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[Chehalis_Steel]

I read an article a while ago which said that setting the hook sideways (downstream towards the bank at about 2 or 3 o'clock) when swinging flies for steelhead and salmon gives the best possible hooking angle. Anyone do this method? I'm wondering if its worth trying because I did miss one or two coho this year setting the hook straight up.

[RalphH]

Common advice for Atlantic Salmon and Steelhead is to delay the hook set on a surface take. Hold the rod higher than you might expect, maybe the tip 3 feet off the surface so there is a little slack. When a fish swirls wait a couple of seconds then draw up and to the sides. The rational is that the fish don't close their mouths completely and an immediate and strong hook set is likely to pull the hook out of the fish's mouth. By waiting the fish sounds, the hook pulls to the side and the hook set locks it into the hinge of the jaw.

The best discussion of this is in  Jack Scott's Greased Line Fishing for Salmon (and Steelhead) edited by  Bill McMillan. Bill McMillan also discusses this in his collected articles Dry Line Steelhead. FWIW the Jock Scott book was compiled from the fishing notes and journals of AH Wood who intended to publish a book of the same title but passed away before he'd put a draft together. Apparently Jock Scott (an angling journalist) got some things wrong regarding Wood's various techniques

As far as swinging flies on sinking lines opinions vary. The most common advice is to keep a small loop of slack off the reel and feed that to the fish on the hook set - pretty much unavoidable. Others just set with a tight line.

For salmon I use very minimal set when I fish with tips and simply set up and to the side when I feel a strike.

[Tex]

The theory applies as you said to the swung fly. The idea is that a steelhead is facing upstream when the fly swings in front of him/her. They follow it towards shore as the swing continues, and they take from below the fly, before turning BACK upstream and then head towards their original lie mid-river.

Setting upstream would, in theory, increase your chance of pulling the fly out of the steelhead's mouth.

Sweeping the rod sideways and towards the bank should increase your chance of hookiing the inside corner of the fish's mouth.

How much this actually works in practice, I'm not sure. If you have a lot of line out, I'd expect the effect to be minimized. That said, I naturally seem to set the hook somewhat towards the bank when swinging for steelhead.

Not sure it would apply to coho, as you are usually stripping line directly in from frog water. The fish could turn in any direction. Best advice is to keep your hook STICKY sharp.

[clarkii]

When stripping your best hookset is a strip set.  If the hookset doesnt work you just keep the fly right infront of the fish.

But thats another topic.

[RalphH]

From everything I have seen by observation coho orient upstream in frog water which isn't so froggy as it may seem as there is still some current. As I said as well I don't find a need to really set the hook with a great wham of any sort with salmon. Most of the time there is a sense of weight or a pull on the line and I simply raise the rod towards the bank and the fish is on. I think as hook size and/or the width of the hook wire gets bigger you'll need more force. I know I instinctively apply more force when using spinners or blades.  Again you'll talk to people who still insist to immediately pull back hard particularly with a sunk fly.

[Chehalis_Steel]

Setting upstream would, in theory, increase your chance of pulling the fly out of the steelhead's mouth.

Sweeping the rod sideways and towards the bank should increase your chance of hookiing the inside corner of the fish's mouth.

Makes sense. I had a feeling I was doing something wrong because the fish I missed actually hit pretty hard. Same thing has happened fishing for steelhead and cutties.Really frustrating when you do all the work and you mess up the hookset    I think the big problem is that setting to the side goes against the natural instinct to pull upstream, away from the fish when you feel a bite. I'll have to force myself not to do this

[Every Day]

The last 3 years I have hammered a heck of a lot of steelhead on both the swung fly and swung spoon.
I have tried a whole slough of things...

On the spinning gear I have tried everything from the side sweep, to having drag almost right off (using my finger to control line going out after the initial run), to letting fish set on themselves, to me hammering home on them. I personally found with spoons the best way about it was to absolutely hammer home - to the side. Straight up didn't produce good sets. Letting them take it didn't produce good sets.

Fly I have found similar. When I get a tight line hit, I let them pull my small 3 inch loop while my other hand reaches for the reel, and I hammer home. One smooth motion - first to the side that I'm swinging and then up. I miss next to no fish, and rarely lose more than 10%. One thing I want to stress here is make sure they have it. They don't hit flies as hard as spoons. I've never had a fish "peck" at a spoon, but I have had many do so at a fly. I never set on the pecks. Most of the time, my second swing through after a couple "pecks" will result in a solid stop - the stops are what you want to set on.

Lastly, dry flies are totally different. Best to keep your tip in the water, let them take, and literally don't do anything until you feel weight. Once you feel weight, do a strip set combined with a lifting motion straight up. Seems to work best for me after a lot of trial and error.

[Flytech]

From everything I have seen by observation coho orient upstream in frog water which isn't so froggy as it may seem as there is still some current. As I said as well I don't find a need to really set the hook with a great wham of any sort with salmon. Most of the time there is a sense of weight or a pull on the line and I simply raise the rod towards the bank and the fish is on. I think as hook size and/or the width of the hook wire gets bigger you'll need more force. I know I instinctively apply more force when using spinners or blades.  Again you'll talk to people who still insist to immediately pull back hard particularly with a sunk fly.

I agree with Ralph here, he's exactly right on not finding a need to set the hook hard. I could understand if your hooks are old a dull, but a sharp hook shouldn't take much force at all to pierce the skin of the mouth. I've always felt that the minute I feel pressure on the line a light rise of the tip and reeling in has done the job for me.

[RalphH]

T One thing I want to stress here is make sure they have it. They don't hit flies as hard as spoons. I've never had a fish "peck" at a spoon, but I have had many do so at a fly. I never set on the pecks. Most of the time, my second swing through after a couple "pecks" will result in a solid stop - the stops are what you want to set on.

I had a few coho peck at a spinner this fall and then after changing rods, provide a good take to a fly. Pecks in fact may not be pecks at all but a sudden burst of water pressure as a fish moves close to a fly or lure then turns suddenly away.

[clarkii]

Lastly, dry flies are totally different. Best to keep your tip in the water, let them take, and literally don't do anything until you feel weight. Once you feel weight, do a strip set combined with a lifting motion straight up. Seems to work best for me after a lot of trial and error.

Depends on where the fly is and slack.

Doing a sweepset downstream works on using water tension.  Your movement with the rod tightening the line up and the current works as a set option, however you then have to worry about slack if the fish does not run downstream.

Personally I use a lift set.  Only time I'll strip line on a lift is when I'm trying to pick up a lot of slack, otherwise the force on the fly in the mouth has the potential to pull it out.

[RalphH]

It's been some time since I fished summer runs but I have taken some fish on an upstream dead drift dry. That's not much different than using an upstream dry on a river or even a drifted fly stillwater fishing, just the timing is much longer. Some folks don't consider waking or skating a fly downstream as dry fly fishing and call it damp fly etc. Again the technique that has worked for me is what Woods recommended for greased line drop the rod, wait until you can feel the fish (if you can) and then set to the side.