At Rainbow Bend Lodges on Alaska’s Naknek River, we get to see a lot of anglers from around the world. Many of our guests are die-hard fly anglers, while others like tossing spinners. In some of the remote rivers we fly out to, bait can be used when targeting salmon. But one of the most effective approaches for fishing multiple salmon species just about anywhere in Alaska, is fishing a bobber and jig,
Jig fishing is one of the best methods for beginning anglers because hangups are few and a lot of water can be covered easily. Even veteran anglers love fishing a jig beneath a float, as it optimizes the amount of time the terminal gear is in the water, whereby allowing you to catch more fish.
This year on the Naknek River–and surrounding rivers and streams in the areas we fish–it’s a pink salmon year. Pink salmon, or humpies, love jigs, and if you’re not a fly angler, fishing jigs can be a fun way to go. Jigs also work very well on silver salmon and chum salmon, which we’ll also have a lot of this summer.
Fishing with a bobber and jig is easy and will work in a wide-range of settings, from small creeks to big rivers. Be it fast water, deep currents, slow currents, the edges of seams and anywhere there’s a slight flow, fishing jigs will work. For coho salmon use pink colored jigs. Orange/chartreuse, red, and green, along with a selection of black, purple and blue jigs for those overcast days, where a silhouette can be cast, will round out the arsenal. Yakima Bait’s Maxi Jigs are good choices because they have bead bodies which reflect light, adding to the attraction of the colored marabou.
A floating mainline, like Berkley’s FireLine in 20 pound test, is tough to beat. This diameter line floats well in heavy water and will withstand the punishment of any silver, chum or pink salmon.
The setup is simple. First, thread a bobber stop (nylon nail knot) on to the mainline followed by a 3mm bead then a float. The bobber stop serves as a depthregulator which can be slid up and down the mainline to achieve desired depth. The bead keeps the bobber stop from slipping through the float. A 1/8- or 1/4-ounce inline float is best, like ones made by Pline, Thill or Beau Mac. Tie the mainline to a size 7 barrel swivel and a two-foot leader to the other end of the swivel, then pick your jig of choice.
When jig fishing with a sliding bobber setup in big rivers, a 10’6” rod with a moderate action, supporting 10-20 pound test line and weights of 3/8-1 1/2 ounces, is a good choice. Paired with a good spinning reel, this is a very efficient setup.
Cast upstream, close the bail of the spinning reel and take up the slack as the float moves toward you. As it passes by, open the bail, letting the current pull the line out, free-spooling its way downstream. Mend the line as needed to keep the mainline on the upstream side of the float to ensure a natural float. With the jig staying off the bottom six to 12-inches, hangups are few, time spent actually fishing is high, and catch rates will rise.
So, if you’re looking for a fun, easy way to fish for salmon in Alaska, this is it, a bobber and jig. Good luck on the water.
