Help Me Learn Everything on Salmon Fishing off Shore

Hello everyone, I know this is my first post here. I'm located in Tomahawk Wisconsin and i'm a avid angler, I love fishing eyes, muskies, and bass. But when it comes to salmon or trout fishing i'm clueless. I'm looking to go to Marinette Wisconsin and fish the river there for salmon soon as the run starts to progress. But I know nothing about it, where to go, what to use, how to use it. I was told about catching salmon by a man once and he made it seem to be a thrill unlike any other. And he made it sound like the bite was plentiful. I'm not really looking to keep anything, I just want a pure experience! If anyone could give me any help or any advice i'd be super thankful! I called a bait shop in marinette and they pretty much wrote me off and could tell i'm not from the area and didn't want to help me even get set up. Thanks for everyone's help! Cole

Spawn under a bobber or on bottom is a pretty good rig when they are staging and spawning. Casting crankbaits or 3/4 oz cleos/kastmasters/champs is also a good setup. Don't do that in the river, though. Only snaggers do that Avoid the river during the run. The fish are close to death and the crowds make it not fun.

This method is debatable in terms of ethics, but a lot of people do it. They 'floss' them. They aren't as apt to bite when in spawning mode so people will fish them on the bottom with a sinker at the very end and a hook above it. They'll put on spawn sacs or even just a marshmallow to be legal bait-wise. When salmon swim they open their mouths. They basically swim into the line with their mouth open and it then pulls down to the hook so you hook them on the lip, but on the outside of it typically. Some buddies of mine did field work with wardens during the run to help catch snaggers. Their rule was anything hooked in front of the gill plate was ok. Seems hard to believe, but that was their criteria. They still caught plenty of people LOL. Take that for what its worth. I personally don't fish them in the rivers anymore. I'd stick to the mouth of a river to get fresher fish though. Some people keep them when the meat is turning grey, seems gross to me.

Never fished in Marinette but I Google Mapped it and found that there is a park with a launch where the north pier begins. It looks like you can access the pier from there. I would do most of my fishing from the pier because as someone already stated, they get dark and the meat is not good once they get up-river. The suggestion of a spawn sack set off of the bottom with a weighted rig is a good place to start. Casting 1/2 or 3/4 oz Cleo's, Kastmaster's (formerly called Mr. Champs), or Krocodiles works great too. I've had my best luck with silver spoons with green pearlescent tape on one face. You can use your walleye gear but if you tie into a big one, you'll have your hands full. The smallest rig that I fish with is a 7' medium action rod with 8 lb test mono. My regular rig is my 8'6" medium heavy musky rod with Power Pro and a 10 lb fluoro leader. How long ago did that man tell you about salmon fishing? I'd hate to burst your bubble but the bite has been far from plentiful, especially this year. Salmon numbers are down 75% from 2012 in the lake according to an article the I read just this week. The state agencies around Lake Michigan have cut stocking to avoid a total population crash similar to what happened in Lake Huron a few years ago. There just aren't enough alewife for the salmon to eat these days. I fished Kewaunee last week and only saw one fish caught and could count on one hand how many I saw jump or swirl the surface. I can't speak for how the fishing is in Marinette but I can't imagine that it's much different up there. It would still be a fun trip for you since it would all be a new experience but I wouldn't expect to return home with a cooler full. From what I've seen this fall, you'd be lucky to take home one or two. Best of luck if you give it a try.

The thrill is catching a salmon on light gear in the lake. Before they get gross and slow up rivers. Ive stopped river fishing because its really nothing special. Musky and smallmouth are more fun ;)

Its a pretty broad question. I wouldn't expect you to tell someone every thing you could possibly say about walleye... very easy to ignore and write off. Get out with walleye gear and some spawn under a float ticking the bottom of a river they run in. Basic but works.