Pinks

[h20hunter]

Pirate....pretty easy. Any sporting store will have a white flasher with a pink hoochie pretied. Troll that off your down rigger or long line with some weight. Troll it slowly. When they are thick you will see schools on the surface early in the am. They have soft mouths so lighten up your drag. Also, when they are running you can just drift around jigging a pink buzz bomb or even drive around looking for schools to show on the surface then chuck a buzz bomb in front of them.

Here is some GoPro footage from last humpy season....we trolled right through a school at 25 feet down.

[Ripper]

Dang H20, you trolled through that school of pinks and never hooked one! I wouldn't take any advice from this guy.

 

[h20hunter]

I forgot to yell "ACTION".

This fella looked...no bite.

[h20hunter]

This one worked.....

[Ripper]

Cool! I got a go pro last year for christmas and I haven't used it yet. I need to do that, attach it to my DR ball.

[h20hunter]

I've built a housing to attach to the ball. Might find the thread on here....

[h20hunter]

Here you go Mark...

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,123833.75.html


The main issue is that you need to fish it shallow.....25 feet is about max...and since it is right on the ball you are fishing your gear a max of 5 or 6 feet back and the ball pulls it up and down with waves.

This year....I may goof around with a long line from the ball to the housing and put the line clip on housing and run it basically just under the surface about 75 feet back. Granted....I get nervous putting the GoPro out for any trolling but that would possible hook up with some pinks when they are thick and schooled in the top 15 feet in the early am.

[Gobble Doc]

Is 2.5-3.0 mph just too fast to troll for pinks?  I can't go any slower with my motor and I am reluctant to throw a bucket over the side. 

[wildweeds]

Canadian style is what your doing with the fast troll speed they actually troll faster than that sometimes to cover more water,to adjust for speedier trolling....... Lengthen the leader which slows the action of the lure/bait.

Is 2.5-3.0 mph just too fast to troll for pinks?  I can't go any slower with my motor and I am reluctant to throw a bucket over the side.

[lokidog]

It did seem whenever we picked up speed we would hit the pinks. 

[Gobble Doc]

Hmmm.  I have always read to troll slow but maybe I still got a shot.  Thanks.

[wildweeds]

I've seen canadians on the outside of the island make 3 passes to our one just going to beat the band with hotspot flashers and 65 inch leaders with an anchovy in a hood.We were fishing whole herring rigged the alaskan way with no hood/no flasher and we were catching big fish our way and they were catching fish their way.However ours were bigger,big fish are lazy,ours were all Tyees,theirs were 20-26 which are better eating IMO but there's nothing like the  thrill in the fight of a tyee!

[lokidog]

Wild, I think you are correct on the Kings, but the pinks do seem to like a bit faster presentation.

BTW, to the OP, a drift anchor (sock) is more effective than a bucket and can be pulled in quicker, although you can use the bucket to rinse the bloody deck.   

If you are around the islands, I can give you a flip-up trolling plate to try.

[Gobble Doc]

Wild, I think you are correct on the Kings, but the pinks do seem to like a bit faster presentation.

BTW, to the OP, a drift anchor (sock) is more effective than a bucket and can be pulled in quicker, although you can use the bucket to rinse the bloody deck.   

If you are around the islands, I can give you a flip-up trolling plate to try.

Thanks for the generous offer.  Let me think this over.  A plate may be my answer. 

[lokidog]

It's The Happy Troller plate.