Jetty Fishing For Salmon! (Top 3 Methods)
About 20 years ago, I had the chance to head out and experience fishing for salmon in the open ocean for the very first time. This particular weekend of salmon fishing was a result of helping a friend work on a boat that was a fixer upper…”The Hash-Brown”. She was an ugly vessel, but did she ever get us into the fish that day.
We left out of Yaquina Bay in Newport, OR and the thing that sticks with me the most about that first salmon fishing trip, is what happened when we first let out our fishing lines.
[tcb-script async=”” src=”//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js”][/tcb-script][tcb-script](adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});[/tcb-script]
We weren’t even past the end of the two jetties when the Coho started to strike. It was a quick frenzy as salmon were biting on several lines at a time. Needless to say, it was a good day.
But as we fought those fish, I remember looking out at the ends of the Yaquina Bay jetties which we were very close to and where I’ve spent many hours fishing for lingcod and greenling. And I thought to myself that surely I must be able to catch these salmon from the jetties as well.
As it turns out, I was right. When I started looking into the possibility of salmon fishing off the jetty, I was surprised to learn that it’s not all that uncommon. But this was a whole new way of jetty fishing.
So I went out to try and learn different tricks for catching salmon off the jetty. Here are the top 3 methods that work best:
How To Catch Salmon From The Jetty
1. Live Herring Under A Bobber
This is probably the most common method of salmon fishing from the jetty. Place a live herring about 20 feet under a large slip bobber. Use a bobber stop to set the depth you want the herring to be. Weigh the herring down with just enough weight to be able to cast, but not so much that it sinks your bobber. Usually a 3/4 oz weight will work.
If you’re having trouble keeping the herring on the hook during your casts, try using the clear plastic herring head holders with the tooth pick. Those will help significantly with keeping the bait on the hook.
The other benefit of using herring for salmon on the jetty is you have a chance of catching other species of fish while you’re out there. That’s half the fun of fishing from jetties!
For more information on jetty fishing with a bobber, take a look at my post, How To Use A Bobber While Jetty Fishing.
2. Buzz Bombs
I’ve found that Buzz Bombs are another popular choice for salmon fishing from the jetties. Buzz Bombs are great to throw in your back pack as a back up for when you’re out of herring or just want to try something else.
3. Spinners
Finally, you might want to try casting a spinner to see if the salmon will bite. Many salmon fishermen report that red/white or chartreuse green spinners work well for salmon. But of course, be sure to take a wide selection of colors to try.
There are many different kinds of spinners that will work, but I’ve found that Blue Fox spinners work the best. Try using a #5 Blue Fox for for jetty salmon fishing.
Final Thoughts
I would love to hear your feedback. Have you tried fishing for salmon from off the jetty. If so, how’d it turn out for you? Which jetty did you fish from? Leave a comment below and let us know! We want to hear all about it.
If you found this article helpful, do me a huge favor and Share using the Facebook or Pinterest links at the top of the page. Best yet, if this helped you catch some fish recently, send me a picture using the ‘Contact the Author’ link at the top of the page and I’ll feature you and your catch on an upcoming post! Thanks!
Related Posts:
1. Fishing For Beginners: How To Start Fishing Now!
2. The Best Saltwater Rod And Reel Combo For The Money
3. The Ultimate Guide To Learning How To Catch Crab
4. Jetty Fishing: The Ultimate Guide To Jetty Fishing In The Pacific Northwest
5. The Best Crab Traps For Dungeness Crab
