http://www.beaubeasley.com/

http://www.vaflyfishingfestival.org/

http://www.fishage.com/

http://www.ontargetmagazine.com/

Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - april2008 - Index

huge canine teeth on both their top and
bottom jaws—reaching up to 3/4 of an inch
in length—that can shred lines and leaders
almost instantly. They also like to dig themselves
into the sand to gain leverage during
the fight, which can also tear up your leader
and abrade your line.
Chums are not leader shy and have a vicious
strike, so prepare accordingly. I prefer
tapered, fluorocarbon leaders in the 9-foot
range, cut back to six or seven feet. Fluorocarbon
is much more resistant to abrasion
that nylon monofilament. If you like, you
can build your own. Start out with two feet
of 40-pound fluorocarbon, connected to two
feet of 30-pound. Then add an additional two
feet of 15- to 20-pound as a tippet, depending
on the size of the fish you’re dealing with
Terminal Tackle
Migrating chums may not be eating, but
their predatory instinct causes them to strike
at flies that appear to be fleeing. Flies can
be any color you like—as long as they’re
pink or orange (preferably a combination
of the two). Chum salmon seem to key in
on these two colors, and while other colors
may work from time to time, chums dig
pink and orange.
Use hooks in sizes from 2 to 2/0, and
I always bend down the barb. The smaller
crossection of a hook point with pincheddown
barb doesn’t have to displace as much
tissue during penetration, making it easier to
get a solid hook set in those tough jaws. Since
chums are not easily spooked, you may get
several shots at same fish, and pinched-down
barbs minimize the possibility of injury from
foul hooking. And then, of course, there’s
you. A hook with a pinched-down barb is
going to come out of your face a lot easier
when your fly line is under a lot of pressure
and the fish gives your hook the slip and it
comes rocketing back at you. True tale: one
of my fishing partners in Alaska got a hook
in the nose—one with a pinched-down barb,
fortunately—and I was the lucky stiff who
got to shove it the rest of the way through
the bridge of his nose before cutting it off
(the hook, that is) with a Leatherman tool
and backing it out.
Don’t let the “dog” salmon’s mediocre press
deter you from pursuing these fierce fighters.
My own “research” has shown that chum
salmon get a bum rap: Pound for pound,
they just might be the hardest-fighting fish
that swim in fresh water.
Beau Beasley (www.beaubeasley.com) is a
contributing editor for FFA and the author of
Fly Fishing Virginia: A No Nonsense Guide to
Top Waters. He and our warmwater columnist,
King Montgomery, are guest speakers
at this year’s Virginia Fly Fishing Festival
(www.vaflyfishingfestival.org).
39