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.

[BallisticsNut]

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.

Thanks again for the tip, 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.  I have a decent GPS with depth contours as well as a decent depth/fish finder.  Getting real excited about going.  I was telling the wife last night I may just have to do some Salmon fishing prior to my scheduled run in August. 

[jeepster]

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. 

 6lbs balls are USELESS.... the tides we have here.... well.... yeah... melt your 2 six pounders down into a 12 pounder. 10 pounders work when the tide isnt running too hard.... 

i use 12 balls at a minimum. 15 pounders are my favorite.... and i run manual downriggers. they fish so much better..... but the 12pounders are cheaper to replace if you snag one......

hoochies are great, just figure out what colors fade at what depth.............. the last year or so the bait fish have been so small, ive caught alot of fish on a mini hoochie with a single hook vs a full 6incher with a double hook rig.... if they dont hit big hoochies, switch to needlefish or minis.... same colors....

herring.........well thats the failsafe. if they dont hit herring..... they are either humpys.... or the "fish" you see on the radar are jellys.

[jeepster]

oh yeah i catch 85% if my fish in the first 40% of daylight...... the problem with fishing the san juans in the summer.... is the fog. hell..... on my 19 footer, i run dual vhf radios, a cb, a 26 mile radar, and a gps sonar.... you can go ape$#!^ with outfitting your boat.....

a failsafe humpy rig is getting one of those white flasher/pink hooche combos and running a 6
/oz weight 120' behind the boat or just drifting 50 feet off of west beach casting towards shore with a pink buzz bomb... put on a white/pink or a white/green one for silvers. salmon bank/cattle point off of san juan island or eagle bluff on the back side of cypress are good too.   if no fish are hitting.... rig smaller gear. start big, go small.



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"

[BallisticsNut]

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"

Well, this has been more then I would have expected!! Thanks for all the advice.  Seeing that your from the Anacortes area, I will take your advice to heart.  I have a 21' bayliner cuddy, not really a fishing boat but it does pretty well.  I have yet to post a tag name but I will be out and look for you when I am. 

[Skyvalhunter]

Good I will be looking for "Bad Fish" myself

[lokidog]

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.... 

We caught lots of fish, mostly pinks but some legal coho as well two years ago off Eagle Pt. on San Juan.  Please don't string 120' of line out behind your boat when in the masses of other boats fishing, it's just rude.  Glad to hear you got the downriggers.  Dive planes work well also.  Before I got my elec downriggers hooked up on my Alumaweld, I just used 1/8" nylon rope to my downrigger balls and dropped and pulled by hand.  Worked decently for the pinks and one nice coho.

Good luck out there this summer.   

[LndShrk]

On the Scotty 1085 I would not run more than 12lbs on your DR ball.
In August you can find yourself fishing deep for Kings up there.  the manual retrieve is less than fun with 12lbs of lead.

For the San Juans in August there are many of many opportunities.
Simplest Target will be the Pinks on the odd years.
Depending on the run next would be Coho
Third on the list I would say would be the Local returning Kings.. i.e. Sammish/Skagit Kings.
and Fourth are the Frasier river Tyee...    These are the 40-50lb kings..

For advice as to where and how choose your target as they all vary on method and location.
As well location will vary day to day as the fish are constantly moving up there.


Humpies.. Hammered Dodger with red hooks and small pink hootchie @ 1.0 - 1.5 MPH SOG with a 10 or 12 lb DR ball 60 feet of cable out. 

Coho.. One cannot go wrong with Coho killers behind red, green, or even Purple flashers.. Find Tide lines and run 2.5 - 3.5 MPH SOG with 60 to 80 feet of cable out.

Local Kings Green flashers with Hootchies always a safe bet. 2.5 to 3.0 MPH SOG Good starting point. Depth  depends on tide and time of day.. Find the bait..


Tyee... Not telling but my best is 46lbs to date.     (It's really not a secret )


Don't be afraid to mooch bait balls and throw Darts at bait balls.. Any color dart is good as long as it is white.. 

 as for the where part..

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..
visit
www.saltpatrol.com
Salmon maps
www.salmonuniversity.com
Maps and reports.
and sign up for the Holiday sports news letter they usually have some reports in their writeups.

