Drift Fishing For Beginners

Drift Fishing is EASY! By David D Hicks

I'm hoping this article, and the video at the end will make your introduction into drift fishing a whole lot easier than it was for me. When I was first introduced to drift fishing, I had more questions than answers. Years of being on the river has answered quite a few of them.

 WHAT IS DRIFT FISHING: Drift fishing is the art of casting up river at about two o'clock (from where you're standing), and letting your bait drift down river until it gets to about eleven o'clock.

WHAT KINDS OF BAIT DO I USE? There are many different types of bait, but the most common, and productive baits are corkies and yarn, or cured salmon eggs. These are both drifted in the same way, and in the same type of water.

WHERE IN THE RIVER DO I CAST? This is the question which every fisher would love to know, but here's a brief synopsis, and a couple books that can give you a very good idea of where to cast. Salmon hold in slow deep water. In most rivers you can find areas where two different currents meet (one faster, one slower) like where a stream flows into the river, or a fork in the river itself. If there are salmon in the river, they'll be holding along the seam that the water creates, in the slower water. Cast into the fast water, and let it drift your bait into the slow water, so that your presentation looks natural. Many times, slower water is right behind a log, or large rock in the river.

 HOW LONG OF LEADER? The leader length will vary upon water clarity. The clear the water, the longer the leader, so the fish doesn't see your weight & swivel setup behind your bait. Standard leader lengths are 2-6 ft.

HOW MUCH WEIGHT SHOULD I USE Your weight should only be hitting the bottom every 10 ft. or so. This way, you'll know that whatever disturbs your line, or causes it to stop in the water is a fish.

DO I SET THE HOOK? Absolutely! When you feel or see your line stop in the water, quickly set the hook.... this should only be done once through out the drift. If you find that more often than not, what you thought was a fish, was only your weight hitting the bottom, you need to trim your weight. If you think trimming your weight won't allow you to get deep enough in the water, all you need to do is cast farther up river.

 HAVE A GOOD TIME Fishing is meant to be fun. Experiment, and don't get "locked in" to one style of fishing. I've drift fished water very productively, but there are some spots on rivers, where bobber fishing, or casting lures is the most productive form of fishing. To find all the fishing gear you'll need, a lot more info please visit:

http://www.fishingthepuyallup.blogspot.com I hope this video helps DRIFT FISHING FOR BEGINNERS Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_D_Hicks Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6636634