Hootchie Rigging

[crazydaisy]

Has anyone tried detailing their own hoochies? Kinda like fly tying for power boaters. What to use? ive tried stainglass paint, but it flakes off. The dyes look cool but there isnt much options in terms of colour and detail. Preferrably non-toxic. Maybe permanent-permanent markers..

I want to make a custom hoochie for a buddy's xmas gift, called the Clover Point Piper, brown and green streaks on a glow white hoochie, and yellow corn chunks! Who wouldnt want one of those!

 

[scott craven]

I like the corn touch.... it will represent a very natural
Clover point bait fish

 

[Gone Fishen]

Welome aboard Downriggen. Definatly will try some of your ideas. Thanx for sharing them. Good day ah!

Thanx Tenmile, good post.

I'm setting my priorities. I'm making time for fishing.

 

[Tsquared]

I still use the "butterflies" to jazz up the action on a hootchie. They are those wasp waisted plastic pieces with the shovel nose that Scotty makes (or used to make?). Cut the nose off a hootchie and slide it up onto the butterfly til it gets to the waist. single 4/0 stainless behind it, 40 ft to the wire and have some fun with late season coho with no flasher to hold them back. They didn't do much for me when I tried them this September at Rennie, but then nothing was working very well.
T2

No Rigours

 

[Captain Downriggin]

quote:Originally posted by crazydaisy

Has anyone tried detailing their own hoochies? Kinda like fly tying for power boaters. What to use? ive tried stainglass paint, but it flakes off. The dyes look cool but there isnt much options in terms of colour and detail. Preferrably non-toxic. Maybe permanent-permanent markers..

I want to make a custom hoochie for a buddy's xmas gift, called the Clover Point Piper, brown and green streaks on a glow white hoochie, and yellow corn chunks! Who wouldnt want one of those!

You might try vinyl shirt paint... (art supply stores) Comes in a squirt bottle. Kids love the stuff for coloring and designing t-shirts and such. I've heard it works, but haven't tried it myself.

www.CaptainDownriggins.com

 

[TenMile]

quote:Originally posted by crazydaisy

Has anyone tried detailing their own hoochies? Kinda like fly tying for power boaters. What to use? ive tried stainglass paint, but it flakes off. The dyes look cool but there isnt much options in terms of colour and detail. Preferrably non-toxic. Maybe permanent-permanent markers..

I want to make a custom hoochie for a buddy's xmas gift, called the Clover Point Piper, brown and green streaks on a glow white hoochie, and yellow corn chunks! Who wouldnt want one of those!

You'll have to make sure you wrap it in toilet paper too. Another suggested name "The Victoria Skidmark". [xx(]

 

[Captain Downriggin]

quote:Originally posted by catcher

When rigging your hootchies do you find leader length makes a difference? I usually go 42" behind a flasher. I cant see the difference in action when using different length leaders? I don't know what to look for? I know spoons should wobble not spin and chovies should have a nice tight roll, but what should a hootchie look like?

thanks for the tips

Catcher,

Curious to know how you measure leader lengths? Every manufacture has some type of formula for measuring, but they are very vague directions. E.g., Some mention 36-inches, others may give a distance to the head of the lure at 36-inches or the the end of the bait. I feel this is very vague since most anglers don't take in to account the length of the bait nor the barrel swivel or snaps/bead chains connections to the flasher. I prefer to measure from the back edge of the flasher to the end of the bait (not hooks if they protrude). This is truly the business distance of catching fish. The connection of the leader to the flasher, including snaps, actually become an extention of the leader and the end of the bait still has action!

My own rule of thumb is starting with shorter leaders in the fall/winter (approx 32-inches) and adding 1 or 2-inches each month that passes. You'll be around 42-inches come July/August time frame.

I have done a lot of testing on leader lengths in the last 35-years. One thing that has become evident is that shorter leaders work wonders in the winter. These juvenile fish are extremely voracious and usually are completing for food when schooling.

As a general rule of thumb.... for metal flashers the common measurement (formula- or starting point) is 2 1/2 times the length of the flasher. For plastic flashers measure 3-times the length of the flasher. The main difference between metal and plastic is the diameter of rotation. Metal rotates in a smaller tighter diameter and plastic larger widening diameter.

Changing leader lengths can be productive but wastes time on the water with the gear out of the water. You can change trolling speeds or change the distances from the release to the flasher (Drop back). The shorter the "drop back" the tighter the rotation of flasher. Vice versa for a longer drop back larger diameter of rotation. You'll have to be careful at very slow speeds and a longer drop back as the rotation diameter can be as much a 6 to 10-feet!

Lastly, for hoochies, I recommended a minimum of 40# leader! 50# is even better...

Hope this helps!

 

[Gone Fishen]

My two bit's to this thread. Shiners are a main feed source this time of year! A small piese of orange or red plastic tubeing on the hook shank of a shiner imatation hootchie, spoon or whatever can greatly improve your presentation. This simply mimics the shiners anal fin. My observation has been most winter springs come with a belly full of shiners.

