Feathered Lures for Salmon Fishing Are Effective When The River Is Dirty

Feathered Lures for Salmon Fishing

There are times when this rig comes into its own. When fishing the fast water of the gut a feathered lure weighted with lead as shown will take your gear down to the bottom where the fish are. Unlike the Colorado spoon, the feathered lure slips easily through the water and so sinks down quickly and stays down. This rig can be fished on spinning gear and is the same rig as used with a Canterbury lure rod. Yellow seems to be the best colour for the lure when the water is a bit discoloured following heavy rain in the headwaters in the Southern Alps. Check out the article in the link at the bottom for more popular feathered lures for salmon fishing.

A disadvantage with this rig is that it can accidentally foul hook a salmon in the back. The regulations quite rightly state that a salmon or trout not hooked in the mouth must be released. But a salmon so hooked will tend to jump out of the water and be very difficult to land and release quickly! It is probably better to bust it off at the start of the fight. In the fast water of the gut, a big foul-hooked salmon will be next to impossible to land anyway. This rig is also effective for sea-run trout, and Kahawai, as well as salmon. The feathered lure shown here is the Yellow Lady.

Also, check the regulations which state that the lead weight must not be less than 38 cm from the lure or more than 150 cm above the lure. This was the case for the Central South Island Fish and Game region but was not necessarily so for North Canterbury. Always check these sort of things when you buy your fishing licence. Also, check because the rules change from region to region and year to year. It is quite easy to fall into the trap of using the same rig year after year without realizing the regulations have been changed!

Here are some of the more popular feathered lures for salmon fishing Salmon Flies and Sea-Run Trout Flies – 14 Patterns for Kiwi Fly Tyers