Keep in mind that the depths will vary. The salmon will likely be found between 30 and 50 feet deep. Most salmon tend to be shallower early in the morning. Some boats will mooch, but trolling is best.

ROLL TO LOCATE SALMON
By late June, upwelling will be taking place, and there will be concentrations of bait close to shore. Early in the season, the easiest way to locate schools of salmon is to put lines in the water and troll.

Trolling is always best unless you are marking large concentrations of bait, or if you can locate a group of boats that have already found the bait -- and the fish.

Trolling allows you to cover ground to find the bait. Trolling lets you fish while you scout, and that maximizes your time on the water.

When trolling early in the season, several lures and baits can be effective. Because of rod restrictions, what you choose to troll will likely correlate to the number of anglers on your boat.

On a six-pack boat, you'll be able to fish five rods. In this case, Squires sets up two with bait, one with straight bait and two with lures.

When targeting salmon outside the Golden Gate, a 6-inch Apex and 1/2-ounce Krocodile can be found tied to nearly every line.

Colors are important. You've got to match the hatch. If you have anchovies in the water, you want to use something blue. If you have herring or squid, you're going to want to use something green or white. And if you have krill in the water, you can't go wrong with pink and reds.

As for your bait rigs, if you can run five rods, three should be used for bait. Set one with a Rotary Salmon Killer (RSK), another with a Franco Bullet Rotator (FBR) and one with straight anchovies, sardines or herring. Keep in mind that you're trying to match the hatch.

The difference between those two lures, Squires said, is that an RSK spins differently than an FBR. An RSK more or less swings the tail of the bait in a circle. The FBR spins faster and on a tighter axis. Either one mimics the natural action of a wounded baitfish.

WHEN TO MOOCH
Mooching can be effective at times during the early season. However, most anglers won't mooch unless a tremendous amount of bait is being worked up. Sardines proved to be a hot mooching-bait season.