Trolling For Salmon in the PNW

[Helihover]

Hello guys. Just finished this tutorial video on basic trolling setups for salmon. This video will show you the basics of flashers, droppers, spinners, leaders, and bait, while keeping it frugal. I hope you enjoy.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Good video Helihover. Good music too, most guys fishing videos use that music that sounds like a bad porno. Most of what you use is similar to what we do on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario here in Ontario Canada, all the Great Lakes actually. We never bottom fish, most are suspended. To get the bait down to the strike zone we almost always used downriggers, for some reason they haven't been successful for the last 5 years, I have no idea why, Some say because of the noise the wire makes, they made noise since they came out so I have no clue..We are using Dipsy Divers, Jet Divers, Leadcore and snap weights on planner boards to get the bait down away from the prop wash. We use snap weights, very accurate to get to where you want the bait, not likely to break off since we target suspended fish here, never or hardly ever bottom bounce like I said. Leadcore is very popular here now replacing downriggers unless going deeper than 70' or so. 10 colours will get me down 50' then a deep diver another 15 or so and or I will add a snap weight on the flouro to get deeper.

I use the exact Okumas, I have 6. I don't think like others that I need to spent 200 bucks on a line counter. I'm told if I get a 35lb King on my cheap Okuma it will catch on fire, burn baby burn. All of our line has a 25' Fluorocarbon leader on them, gin clear line. I highly recommend it for any fishing. I have reels with all braid, all fluorocarbon or all Big Game Mono. As I said all with a fluorocarbon leader of 25'. The Brown Trout and Lakers are hitting in the west end of Lake Ontario 45 minutes for us but no way I am going out dressed like I'm going ice fishing, no way whatsoever. 4" of frozen rain on the ground, and the StarCraft this AM.

Good fishing bud.

 

[Helihover]

Thanks for watching!

The salmon running in a river are not lazy, but efficient. They want to travel the path of least resistance just like electricity. In a typical river setting, the bottom couple feet of water move slower than the upper parts. Therefore the fish tend to hug the bottom as they travel up river. The current is also typically slower on the edges of the river closer to shore, so most of our trolling is done closer to the shore. They might also hug the apex side of the shore in a bend. Sometimes we fish suspended if the water is just too deep. I myself will get off bottom and go suspended once the depth is over 35-40'. We usually fish anywhere from 10 to 30 feet fishing suspended.

Sounds like its pretty cold where you are. Stay warm and tight lines!

 

[Sprig]

Great video, good information. I fish the the ocean for king salmon and the lakes for landlocked salmon and Kokanee. I will only make 2 comments. First instead of using a short fixed handle net get a net with a telescoping handle. That way you can adjust it to whatever length you want whether you are by yourself or have a partner to net the fish.
I use downriggers so I don’t worry about dipsy divers or lead core. My line of choice in a mono line. Mono stretches and for trolling the stretch actually helps hook the fish. Lines with little or no stretch tend to pull the hook out of the fishes mouth. Also salmon are head shakers when hooked. The stretch in mono makes it harder to shake the lure out when when the shake their heads.

 

[dingbat]

Something I've always wondered.....why such long, "wimpy" (for lack of a better word) rods?

 

[Helihover]

Great video, good information. I fish the the ocean for king salmon and the lakes for landlocked salmon and Kokanee. I will only make 2 comments. First instead of using a short fixed handle net get a net with a telescoping handle. That way you can adjust it to whatever length you want whether you are by yourself or have a partner to net the fish.
I use downriggers so I don’t worry about dipsy divers or lead core. My line of choice in a mono line. Mono stretches and for trolling the stretch actually helps hook the fish. Lines with little or no stretch tend to pull the hook out of the fishes mouth. Also salmon are head shakers when hooked. The stretch in mono makes it harder to shake the lure out when when the shake their heads.

Sprig, thank you for watching! Great advice too.

