What to use

db77 · Post by **db77** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 8:28 pm

I have a 14 ft boat with a 15 hp motor and am tired of still casting lures from it for salmon. My question is what should i use to troll for them. I dont have downriggers and cant afford them.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 6:21 am

Welcome to WALakes.com and good question. This question may net several different responses which is a good thing. Take the ones that are offered and try them to determine what works best for you. Here is my offering: As early as yesterday morning I found the Coho Salmon between 65 and 150' deep. To get there without down riggers, I would suggest using maybe 6 to 8 ounces of lead (you may need this much as the current has been strong lately, at least where I have been fishing) followed by maybe 4 to 6’ of leader then a green Hot Spot flasher, 30" of 20 pound test leader, and a green spatterback squid. Nothing set in stone here. You could also troll a green/pearl Coho Killer, or a Coyote spoon in a similar color. Some run lead and a cut plug herring or a plug (remember to change out the treble hooks to single barbless on the plugs). I like the Hot Spot flasher and a green spatterback squid myself and have caught lots of salmon on that set up. We caught 2 silvers and 2 big pinks on this set up yesterday morning near the Shipwreck but had the luxury of electric down riggers. Our 3rd silver yesterday came on a while flasher and a green with pink Coho Killer. You can run the same gear but will need to use some lead to get down where the fish are. Pictured is one of yesterday’s silvers with the green spatterback squid still in its mouth.

Blackmouth · Post by **Blackmouth** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 8:26 am

That looks like a Pink to me?

My eyesight is failing, maybe its time fir me to go get some glasses!

Post by **Bodofish** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 11:41 am

Except that is a pink or shall we say.... Humpy.

db77 · Post by **db77** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 12:35 pm

I thank you for the response. I have been going down to Bush Point and launching the boat their. I have done alright but with the silvers in I am looking for better options of getting to them. I would love to get down riggers but my boat is fairly small and I would like to keep it from getting to clutered with gear. Thanks agian Duane.

Post by **Bodofish** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 1:25 pm

Sorry, you could use a diver like a pink lady or similar but those will only get you down 40' or so, that would limit you to very early AM fishing. 6 to 8 oz bannana weight. The biggest dodger/flasher you can get and a green squid. To get the proper action they should be tied with 40 or 50# florocarbon leader. I supose you could even buy a down rigger clip a cannon ball and 120 feet of parachute cord and have a "poormans" downrigger.

db77 · Post by **db77** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 1:54 pm

Thanks bodofish I am willing to try anything at this point. I am also on Riverjet, and Meanchicken forums.:thumleft:

Post by **Bodofish** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 2:27 pm

as????

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 4:28 pm

Blackmouth wrote:That looks like a Pink to me?

Maybe its time to go get some glasses!

You're right Blackmouth, my error. That is one of the 2 pinks I caught yesterday in that picture. I wanted him to see the spatterback in his mouth. Thanks for pointing out my error. I don't need glasses!

Any ideas regarding the question? I always appreciate learning from the more experienced members.

Post by **Bodofish** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 5:52 pm

Well the rules for flasher and squid combo are;
always use 40 to 50# floro leader
Always use the biggest flasher you can find, over the years I haven't found one color any better than the rest. My fave right now is a holo in digital camo pattern with no color.
Leader length is always two and a half time the length of the dodger.

You now know what to drag for Coho.

wolverine · Post by **wolverine** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 9:35 pm

Duane,

You need down riggers to consistently catch kings. You don't for silvers unless its mid day when the sun is shining, or there are a lot of boats around that push the silvers deep. The old standard mooching sinker, a 6 foot 2 hook mooching leader, and a plug cut herring will put you in trolling business. Start the day early with a 4 oz sinker, as the day brightens move to a 6 oz sinker, and then to an 8 oz sinker. Rig your bait, drop it into the water and check that it is spinning properly, pull out 100 feet of line (30 long pulls) and you're in business.
Troll down or across the tide. Don't waste time bucking into the tide. All that trolling into the tide does is ruin your bait and presents an unnatural appearance to the salmon. Bait fish don't swim up tide. They move with the tide or find an eddy where they can conserve energy and feed on small critters. Don't troll in straight lines. Make a series of "S" turns as it makes your bait rise and speed up on the outside of the "S" and drop and slow down on the inside of the "S".
Since you launch at Bush Pt stay in the bay (to the north) on the ebb tide as the fish tend to mill about feeding and waiting for the flood tide to continue their journey. On the flood tide look for the first rip line outside of the line between Bush and Lagoon Pt to the north. Run north towards Lagoon and put your gear in the water on the outside of the rip line (clean water side) and troll towards Bush Pt. Again, don't troll into the tide. If you run into jumpers or finners break out a 3L pink pearl or green pearl Buzz Bomb and try and cast it about 10 feet in front of the fish.
Good luck out there.

Blackmouth · Post by **Blackmouth** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 11:11 pm

Dave wrote:
Blackmouth wrote:That looks like a Pink to me?

Maybe its time to go get some glasses!
You're right Blackmouth, my error. That is one of the 2 pinks I caught yesterday in that picture. I wanted him to see the spatterback in his mouth. Thanks for pointing out my error. I don't need glasses!

Sorry dude, when i meant time to go grab glasses I was talking about myself. Good eyes only last so long, at my age things like that tend to get worse after all these years!

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 1:14 pm

Blackmouth wrote:
Dave wrote:
Blackmouth wrote:That looks like a Pink to me?

Maybe its time to go get some glasses!
You're right Blackmouth, my error. That is one of the 2 pinks I caught yesterday in that picture. I wanted him to see the spatterback in his mouth. Thanks for pointing out my error. I don't need glasses!
Sorry dude, when i meant time to go grab glasses I was talking about myself. Good eyes only last so long, at my age things like that tend to get worse after all these years!

No worries. When you pointed it out, I actually had to put the pic on my screen and enlarge it to see the tail had spots and the scales did look smaller. I just wasn't paying much attention to the fish itself when I posted the pic. I just wanted db77 to see the hootchie in its mouth. I assumed that was a pic of the silver my buddy took after he landed it. I really didn't think twice about it. Anyway, no big deal. I'm 44 and do need glasses for reading which sucks. I never thought that day would ever come. Such is life!

Website · Post by **The Quadfather** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 8:38 pm

db77 wrote: I would love to get down riggers but my boat is fairly small and I would like to keep it from getting to clutered with gear. Thanks agian Duane.

Duane, check out Scotty 1060 manual riggers. http://www.walleyetacklestore.com/sccomadomo102.html

It will cost you, but as far as the boat being crowded. I have the same size boat as you, and I run two. (when I have a bud) It's not crowded. You will find that now you can fish any situation you want, and are not limited to bannana weights and goofy plastic depth diver things.

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