Salmon fishing with bait

[WILF 46,645]

Just had my Salmon license through in the post and wondered if anyone had any tips on fishing with prawn or worm ?

May sound daft but would you set it up like fishing for barbel or chub ? 
 

[Liamboy 1,266]

Prawn/shrimp is by far the best. If you use worm you will get tortured by everything else. Simple set-up, adjustable float above your swivel. Then your leader with a split shot about a foot or so above the shrimp. Soon as that float dips under, whalop it! Lol. My favourite style of fishing by far. 

[Liamboy 1,266]

Saying that, the prawns are better in deeper slower moving pools, whereas if i was fishing in faster moving water like around waterfalls etc id use worms on the bottom. A lot of rivers in Ireland dont let you use shrimp now days. Each 1 is different so be best to check 1st

[pengelli 369]

14 hours ago, WILF said:

Just had my Salmon license through in the post and wondered if anyone had any tips on fishing with prawn or worm ?

May sound daft but would you set it up like fishing for barbel or chub ? 
 

Wilf Google mackinon tackle two long shank hooks the ones with the barbs on the shank one at the bottom and one tied up from it with big earth worms threaded up right round the hooks with one of them rubber bouncing Betty's tied in further up like a ledger  set up hope this helps

[pengelli 369]

There's a vid on you tube on how to rig prawns for salmon fishing

[fireman 10,869]

1 hour ago, Balaur said:

A head keeper I worked with was an avid and skilled fly fisherman we had about 4 miles of river on the estate he'd be checking temps etc going through wallets of different flies, under keeper popped down there trotted a massive bunch of earth worms along the bottom and bumped two 10 lb salmon , if you can annoy them enough you should get something.....

I once took a fly fishing farmer to a secret suffolk sea trout spot with his fly rod,he caught a tiddler and ran a multitude of flies through the different pools,i took him to another pool and my pal stayed to run through a worm on a float,a few mins later he walked round the corner to our pool carrying a lovely 2 kilo fresh run silver fish and the fly fisherman's face was such a picture..The garden fly sure takes some beating and once when landing a fresh run fish it spewed up a golf ball size ball of earth worms so feck knows where it found them from as we were still in brackish water but earth worms they were...

[Lenmcharristar 9,727]

If bait fishing, there’s worms or prawn the worms is standard set up with your hook length about 2-3 foot with a lesser breaking strain so you only lose hook if snagged, for shrimping get shrimp float and plumb the depth then lift it a foot from bottom, the spinner works well too, black flying c with gold or copper blades as well as red and yellow bodies too, I’ve never caught salmon on the prawn or fly just worms and spinning, spinning seems to work better in a dropping flood 

[Devon Minnow 152]

Most waters you can't use the prawn before 16 June. For me it has to be the prawn. Forget float fishing it doesn't present the prawn very well. Either freeline the prawn or a drop shot rig. My setup is 10-60gems 10 foot spinning rod, 30lb braid main line 15lb floro carbon leader, size 1 or 1/0 Viking uptide hooks and the smallest prawn I can get red or purple (purplewiskers do good prawn and excellent service). And some split shot sg size. With these 2 setups I have never lose a fish in 5 years the biggest been 22lb hen fish last year, and I am talk landing over 50 fish. I fish fast and slow water with the same setup just try to hover the prawn about 6" above the bottom and fish across and down method( keep the rod tip high). Bites come in two forms, an all out smash and grab, no need to set the hook or you will feel little pecks as the salmon mouths the prawn only strick on the third peck. The fish are easierly returned with minimal damage because I use a single hook. Look on YouTube for what they call fishing the prawn the Irish method. 

Good luck.

[3175darren 1,100]

That purple whiskers looks good, I will be having ago myself this yr if this bloody lockdown ever ends 

[Devon Minnow 152]

Free lining the prawn take a little getting use to, having to play around with the weights but once you’ve mastered it  the salmon are like kids in a sweet shop. I have also another rig I use if the waters up, a twisted blood loop with a bouncing Betty on the bottom. The hook is directly on the end of the loop, the prawn is presented naturally in the water and the whole setup fish itself just lob it in and take up the slack line and keep a high rod tip. The only draw back it the salmon is able to throw the hook why I don’t know  

[3175darren 1,100]

So what is the best rods for shrimping/ prawning 

[Lenmcharristar 9,727]

1 hour ago, 3175darren said:

So what is the best rods for shrimping/ prawning 

Personal preference mate , I’m a diawa and Shakespeare man

[3175darren 1,100]

3 hours ago, Lenmcharristar said:

Personal preference mate , I’m a diawa and Shakespeare man

I have the ugli stick, what kind of test curve 1lb / 2/lb any particular length, I have been told a barbel rod, but thought i would ask to find out what other people are using 

[Lenmcharristar 9,727]

I use whisker, anything 9ft and above like a pike/carp rod will do, treat salmon like going with a lady they want a good stiff action rod haha

[WILF 46,645]

I have a barbel rod and I’ll be using that