Need to outfit my boat for a mid summer Salmon run in the San Juan Islands

[BallisticsNut]

This summer, we have a few friends coming in from out of town and we are renting a house in Friday Harbor for a few days.  On the agenda is crabbin' and some salmon fishing.  I have the crabbing down to a science, not to hard to figure out.  Only been Salmon fishing once, tried to duplicate that last year but failed miserably.  This year, I promised my friends that I would have the boat properly outfitted for round two.  We have the poles, nets, hooks, bait, swivels etc.  I am assuming that I will need more along the lines of a downrigger with a couple drop weights and related line gear.  Anyone care to offer up some advice on a inexpensive setup and gear and our proposed location.

I was considering the Scotty 1050 depthmaster but have no idea if this is worth the expense and what type of weights and gear needed.

Planning on fishing in the Strait of Juan DeFuca probably on the east side of Blakely Island or between Blakely and Orcas.   (mid August)

BTW, I have a 21' bayliner cuddy.  Not really a fishing boat but it will do just fine. 

[MADMAX]

Save some bucks and use cut plug flasher and a deep six or sinker release unless your gonna do it more than few times
if so I  personlly switched  DR's from electric long boom Scotty's back to long boom pen manuals

[CP]

Diving planes and heavy weights suck.  You can find a used manual downrigger cheap (try Craigslist) as most people have switched to electric.  You’ll catch a lot more fish with a DR and stay out of tangles with other boats.

A 10lb weight is good, 12lbs is better.  Scotty releases, white hot spot flasher, green or white glo hoochie, some coyote spoons and you’re set.

[BallisticsNut]

Diving planes and heavy weights suck.  You can find a used manual downrigger cheap (try Craigslist) as most people have switched to electric.  You’ll catch a lot more fish with a DR and stay out of tangles with other boats.

A 10lb weight is good, 12lbs is better.  Scotty releases, white hot spot flasher, green or white glo hoochie, some coyote spoons and you’re set.

We tried the heavey weights last year, only had about 6 ounces on it though.  Didnt catch a single salmon.  I have the white hot flasher, glo hoochies and some coyote spoons already.  At least I got that right. 

What about that area in mid August... last year the notes I found said it was good in Mid Jule which is when we were that last year...>>??

[GEARHEAD]

This year, all ya need is pink buzz bombs and pink jigs, they are way cheaper.

[CP]

Yep, it’s a humpy year and there will be hordes of them around in mid Aug.  But there should be kings around as well, maybe some Coho as well.  I don’t fish that area so I can’t give you any specifics on where to go but for kings & Coho be out on the water early, I mean in-the-dark early.  You should be rigging up by flashlight and have the gear trolling with the faintest of light.  Pre-dawn kings will be up top so set the downrigger at 25-30’.  Drop 10 feet ever half hour are so, look for bait, look for birds working bait, put your gear just under the bait balls.  Be aware of your line angle, e.g. 60 feet on the counter count doesn’t equal 60 feet deep if you have a 30 degree line angle:

(cosine (30)*60’ = 52 feet deep).  45 degree would be 42 feet deep.

Troll with the current, fish the tide changes.   First light until the first tide change is almost always the best fishing of the day.  Change speed, change depths, change baits until you find what works.  King fishing isn’t easy, it takes persistence.

If you just want humpies use the white hot spot and a pink hoochie, 20 inch leader, strip of herring on the front hook, troll slow with the current 30 – 45 feet deep.  You will catch humpies, you’ll catch them on the king gear as well.  You will probably get sick of catching humpies.

[CP]

You're getting me stoked up for the season 

[BallisticsNut]

 

Yep, it’s a humpy year and there will be hordes of them around in mid Aug.  But there should be kings around as well, maybe some Coho as well.  I don’t fish that area so I can’t give you any specifics on where to go but for kings & Coho be out on the water early, I mean in-the-dark early.  You should be rigging up by flashlight and have the gear trolling with the faintest of light.  Pre-dawn kings will be up top so set the downrigger at 25-30’.  Drop 10 feet ever half hour are so, look for bait, look for birds working bait, put your gear just under the bait balls.  Be aware of your line angle, e.g. 60 feet on the counter count doesn’t equal 60 feet deep if you have a 30 degree line angle:

(cosine (30)*60’ = 52 feet deep).  45 degree would be 42 feet deep.

Troll with the current, fish the tide changes.   First light until the first tide change is almost always the best fishing of the day.  Change speed, change depths, change baits until you find what works.  King fishing isn’t easy, it takes persistence.

