Leader length
- Thread starter Hoochies Galore
- Start date
fishin_magician
Well-Known Member
Typo for sure..42" Leader.
Hey tubby - The Iron Needles were the six inch - closely matches most needlefish I have removed from salmon.
They are $17.99 at PNT. If you read-up on them on this forum, a lot for R&D has gone into them & there are super well made locally. I tend to not loose gear & I charge all the numb-nuts that loose my gear.
They are $17.99 at PNT. If you read-up on them on this forum, a lot for R&D has gone into them & there are super well made locally. I tend to not loose gear & I charge all the numb-nuts that loose my gear.
Shearwater
New Member
Slabbedout
Well-Known Member
Any Idea if these spoons are still available ? And if so is there anywhere to purchase in Victoria or online ?
I have a 6” I think I got at Trotac years ago but would like to try some shorter ones
SerengetiGuide
Well-Known Member
120 1/2”.
Chasin' Dreams
Well-Known Member
Hootchie/Flashfly's are the only gear I run short leaders with. 8 to 10 feet are the norm for me with bait (teaser's, strip, etc ) and spoons and plugs
Stizzla
Crew Member
10’ leader... Must make netting an adventure!
I’m not hating on you... at least you get a fish to net
Chasin' Dreams
Well-Known Member
Giver a go and see how it works for ya. I like to do a lot of comparison trials with gear, baits, set ups etc to see what works best. Try putting two lines down on opposite sides of the boat, at the same depth with the same bait or spoon on each line. Both behind the same type/color flashers. Use a 5' leader on one and a 8 to 10' on the other. See how you do when fish are biting like that. It's more of an accurate comparison though if you are tracking straight though cause if you are on turns when you get hits that will affect your speed/action on your bait/spoon.10’ leader... Must make netting an adventure!
I’m not hating on you... at least you get a fish to net
I haven't fished a leader under 8' for probably about 10 years or so. And I bring a lot of fish to the boat
Yup netting can be more tricky but that's what good mates are for lol. If I'm solo it can be a bit more tricky but still very doable. My boat rides pretty high off the water to the fish deck so it is much easier netting with longer leaders than on lower down fish platforms to the water level.
Stizzla
Crew Member
Cool! I’m always interested in learning of other’s success stories.Giver a go and see how it works for ya. I like to do a lot of comparison trials with gear, baits, set ups etc to see what works best. Try putting two lines down on opposite sides of the boat, at the same depth with the same bait or spoon on each line. Both behind the same type/color flashers. Use a 5' leader on one and a 8 to 10' on the other. See how you do when fish are biting like that. It's more of an accurate comparison though if you are tracking straight though cause if you are on turns when you get hits that will affect your speed/action on your bait/spoon.
I haven't fished a leader under 8' for probably about 10 years or so. And I bring a lot of fish to the boat
Really appreciate it!
Chasin' Dreams
Well-Known Member
No prob man. I've learned a lot over time from some old school mentors that I was very grateful to have fished with and a lot of time with on the ocean. Going back to the early 80's till now. Gear is always changing but fishing baits with certain very proven set ups will always continue to work much better than other set ups so even though I continue to experiment with scents, brines/cures etc I haven't really changed my bait and spoon set ups for near the last 10 years or so. If you wanna go a bit out of the "norm" for local fishing too using the regular smaller spoons/colors/types I suggest carrying a few very large spoons with you in your collections. You may be pleasantly surprised when some of the aggressive larger Springs destroy those huge spoons. When they hit them there's no need to set the hook lol they will already be through the jaw bone and the fish will be screaming away. I'll be out on the chuck tomorrow so If I remember I'll take a pic of some of the large spoons I do very well with at certain times of the year and will post it here for ya.
I'm greatful an older guy in bamfield showed me this the first time I went. I thought he was kidding at first but boy did it work. Good thing I've got a really long net so landing fish wasn't that hard.
Chasin' Dreams
Well-Known Member
Playing with tackle tonight so thought I'd post a pic now before I forget about it. Some of the 6" ers I like to throw on to entice the big boys. I use larger as well but I like the action on the 6" ers better than larger ones personally. But different strokes for different folks. I have a friend that uses very very large lake trout spoons for large springs as well. I've tried those myself running them with the 6 ers over the years and myself I alwyays do better than larger so I stick to 6" and down. A lot depends on where I'm fishing and time of year though for different migrating fish in different areas etc.. They work killer too back trolling them in some of our local larger rivers 
You can see how large they look when compared to some of the standard spoons used more commonly around Vancouver and the south island.
You can see how large they look when compared to some of the standard spoons used more commonly around Vancouver and the south island. 
Rain City
Crew Member
I have that onePlaying with tackle tonight so thought I'd post a pic now before I forget about it. Some of the 6" ers I like to throw on to entice the big boys. I use larger as well but I like the action on the 6" ers better than larger ones personally. But different strokes for different folks. I have a friend that uses very very large lake trout spoons for large springs as well. I've tried those myself running them with the 6 ers over the years and myself I alwyays do better than larger so I stick to 6" and down. A lot depends on where I'm fishing and time of year though for different migrating fish in different areas etc.. They work killer too back trolling them in some of our local larger rivers
View attachment 42317
View attachment 42318
Chasin' Dreams
Well-Known Member
It's one of my favorites!I have that one
BUT.... the one 6th from the left has put more springs on my boat than any other spoon I've ever used and not by a little but by a lot. I also have it with a pink stripe down the side instead of the fluorescent orange and they both work great but the orange is my absolute favorite by far. It has out fished bait (at times) when running together but I am a bait guy first and foremost. I almost always have multiple rods out though with different stuff on each of them. If something is working much better than the others then all the rods will get that gear/bait on them. The big spoons not as much for Winter feeders that's a given but for migrating fish they work wonders at times. If you see it in a store I highly recommend adding that one to your box. I also run them alone with dummy flashers too. At times running one side of the boat with flashers on the main line and other side with dummy's and naked spoons. When stacking rods things can get a bit messy with so much gear in the water but sometimes having lot's of options down there for the fish to chose from is what gets the bite.
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Christl Waters
Member
I run 60 inches of 60 pound leader material for hootchies and anchovies off a 40 pound terminal line behind flashers. I run plugs and spoons about 48 inches from swivel with no flasher. I mostly fish out off Bamfield. I have been fishing this way since 1995, with tremendous success.
donnie d
Well-Known Member
Very interesting. I would venture a guess that with lower pound test and that long of a leader on hoochies and your success would be much less.
I use three vertical wraps (up, down, up - done) on my flasher to get a 39 inch leader for my hoochies. Works for me, any longer and I’d think the flasher doesn’t impart much action on the plastic. I use 30 lb test.
Christl Waters
Member
The old skool philosophy was to hold hootchie, spoon or bait in your left hand and take your leader to your left tit for Coho and right tit for springs.
walleyes
Well-Known Member
I've never been much of a hardware fisherman, always bait if possible, for any species really. But I plan on trying more and more spoons this coming year, especially for Chinook. I've always ran hoochies and some spoons for Coho and Pinks or Sockeye but always bait for Chinook.
After reading the leader length responses I think it's safe to assume there is no real hard answer as to what is the proper length. Use what works for you, don't be scared to experiment, try new stuff, always be ready to learn new stuff and never quite learning.
After reading the leader length responses I think it's safe to assume there is no real hard answer as to what is the proper length. Use what works for you, don't be scared to experiment, try new stuff, always be ready to learn new stuff and never quite learning.
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