Any pointers for salmon on the fly?

I have been trying to get onto some salmon on the fly rod for the past week, this morning I was dancing my flies right in front of them and still getting no strike. The pattern I am throwing is an egg sucking leech streamer in various colors like purple, black, green, white.. etc. I throw a little BB about 12" in front of the fly to help get it down to the appropriate depth to get it right in front of them. I have never fished salmon before, is this what its normally like? do you just keep slapping them with the fly until eventually they get fed up and smack it? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Like you new to salmon, but went out twice this year. First day got 4 to hit, no snags and the fish were fresh fresh. Came back a week later hoping for a new run, but same fish, now old and beaten up. Zero bites, one accidental snag. Was fishing high up stream too near the dam. I think freshness counts.

The one I landed first day, bead head woolly bugger on a float rig. Deep hooked too, so he ate it...

Are these Atlantic or pacific salmon

Pacific salmon

There are also some rainbow trout up as well I saw a few guys catching them today on roe bags, any recommendation for flies to use to fall rainbows. I tried tossing out my royal coachman but they just weren't interested in a dry fly.

for the rainbows I would go with a large stonefly nymph or a single egg pattern.

I managed to land 5 salmon tonight the biggest was 16lb's it's safe to say I am hooked on fly fishing and it only gets better the bigger the fish. Looking forward to catching some more salmon tmrw.

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Originally Posted by Jacob McD

I managed to land 5 salmon tonight the biggest was 16lb's it's safe to say I am hooked on fly fishing and it only gets better the bigger the fish. Looking forward to catching some more salmon tmrw.

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Good for you, I don't know what river/creek you fished but the ones I drove by were all blown out and chocolate stained.

Fish egg flys, streamers, wooly buggers and the like been smackin bows lately

I managed to go out yesterday for a couple hours I landed 2 decent sized salmon, and just as I was getting ready to leave the river I hooked onto a 25lb Chinook. Was the longest battle I have ever had, took me around 40 minutes to land the fish, didn't bring a net so couldn't land it as fast as I would have liked to. All in all really enjoying my time with salmon, I am hopeful to get into some of the trailing rainbow's saw a few yesterday but just couldn't get the hook set.

All kinds of flys you can use for Rainbow and browns, even various streamer patterns. Everything from "eggs" to insects, to buggers and fish/minnows.

The Chinnies aren't feeding, when you hook them in the mouth the takes are reactionary, aggression. Anything will do. Typically this time of year I always just used Wooley Buggers. Any and all species will hit them.

I have fin hooked a couple of the salmon which lead to a boring fight, but when you get the hook set in the jaw its a completely different feeling, you get them jumping and running much harder. The 25lb one I caught was a jaw set thankfully but now that I have gone out and caught some salmon I want to change my sights into the rainbows to get those hard strikes rather than lucky drifts that trigger off a salmon to take.

I was using egg sucking leech patterns and had some strikes from rainbows, but I have only ever caught a rainbow off a royal coachman so Im hesitant to change it up but Im just not getting the rise out of the fish. I was told that nymphs are good but with me I am a complete beginner to fly fishing so I am unsure on how to fish a nymph. I have tied some prince nymphs size 20 hooks but never got around to learning how to fish nymphs properly. Are there any specific nymphs that you recommend?

One thing with dead drifting steelhead. You will miss alot of dam fish i have yet to master this the bite can be a and you need a good eye i use strike indicators and a mini sinker for egg patterns. If your swing fishing streamers or bigger flys its easier to feel the bite sometimes they freakin smash it

I smashed salmon this year on the fly got boring I was catching so many happy the success continued for bows...egg sucking leech stone fly nymphs and egg patterns are my go to for salmon and you also can't be afraid to run roe as well...the successful fisherman using what he has to

I was trying my fly rod over xmas at the cottage. Funny thing though the ice was preventing the fly from hitting the water.

Must have been hard to get fish lol. I haven't stopped fly fishing yet as long as PAM keeps my guides ice free i'll keep fishing for rainbows. Mind you the river I am fishing has a strong current so the ice isnt an issue.