[BallisticsNut]

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.... 

Been out of town this past week, so slow to respond..... 
The boat has carpet still and this makes fishing a bit messy plus it doesnt have a trolling motor.  Dont get me wrong, it works well out there just not the setup I would have for avid Salmon fishing. 

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..
visit
www.saltpatrol.com
Salmon maps
www.salmonuniversity.com
Maps and reports.
and sign up for the Holiday sports news letter they usually have some reports in their writeups.

Thanks!! Ill take a good long look.  It is my intention to get out there a couple times in July.

[robodad]

Please don't string 120' of line out behind your boat when in the masses of other boats fishing, it's just rude.

Be carefull which group you alienate while fishing, those mooching have just as much right to fish as the ball draggers and a little story,

My father in law told me a story about him and his dad fishing (motor mooching) one season and would always be harassed by another (Ball dragging) charter boat, every day they would hang up in their gear because the charter just swerved all around through all the other boats and his dad finally got fed up with it so one day he brought an old engine block and tied about 50' of line to it and when that charter boat ran right through their gear he tied the line to the cleat and sent the engine block over the side then ran a couple circles around the charter boat then cut the rope off the cleat. Never had another problem with a ball dragger !!

[lokidog]

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.

[LndShrk]

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.

Yes..
Longliners....   

[BallisticsNut]

Ok, the major planning sessions have started.  We are just about two and half weeks out from our trip.  It seems were I was planning on fishing does not seem to be much of an area.  This may explain our lack of luck last year.   I have checked out the maps and fishing reports so I am rethinking my strategies.  Salmon Bank will be closed when i get down there but west of Salmon bank remains open.  Anyone have some suggestions for this area? 

[lokidog]

Trolling off Eagle point, San Juan Is. yesterday, we landed eight, lost a dozen.  You don't need a trolling motor for that Trophy if your main engine will idle down.  I troll with my 150 hp 2-stroke yamaha in my trophy and it is plenty slow, plus a lot more comfortable than sitting on the transom.

I have caught pinks two years ago using twine and a downrigger ball when my riggers didn't work.  Dive planes work well for the pinks as well.  60' feet of line out yesterday on the plane.  Often you need to use a smaller dodger with a plane or it will drag and trip the plane.

If you are trolling slowly, your downrigger cable will be much straighter down than 45 degrees from my experience.

Good luck.

[BallisticsNut]

I had read that fishing in that area was pretty good and found some maps mainly near Salmon Bank.  Thanks for the headsup Lokidog  My good friends are coming in from out of town/out of state and just want to make sure at least we have a chance landing a few.  I dont have a trolling motor but my idle speed is not bad as long as I am not heading with the current.  I did manage to get my downrigger installed and purchased a 10lb weight for starters.  This will be my third season Salmon fishing first season on my own boat.  Thanks for all the feedback and input. 

[lokidog]

A ten pound pancake weight with fin will cut throught the water a lot better than a ten pound ball, plus you can bend the fin a little to get it to plane out away from the boat a bit.

Another thing you can do to slow your troll is to pull a bucket or drift sock.  They can sometimes get in the way of fighting a fish though.  I have one of those drop down trolling plates if you are interested but I found that my trophy is hard enough to steer at slow speed let alone blocking the prop wash.

Later in the season the coho wil start to move past Eagle Point and toward Deception Pass as well.

Good luck.

[BallisticsNut]

Update:  Just got back from our annual trip.  The downrigger and related setup worked well.  Thanks for all the advice.  We were succesful with humpies but no others.  We hooked at least two kings (fairly certain) but could not land them.   Most of what we caught were on Pink Hoochies with a white flasher.  Seemed to be the best combination.  We tried other setups including spoons, green flashers and depths but the hoochies got the most hits.  Most were caught in around 30' of water.  Right off Eagle Point we found many bait balls being chased by schools of larger fish at around 100'.  We assumed these were kings, we managed to hook two that put up a hell of a fight but lost both near the surface. 

Thanks again for all the help and advice setting up my boat and related tips.  My friends doubted our ability to catch salman this year and we limited out in about three hours.