Trolling a Shallow line

[bigbruce]

Any advice on trolling a shallow line off the back centre of the boat? I've occasionally run a bucktail on the surface a hundred feet (with not much success) back but am wondering if and what others do?

 

[Dogbreath]

It's only worth it in a few places (like WCVI) these days most of the stories you hear about people doing successfully it are from long ago.

 

[spring fever]

I will put a bare spoon such as a larger cop car coyote or even a big pilchard spoon on a centre line about 6 ft behind a 6 or 8 oz banana weight. Very effective such as off Bajo reef, or outside kelp and always causes great excitement when around a bait ball. Sometimes that centre rod causes lots of surprises.

 

[jeffywestcoast]

It has to be pretty flat for that to work i find, but i have caught coho on the center rod on a kripple K or tom Mack all chrome!

 

[spring fever]

Flat certainly makes it easier and the depths the downriggers are fishing comes into play. There are situations and areas where this method will take springs-coho are the most likely but it should never be dismissed. Much the same as downrigger stacking-you can't always do it but to always dismiss the technique is needlessly handicapping yourself.

 

[Roofus]

I fished a lucky Louie plug from god knows how long ago that my dad gave me when I was a kid on the center rod on surface in front on qualicum last September caught a pretty big spring but lost it at the boat with a rookie netter I've only ever caught coho on that center rod with a large spoon I still almost always put it out you never know

 

[Sitkaspruce]

I usually fished a small red/silver hotspot flasher in front of a pink squirt and 4-6 oz of weigh, t30-40 pulls. Picked up quite a few fish, especially springs as there is something about pink and springs.....

Cheers

SS

 

[tykkyt e blue]

I often run two when trolling deep WCVI - one off each side w 2 or 4 ounces of weight and about 15-20 pulls - spoon, small tomic, apex, anything works
Off Swiftsure Bank, it will fill the boat w coho and once in a while, an over eager teener chinook will surprise things

 

[Dave S]

I picked up coho last year running a 4" coyote or coho killer spoon, small flasher and slip weight. Lots of coho last year tho so I'm sure bucktails would have also worked. Will be running a middle rod this year for coho and pinks.Probably try the banana weight and spoon.

 

[Seafever]

There was a member here who runs bucktails on the surface off Campbell River for winter springs and it worked for him.

I've tried running a shallow rod off Nanoose and French Creek......mostly spoons.

Shakers love 'em.......but very little else.......

 

[Tidal Chaos]

Run a fly rod with a buck tail on the WCVI every year usually get lots of hits but no takers as the flu rod is too light to set the hook on the take. My buddy puts a spoon out as well and usually will get the odd taker. We also will run the kids trout rods on the surface offshore with spoons nothing better when a 6 year old picks up a small spring on there rod and grins ear to ear when they are out fishing the riggers some days.

 

[Roofus]

Sitka spruce is that one of the mini flashers I see at the store how far up from the flasher did you put the weight only ask cause I've seen a ton of surface boils at kitty Coleman and I can't figure out how to fish it thanks for the pt McNeil tips last year caught our first Hali's and four big springs at donegal pt

 

[bigbruce]

Great feedback, folks - Thanks.

 

[Rockfish]

Sometimes put out a center rod with a small or medium size trip planer and a spoon, usually when there is Coho around. Less work and headaches than stacking off one of the side riggers.

 

[Karma-Kazi]

Run a fly rod with a buck tail on the WCVI every year usually get lots of hits but no takers as the flu rod is too light to set the hook on the take. My buddy puts a spoon out as well and usually will get the odd taker. We also will run the kids trout rods on the surface offshore with spoons nothing better when a 6 year old picks up a small spring on there rod and grins ear to ear when they are out fishing the riggers some days.

Try pointing the fly rod straight out the back and down at the ater at an angle so when the fish hits it goes dirrectly to the reel thats how you get hook sets. I bet you will improve over 50%

Cheers

 

[adanac]

we always run a cop car behind a 2 ounce keel sinker on a shallow line off big and south bank, the strikes are allot more exciting than watching the rod thump in the rod holder as you would a down rigger. Always has worked well for Coho and Humpies, also took 2 20lb+ springs on our shallow line last year, defanitly worth running in the right areas.

 

[Finally]

We usually run a bucktail fly with the fly rod out the back in august out of sooke. It catches lots of coho and pinks and the odd seagul! Its a blast to fight a fish with too. No springs yet though.

 

[Evenweight]

when guiding the central caost my guests biggest fish each year were always off the back rod with a2 ounce weight and a cut plug. The big fish dont have to worry about overhead predators so they can be closer to the surface.

 

[Time]

If I have 2 guests aboard, I'll let them each have a downrigger and I'll throw out a centre line with a flasher and a spoon, hoochie or bait and 4-8 ounces of keel weight.
Oddly enough, I'll usually match or better them in catch rate - except in winter fishing.
Easier than stacking two rods to one downrigger or trying to run 3 dr's.
Use my old Eagle Claw trolling rod with the Peetz on it. Just like the old days.

 

[Aces]

I quite often stack a spoon or plug up (no flasher) shallow off a downrigger and get nice Chinooks and Cohos on them