Gear action and trolling speed

[fish stalker]

was reading the spoon leader length thread and instead of highjacking thought id ask for help here.


I was wondering, how do you know what your gear is looking like down there? With tides and currents it seems that direction of travel plays a big part in lure action. First your have your leader length, then your trolling speed, current speed, tide direction, direction of travel. It seems this is a major part of success? How do you figure it out?

I know your supposed to go across or into the current..i think lol

Fishing sooke it was so weird. the tides coming in but the wind was push us sideways the dr cable was way more the 35 degrees and we were sitting still mabey even going backwards lol that worked for catching coho but a spring, not yet.

 

[Seafever]

You will never know what's going on down there.....unless you have a camera that can record the entire event.

If a fishing spot has all the variables like you describe......cross-tides,rips,wind, back-eddies, etc.etc.etc. at the same time, then your gear will be doing some strange things at times no matter how you rig it.

Without being insulting,Coho are not that difficult to catch at all.....they'll hit all sorts of stuff.
So I would not use the fact that Coho are being caught as an indicator of great tackle rig-up or technique. Especially off Sooke right now.

If all you are ever getting is Coho......at first blush I would say you are generally too shallow generally.

What lures/flashers etc are you using? How deep are you most of the time? What areas/bottom depth do you predominantly fish?

 

[LiquidGuides01]

I find the best is to simply alwase keep your downrigger cable/braid on a 45 degrees angle

 

[fish stalker]

2 replies all day wow guys didnt realize its a state secrete. I do hate the elitist attitude that alot of fishermen have. Sort of like poor sportsmanship. It seems that there alot more nice guys on here then dicks so its a little surprising. I am new and a bit of a analyzer and like to put some thought and strategy into what im doing out there and any small bit of information helps. I wasnt blessed with someone to show me the ropes.


haha yes seafever that was my point. no insult takn lol coho will bite anything so im dont think im doing anything terfficaly right. I havent caught a spring yet so im not sure I got things going in the right direction. My only saltwater experience in the alberni inlet where there is no major currents or riptides to take into consideration.


I think fishing beechy head area is a whole different ball game. There must be some crazy structure or wind crossings out there I find the water very hard to read. Im running the usual gear flasher with a hootchie or 3.5-5" spoon 3-6 ft leader. Bait will be next. Im just trying to figure out which way I should be going when the tide is coming in or out and how and if that differs from current. I took a power squadron course almost specifically to learn this but they spent almost no time on tides and currents. and esp none on how it effects fishing. cheers

ps one reason I think I feel unsure is because I dont have a way of gaging my sog. all i have is a depth sounder.

 

[Dave S]

Hootchies will work well in stonger currents. If your fighting the current and not getting anywhere, better to turn around and go with it imo. Cover more ground. In order to have a good idea of what your gear is doing, hold it beside the boat while motoring at trolling speed before stripping out line and connecting to line release. Some lures/bait is very sensitive to speed and you are better off leaving those in the box when your battling currents.

 

[fish stalker]

good to know! are you dipping your tip (lol) with your flasher near the rod tip to get the lure under? (just thought if this) I have heard of that and works for trout but I find my flasher just floats around on top and I cant get spoon to go under

 

[RageWelding]

we always adjust to the 45degree cable method, which can lead to some argument between the first mate and the captain at times lol

 

[Libbs]

I agree with the downrigger wire angle method. That angle is the best indication of how fast the relative water flow is at depth, and that relative water flow is what is actioning your flasher and lure. So whether you are trolling with, against, or across current, by adjusting your speed to keep a constant angle on the rigger wires, your tackle should be consistently swimming the same way, even tho your gps has you going 0.5mph one way, and 6.0 the opposite direction.

Running by angle has worked well for me. I use 15 lb cannon balls and steel wire on my riggers. Heavier balls and/or braid on the riggers will result in a more vertical angle at a given speed. If you fish a lure without a flasher, that's less drag, so again target a slightly more vertical angle. So factor that in as well.

A 45ish degree angle is where I start when targeting chinook this time of year with spoons behind a flasher. Later on, when targeting chinook that are close to their home rivers, I will want to slow down and use a more vertical angle...maybe start at 30ish degrees. So adjust as required for the fishery.