If you just want humpies use the white hot spot and a pink hoochie, 20 inch leader, strip of herring on the front hook, troll slow with the current 30 – 45 feet deep.  You will catch humpies, you’ll catch them on the king gear as well.  You will probably get sick of catching humpies.

Thanks again, thats about the most sound advice I have recieved to date.   Last year, reports stated this area was pretty hot in mid July.  Two years ago, went out at Sekiu with some friends and caught quite a few humpies, five of us onboard and we limited out in two hours.  Not to mention the ones we couldnt keep. 

[wildmanoutdoors]

If you get down riggers, which you should if you want to catch Kings, use streamlined weights.
Down rigger lines straighten as they get below the surface. Just because you have 30 or 45 degrees at the surface you wont once below water. Its a great method that is close as heck but the best way to tell exactly were they are at is making sure they read on your sonar! If you troll fast you may have to adjust your sonar. I troll slow with bait so I see mine easily with the optimum transducer placement.
Looks something like this.

[jeepster]

if ya wanna go cheap..... get a 6oz weight and troll a plug cut herring 120' behind a line counter

fish buzz bombs off the beaches. blue/white, green/white are killer for coho. solid pink... for pinks

learn what colors fade at what depth..... and then figure out what colors fade at depth at what time of day...
pretty simple once you figure it out. 

salmon bank off san juan island..... well.... that can be killer for pinks/coho, eagle bluff off of cypress, and of course west beach/bush point.

coho will eat anything that has grean, pearl, black, white, pink, and blue, in any color combo of said colors.

try....coho killers.... of said colors above.

for me, when it comes to pinks/coho, i fish west beach/deception pass/skagit bay almost exclusively.

chums, try purple hoochies/pugs in late fall.....


ive caught more salmon on buzz bombs and plug cut herring than any other lure on any other species combined

[BallisticsNut]

if ya wanna go cheap..... get a 6oz weight and troll a plug cut herring 120' behind a line counter

fish buzz bombs off the beaches. blue/white, green/white are killer for coho. solid pink... for pinks

learn what colors fade at what depth..... and then figure out what colors fade at depth at what time of day...
pretty simple once you figure it out. 

salmon bank off san juan island..... well.... that can be killer for pinks/coho, eagle bluff off of cypress, and of course west beach/bush point.

coho will eat anything that has grean, pearl, black, white, pink, and blue, in any color combo of said colors.

try....coho killers.... of said colors above.

for me, when it comes to pinks/coho, i fish west beach/deception pass/skagit bay almost exclusively.

chums, try purple hoochies/pugs in late fall.....


ive caught more salmon on buzz bombs and plug cut herring than any other lure on any other species combined

Thanks Jeepster!  I appreciate everyone's opinion on this.  Have some good long time friends coming in from out of town, with their wives.  Everyone is looking forward to some fresh salmon this year.  Dont want to disappoint anyone this year... beside would love to take some home.

[Rick]

Too bad its a Humpy year. The straits and sound are going to be flooded with those damn things. The run two year ago wasn't as large as this one is supposed to be,and even then it was all you could do not to hook one Humpy after another.

Didn't matter what depth,how fast,or how anti-Humpy your gear was,you still had to mess with them.

You won't have problems catching salmon this summer.

[BallisticsNut]

Thanks for all the advice.  Just purchased my Scotty 1085 Strongarm downrigger.  I still need to pick up the weights and such but its a start and getting ready for the season!

[huntnnw]

Ive been out in july a few times with a guide...we fished the northside of strawberry island...look for guide boats or a group of boats in a area to start

[jeepster]

i totally forgot the formula, but.......................... get an angle finder


run 12lbs downrigger balls.


if your downrigger cable is at a 40-50 degree angle-with a 12lbs ball- (45 is ideal, but obviously not possible to run 45deg all the time)... dont worry about "speed" as long as your downrigger cable is at a 40-50 deg angle.......

you are in   T H E   Z O N E.

seriously.... salmon fishing is so simple, it is shocking. here is the dummys guide to downrigger fishing

1) figure out what colors fade at what depth durring what time of day (this is the hardest part)

2) your downrigger cable angle tells you everything you need to know. 45deg is IDEAL if you use a 12lbs ball

3) depth finders are important for the single purpose of not snagging gear on the bottom, or running aground

4) cut plug herring, buzz bombs, and white point wilson darts are a go-to failsafe....no matter what. might not get a salmon, but with any of the above tied onto your line, you are guaranteed to get something.