LURE INNOVATIONS
Several of the innovations sweeping the salmon-fishing world were originally intended for trout fishing in fresh water but have been adapted to chasing salmon in the salt. Gary Miralles of the Shasta Tackle Company is a good example. His Sling Blade dodgers, spoons and Koke-A-Nuts are well known in trout and kokanee fishing circles, yet these lures are now being used by ocean salmon trollers with great results.

Over a year ago, Miralles began telling me about the success his customers were having hooking ocean-going kings while trolling large Koke-A-Nuts behind 8-inch Sling Blades. Koke-A-Nuts are double-hook flies constructed out of rubber with a prismatic tail and come in a variety of colors. Sling Blades are slim-profile dodgers that work well at speeds up to 3.5 miles per hour, much faster than you could troll traditional dodgers.

Since I began using this combination for salmon back in the spring of 2005, it has quickly become my favorite trolling setup, replacing my standby hoochie and dodger combo. To make the rig even more effective, I like to epoxy an E-Chip to the back of the Sling Blade.

Most trollers pursue salmon at 1.5 to 2.5 miles per hour. Salmon don't necessarily like slow-moving baits, but these are the speeds at which most salmon lures work best. The Sling Blade allows me to increase speed without sacrificing action. This results in more strikes because it sets my rig apart from what the salmon are accustomed to seeing.

Lure size is another area of recent experimentation. The saying that big baits equal big fish is true to some extent, but there are also times when salmon respond better to smaller lures. My use of Koke-A-Nuts, which are about 2.5 inches long, got me thinking about experimenting with other trout lures while salmon fishing.

To date I've had great results teaming the Everglo series of No. 2 Needlefish with a small blue Kone Zone Flasher. These Needlefish are only about an inch and a half long and glow in the dark. The Kone Zone Flasher is constructed of plastic and utilizes fiber optic technology to bend light. This creates tremendous flash on a lure that slow-rolls seductively and attracts large salmon.

Salmon fishing is a sport that is evolving in front of our eyes as more manufacturers and hardcore salmon enthusiasts continue to experiment with new tools, tackle, scents and rigs. After all, none of the innovations discussed in this article would have come about if some angler hadn't asked, "What if?"