Salmon Rowing
In the Nordic countries, there are several excellent salmon rowing rivers. Salmon rowing technique is an old and proven method that has many dedicated enthusiasts. By rowing, one can find salmon in places that are nearly impossible to reach with other techniques, such as casting. Moreover, salmon rowing is a pleasant and social way of fishing, as the boat can accommodate several anglers at once.
Boat and Salmon Rowing Technique
The traditional wooden riverboat is best suited for salmon rowing. The boat should preferably be narrow and 5-6 meters long. The rower usually sits at the bow and rows the boat against the current, letting the boat drift with the flow and aiming to row to the spots where salmon are expected to be. It is also the rower's responsibility to ensure that the lines stay tight. This gives the lures the desired movement and gives the salmon more time to strike.
It's also important to remember any local fishing restrictions. For example, on the Teno river during the 2012 season, there was a rule of three rods per boat. When fishing with three rods, one rod is kept on each side of the boat and the third rod directly behind the boat.
During the midsummer when the water is warm, it is advisable to row a lot across the current. This gives flies and lures a faster movement, which entices the salmon to strike in the warm water. At the beginning and end of the season, when the water is colder, it is correspondingly advisable to row more against the current and slowly back up to the salmon's feeding spots.
Lomakkeen yläreuna
Fly or Plug?
In salmon rowing, depending on the water system, I use either flies or lures. For example, on the Teno River, I only use 6-7 different fly models that have sparse hair and varying hook sizes. The flies are tied to either double or treble hooks. In fly rowing, it’s not advisable to set the brake too tight, as the salmon needs enough time to take and swallow the fly before setting the hook and striking.
For lure trolling, I use plugs with different swimming actions. Sometimes a fast movement can be the effective striking motion, but the following week the action might shift to a more searching swim.
The color selection should be broad, as it’s important to remember the basic rule of lure colors: bright colors in bright weather and dark colors in rain, cloudy weather, and often at night. My favorite colors on the Teno are olive, violet, black, and orange. I use short release lengths with plugs (about 7-15 meters).
Salmon Rowing Equipment
A good length for the rod is 9-10 feet. The structure of the rod needs to be sturdy so that it can exhaust and steer even larger salmon in strong currents. The favorite rod for salmon rowing can be found by experimenting. A suitable reel for salmon rowing is a baitcasting reel with a line capacity of at least 300 meters of 0.40-0.45 mm monofilament line. The line capacity and the amount of line need to be this substantial because when a large salmon starts pulling on the line, you really need it - and a lot of it!
Tight lines!
TEXT, PHOTO:
Kristian Keskitalo
Bigcatch AB
www.bigcatch.se
