Salmon - Salmo salar

Shiny, big and strong. The salmon has given its name to the whole family of salmonids, which can be recognized by the small adipose fin behind the dorsal fin. Salmon live most of their lives at depth, moving throughout the Baltic Sea, but then migrate up the coast and our rivers to spawn.

Fishing method: Salmon do not eat during their spawning migration in the river, so it is mostly a matter of irritating them to bite. A common piece of advice in salmon fishing is that "the fly fishes better in the water than on land". Which means that it is more important to be efficient and persistent with fishing rather than frequently changing bait. The most difficult thing, according to many, is to manage to get the bait in front of the nose of rising fish. If the bait then happens to be blue-green instead of red-black may ultimately be of less importance.

The flies that are used today are often tube flies with or without thinning and depending on the water flow and where you think the fish are, the choice of line and fly can vary. From sinking line and e.g. large colorful fly during spring fishing to floating line and unweighted small e.g. black fly in late summer. For the spin fisherman, narrow spoon drags or wobblers around 10cm are recommended.

Where and when: The Skellefte River offers fishing close to town from both boat and land. Salmon can swim in the river almost all year round, but they become more numerous in late summer and in the fall you can usually see them splashing. You can also find salmon in the Byske and Åby rivers where spring fishing can be very good.

Note that the times and rules for salmon fishing can vary between rivers and can also change from one season to another.