Targeting river salmon

I have a few unanswered questions regarding salmon fishing on the American and Sac rivers.  Seems like the Feather could apply too.

Back story:
Went out Sunday all day on a boat with a friend.  I've never been (sad, since I have lived near Sac for 30+ years) and he tried to fish for salmon last year without success.  We lined up in the Sac "parking lot" near discovery.  3+ hours and not a single boat (maybe 40+ boats) had even a bite.  We tried up the AR a bit and then down the Sac a bit.  We were using spinners or #15 k-fish with sardine or anchovy wraps.  Leaders were 25-30# Flouro. (all recommended at FW in Sac)

Questions:
The little bit that I have found on here, it seems that most prefer smaller K-fish (#13-#14).  Has anyone tried using #15s with success?
What lb leader and line do you use?  I feel like we were hanging rope out there and the fish were laughing at us.  How much weight do you typically use?

I know that we were fishing out or a boat, but I plan to use my yak out on the AR soon (need a different anchor) and I don't want to show up with equipment rigged to capture a whale when all I really need is #2 line and a mosquito hook

I use 8 pound mono and spinners.
I don't anchor, and haven't had any luck with kfish. I think my lack of patience is the reason why.

Little Cleo in gold, copper, silver, silver with blue...etc. work up here on our northcoast rivers.  Slow retrieve.  If the water's crystal clear you might go down to 12 pound test, but if you're going to hook a potential hog of 20 to 40 pounds you'd better have line to handle it.

Good luck.   

Don't feel bad about not getting a bite, I have been out here on the Sac (Walnut Grove/Isleton) area since Sat. and have not seen or heard of one being caught!  I think it is still too early.  I have just been targeting smallies and stripers and they haven't been cooperating much either.  Now to your questions and I hope Ricci "Fishworks" chimes in as he knows more about this than me-especially the area you were fishing.  All of those Quickfish will work, but I have had most luck on the K-14 in chrome and chartreuse.  Last few years the hot spinner in this area has been the chartreuse and chrome Silvertron and red and chrome Silvertron.  I usually rig it on a spreader with a one ounce weight to keep it dragging near the bottom---a three way swivel will work also.  As far as line/leader weight I usually start with 20 lb. mono until I get one in the freezer and then go with strictly 12 lb just for the excitement.   As soon as I see one being netted here I will start dragging lures behind boat and yaks.  ---Jeff

A part of it is the old adage smaller bait - more bites.

Technically though, the smaller kwikfish/flatfish run shallower and tighter.  They tend to work better in faster current.  Larger k16 with their wider footprint can wobble better in slower moving current as well as get down to depth easier.  k15 is the average go to size.

Like most fishing in general, there does seem to be times when size and color matters.  I tend to not like to vary much from what I know works as the "hot" tip is just what the last guy who caught something was using.  I run 12 different kwikfish ranging from k14-16, 11 being some sort of chartreuse and chrome with one having a red tiger stripe.  Boring but effective.

Line size.  Salmon are not line/leader shy.  I run 65lb braided with 45 lb standard leader (the cheap ridged stuff).  I prefer not to risk losing a trophy fish over being under-gunned.  It makes a lot of difference on the technique you are using as well.  If you are going to be fishing Discovery park where you are going to be fighting the fish on anchor against the current, you need heavy lines as current is a big multiplier.  If your throwing spinners or trolling while floating and can have the fish tow you around after a hookup then lighter line is fine and easier to cast/manage. 

Salmon strikes on kwikfish while on anchor are violent.  In my opinion the hardest hitters around.  It is not like fishing for them in the ocean where you are trying to detect a slight bite and run.  On anchor kwikfish bites will rip the rod holder out of your kayak or pin your rod in the holder.  There are no nibbles or "was that a bite?"  Your pole will act like playing tug of war with a bulldog.  Full bend on the rod with power shakes.  Salmon are average fighters but that initial hit is what I live for.  The after fight is okay but that first attack is why this method is my preferred way of fishing.

Majorly important.  Wait on the hookset.  Leave the rod in the holder and take a deep breath.  Count four or five rod bendo's before you even reach for the rod.  Your hook up rate will go from 1-10 to 6-10 just by letting the fish hook itself. 

