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How to catch Atlantic salmon

Salmo salar Linnaeus, 1758

About Atlantic salmon fishing

The Atlantic salmon is a large migratory fish belonging to the family Salmonidae. It features a streamlined fusiform body with a forked caudal fin, terminal mouth, and small scales, typically displaying a silver-blue sheen at maturity with black spots above the lateral line. This anadromous species hatches in clear freshwater streams and rivers, migrates to feed in the open marine waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, and returns upstream to spawn over gravel beds. Adults inhabit cool, fast-flowing waters and are highly prized by anglers for their exceptional strength and acrobatic leaps when hooked.

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • Average size

    38 cm TL

  • Market value

    Very high

  • Habitat

    Freshwater, Brackish, Saltwater

  • Season

    Spring, Summer, Autumn

  • Also known as

    Bay salmon, Black salmon, Breeder, Caplin-scull salmon, Common Atlantic salmon, Fiddler

Atlantic salmon

Adipose fin

Small fleshy fin between dorsal and tail confirms salmonid identity.

Caudal shape

Forked tail fin characteristic of salmonid species.

Spots

Dark X-shaped spots scattered across the upper body.

Atlantic salmon fishing facts

Characteristics

  • Typical size

    38 cm TL (max 150 cm TL )

  • Typical weight

    4.5 kg (max 46.8 kg )

  • Preferred temperature

    1.5–15.3 °C

  • Depth

    0–210 m

  • Longevity

    13 years

  • Body shape

    Fusiform / Normal

  • Commercial?

  • Vulnerability score

    45.4

Best hours

  • Dawn

    First light

    Active

  • Morning

    After sunrise

    Peak

  • Midday

    High sun

    Low

  • Afternoon

    Late day

    Active

  • Dusk

    Last light

    Peak

  • Night

    After dark

    Low

When to fish for Atlantic salmon

01
January
02
February
03
March
04
April
05
May
06
June
07
July
08
August
09
September
10 Now
October
11
November
12
December

How to catch Atlantic salmon

Tips for catching Atlantic salmon

Target fresh-run fish holding in fast rocky river runs, pool necks, and stream tails during daylight hours. Use double-handed or single-handed fly rods equipped with sinking tips and large weighted tube flies or classic hairwings swung across the current at a steady pace. Alternatively, cast heavy metal spoons or devons on sturdy spinning gear, retrieving them across moderate to fast flows to provoke reaction strikes from territorial adults that have recently entered freshwater.

Other names for Atlantic salmon

Local and alternate names anglers use for Atlantic salmon.

  • Parr
  • Salmon
  • N. Atlantic salmon
  • Ouinanish
  • Smolt
  • Atlantic salmon
  • Sea salmon
  • Silver salmon
  • Bay salmon
  • Spring salmon
  • Black salmon
  • Landlocked salmon
  • Breeder
  • Ouananiche
  • Caplin-scull salmon
  • Outside salmon
  • Common Atlantic salmon
  • Fiddler

Best equipment to catch Atlantic salmon

Compare fishing methods for Atlantic salmon — sized kit for each technique.

Note: Typical fish is 4.5 kg Our algorithm will suggest the best equipment for you based on this weight.

Best lures and baits for Atlantic salmon

Ranked lures and natural baits from every method, best first.

How Atlantic salmon migrates — Anadromous

Grows at sea and swims into rivers to spawn. Target the run as fish leave the ocean and push upstream.

How Atlantic salmon migrates — Anadromous 1. Eggs: Laid in fresh water, usually well up the river. 2. Juveniles: Grow in the river, then head downstream to the sea. 3. Adults: Feed and grow at sea. 4. Spawners: Run back up the river to spawn.
Fresh water Estuary Sea

1 Eggs

Fresh water

Laid in fresh water, usually well up the river.

2 Juveniles

→ Sea

Grow in the river, then head downstream to the sea.

3 Adults

Sea

Feed and grow at sea.

4 Spawners

→ Fresh water

Run back up the river to spawn.

Some populations never go to sea and complete the cycle in rivers and lakes.

Hover or tap a number to read each stage.

Diet and behavior of Atlantic salmon

  • Diet

    Top predator

  • Feeds by

    Hunts animals

  • Hunts

    Morning · Dusk

  • Main prey

    Baitfish

Prey and predators of Atlantic salmon

Prey is what Atlantic salmon eats. Predators are the animals that eat it.

That is how it feeds, and how it is hunted.

Prey

What it eats

Predators

What hunts it

Where Atlantic salmon lives

Lives near the bottom but swims in the water just above it. Cover the lower column, not only the mud.

Habitats
Freshwater, Brackish, Saltwater
Depth zone
Sublittoral, Bathyal
0–210 m
Usually 10–23 m
Water column
Benthopelagic
Just above the bed

Where this species lives

Where to fish for Atlantic salmon

Mapped fishing spots where Atlantic salmon is recorded — open a pin for access and methods.

Saco dos Castelhanos

Angra dos ReisRio de JaneiroBrazil

River Dee

AberdeenshireAlba / ScotlandUnited Kingdom

River Deveron

AberdeenshireAlba / ScotlandUnited Kingdom

River Don

AberdeenshireAlba / ScotlandUnited Kingdom

Loch Tulla

Argyll and ButeAlba / ScotlandUnited Kingdom

River Awe

Argyll and ButeAlba / ScotlandUnited Kingdom

River Coe

HighlandAlba / ScotlandUnited Kingdom

River Etive

HighlandAlba / ScotlandUnited Kingdom

River Garnock

North AyrshireAlba / ScotlandUnited Kingdom

River Irvine

North AyrshireAlba / ScotlandUnited Kingdom