Salmon vs Bass

Fishing is fishing, right?

Well, sort of.

To catch bass and salmon you might be using similar tackle, similar reels, similar line and even some of the same basic techniques. Both are freshwater fish. Both can make your heart race when they hit. And both can turn an ordinary day on the water into something you won't forget. But once that fish realizes it is hooked, the similarities dissipate.

With bass, you might feel that familiar thump, set the hook and suddenly you're in a fight. And bass can absolutely put up a fight. They strike the lures because they want to eat or defend their territory. They pull hard, make runs, jump, change direction and do everything they can to throw the hook. A good bass can make you work for it, especially when you're fishing lighter tackle.

But then there are salmon. They often strike lures out of annoyance which makes them much harder to hook. A salmon can make you wonder if you accidentally hooked a freight train. It feels like their runs are unstoppable.

The difference isn't necessarily in the tackle. It's in what happens after the hook is set. A bass fight can be exciting and explosive. A salmon fight can feel like it goes on forever. You get that first run and think, I've got this. Then the salmon takes off again. And again. Just when you think the fish is getting tired and you're finally going to see it, it finds another gear. That is where the fight becomes something completely different.

One of the things I love about fishing is that you never really know what is going to happen after you set the hook. You can catch two fish of the same species and have completely different experiences. But if you've mostly experienced bass fishing, hooking into a salmon is something you need to experience for yourself.

The rod bends. The drag starts singing. The fish takes line. You gain a little, and it takes a little, or a LOT, back. And the clock seems to slow down. That is the part that doesn't show up in a picture of the fish lying on the dock. The picture tells you what you caught. The fight tells you why you remember it.

So, salmon or bass? I'm not going to tell you one is better. That's the wrong question. Bass will give you that heart-pounding, "Did you see that?" kind of excitement. A big bass smashing a lure and jumping beside the boat is hard to beat. But salmon give you something different. They make you work. They make you wait. They make you wonder how much line you can give them and how much pressure you can put on them without losing the fish you've worked so hard to hook.

And when that salmon finally comes alongside the boat? That's a pretty good feeling.

Fishing is fishing… until you experience a fight that makes you realize just how different one fish can be from another. So don't take my word for it. Go find out for yourself. Go chase bass. Go chase salmon. Put a rod in your hand, set the hook and see what happens on the other end.

Because the best way to understand the difference isn't by reading about it, it’s by feeling that fish fight in your own hands.

Let us help you get a rod in your hand and take you on an adventure of a lifetime. Contact us today and we’ll get you on the path to the fish that’s right for you.