Fly Bait

• Use a fishing rod with a large reel to catch spawning salmon. Attach a fly just above the hook near a bobber at the end of your line and cast. Flies are a common food for salmon and even a spawning fish may not be able to resist one hanging placidly on the water's surface.
  
  

Trout Egg Bait

• Purchase trout egg bait from a fishing tackle store and use this in place of the fly. Rotating your bait will increase your chances of getting salmon to bite, since it's impossible to know exactly what will tempt them. Trout eggs are effective salmon bait under normal conditions and are often more successful than conventional baits during spawning.
  
  

Snagging Salmon

• Remove your bobber and attach a weight to your line near the hook. Drop your line into an area where many spawning salmon have congregated. Spawning salmon often swim languidly with their mouths wide open. Trail your line through a group of fish with gaping mouths, and you're likely to snag one regardless of whether it is attempting to feed.
  
  

Trout Spinner-Bait

• Attach a rainbow or brown-trout-colored spinner to your line and drop it near a group of salmon. Spawning salmon are aggressive toward trout that may harm their eggs and will attack and bite the spinner. Even though they are not biting to feed, you might snare a spawning salmon.
  
  

Tips

• Be cautious and avoid sudden movements when fishing for salmon. These fish are easily frightened and are fast swimmers. If startled, they'll swim a long distance away. Move slowly and you will increase you chances of getting a catch. Attach bait to the line near a bobber since spawning salmon are most likely to bite a floating lure.
  
  

Warnings

• Snagging salmon, which involves catching the hook in the mouth of a fish that is swimming with its mouth gaping and is not attempting to feed, is illegal in some areas. Before using this method to catch spawning salmon, check with the local Fish and Game Department to make sure it's legal where you're fishing.