Salmon fishing with downriggers in Washington State

[iwaterdave]

I started this year fishing for Salmon and have some newbie questions.

1. What is with the humming noise I get from the downrigging cable?
2. How can I avoid the downrigging ball from showing up on the fish finder?
3. How much effect is my 7.5hp 2 stroke kicker motor affecting me not catching fish? I mean does it matter that much when fishing 40-70 feet deep? I thinking of upgrading to a bow mount electric trolling motor.
Any tips or info would help.

I have been fishing the following lakes:
Lake Washington
Lake Samamish

I want to get out into the Puget Sound next year.

Dave

 

[Larry3215]

Re: Salmon fishing with downriggers in Washington State

Hi Dave, Im not fishing expert but I do a lot of it anyway

1) The humming is the cable vibrating int he water. Nothing you can do about that as far as I know. The slower you go the less hum there is. Your ideal trolling speed will vary depending on what you're fishing for and what type of lures/bait your using. It can vary from under 1 mph to 3 or 4 mph or even higher in some cases.

2) No way to keep the ball from showing up unless you go so fast its behind the cone of the transducer. Personally, I like being able to see it. That way you know for sure what depth your fishing at and how that relates to the fish you mark on the screen, fish balls, thermocline layers, THE BOTTOM, etc etc. If your fishing close to the bottom - which you must do in many cases - then knowing exactly how close you are is critical - unless you dont mind loosing expensive balls and gear. Also, depending on the size of your boat and where the rigger is mounted, a snag has the potential to sink you!!

Your downrigger depth counter will NOT be accurate due to blow back of the ball. I personally do everything I can to keep it on the screen.

3) Lots of folks use 2 cycle and 4 cycle kickers. Unless your willing to spend over a grand on a saltwater electric kicker, your stuck. Do NOT use one in the sound unless its saltwater rated. It will die in short order.

That said, sometimes in lakes and especially in shallow water I use my Minkota. However, unless you're prepared to install a couple of extra large deep cycle batteries, dont plan on trolling all day on the electric motor. They draw a significant amount of current and can drain a batter in just a couple of hours. A

Also on that same note - never use your electric kicker on your main starting battery - unless you like getting back to the dock on your kicker or by rowing Most outboard charging systems are incapable of re-charging a deep cycle thats run down very far unless you run a LONG time. So dont make the mistake of trolling for an hour and then think that running the main outboard will re-charge the battery in a few minutes. It will likely take hours instead.

I learned that lesson the hard way. Trolled for a couple of hours, then made a 10 minute run at hi speed to a new spot and trolled for another hours or so and found out the outboard would not start because the battery was run down too far. oops!

For some good tips on downrigger use, how to set up flashers etc as well as places to fish in the sound, try this site:

Salmon University Fishing Education - Salmon Fishing Techniques, Reports, Lessons, Advice and Recipe's

Lots of info there to keep you busy for a while

Good luck!

Larry

 

[pdgs]

Re: Salmon fishing with downriggers in Washington State

1) The humming is the cable vibrating int he water. Nothing you can do about that as far as I know.

The solution is to get rid of the Stainless Steel cable and go with Braid. It'll be whisper quiet after that.
Your kicker won't have any effect on your catching if your downriggers are setup off the side.

Trolling speed should be decided by the lure you're using. If it's not acting right your catching will be pure luck. Drop the rig in the water and drop the ball enough to ge the lure working but so you can still see it. Adjust your trolling speed so the lure is acting like you want it to and then drop the ball down to your fishing depth.

If you fish in a slight wind, drifting can be very effective or go with the wind with just enough speed on the kicker to give you control so you're not fighting it.

Good Luck!

 

[Larry3215]

Re: Salmon fishing with downriggers in Washington State

Check your downrigger manual before deciding to use braided line. My new Canon electrics say not to use braid or the warranty is void - it has the potential to split the spool due to its thinness. Also, if you're using any type of "Black Box" technology, which comes built in to the new Cannons, it wont work with braided line.

That said, many people swear by braided line but Ive talked to a few who hated it.

 

[Larry3215]

Re: Salmon fishing with downriggers in Washington State

By the way, if you've never boated in salt water its worth your time to read up on it - keeping anodes in good shape, proper grounding, fanatical flushing, tides and currents, etc.

Good luck!!

