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I didn't start to fish for salmon and steelhead until I got into my 20s. I also spent most of my time bass fishing before that. Here is what I did to shorten the learning curve.
When I didn't have a boat:
I booked a couple of guided trips on local rivers and watched very carefully and asked questions. I asked about types of holding water, what to fish, what to ignore, and get a good mental picture of baits and rigs. I then figured out how I could make similar presentations from the bank. Side drifting became drift fishing. Bottom bouncing bait turned into plunking in deep water and using a float in shallower water. Then, go to the places everyone knows. Once you get more of an understanding on how to find water, you'll get into them eventually. This is what worked best for me:
Chinook: Bobber and eggs, plunking with eggs
Coho: Twitching jigs, drift corkie/yarn, buzz bombs (saltwater).
Chum: Twitching jigs, drift corkie/yarn, bobber and anchovie (saltwater)
Pinks: Drift corkie/yarn, buzz bombs (saltwater)
Steelhead: Bobber and jig, bobber and bait,
When I didn't have a boat:
I booked a couple of guided trips on local rivers and watched very carefully and asked questions. I asked about types of holding water, what to fish, what to ignore, and get a good mental picture of baits and rigs. I then figured out how I could make similar presentations from the bank. Side drifting became drift fishing. Bottom bouncing bait turned into plunking in deep water and using a float in shallower water. Then, go to the places everyone knows. Once you get more of an understanding on how to find water, you'll get into them eventually. This is what worked best for me:
Chinook: Bobber and eggs, plunking with eggs
Coho: Twitching jigs, drift corkie/yarn, buzz bombs (saltwater).
Chum: Twitching jigs, drift corkie/yarn, bobber and anchovie (saltwater)
Pinks: Drift corkie/yarn, buzz bombs (saltwater)
Steelhead: Bobber and jig, bobber and bait,