Michigan Salmon Fishing 2022: Casting Spinners and Floating Skein 

Austin, you make a fair point, I'm going to pin your comment so people can see my response, and the story of how I got into all this. When I first got seriously into river fishing at age 13-15 I almost exclusively fly fished (all the time, not just for salmon). I had an old timer teach me the "chuck and duck " split shot- long leader- two fly rig at a popular dam , and I used it to hook a few fish. Noone ever mentioned flossing to me, just how hard the fish will slam black yarn and subtle nymph patterns that I now realize those fish can hardly see. After using this method awhile and getting a few negative responses to videos about flossing, I realized quickly. The technique was all about presenting in a way that put a sweeping horizontal leader in a fishes mouth. The flies used had nothing to do with it, as long as the hook point is exposed it will result in a head shaking fish. Once I realized this, I discovered with the right technique and long leadered rig I could hook any fish that were in front of me, in the mouth, with ease. I would argue I got pretty good at it! Everyone around me on the rivers was doing it And it was fun, but the negative comments I got from serious fisherman continued. I loved fly fishing so much I didn't want to give it up, so I switched to fishing streamer flies, which got me visible strikes and restored my faith in fly fishing. However, once I learned to fish skein and hardware my confidence in getting legitimate bites on a fly setup faded quickly. That's why all my more recent videos are skein and hardware based, with the exception of streamer cohos where I have shown tons of evidence that they bite. I have removed a few older videos where some blatant flossing was occurring, even if I wasn't fully aware at the time. I have mixed feelings about the technique, especially since it is by far the most widely used method on every great lakes trib. It is super effective and leads to action packed fun. I don't want to alienate or villainize those who do it. I think it should be all about intention and if you know that you aren't attempting to get bites from fish, it is a bit shady to be targeting them. But I get why it is so popular, and yes I was once an active and enthusiastic participant in the "chuck and duck" "bottom bouncing" fly fishing community!

Hey Fray I have followed you for awhile and it has been awesome to see your growth and your message is spot on I started fishing for salmon when I was 11 in downtown Grand Rapids My Father was a snagger from the 70s I’ve watched the culture change so much throughout the years and I can’t tell you how glad I was to see snagging done away with at Tippy and the Marquette I’ve been a part of all the Salmon fishing techniques and cultures I appreciate that you have a willingness to show some insight and let people catch on rather than a judgment about how they fish I’ll be be 53 on the 21st of Sept I’ve lived in Georgia for 30 years but still make the trip regularly to the Betsie The Platte and make my last stop my spot In the Grand My favorite hookups are on spinners and I’ve gone 2-3 day trips a couple times empty The Chuck and duck is a fond memory of 15-20 hookup’s and landing 1 or 2 fish I was 11 when I started 24 when I landed my first King 25 landed my first Steelhead Then I killed it when I was in my 30s if there were fish I was catching them My limit was the most important thing Now I’m back where I started but if I get 1 slamming hit out of a 3 day trip I’m good till the next season Keep up the good work you’re journey has been great to watch!

Keep it up fray. Love your style videos and the spinner bites and bobber down videos are sick!

That's how I see it too, thanks

Awesome, thanks !

Thanks for sharing your realistic story!

Thanks !

Thanks!

Thanks Nate!

Thanks !

I'm trying to figure out how to squeeze in some fly fishing vids, we will see

@@FishFray what rod are you using ?

Good luck!

Thanks !

@@FishFray no worries man keep up the great vids!!

It usually isn't hot action but if I fish the spinner for long enough I seem to have luck! Thanks !

Thanks man!

Good luck! Skein bite has been best this year

We have snaggers and litter here too but thankfully space to get away from it as well!

@@FishFrayIt is unbelievable how careless some so called “fishermen” are. Total disregard of these beautiful rivers. Have you fished the Salmon River in NY?

Good luck!

@@FishFray thanks been a while since I fished for salmon. Buddy trying to tell me only thing he uses is shrimp😅

what are the regs for spinners in NY special regulation salmon river?, i know they would have to be single hook gap under 1/2in and 1/8oz or under, but are they even allowed?

Great story, that's how it goes! Thanks

Yes theres a group of local angler's that would rather the flossers keep flossing as long as they stay out of their preferred spots.. personally I think an overall increase in respect for the fish would be better for everyone

It is a DIFFERENT feeling for sure, nothing like a flossing hookup at all...

Good luck!

It would be awesome , someday!

@@FishFray you wanna do that one day hit me up i got you dude.

That's too bad! I'm not sure education will solve the problem either, I certainly haven't seen much change so far

I have to work this weekend unfortunately, good luck!

Awesome!

Someday!

Do salmon actually bite flies? I’ve heard of them hitting spinners and skein but realistically do they hit flies???

I have personally swung, bottom bounced, and outright stripped in streamers and other flys and have watched not only coho but kings slam them in clear water. It’s a matter of pissing them off enough to get them to bite

Sounds awesome !

I fish Steelhead in the spring, use same techniques, at tippy I was undergunned, using 12 lb leader and 14 lb mainline( mono). Couldn't turn most salmon back upstream, but watching line peel was great. Most fly patterns work, atlas Mike's egg flies worked except pea green. Could watch fish open mouth most drifts, match flow of water drift properly.

