting Plugs)
A boat technique. Diving plugs are let downstream from a slow-back-trolled boat. The plug wiggles seductively in front of holding salmon.
- Color: Bright orange, chartreuse, pink in stained water; metallic blue, silver, gold in clear.
- Tuning: Each plug must be tuned to run straight; adjust the screw on the nose.
- Wrap (optional): A sardine or tuna belly wrap on the bottom adds scent.
Back-Bouncing
Used in heavy water or deep pools. From a boat, drop bait (eggs/spawn sac with weight) straight to the bottom, lift, drift downstream a few feet, drop again - keep the bait crawling along the bottom.
Fly Fishing for River Salmon
A complete sport in itself. Two-handed (spey) rods are common for distance and swing.
- Sink-tip line for swing or 10-12 ft polyleader.
- Flies: Egg patterns, articulated leeches, intruders, classic Atlantic salmon patterns (Green Highlander, Ally’s Shrimp).
- Swing: Cast across, mend, let fly swing on tight line, step downstream, repeat.
Reading Conditions
- Water clarity drives lure choice. Stained: bright orange, chartreuse, pink. Clear: natural colors, smaller offerings.
- Water height changes holding lies. High water pushes fish to softer edges; low water concentrates them in pools.
- Water temperature affects activity: very cold water makes fish sluggish, and warm water stresses them.
Etiquette and Conservation
Salmon water is crowded. Practice:
- Hole rotation - Cast 5-10 times, then step downstream.
- No high-holing - Don’t step in upstream of fishing anglers.
- Catch and release of wild fish where regulations require it.
- Quick handling - Salmon are easily stressed.
- No snagging - On most salmon rivers a fish must take the hook in the mouth to be legal. The regulations for your river define a fair hook-up; read them.
FAQ
Why won’t salmon bite my lure? Salmon in spawning runs often pass dozens of presentations before reacting. Cover water, vary cadence, change colors, return at different times of day.
What size hook for salmon? Drift fishing: size 1 to 2/0 octopus hooks. Bobber jigs: 1/0-3/0 jighooks. Larger for kings, smaller for coho and pinks.
Do I need to cure my own eggs? You can buy cured eggs at salmon-river shops, but many experienced anglers prefer their own cure recipes. Borax-based cures and ready-made cure kits are both common.
What’s the difference between Atlantic and Pacific salmon fishing? In the United States Atlantic salmon may not be fished for at all - NOAA Fisheries states that commercial and recreational fishing for them is prohibited - and where they are fished abroad the river’s rules decide the method. Pacific salmon rules allow drift fishing, lures and bait depending on the water.
Are Great Lakes salmon the same as Pacific? Genetically yes - kings and coho were stocked from Pacific stock. Behavior in freshwater rivers is similar; fishing techniques carry over directly.
Conclusion
River salmon fishing rewards anglers who learn the water, read the conditions, and present baits in the lane salmon are holding. Master drift fishing for the technical days and bobber-and-jig for the simpler ones. Watch for boils and rolls, fish soft water along seams, and accept that salmon fishing involves long blank stretches between explosive hookups. When a 25-pound king inhales your spawn sac and runs you into the backing, every cold morning of patience pays off.
Recommended Gear on Amazon
- Salmon spinners - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
- Chest waders - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
- Large salmon landing net - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
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