Rods: For the peak run salmon any good 7 to 9 weight rod will do. I fish a fast action eight weight most of the time. My loaner and backup equipment is 9WT's. Watch your ferrules closely, especially on the three and four piece rods. If you have a loose ferrule when you lean into a hot fish, it can surely result in a broken rod. Also, holding your rod anywhere other than the grip while battling a fish can and most certainly WILL result in a broken rod.

Reels: Reels with a decent drag are essential, stronger is better. The large arbor reels type are nice when the fish runs at you and you need to catch up. I have an older Lamson LP3 on my 8WT that has battled hundreds of fish. On my 9WTs I have newer reels from Redington, each with larger arbors and big drag systems.

Lines & leaders: The fish are not shy and do not need much in the way of a fancy leader. My WF floating fly lines have heavy monofilament leader butts on them with connection loops. From there we will sometimes run commercial tapered leaders and sometimes run just heavy level monofilament in the 15-20lb class. Seven feet is plenty. Tippets are usually 0X or 10lb test monofilament, about 24" long. When tying on the tippet leave a tag line coming off the leader/tippet connection knot. Depending on water flow and depth, this is where you hang pinch-on lead if needed. Stronger tippet will increase the likelihood of a fish taking all of your flyline and backing or breaking the rod. You want terminal tackle that you can break if needed.

I have yet to find a reason to use anything but a floating fly line. I have a sink-tip setup but never use it. I also have what's called a slinky rig. It's basically just coated running line that ends up getting fished like a spinning reel. I don't use this either. Most fishing is done with the WF floating line.

Flies: Salmon aren't all that picky. Make them fairly large and in a mix of colors and weights. Pinch the barbs. I like hooks from 2 to 2/0. Weight some heavily and leave others unweighted. Flies that have been successful for me include the marabou Popsicles, red and green Butt Skunks, single eggs by themselves or as a trailer, egg sucking leeches, the two egg pattern called Babine Special, and and other big bright bushy streamers.

A good drift is the key, sometimes a strip retrive is the answer. If you're working fish you can see and they aren't hitting, change to a different color fly. Tie or buy your flies tied on hooks designed for salmon & steelhead. They are a lot stronger than even heavy wire trout hooks. The cheaper hooks WILL break or straighten.

Huge steelhead, 2003	Adam Caldwell, 2003	Brent's nice steelhead	Caldwells First King
Dan Riegel, huge brown	Mancini's first King	Another first Chinook!	Low water king, 2003
Tim Thennes	Brown trout, 2004	Son Spencer connected	Son Adam & King
Spencer with big king	Adam with nice steelhead	Coho Salmon 10/23/04

Fighting/Landing the big ones: Set the hook hard and more than once. I set multiple times on my fish. Get them on the reel as quickly as possible and use the drag and your palm to keep up heavy tension. Keep them off balance by changing rod angles. The big ones are tough fish and they will test your tackle. Fight the fish from the reel and only from the grip of your rod. Don't be lazy and start creeping your hand up the butt section for easier leverage. Stay on the grip. Gripping your rod above the grip while battling a fish can and most certainly WILL result in a broken rod. I've seen it happen a few times.

Keep your hooks sharp. These fish have tough mouths and dull hooks will not do. Use strong sharp hooks.

When you have one you want to land, start taking him to shallow water. Back them up onto a bar or gently sloping bank if one is handy. With the salmon no net is necessary. They have a firm stiff area in front of the tail and you can just grab them. When you're getting your fly back keep your fingers out of their mouths. Get yourself a good multi-plier and use it to unhook the fish. They will flat rip you up with their teeth if you get your fingers too close. In the crowded waters look for other peoples tackle snagged into the fish. You will often land a fish that already has a Cleo or a spinner stuck on it somewhere. Pull it out, take the picture then get your fish back into the water.

When to go? For Wisconsin, these fish start coming up on their Fall run in September or early October. Factors such as water flow, water level, and temperature greatly influence the runs of fish. I am ready for fish in early September and expect them by mid-September. I watch the online river gage info from USGS on the tribs we fish, looking for good high water. I watch the weather & rainfall data. I also read the discussion boards a little. When it's time, we go! Here are some generalitiies:

• Chinook - September through October with late & old fish in November
• Coho Salmon - September through November
• Lake Run Browns - August to December, heaviest in with the salmon runs
• Steelhead - They're in the streams in the Fall with the other fish, they stay late into the winter and there is another decent run in the Spring.

ONLINE RESOURCES

From Weather.Com, Wisconsin Weather Forecasts

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