 

[LongLine]

Re: Salmon fishing with downriggers in Washington State

On the Great lakes, the hum is "music to our ears." If it really bothers you, just dampen the vibration between the water line & the rigger. (tennis ball or something)

Gas kicker motor is very popular & probably helps to catch fish. Electrics are for those bass guys.

Ball showing up on the graph is very helpfull. If you see fish marks on the sonar, you just lower the ball to the same depth and it takes all the guesswork out of searching to find out what depth the fish are at.

Tom B.
(LongLine)

 

[pdgs]

Re: Salmon fishing with downriggers in Washington State

Check your downrigger manual before deciding to use braided line. My new Canon electrics say not to use braid or the warranty is void - it has the potential to split the spool due to its thinness. Also, if you're using any type of "Black Box" technology, which comes built in to the new Cannons, it wont work with braided line.

That said, many people swear by braided line but Ive talked to a few who hated it.

Right up fron't I'll tell you that I'm no fan of Cannon Downriggers. I know a lot of people that don't like my Scotty either. My Scotty can run stainless or braid and I not only have no noise but I also have no need for a black box. I guess if you have a Cannon you have to suffer with the hum that the rest of us don't.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Salmon fishing with downriggers in Washington State

1. What is with the humming noise I get from the downrigging cable?

taught cable against friction in the water like strumming a guitar string.
here in the east some say that the sound attracts fish.
others claim that it conditions them to avoid an area when they hear the hum, but fish aren't that smart and have poor long-term memory, so I think the "conditioning" part is hokey.

2. How can I avoid the downrigging ball from showing up on the fish finder?

If you have a better sonar you can buy a different transducer.
I HATE it when the ball is on the graph
I also figure that if I am so incompetent to not know how to determine where my downrigger weight is running in a given circumstance then I probably shouldn't be out in a boat in the first place. Secondly, if I am so squeamish and weak that I have to have continual visual reassurance and confirmation of my cannonball depth then I should seek a clinician to treat for anxiety disorder LOL

3. How much effect is my 7.5hp 2 stroke kicker motor affecting me not catching fish? I mean does it matter that much when fishing 40-70 feet deep? I thinking of upgrading to a bow mount electric trolling motor....

An electric trolling motor can be useful for walleye fishing or perhaps early-season land-locked freshwater lakes where speeds are slow (.8mph to maybe 1.8mph tops) but is nearly useless for salmon/trout trolling most of the year. Electric is good for a little directional control for walleyes when on long trolls; the low demand on the motor lets the battery work its best lasting sometimes six to eight hours for a group 29 with a 45# motor. The gas kicker is the way to go.

If fish are spooky in WA then just run a longer lead, Big Jon Mini Diver Disk, or planer boards to get away from the boat a little- then you can use the spooked and scatter away from the boat that the fish do to simply move them into your presentation spread.

As far as salt water: remove all your zincs and clean them and their mounting points. Then regularly brighten up the zincs. You will probably have at least one, likely two zincs and maybe three zincs on the motor in various places, and you may already have or want to add additional depending on what your meter shows.

Flushing the motor and rinsing/flooding/washing stuff down after getting on the trailer is important. But unless your boat sits for days on the dock, a fishing trip a week with a 1/2 hour cleanup won't hurt your boat if it is bonded and zinced properly. I have friends on the coast (east coast) who fish inshore and estuaries a couple times/week with old tiller-steered Johnsons from the 60s in a big, deep open aluminum boat and have FOR YEARS without probs. Take care of the boat and it will take care of you.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Salmon fishing with downriggers in Washington State

Dave asked the question and never came back.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Salmon fishing with downriggers in Washington State

Dave asked the question and never came back.

He probably found out that deep water trolling with riggers and boards is a very expensive hobby. I figured that the 2 or 3 hundred pounds of kings and cohos that I caught this summer probably cost me 30 dollars a pound in lost gear,fuel,tournament fees and boat maintenance.
I did not mention the stuff I "must" have to improve my catch ratio.

 

[Larry3215]

Re: Salmon fishing with downriggers in Washington State

" 2 or 3 hundred pounds of kings and cohos"???

LOL You're getting off cheap!

i figure the 2 or 3 FISH I caught trolling this last summer cost me at least 10 times that much per pound!

 

[iwaterdave]

Re: Salmon fishing with downriggers in Washington State

Sorry I never came back but thank you all for your input. I only caught three salmon last year and the largest was only 24 inches and 11 pounds. I'm hoping for better luck this year now that I have a season under my belt. LOL