I cant comment much on the line used in this area. My set up and what I show in this video are typical. These type of setups are what you will find in a lot of guide boats and fishermen that really have it dialed in. I believe the braid helps in the sensitivity department. That being said I’ve seen guys go out and throw 30lbs mono with just a prawn and catch fish.

As as for the net.... The whole emphasis behind my channel is being frugal. Guys out here (and I’m sure in your area) are using a 50,60,70 sometimes even a 100k budget to go catch salmon. I believe people in general (non boaters) think that it cost tons of money to own and operate a fishing boat. When I was shopping for my boat, someone told my wife it was going to cost us about 1,000 a month just to store and maintain the boat....... The goal of my channel is to show people how to get out in a boat and catch fish (and crab), and not break the bank. That being said.... lol. My buddy here who also has a great fishing channel has the 60-70k boat and nice net etc etc. 200 dollar reels etc. Two weeks ago he was netting his first springer and his net broke!! Fish got away

 

[Helihover]

Something I've always wondered.....why such long, "wimpy" (for lack of a better word) rods?

Dingbat, great question. The rod length is long so when you pull up a fish that’s on 6-8 foot of leader, you can still reach out and net the fish. In a boat, you want to be able to put the fish close to the end of the rod. The rod tip is lite so you can see bites or take downs easier.

 

[dingbat]

Dingbat, great question. The rod length is long so when you pull up a fish that’s on 6-8 foot of leader, you can still reach out and net the fish. In a boat, you want to be able to put the fish close to the end of the rod. The rod tip is lite so you can see bites or take downs easier.

If I understand correctly, your high sticking the rod to get the fish closer to the boat? I wouldn't think that would work so well with a good sized fish.

I run #40 mono, #65 and #80 braid main lines with 15-20 ft. #65 and #80 mono leaders on 6 ft. rods. Sometimes two leaders if fishing tandem rigs (2 lures per rod). The leaders are connected to the main line using a Slim Beauty Knot (inline mono to braid connection) allowing the baits, or the swivels if fishing tandems, to be rolled right up to the rod tip if need be.

Once you get the leader connection on the rod, the fisherman backs away from the transom and the mate guides the fish to the net by the leader.

If fishing alone, I grab the leader then put the rod back in the holder. Leader in one hand, net in the other. Pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

I don't have the problem with bite detection....the bent rod and screaming reel gets your attention in the hurry....lol

 

[Helihover]

If I understand correctly, your high sticking the rod to get the fish closer to the boat? I wouldn't think that would work so well with a good sized fish.

I run #40 mono, #65 and #80 braid main lines with 15-20 ft. #65 and #80 mono leaders on 6 ft. rods. Sometimes two leaders if fishing tandem rigs (2 lures per rod). The leaders are connected to the main line using a Slim Beauty Knot (inline mono to braid connection) allowing the baits, or the swivels if fishing tandems, to be rolled right up to the rod tip if need be.

Once you get the leader connection on the rod, the fisherman backs away from the transom and the mate guides the fish to the net by the leader.

If fishing alone, I grab the leader then put the rod back in the holder. Leader in one hand, net in the other. Pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

I don't have the problem with bite detection....the bent rod and screaming reel gets your attention in the hurry....lol

It’s always fun to hear and try other techniques. Funny how people accomplish the same task in such different manners. I guess every region comes with its own techniques.

Yes the longer rod is for getting the fish closer via high sticking.

In the video you’ll notice the beads. The beads main purpose is to stop the leaders, swivels, etc from being reeled in. Trust me, you do not want a swivel or anything for that matter going up a rod. It will destroy your eyes in quick order. Destroyed eyes on a rod are a complete nightmare. Don’t ask me how I know

I am also a firm believer in using the tools in the correct fashion, or at least getting every last drop you can out of it. I just went over some playing techniques with my buddy and solely focused on rod angle after watching him land his first salmon. Rod angle is just as important as correctly setting the drag. If your rod is pointed directly in line with your fishing line, you’ve eliminated the natural suspension you get from the rod. In order to achieve the most from your rod, you would want to always keep the rod perpendicular to the line, in a perfect setting. Along with a properly set drag. Where am I going with all this?....... Once you place your hand on the leader, everything up above goes out the window.

