The Spring Chinook Salmon run is just getting way. These are wonderful fish to catch and eat. Your heart will pound with excitement as you hook a 20-40 pound fish with the energy and anger of a two-year-old child in full tantrum mode!

Once salmon transition from the ocean to fresh water, they stop eating. The males start to develop curved jawbones, which prevent them from closing their mouths completely. So why do they bite? It’s much like a fly buzzing around your head. At first, you just ignore it. But after awhile, you start to become irritated. At first you may swipe at it to shoo it off. Later you are on a mission to rid yourself from this damn fly!

That is why you allow your rod to go down three or four times before you set the hook. The salmon needs to chew it up a few times to make sure it is deep enough in it’s mouth that you will not pull it out by setting the hook.

Now the fun begins! Just like a defiant two-year-old, Salmon do not like to be controlled. They have been running free all of their lives. The ability to swim hard and fast has prevented them from becoming lunch for one of the thousands of predators they have encounter during their four to five year lifetime. They are not willing to give up now. They too are on a mission to return to the location of their conception. This is a one-way trip for these magnificent creatures, so they are willing to devote all of their energy to being free again.

So enjoy the screaming of your reel as you battle one these Pacific Northwest wonders. And just because you hook it does not mean you will win the battle. So keep your line tight. And maybe you will be the victor of this battle.

P. S. They really taste good smothered in garlic.

Ken Bear Cole

Fishing with Bear LLC