Free: Contests & Raffles.
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.
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.
Forget the bear spray, use wasp killer. Concentrated delivery stream, 10X the product, and only $3.00 on sale.
if ya wanna go cheap..... get a 6oz weight and troll a plug cut herring 120' behind a line counterfish buzz bombs off the beaches. blue/white, green/white are killer for coho. solid pink... for pinkslearn 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
i totally forgot the formula, but.......................... get an angle finderrun 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 fishing1) 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 ball3) depth finders are important for the single purpose of not snagging gear on the bottom, or running aground4) 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.
I was planning on a 6lb and 10 lb, Ill get the 10lb and 12lb weight. CP above posted the formula in a prior post. I intend on using cut plug herring as well as the buzz bombs and hoochies. From what I gather, I need to be on the water very early for my best chances.
im willing to help out and share all the basic salmon fishing knowledge you will need............sorry..... but...... i cant give up my secrets. this is all the reel info you will get out of me. you will probably see me out there this summer, i drive the "Bad Fish"
Not sure why you say your Bayliner 21' cuddy is "not really a fishing boat" but I have boated a heck of a lot of fish on mine. I just don't use it much anymore, except for Westport, because it sucks down the gas....
These will give you some basic guidance. The biggest issue with doing something like this though is really if you have not put time in you really cannot expect to catch much. I have fished this area for many many years and every year something new is learned. Since you have till mid August I would suggest that you start fishing the area in July and keep at it until the family shows up.. visitwww.saltpatrol.comSalmon mapswww.salmonuniversity.comMaps and reports. and sign up for the Holiday sports news letter they usually have some reports in their writeups.
Please don't string 120' of line out behind your boat when in the masses of other boats fishing, it's just rude.
Robo,Wasn't talking about the moochers. Moochers you can avoid because they are just sitting there. Referring more to trollers pulling banana weights way behind their boats then cutting a person off or zig-zagging through everyone else. Had a guy come through the mix below the Deception Pass bridge and wrapped around three other boats that had downriggers.
