Part 1

Dave Pitts is a man with a plan.

I don’t know that because I’ve had a close relationship with this retired California police officer.  But it isn’t difficult to reach that conclusion after hearing some of the things he has to say about his approach to salmon fishing.

You have to know what you're doing to consistently put fish like this in the boat.  Dave Pitts, a retired California police officer does. .

I was particularly interested in what he told me about the way he takes salmon while using a Mack’s Lure Sledge Hammer.  “Many view the Sledge Hammer as a tool for trolling in salt water,” Pitts says, “but I asked myself why I couldn’t use it as a trolling rig in a river application.”

He eventually decided there was no reason why he couldn’t and that’s exactly what he does.  Here’s how he explains his approach: “The difference between fishing a Sledge Hammer from a down rigger in salt water and the way I use it in a river is simple.  For river use I simply combine the Sledge Hammer with a jet diver or I use a drop sinker and just bounce it back to where the fish are holding.”                                                                                                                                                            

Dave does something else that you’ll do well do consider if you take the same kind of approach.  That’s to add a plug cut anchovy or herring to the Sledge Hammer.

Mack's Lure Sledge Hammers are the lures Dave Pitts favors for his river salmon angling.

Actually, Dave does a good bit of planning before he gets near the river.  “There are two types of coastal rivers,” he says.  “There are those that are less than 70 miles in length and those that are longer.  I target the shorter rivers.  I do this simply because of the quality of the fish.”

Take a look at the pictures that accompany this column.  It doesn’t take 20/20 vision to see that the California angling expert accomplishes his objective.  Many of the fish he catches are beauties.

What Dave’s saying makes nothing but good sense.  The more miles a salmon has to travel on its way to its spawning ground, the more time there is for its body to deteriorate.  “I usually fish from a drift boat,” Dave says, “and I concentrate on the first 15 miles of the river I’m fishing.  On shorter rivers the majority of the fish are going to be river spawners.”

Pitts also shared with me some of the spots on rivers where he especially likes to present his Mack’s Lure Sledge Hammer.  “Salmon are light sensitive,” he says, “and they seek areas with less light or diffused light.  I tend to stay close to river banks that have overhanging trees.  I like to walk my lure and bait right through this type of cover.”

Dave’s comments bring a memory of one of the most memorable days I’ve spent fishing for salmon myself.  It took place on the Wilson River.  I had the good fortune to share a boat that day with Chuck Yeager, the famed test pilot.  Buzz Ramsey, a nationally recognized expert, was our guide.

We’d been on the water less than an hour when Yeager nailed a 40-pounder.  A half hour before we were to quit I hooked one of the same size.  My fish came out of the exact type of water Pitts is talking about.  Buzz had positioned our boat so my lure worked right in next to shore and through the shade some overhanging trees provided.

The salmon catching expert brings up another factor angling newcomers might overlook.  “I’m a firm believer,” he says, “that hooked fish not only release a fear pheromone, but that the behavior of a hooked fish stimulates the lateral line of other fish.  It does it in a manner that places them in a state of heightened awareness or alarm mode.  That’s why when I’m fishing a river I think it’s wise to fight a fish away from the place I just hooked it.”

Pitts has been spending lots of time on the water since he retired from his post with the State of California Department of Corrections.  I’ve just skimmed the surface on some of the fishing fundamentals he has developed.  I’ll share some more of them in my next column.  You’ll find it here beginning March 15.

-To Be Continued-