Most will agree out here in the west that salmon often prefer meat, especially prior to their accent into the spawning streams and rivers. However there are exceptions to that (you know how fishing is!). Salmon take hardware often very well but most anglers agree that in saltwater (their main home and feeding grounds) a herring or anchovy is the "go-to" bait. Even out here where these types of baits have been the standard for over 50 years, many anglers have difficulty rigging a herring. Conditions such as current, trolling speed, hook placement, and terminal rigging, all must be understood and it is not too difficult once you see the set-up. Yes I am biased. I manufacture Sure Spin Herring Helmet that has made experts and the new angler highly effective at using bait fish, giving them a very effective way to "match the hatch." Typically bait trolled has a short life span as water pressure degrades the bait and then the action is lost making the bait ineffective. Sure Spin allows you to troll with downriggers, buck heavy current, or troll with weights, my LongLiner, or metal lines with confidence. Sure Spin has become very popular here from Alaska to California, even inland for trout, in 2 years. So for any fish that eats baitfish Sure Spin will be an excellent approach to trolling. Take a look at my fishing partner Dick Jacobs rigging the Sure Spin:
and visit my website: www.anglerinnovations.com Good fishing to you all!, Steve Lumsden, Boring Oregon (yes, that's Boring, Oregon, just 45 minutes from Mount Hood)