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Catching
out of Temp Kings
By Russell Gahagan
One
of the toughest times a year to catch big King Salmon is the transition
time when the Kings start to come closer to shore before they shoot to
the harbor to prepare for spawn. Kings will generally set up in 50-90
foot of water for a few weeks before they will head to the harbor. This
can make targeting them somewhat difficult because these water temps in
early to mid August when this generally occurs can be in the upper 50's
to 60's. This is not a Kings preferred temperature but by using the right
tackle and tactics you can cash in on these big pre-spawn Kings.
The
first thing to look at is selecting the right tackle to start targeting
out of temp. Generally out of temp Kings are not very active and take
an aggressive lure to get them to bite. While glow spoons will catch these
Kings I prefer flashers, plugs and crankbaits. Generally gouty and or
glow colors work best on these big kings. Silverhorde plugs in the 4 inch
size, Reef Runner crankbaits in the ripstick size, 11 inch and 8 inch
Pro-Troll flashers are top choices. Flies with glow material incorporated
in them are best to combo with your flashers. Rapture Trolling flies like
Hypnotist, Little Bride and Sniper work best in this situation.
If
traffic is light I have my best success deploying the Silverhorde plugs
and Reef Runners cranks on segments of copper anywhere from 100-300 feet.
Slidedivers with Silverhorde plugs are also hot when the fish are on plugs.
I usually run an 11 inch flasher on my deepest rigger close to the bottom
with two 8 inch flashers ten and fifteen feet above the deepest rigger.
If your flashers are doing most o the work switch out your Slidedivers
with power pro walker deeper divers and flashers to get two more flashers
down deep.
When
looking for these out of temp kings check the first piece of major structure
out from the harbor. Out of Sheboygan we have a shelf that is about 50-60
feet of water and drops fast to 80-90 foot. This shelf holds kings for
a few weeks in late July or early August before they head to the harbor.
Each port may be a little different but all Kings will pre stage somewhere
out from the harbor mouth.
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