Spoons
Spoons are an option for targeting landlocked salmon. Silver and gold spoons perform well, but an orange and brass spoon is favored by many anglers. The advantage of fishing with spoons is depth control. Use a fish finder to locate schools of fish and monitor the depth, then cast out the spoon and allow it to sink to a similar depth. Large heavy spoons are suitable for fishing big, deep lakes, and small spoons work well on rivers.
Rapalas
Rapalas and plugs are effective for catching landlocked salmon. Floating rapalas can be used in rivers and streams to attract aggressive surface strikes and rapid-sink rapalas can be used in the bigger, deep water. Tiger-patterned lures with orange and black are effective, and lighter silver or white lures can be used to imitate wounded bait-fish and dying smelt. The action of the lure can draw aggressive strikes, and a heavy test line should be used.
Flies
Fly fishing is a popular method of angling for landlocked salmon. A floating line with a weighted streamer works for fishing streams and rivers, and a sinking line with an unweighted streamer can be used in deep water. Classic flies such as the gray ghost and mickey finn are top choices, but modern cone head wooly buggers and large rubber-leg streamers can be used. In moving water, swinging a wet fly is another method of catching the salmon. Wet flies on sinking lines can be used to access fish in the tail end of deep runs, and floating lines can be used for salmon migrating though shallow runs.
Article Written By Zach Lazzari
Zach Lazzari is an outdoor writing specialist. He has experience in website writing as well as standard newspaper writing. He wrote an outdoor column for the Silver World in Lake City, Colo., and articles for Colorado-mountain-adventure.com. Lazzari is currently completing his bachelor's degree online through Arizona State University and lives in southwest Montana.
