Live mooching set up
- Thread starter Reeltime
- Start date
kingblazer84
Crew Member
1 1/2 oz I used to use as well, with about a 8' long leader tandem treble hooks one through the nose and just through the skin on the side near the tail of the herring. let er drop and have a beer and watch the fun happen hopefully.
Ripperoflips
Active Member
Anywhere from 3/4 oz. too 4 oz. depends on the strength of the tide. For Coho we always used 2 hook system, either 2 treble hooks or a small single and a treble with 6-8 ft. 10 lb. leader. The distance between the hooks depended on the size of the herring. For Springs, always 1 #10 treble or a #4 single, with about 8-10 ft. 10 lb. leader. The reason for only 1 hook on a spring setup was that springs didn't seem to slash at the bait like coho but just grab it and then turn the bait around so the bait goes in head first. That doesn't happen that quickly,LOL, at times the first indication that your having a bite is that your line has gone slack and thats with a 2 oz. mooching, but thats not the time to strike because they could be still playing with the bait and haven't taken it in yet. A good friend of mine that taught me the technic always said that when the fish first takes the bait that you had to feed them line, and not to strike until their swimming away with the bait, and that could take a little time an can be frustrating, but once hooked the fun begins!
casper5280
Crew Member
This was the way I was also taught.
X2 on feeding line before the hook set. If you set the hook too early, you're basically pulling the bait out of the fish mouth. Give it a bit of slack until the rod is fully loaded and then set the hook solid.
On the setup, depending on the tide I use 2-4 lb banana weights with a bead chain on the test side and a high speed treble rolling swivel on the leader end. 6-8' leader (15lb fluro leader) with tandem 3/0 hook for coho or 20-25lb with single 4/0 Gama. Pre-tie your leader with a good due lock so that you can quickly change leaders if needed.
If you have level wind reel with the line counter, you can manage the depth of your bait otherwise, do the pull counts to put your bait in the strike zone.
And yes, good beer is always part of a good setup.
Hope this helps.
12' leader 6-8lb maxima chameleon #12-#10 treble
12' leader 8-10lb maxima chameleon #10-#8 treble
NO BANANA weight. with reg changes a banana weight can leverage down and pop the barbless. i've switched to egg sliders. use only enough weight to keep the bait under the boat 3/4 -2 oz.
if dog fish are eating your bait box and messing up you rigs. use only a nose hook. dogfish seem to only want the gills back. this way you only have re bait vs a new hook up.
use mustang bronze hooks. if fish breaks off they rust out pretty fast.
using a light setup (small hooks) will give your bait a longer life in the water and present it in a more natural motion (it isn't trying to swim with heavy hooks and line). i have never fed line on a hook up. just crank and set. the trailer hook is in it's mouth and I BELIEVE feeding line just puts the hooks (small hooks) deep in the mouth giving you more issues trying to release.
use the smaller bait for coho save the big bait for morning springs or evening springs, get the big bait near bottom without hooking cod. keep one eye on you rod tip, a big bounce indicates he just tail whacked your bait and he will be back to eat dead bait.
Springs sometimes hit bait from below (Ambush) that's what floating line is. he has hit the bait from below and is swimming up with it in his mouth. crank till the rod bend good and set... hang on.
some good advise above
12' leader 8-10lb maxima chameleon #10-#8 treble
NO BANANA weight. with reg changes a banana weight can leverage down and pop the barbless. i've switched to egg sliders. use only enough weight to keep the bait under the boat 3/4 -2 oz.
if dog fish are eating your bait box and messing up you rigs. use only a nose hook. dogfish seem to only want the gills back. this way you only have re bait vs a new hook up.
use mustang bronze hooks. if fish breaks off they rust out pretty fast.
using a light setup (small hooks) will give your bait a longer life in the water and present it in a more natural motion (it isn't trying to swim with heavy hooks and line). i have never fed line on a hook up. just crank and set. the trailer hook is in it's mouth and I BELIEVE feeding line just puts the hooks (small hooks) deep in the mouth giving you more issues trying to release.
use the smaller bait for coho save the big bait for morning springs or evening springs, get the big bait near bottom without hooking cod. keep one eye on you rod tip, a big bounce indicates he just tail whacked your bait and he will be back to eat dead bait.
Springs sometimes hit bait from below (Ambush) that's what floating line is. he has hit the bait from below and is swimming up with it in his mouth. crank till the rod bend good and set... hang on.
some good advise above
Reeltime
Well-Known Member
Lots of great advice to go on sometimes it's nice to turn the motor off and fish and get that anticipation of a strike .. if i were fishing Howe Sound how would you go about
getting the right amount of pulls for strike zone ... hit under a bait ball or for fish marks just above them .
getting the right amount of pulls for strike zone ... hit under a bait ball or for fish marks just above them .
wishiniwasfishin1
Well-Known Member
Last summer we were doing ok mooching off sangster with live herring but they were slowly dying off and we wanted to save the bait for the tide change. I set up the back rod with a cut plug herring and let it bob up and down in the chop. There was enough chop that day to give the bait action. That rod outfished the livies for the rest of the day - 2 really nice fish....
Ripperoflips
Active Member
Some good advice ,but myself I generally mooch anchored and at times the current is moving so hard that it's noisy behind the anchored boat from the current that a 3.5 -4.0 oz. mooching sinker is barely enough to get your bait down to where the fish are. The magic depth for springs for me always seemed to be about 150- 180 ft. but can very, on a drop off to deeper water. The mooching weights that I'm talking about have ball chain swivels at either end and don't slide. I'v often found that if you have too long a leader the bait can swim up and get wrapped around the leader and make a mess. I find if you get into a dogfish after dogfish situation it's time to move, Because I'm not going to feed them bait, hooks, and leader. And "Bones" you're right , the bronze hooks are the best because they rust out. If a fish is undersized and hooked too deep I just cut the leader close to the fish because I not going to go digging around it's gills. What should also be said is that a fish that going to be released never come's in the boat or a net, just gets tailed with wet hands, no gloves.
Ripperoflips
Active Member
Fishing around Howe sound were are you going to get the live bait?
people generally brine bait to make it last longer. when using extra large herring for strips, just cut and throw over the side. the oils released from the meat stick are what your looking for, plus a strip is a hardy bait and you could if you wanted troll it all day. it will even last a couple fish sometimes.
we used to do lots of live herring mooching in the Pender Harbour area, Lees Bay, A Frame and Quarry Bay. Used about an 8 foot leader of 10lb test, tandem #8 bronze trebles and 1.5 to 2 oz. banana weights. When we fished for Springs it was free spool to the bottom and up 22 cranks. watch for pop up takes and reel like hell until you feel the fish then set the hook and hang on!