This might seem a bit too far for some, but remember in salmon fishing, everything is working against you and nothing is working for you. You gotta do every single thing you can to increase your chances. I’ll most likely do a video covering this, but I salmon fish with a 1% therory. Things like wearing latex gloves to keep your sent off the bait, washing your flashers and lead weights in liquid Joy, etc etc. These techniques won’t make or break you, they will just increase your chances, 1 percent at a time.

 

[dingbat]

It’s always fun to hear and try other techniques. Funny how people accomplish the same task in such different manners. I guess every region comes with its own techniques.

Yes the longer rod is for getting the fish closer via high sticking.

In the video you’ll notice the beads. The beads main purpose is to stop the leaders, swivels, etc from being reeled in. Trust me, you do not want a swivel or anything for that matter going up a rod. It will destroy your eyes in quick order. Destroyed eyes on a rod are a complete nightmare. Don’t ask me how I know

I am also a firm believer in using the tools in the correct fashion, or at least getting every last drop you can out of it. I just went over some playing techniques with my buddy and solely focused on rod angle after watching him land his first salmon. Rod angle is just as important as correctly setting the drag. If your rod is pointed directly in line with your fishing line, you’ve eliminated the natural suspension you get from the rod. In order to achieve the most from your rod, you would want to always keep the rod perpendicular to the line, in a perfect setting. Along with a properly set drag. Where am I going with all this?....... Once you place your hand on the leader, everything up above goes out the window.

This might seem a bit too far for some, but remember in salmon fishing, everything is working against you and nothing is working for you. You gotta do every single thing you can to increase your chances. I’ll most likely do a video covering this, but I salmon fish with a 1% therory. Things like wearing latex gloves to keep your sent off the bait, washing your flashers and lead weights in liquid Joy, etc etc. These techniques won’t make or break you, they will just increase your chances, 1 percent at a time.

Preaching to the choir.....lol...I own a Custom Rod and Reel Shop... mostly boat, surf and SW jigging rods. Do a lot of reel tuning and performance modifications as well.

I fish competitively for Atlantic Striper, Tuna, White Marlin, Cobia, Red Drum and King Mackerel. No bananas allowed on the boat but other than that, no voodoo rituals, wearing underwear as a sun visor or walking backwards to the boat each morning....lol.

In the end it all boils down to putting a bait (pretty much anything that moves) in front of, or above, a hungry fish. Eighty percent of the game is knowing where to fish at any given time....the remaining 20% is luck......good or bad.....lol

 

[Helihover]

Preaching to the choir.....lol...I own a Custom Rod and Reel Shop... mostly boat, surf and SW jigging rods. Do a lot of reel tuning and performance modifications as well.

I fish competitively for Atlantic Striper, Tuna, White Marlin, Cobia, Red Drum and King Mackerel. No bananas allowed on the boat but other than that, no voodoo rituals, wearing underwear as a sun visor or walking backwards to the boat each morning....lol.

In the end it all boils down to putting a bait (pretty much anything that moves) in front of, or above, a hungry fish. Eighty percent of the game is knowing where to fish at any given time....the remaining 20% is luck......good or bad.....lol

Couldn’t of said it better myself.

I have strong therories on colors and baits used. I feel to in most cases simply putting it in front of them will get the job done. I do however believe in the smelling associated with salmon. These fish are traveling thousands of miles based on what their smeller is telling them and that’s where the gloves and soap originate from.

Remember Salmon traveling up river are not hungry. Actually they can’t even swallow. All of these bites are coming from aggression, vs. say tuna, which come from actual hunger. I don’t get this technical fishing for other species only salmon!