Cleanliness is very important.  Wash your lures in lemon joy before using (remove all foreign smells especially human scent plus all your tackle box nastiness).  Use latex gloves when rigging.  Always wrap with sardine or other scent holder to mask as well as attract.  Rotate your sardine wrap every 20-30 minutes often times sooner if their is a lot of debris in the water.  I run a six plug rotation.  When two are in the water I prep the others with sardine wraps.  This way when I bring it up I just unclip the old lure, clip on a new set, and while I am waiting prep the just used one. 

True your lures before deploying.  This means run them along side your kayak and make sure they are tracking straight.  Use some needle nose pliers to adjust the eyelet where the swivel attaches.  If you can't get it to run straight, toss it into the bushes. 

Keep 1, 2, and 3, oz weights in your box.  It all depends on the current and kwikfish you are running.  Flows vary quite a bit depending on how much water they are releasing and which part of the river you are in.  When you are deploying you should be able to feel the weight bounce back on the bottom.  You don't want it pinned straight below the boat so keep using lighter until you can get it to bounce back as far as you want but still keeping the whole rig on the bottom.  In general you are targeting from floor to at max two feet up.

Give it a month before the river fishing is hot.  There are a few fish in the system and some are being caught, but few and far between.  The guides are catching them because that is what they do for a living.  If your willing to put in a lot of time now you might get lucky and pull one.  Give it a few more weeks and everybody will be a pro.  Last year it was five weeks after the opener before I got my first Salmon.  That was with an average of four attempts per week.  Once they are flowing through the system the hot set-up will be anything with a hook on it and the top technique will be put the aformentioned hot set-up in any body of water. 

Patience or put in the work.

^^^
Awesome info right there!!!

If all else fails, when fish are moving through a run or shallow hole and not being cooperative, you can always just line them like people do on the Mad and Feather... works well.

Lots of info to digest...thx everyone.  I think I will downsize a bit while out on my Yak. 

Matt, I tried to locate that specific lure and all they had were smaller ones in stock. 

In fact, it turns out that if you get an invite to go fishing for Salmon during the opening week and you are not set up, it takes about 3 stores to stock up on all the gear.  Seems like Sportsman's and FW were picked over for weights and line.

Boondogging (back bouncing) roe works good too.

Lots of info to digest...thx everyone.  I think I will downsize a bit while out on my Yak. 

Matt, I tried to locate that specific lure and all they had were smaller ones in stock. 

In fact, it turns out that if you get an invite to go fishing for Salmon during the opening week and you are not set up, it takes about 3 stores to stock up on all the gear.  Seems like Sportsman's and FW were picked over for weights and line.

Hit me up when u come out to the Ar. I've got 24.

The only place I have river fished for salmon is in Alaska. There would be so many fish in the river that they were bouncing off your legs. They weren't interested in lures or any other bait for that matter in the least. You could have snagged your limit in minutes if it were legal. The trick was not hooking them but not hooking them in the body. The only way you could hook them in the mouth was if you could get your lure in front of their mouth and piss them off enough to bite it. Then when you finally got one fair hooked when you got it home to eat it tasted like carp. I realized that fishing for salmon any more than 10 or 15 miles from the salt was not for me. You could get them with flies and lures near the mouth of the rivers and they would bite and tasted good. I have no knowledge about the American River but they might be there and just not a bit interested in feeding.

They say they don't eat in the rivers at all. The bites are reaction bites, guess they attack things in their way.

I've seen a 25 pound salmon come out of a hole in crystal clear water over 35 miles from the mouth of the Eel and bite a Little Cleo on top of the water (I was astounded and that can NEVER be expected to happen!).  But I've seen it.  You don't know what a salmon will do.  You can only guess what they'll probably do.  The important part is being there trying to get them to do something. 

Picture below K-15 lower American.

Sac/lower American k-15, mid American k-15/k13, upper section (barbless) K-13. All kwikfish sardine wrapped and lubed up with sardine oil.

Main line 15/ 20lb mono with a three way, 1 thru 3 oz. ball sinker depending on current and about 3-4' 15lb mono leader.

Fish kwikfish on anchor right above the hole and let it drift into it.

.....there is also spinners, and roe fishing.

Mr. Matt, Steve and Abdiver are all AR Salmon pros, and give good advice.  The only thing that I have to add is using bigbill kwikfish imitations (like maglips).  In some areas you can use these deeper diving bigbill kwikfish unweighted, or cast and retrieve.