I'm setting priorities & making time for fishing.

 

[TenMile]

quote:Originally posted by Gone Fishen

My two bit's to this thread. Shiners are a main feed source this time of year! A small piese of orange or red plastic tubeing on the hook shank of a shiner imatation hootchie, spoon or whatever can greatly improve your presentation. This simply mimics the shiners anal fin. My observation has been most winter springs come with a belly full of shiners.

I'm setting priorities & making time for fishing.

Anyone have a picture of what a shiner looks like, or the imitation hootchie?

 

[Gone Fishen]

Anyone have a picture of what a shiner looks like, or the imitation hootchie?


Shiner's are the little perch looking fish you see around the pileings at the marina. To imitate use chartreuse,yellow or green colours. For red on hook tiny heat shrink for electrical wiring works good. Get it at any hardware store.
Use downriggens cut down hootchie.
I'm setting priorities & making time for fishing.

 

[Rum Buddies]

quote:My observation has been most winter springs come with a belly full of shiners.

Interesting, where do you fish? I've never seen a shiner in a belly before, just wondering if its an area thing?

 

[Gone Fishen]

Could be an inside thing. Im usualy fishing the east side of the island, There are lots of little islands ect all around were I usualy fish. Pretty much the herring are gone also. Im assuming you maybe on the west side, the open water may make the differance[?]

I'm setting priorities & making time for fishing.

 

[TenMile]

So I made up 4 new hootchie rigs today out of some junk I had in the tackle box. Two are Apex/Hootchie combos one in purple (with an orange Apex inside) and another green/purple with a blue Apex. Both of these guys have the very small trout-type Apex inside -- about 1.5" long. Made up a 3rd with a 3" Apex -- in blue with sparkles. The fourth is a crazy looking thing with one of those rotating propellor type spinners on the front of it. I am going to give 'em a go tomorrow and I will report back.

 

[mason.jar]

That was an awesome link, thanks for posting it. I have been using Pacific Net & Twine "North Pacific" brand uv with an old Golden Bait MB glow as an insert rigged with a single siwash for a few years now and have had great success. A friend of mine has thousands of B2 mini squids in three UV and many different glow colors, I have a few. He swears by them and even uses them on their own. I am pretty sure he was distributing them in BC at on time or another??? Mason

[www.savebcsalmon.ca]

 

[tidehunter]

For the first time I tried Clairol hairspray on my hoochie. It worked quite well but now I'm afraid to eat the fish. Looks like hamburgers for dinner.

 

[Charlie]

I think the Troll is gone!

Okay, I have never been a big hoochie fan, but you guys talked me into giving them a better try! I went out and bought myself some Mr Downriggn hoochies today! If I get a chance will try them out tomorrow.

 

[Charlie]

I think the Troll is gone!

Okay, I have never been a big hoochie fan, but you guys talked me into giving them a better try! I went out and bought myself some Mr Downriggn hoochies today! If I get a chance will try them out tomorrow.

 

[fishin_magician]

quote:Originally posted by TenMile

So I made up 4 new hootchie rigs today out of some junk I had in the tackle box. Two are Apex/Hootchie combos one in purple (with an orange Apex inside) and another green/purple with a blue Apex. Both of these guys have the very small trout-type Apex inside -- about 1.5" long. Made up a 3rd with a 3" Apex -- in blue with sparkles. The fourth is a crazy looking thing with one of those rotating propellor type spinners on the front of it. I am going to give 'em a go tomorrow and I will report back.

Ok Tenmile..you're the official test fisher...and your results are????? [8D]

Pictures please!!!

 

[TenMile]

Well *finally* got the chance today since posting this link to test the Apex-Stuffed-Hoochie. Last stretch of nice weather I lost an impeller so the boat has been in dry-dock for a short time. Went out for a short fish between 11-1 and enjoyed the sun. I tried 2 variants -- an Purple/White hoochie behind a yellow flasher, and a Blue/Green/White behind a white flasher. Both hoochies had a short Apex stuffed inside (about 1.5") I don't suppose colour matters for the Apex as it's buried. I tied a large main and smaller trailer hook to both rigs (#4 front, #5 rear).

Anyhow, without any exaggeration -- I picked up a 10lb spring within the first 5-10 minutes of getting my line down. Great fighter that made 3 solid runs. Lines at the bottom in about 80' of water in Oak Bay. Both hooks made solid contact.

Had initially ventured over to Clover Point but the wind was fairly heavy which makes it difficult to control the boat on my own -- so I turned it around to calmer waters.

Sorry, no pics but the next time I get out, I will take a few pics of what I rigged up. Hardly a scientific test I suppose, but at least this new rig appears to catch something.

 

[nedarb2]

i used the apex hootchie combo with a green apex army truck glow hootchie, picked up two springs and a bunch of bottom fish while bottom bouncing the 120' range, its looks great in the water too i love it!