Best Gear For Chinooks in Needlefish (sandlance)?

L

lgraham

New Member
Just wondering what everyones favorites are for chinook that are feeding on needlefish? I like to run a Blue 4" Needlefish Grand Slam Bucktail fly 36" behind a Blue Hot Spot flasher. Close second is a Coho killer (chrome) with a 4' 40lb leader also behind the Hot Spot.
--Luke from Alaska
 
There was a bunch pf discussion about just this subject last month-can't find the thread but that's me.

I like Red Gills as shown and now that I have a look @ some of my Coho gear I think a jointed Rapala might work.

Red-Gill-Rascal-White.jpg
 
I'd run a small 4 1/2-5inch anchovy, as i've run needlefish hootchies on one side and small chovies on the other when needlefish are in area and the chovy outfishes the hootchy 3 to 1.
 
X2


Deadly this winter , funny , fish full of needle again , BUT , not interested in rubber , all spoons and mostly SMALL anchovies on long leaders , or no flash at all , records indicate to "me" that , rubber seems ta be better in April on... ( Barkley )

m2b

fd

SerengetiGuide said:
I'd run a small 4 1/2-5inch anchovy, as i've run needlefish hootchies on one side and small chovies on the other when needlefish are in area and the chovy outfishes the hootchy 3 to 1.
Click to expand...
 
I have had success with the 6 inch magnum needlefish hootchie by Radiant Lures. The Jay 79 colour works great. The extra length makes it look more like a real needlefish/sandlance.



I am toying around with rigging up a 10 inch Berkley Powerbait eel. I would like to rig it so it wiggles side to side like a real sand lance and not roll like a anchovie. Anybody else try something like this?
 
since i am currently tying up some trolling flies, what would you folks recommend for needlefish flies?? need to know side and top color combos. thanks.
 
I don't ty flies (yet) but imho the eyes would be very important.
I sometimes stick one of those plastic eyes you can buy at flyshops on a teaser head.
As it rolls it winks at you.
Seems to work.
 
lgraham said:
Just wondering what everyones favorites are for chinook that are feeding on needlefish? I like to run a Blue 4" Needlefish Grand Slam Bucktail fly 36" behind a Blue Hot Spot flasher. Close second is a Coho killer (chrome) with a 4' 40lb leader also behind the Hot Spot.
--Luke from Alaska
Click to expand...

Welcome to SFBC Luke.

Coho Killer has been working very well for me lately as well.

I've recently tried running the Coho Killer behind a home-made umbrella rig. The rig has 12 Squirts like #144 above (no hooks) and then a similar coloured Coho Killer about 40" back behind the rig. Theory is that it's supposed to look like a swimming bait school with an injured (or slow or stupid) trailer chasing behind. So far, this umbrella rig has outfished a flasher/coho killer combo about 3:1 in the area I fish.
 
yep always use eyes on my saltwater flies. important to me would be learning which color combo of hootchies or other plastic you seem to have working for you.

googling around, i just found a 'killer' pattern.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
TenMile said:
Welcome to SFBC Luke.

Coho Killer has been working very well for me lately as well.

I've recently tried running the Coho Killer behind a home-made umbrella rig. The rig has 12 Squirts like #144 above (no hooks) and then a similar coloured Coho Killer about 40" back behind the rig. Theory is that it's supposed to look like a swimming bait school with an injured (or slow or stupid) trailer chasing behind. So far, this umbrella rig has outfished a flasher/coho killer combo about 3:1 in the area I fish.
Click to expand...

Do you have any pictures of this set up? I have thought about making something similar to this.
 
I would love to see a pic of your setup as well TenMile. Does anywhere sell them or do you have to go homemade? your results so far sound promising.
 
I'll take a pic this weekend and post it.

Sample size of fishing expeditions is small so far -- I've used it 3x fishing, but the setups we've made have got fish every time.

We basically made a variant of the setup in post #8 here: http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/showthread.php?12568-Two-New-Old-Developments-in-Salmon-Halibut-Lures&highlight=spreader+bar

I had started a post earlier in the season about a rig used in the Great Lakes for Lake Trout and Salmon called a Grease Trap which is similar to an Umbrella Rig: http://shop.bigweeniebrand.com/category.sc;jsessionid=62873814BE8BF07353E350532FA077AB.qscstrfrnt03?categoryId=42

Best description of the thing is that it looks like a mobile you'd hang over a baby's crib (less the hooks). We used two plastic rods 1/8" x 18" long each and poked them through a drilled out piece of rubber bobber (that you'd use for river fishing) in the shape of a large letter X. We then drilled holes in the 4 ends of the rods and the mid-arm point of the rod and used some 40lb leader and tied a bunch of Squirts (longest about 10" off the X) -- we tried to keep the leader material short enough so the Squirts wouldn't tangle with eachother, and with the main lure.

To attach it to the fishing line, we drilled a hole through the centre of the X and the bobber material and threaded a length of stainless downrigger wire and crimped a swivel at either end. So far, we've been using a Coho Killer that runs on a leader about 40" back from this rig.

The rig itself runs well through the water. So far no tangles. It doesn't move side to side like a flasher -- just drags through the water. The Squirts provide a little movement -- I've got a handful of small Apex's that would add more action if put inside the Squirt body. Some spoon bodies or Willow Leaf bodies like on the Grease Trap would also work well. Nice thing with the design is that it's fairly easy to swap out the colours or the type of artificial bait to mimic needlefish, anchovies, herring or squid. It has a similar drag feeling to a flasher -- almost exactly the same weight so I've not had it pull off the downrigger clip on it's own. One of them did touch bottom a few times without damage.
 
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