@@Bpositiveandprosper as Blake said, it's possible with the right fly. My friend found out the excellent fly by trial and error until the fly was consistently inside the mouth. Constantly swapped flies for a day.

It's not the easiest way to get them out for sure but it's what I am most comfortable with !

Fish are spread out up and downstream in all of our NW Michigan tributaries at this point in the season

Right on. Regardless of method used , changing the attitude and expectation towards salmon fishing could make a big difference!

They can! I have not used them much compared to skein chunks though

Just gotta believe!

Next week there should be at least a few around !

I have used 7ft medium action spinning rods in the past. Now I am using a 10 foot Medium heavy and love it. It's from blood run tackle but not available yet on the site

I haven't noticed any real trend to be honest. Some days the skein is hot (like in this video) and other days the bobber bite is dead but they are chasing spinners. Both of these methods do work in high pressure areas, I make videos showing that, I am right in the action with everyone else. However those areas require more patience, those fish won't always hit in the first few drifts , in my experience. Don't let pressure scare you from trying to fish legitimately! But of course , nothing bites better than a fresh run king that has not seen a fisherman before ..

@@FishFray thanks so much for taking the time for a thorough answer. Heading up in a week and a half for my only trip this year. Later than I prefer, but with this weather it just may work out. Thanks again

@@jeremykenward3082 I think that will be a great time to be up, good luck!

To make your point, I fished that same bend from the other bank with skein for half an hour with no luck and turned it around after switching to a spinner. Just the opposite of your day.

Spinning reel is a pflueger president 35, spinning rod is a rod from blood run tackle that should be available soon. Centerpin rod and reel are linked in the description. Thanks for watching !

I like a Mepps #3 in gold or chrome

Nice!

That's what I'm saying, match your tackle to your game!!

The guy who makes them is absolutely slammed this time of year, however I bet you will get them soon!

@@FishFray we should invest in that company and scale it in the Great Lakes region and PNW. Supply and demand lol

I have not tried using worms for salmon

Its all about intention, I said dragging double beads through the bottom of a hole.

@@FishFray gottcha. That makes sense. Wasn’t sure if I was missing something. Got my first king yesterday floating a bead and it was awesome. Do you run straight braid for the spinners or are you using a leader? I figure if they are so aggressive they are chomping those spinners then the line probably isn’t gonna scare them off but I’m curious to know your thoughts.

I run 20 lb fluoro leaders, not sure if it effects the bite or not !

Yes I run 40lb braid on my spinning reels

Ha, I hear you there.

I fish all Western Lake Michigan tribs in my videos, different rivers each video. Thank you for supporting my channel !

@@FishFray I'm from erie,pa. The steelhead alley state, also owner of a baitshop, im looking to go to Michigan to fish for salmons, any pointers on where to go and what river or streams. Or where I can possibly meet you .

Try 6th st dam downtown grand rapids. Lots of pressure though

@@freetimeoffshore3157 thats a good starting point for sure! Thanks mate 👍

@@crazywormy5869 gonna Google maps that and see where it takes me... thanks mate

@@crazywormy5869 I like the sound of that! Thanks for the info!

We have great access in Michigan. Parks , boat launches, and road crossings are all good places to start.. good luck !

If you order online this time of year they wont come in time for the season. And any shops that do have them will be sold out of good colors! It's definitely best to stock up before the season starts..

@@FishFray yeah I been trying man. I was banking on my low key little shop to have some but the odds were against me. That’s fine. I got my float setup and bait. Been at it for a while this season now with much success! Guess I’ll have to order up. However steelhead season this year is gonna be a massacre, almost feel bad ;)

Smoked they sure do. Pretty good if you make salmon patties too. If you’re going to keep them for eggs, definitely worth to smoke them up.

@@nickbrown6916 interesting. Might have to give that a try from someone that knows what they’re doing.

I think the color of the fishes skin doesn't always correlate with the texture. I could feel that this fish had firm meat, so I decided to harvest it. Smoking will firm it up too

I'm not sure ! Probably

I hope they will be in the bestie good next week that's when I'm going there

@@xxhelldemon91xx52 I’m probably gonna head up and fish around Milwaukee. Never fished for them so ig we’ll see what happens 🤷‍♂️

Ha, do you ice fish? I'm pretty busy this fall but you can shoot me an email frayd@ferris.edu

6th Street dam in grand rapids

Hit the grand. Coho make it to Lansing, try webber,Lyons ionia,Lowell, dt gr 6th st dam.

Not so many salmon( coho&chinooks) are planted in the grand anymore but they are available. Coming upstream you have g.r. ,the rogue,lowell,, Lyons, webber, grand ledge, then up into Lansing area. Not sure about dams and fish ladders there. Steelhead do better in the spring, but start coming in behind the salmon. Fish are in the system all winter.

That's some dedication, I respect that! Good luck !

Northern

Great lakes salmon eat alewives, they have never seen or smelled a tuna!

Ive heard some guys mention this, it's interesting for sure! But don't know anyone who has tried it here

@@freetimeoffshore3157 I can think of plenty of things a salmon has never fed on or smelt that they like to bite so that doesn’t hold much water