King salmon are incredibly strong fighters. A fisherman once fought a giant Alaskan king for more than 24 hours before losing it at the net. It's not unusual for a king to run off 200 yards of line, and anglers have reported chasing the fish for more than a mile!
There are many ways to catch king salmon. In early season, when kings are still in saltwater, you can troll for them with herring rigs around the mouths of spawning streams. Later in the season, you can troll or cast with spoons, spinners and plugs or drift with fresh spawn. Great Lakes fishermen usually troll artificials in open water using downriggers.
Kings are rated slightly below sockeye and coho salmon on the table - quality scale, but their reddish - orange flesh is still very good.
Trolling plugs with a scooped - out face, such as the Luhr Jensen J - Plug, have an erratic action that appeals to chinook salmon. These lures work best when trolled at high speeds.
When kings enter their spawning streams, try drifting a Spin - n - Glo tipped with fresh spawn through a deep pool or run. The combination of flash and scent is hard for kings to resist.
Heavy spinners are a good choice for fishing in swift current. To keep the lure on the bottom where kings are normally found, cast it and then let it sink on a slack line for few seconds before starting a slow retrieve.
Great Lakes anglers commonly troll for kings using trolling spoons or plugs on downriggers. Not only do downriggers enable you to precisely control your depth, they make it possible to spread lines at various levels.