trolling depth

[bulldogs40]

rookie here headed out for salmon in the sound. what is a good depth for catching a few fish.  went out yesterday and landed 3 pinks and today not a bite.  Going out again in the am looking to give it another try.

[johnnyaustin44]

Most of the kings run near the bottom around here. Seem to have to best luck bouncing your ball on the bottom or just barely above it. Raising and lowering your gear gets old fast but it usually pays off. 

[wheels]

90- 120 or so  but  can be sallower  just  once you get a bite  target that depth

[bulldogs40]

Thanks for the help guys. I will run a little deeper today and see how we do. Will post a few pictures of we do any good

[fishngamereaper]

This time of year its just below the bait. If the bait is suspended the fish will suspend. Caught a nice king last week 75fow 35 ft of cable. Find the bait, drop your gear 10-15ft below it, fish on.

[Hunterman]

The first thing I need to know is:
1. What are you using for weight Deep 6, Down Rigger, Meet Line, or just lead ?
     A. Deep 6: I'd run the Number 2, with a flasher & herring 60 pulls of line.
     B. Down Rigger: Weights from 6 to 12 pounds, 125 feet, with flasher and herring.
     C. Meet Line: 6 pounds of weight, 150 to 180 feet, with a flasher and herring.
Now you have notice that I said flashers with all 3 set ups. The reason is that with the flashed, you can set your trolling speed with the "Thumping" of you fishing rod. A steady slowish (I don't believe I just said slowish  ) thump. Make sure that you have good action on your herring, and on your deep 6, and down riggers, set you release kind of light for the humpies, but these are king depths so hold on 

Hunterman(Tony)

[Bill W]

If you are fishing for humpies the traditional lore is troll 30' deep and a white flasher and red hootchie.   I did it a bit different as I'd stay off the edge of the crowds and fish 55' deep where there wasn't as many downrigger balls and flashers.  Worked real good for me.

[lokidog]

IMO, speed is more important.  We hooked pinks from 180 to casting a little cleo on the surface.  We caught a nice king yesterday at 85 feet in 320 feet of water at about 9 am.

BTW, we often do better on our deep six at 45 feet than the downriggers at a variety of depths.

[gotshot]

I just picked up a couple deep six. I havn't used them before but a friend highly reccomended them. Just wondering the ratio of line out to depth. AKA pulls or numbers on line counter. Can you give me a hint?

[wheels]

1 to 1  of 2 to 1  all depends on speed

[Hunterman]

I just picked up a couple deep six. I havn't used them before but a friend highly reccomended them. Just wondering the ratio of line out to depth. AKA pulls or numbers on line counter. Can you give me a hint?

If your going to pull your line out, one strip of line should equal 1 foot. Measure from your reel face out 1 foot. Run your deep 6 down to the water surface, then strip off your depth.

Hunterman(Tony)

[wheels]

i was told reel to first eye = 2ft

[wildmanoutdoors]

Dosent matter as long as you know what your own "pull" is measuring.

As far as King salmon depths, only your fish finder can tell you that. We catch em with 35 feet of cable in the early AM. Then drop as the sun comes up. But you still base everything off your fish finder and what its saying.

[WAcoueshunter]

On the deep six, I figure a two foot pull will equal about 1 foot of depth.  So 35 pulls will get my gear down about 35 feet, figuring the line is at about a 45 degree angle.  At some point it flattens out - for example, I don't think 90 pulls will get you down 90 feet, it will be something much less than that. 

[WapitiTalk1]

First of all, you need a pretty stiff rod to handle the largest Deep Six.  Completely different rod than what you'll use with downriggers.  The max depth a Deep Six will pull a "medium" size dodger is right at 60' but you gotta keep your speed very slow which is what you'll want for the lumbering summer/fall kings anyway.    When I've used the large Deep Six divers, I'd let out around 80-100' of line, troll at less than 2.5 MPH, optimumly right at 2 MPH "and", stay in 100' of water.  That's where those big tanks are early in the morning (as shallow as 30-40'), cruising for vittles.  As the morning goes on, move out a bit but I would seldom go out much deeper than 120 feet.  I also like using cut plug herring when using the divers/dodger setup with a good two hook setup.  Don't forget to crimp those barbs!  Good luck.