TackleChoice

Species guide

Salmon Fishing: Gear and Setups

Powerful fish of the Great Lakes, Pacific Northwest and Alaska, caught in both salt and fresh water. Larger Chinook and coho make long runs, and fish size, water and presentation change the useful setup substantially.

By

Also known as Chinook (king), coho (silver), Atlantic salmon, kokanee.

Build a salmon setup

Salmon setups by technique

These are freshwater starting setups for larger Chinook and coho; the spinning row describes river drift fishing. Kokanee are much smaller, and coastal setups need different tackle. Choose the water and presentation in the Setup Builder; check local rules, including hook restrictions.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Freshwater Chinook and coho starting setups
Technique RodReelMain lineLeaderHook
Trolling 8'–9'
Medium power · Moderate action		 20–30
Conventional reel		 20–30 lb
Monofilament		 20–30 lb
Fluorocarbon		 1/0–4/0
Octopus hook
Spinning 8'6"–9'
Medium Heavy power · Moderate Fast action		 5000–6000
Spinning reel		 17–25 lb
Monofilament		 12–20 lb
Fluorocarbon		 #1–3/0
Octopus hook
Fly fishing 8'–9'
8–10 weight		 7/8–9/10
Matched to rod weight		 WF 8–10 floating
Weight-forward		 0X–.013
9 ft tapered · about 13–20 lb		 #1–3/0
Fly hook

Salmon presentations: eggs, cut-plug herring, flasher and hoochie, and spinners

These presentations are for Pacific salmon, mainly Chinook (king) and coho (silver), on the Pacific coast and in Alaska, and for the Chinook and coho stocked in the Great Lakes. Each card says which fish and water it fits. Kokanee and Atlantic salmon are fished differently; see the notes after the cards.

Cured eggs (roe) in rivers

Salmon roe drifted along the bottom or hung under a sliding float, for fish that have entered a river on their run. Sand shrimp is the other popular river bait, especially for Chinook.

For
Chinook, coho and other salmon in rivers
Drift rig
Snap swivel, a 12–48 inch leader to a single hook tied with an egg loop, a corky above the hook and yarn on it
Float rig
Sliding float, swivel, weight and a 12–24 inch leader
Line
20–25 lb for Chinook; 10–15 lb for smaller fish such as pinks, on a drift rod rated for about 15–30 lb line

Cut-plug herring (mooching)

A herring cut at an angle behind the head so it spins, drifted or slowly trolled under a banana-shaped weight in salt water. Herring is the preferred mooching bait.

For
Chinook and coho in salt water
Hooks
One or two, matched to the herring: for example a 4/0 and a 3/0 for 5- to 6-inch herring
Line
10–20 lb main line with an 8–15 lb leader for drift mooching
Speed
Chinook: slow, under 2 mph and near the bottom. Coho: 2–4 mph near the surface

Flasher and hoochie (trolling)

A plastic squid (hoochie) or bucktail trolled behind a flasher or dodger, often off a downrigger. A hoochie has no action of its own; the flasher makes it dart. Great Lakes trollers run the same idea with a fly behind a dodger or flasher.

For
Chinook and coho in salt water and the Great Lakes
Leader
With a flasher, 40–60 lb between flasher and hoochie, because heavy line carries more of the flasher's action to the hoochie; for Chinook, about 26 to 36 inches behind an 8-inch flasher
Line
20–30 lb main line on a downrigger rod
Speed
Kings are usually trolled slower and deeper than coho or pinks

Spinners and spoons cast from shore

Cast and retrieved where fish come within reach: coho and pinks along marine shorelines and beaches, and salmon in rivers and streams.

For
Coho and pinks especially, and river fish
Tackle
A long, heavy spinning rod and at least 12 lb line

Kokanee

Kokanee are trolled slowly, about 0.9 to 1.5 mph, behind a dodger with a small hoochie or a wedding-ring spinner, tipped with bait such as shoepeg corn. With a hoochie, keep the leader short, about 1.5 times the length of the dodger. Their mouths are soft, so reel at a steady, constant pace.

Atlantic salmon

Wild sea-run Atlantic salmon in Maine are federally endangered, and fishing for them or keeping one is illegal. Landlocked salmon, the freshwater form, are fished in Maine lakes and rivers: near the surface by trolling, casting or fly fishing in spring and fall, and typically 30 to 60 feet down in summer. The presentations above are not written for them.

Where to find salmon

Pacific coastal water and rivers, Alaska, and the Great Lakes where Chinook and coho are established. Fish stage off river mouths before running upstream in fall.

How they feed

In salt water they chase bait and are usually trolled for. In rivers on a spawning run they often strike out of aggression rather than hunger, which changes what a presentation has to do.

Typical size

Coho commonly run 6 to 12 pounds, Chinook 15 to 30 pounds with much larger fish present. Kokanee are a landlocked sockeye and are far smaller, typically 12 to 18 inches.

Through the year

Timed around runs, which are specific to each river and each species. Local run timing is the most important information you can get, and it comes from the state or tribal agency managing that fishery.

Spawning Chinook salmon swimming over river gravel, with a red body and dark spotting.

A Chinook salmon; this guide also covers coho, Atlantic salmon and kokanee.

What to put on the end of the line

Pick a bait or lure to get its hook size.

Crankbait

For salmon, a trolling plug, run off a downrigger or diver at the depth the fish are holding.

Hook size for this

Jerkbait

Trolled for salmon, a minnow-shaped body bait runs at a steady speed rather than being worked with pauses. Body baits are among the lures Lake Michigan trollers use most.

Hook size for this

Casting or trolling spoon

A trolling spoon has its own action, so a flasher or dodger ahead of it is optional; on downriggers it is often run behind one.

Hook size for this

Common salmon mistakes

Drag set too tight

A Chinook's first run will break a tight drag or pull the hook. Set it lighter than feels right and let the fish run.

Ignoring barbless requirements

Several salmon fisheries require barbless hooks. Pinch the barbs before you launch, not at the ramp.

Leader too heavy in clear river water

Low, clear late-season water calls for a lighter fluorocarbon leader than the salt fishery does.

Sources for the rigs and bait notes

Sources were checked on October 5, 2026, except where a note gives its own date.

Regulations

Salmon fisheries are among the most tightly regulated in the country, with in-season openings and closures, gear restrictions, barbless hook rules and separate endorsements in several states. Confirm current rules before every trip.

Build a complete salmon setup

Answer five short questions and get a complete setup: rod length, power and action, reel size, main line, leader and hook, each with the reasoning behind it.

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Next steps

Related species

Behavior and habitat here describe the species across its US range; local fish can differ. How we build recommendations. Image sources and credits.