Five Lures That Are Deadly on Landlocked Salmon

Time and time again, I fish with fishermen who are equipped to catch fish all day long. Problem is, they are equipped for pickerel, smallmouth bass, brook trout, togue, etc. Not salmon. If you fish for salmon in Maine, or plan to, here are five lures you will want to have in your tackle box.

1. The Luhr-Jensen Super Duper

   The U-shaped design of this lure seems to draw salmon strikes even on days when other lures are not working. I fish the silver and brass non-holographic types often, mostly in the 1/12 oz size and the 1 1/2″, 1/6 oz. size. In deeper water I will try and fish a larger lure, but often I am ultra-light in 6-12 feet of water, where you will find many salmon in Maine. This lure behaves erratically, which is precisely why it draws strikes from finnicky salmon. However, that same behavior makes it a challenge to fish in tight spots. Fish light with this one, and you will have outstanding results.

2. The Rapala F-9 and F-13

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   In #001 Silver, the Rapala F-9 and F-13 are deadly river lures. Toss them out and twitch them to simulate the appearance of a wounded smelt, and the strikes you will get are heartstopping! I have had salmon throw these lures four feet in the air on strikes, and I have had the salmon make great leaping strikes on them. The fact that the lure floats means you can fish it all day in the river without losing it, plus you’ll get to see your strikes up close and personal.

3. The Swedish Pimple

   This lure I most often fish in deeper holes, while some guys will fish them shallow in moving water. I don’t know if it’s just me or the body of the lure, but I tend to hang them up in shallow water. Deep they are deadly, in shallow water if you can retrieve them, they will outperform almost anything on this list.

4. Orange and Brass Spoons

   If you are going to fish traditional “hardware”, make sure to carry a handful of orange and brass colored spoons. Orange/brass outperforms silver, silver/blue, or silver/green three or four to one, and orange/silver at least 2 to 1. I once fished an entire day with the same orange/brass 1/4 oz. spoon and landed 17 native landlocked salmon. All but 3 of which would have been legal length to keep, had I chosen to. That day I did keep a 26″ and a 22″ landlock. Time and again, the orange and brass come through, and at much lower cost than some of the expensive hardware on the market.

5. Mickey Finn Streamers

   Oft overlooked by all but the fly-fishing fraternity, the Mickey Finn streamer has been trolled, cast and praised by fishermen of all types for decades. You don’t need a fly rod to find a way to put this streamer on the water, and you will be happy with the results. Don’t be shy on the larger sizes, for with the light weight build of a streamer, you may actually still find yourself adding weight to the line.