River Fishing for Salmon

We’ve put together the best selection of lures that will cover every situation you’ll find on our local rivers for Chinook, Coho, Chum, Pink and Sockeye Salmon. As salmon enter the river system, their reason for striking a lure is more out of spawning aggression than for a feeding instinct. Having a variety of lure types, sizes and colors with you will up the chances that you have what you need to tempt them into biting that day!

Spinners are extremely effective for both Coho and Chinook Salmon in most rivers.

River Salmon Fishing Lure FAQ’s

What are the best lures for Salmon fishing?

We have a great selection of Salmon lures for river fishing. Here are some of the most popular lures for Washington, Alaska, California and Oregon.

• Yakima Bait Spin-N-Glo’s
  
• Yakima Bait Mag Lip 3.5 Plugs
• Yakima Bait Mag Lip 4.0 Plugs
• Steelhead Slammer Spinners
• Blue Fox Vibrax Spinners
• Yakima Bait Corkies
• Dick Nite Spoons
• Aerojig Twitching Jigs
• Yakima Bait Twitching Jigs
• Brad’s Wigglers
• Brad’s Mag Wigglers

What are the best Salmon lures to use from my boat?

We recommend casting spinners like Blue Fox Vibrax and Steelhead Slammer Spinners. Twitching jigs are also very effective, as is backtrolling plugs like Kwikfish, Mag Lips and Wigglers.

What are the best Salmon lures to use from the river bank?

Steelhead Slammer and Blue Fox Vibrax Spinners are highly effective, but we also recommend twitching jigs, plunking with a Spin-N-Glo and bait, or drift fishing with corky and yarn.

What kind of rod and reel should I use for Salmon fishing?

It depends on what type of salmon you are targeting. Chinook and Chum Salmon require a medium-heavy to heavy action, where Coho, Pink and Sockeye can be handled with a medium or medium-heavy action rod. Most common rod length is 8’6” to 9’6”. We have a great selection of rods, reels and combos for river fishing. 

What kind of line should I use for Salmon fishing?

We recommend braided line like P-Line X-Braid or EndurX in 30 to 50 pound test. If you prefer a more traditional copolymer, Izorline, Maxima Ultragreen and P-Line CX Premium are all great options.