Spot lock in the salt?

[CP]

Anyone fish this way?  I'm thinking just lock into a spot and jig or cast spoons.  Should work great for pinks and for coho if you can find the right spot.

[O. Nerka]

Man I was wishing for this fishing jigs last weekend for kings.  I had the spot figured but the wind or tides made it a bit of a fight.

[Stein]

It would be interesting to know if bait and coho stay in the same spot or move with the current.  My bet is the latter as I have tried unsuccessfully to find the school by going back to the same spot but have had some success following it down current.

For chinook, it may more of a thing as structure is involved and they may be ducking out of the current and holding more than coho wandering around in 500' of water.

I'm trying to avoid going down the sidescan hole, I have talked with a few guys that have success seeing schools to the right or left and being able to drive over them.

All that said, if the forecast is correct it won't matter much.

[CP]

Well, I fell down the spot-lock hole, the Bow mount motor thread turned out to be pretty expensive.

I used the autopilot feature on my one and only outing for kings and I did use spot lock for picking up the crab pots.  It’s like having another deck hand onboard, pretty awesome.

Just trying to figure out how to put it to good use.

[ASHQUACK]

I use mine all the time. That noted I am fishing a spot/spots that I know fish ball up and actively feed.  I've fished these spots for years and years. I'll jig pinks and Chinook using the spot lock. Especially since I can move pretty silently back over the fish if they move.

[Feathernfurr]

I’ve always thought it would super nice to use to set duck decoys when hunting solo from the boat.

[Stein]

A bit late for this year, but the one fishery I have really wanted one for is lingcod.  I think slow trolling around until you spot one under your boat and then locking and dropping would be pretty lethal.  I'm sure it's pretty killer at working over structure as well.

[Happy Gilmore]

Yes, set your spot lock right on the trolling lanes where hundreds of people are working together and catching fish trolling. Its awesome!

[hunthard]

Actually I'd rather have someone sitting static then have them cut in front of me, especially if they are long lining.

[CP]

Yes, set your spot lock right on the trolling lanes where hundreds of people are working together and catching fish trolling. Its awesome!

Thanks for the tip, I'll do that.   

[nwwanderer]

Molokai is so special, have 'fun' guys

[CP]

Before I give the trolling lanes a try, I thought I'd fish this spot, and others like it.  It holds a lot of fish, but the currents are wicked, it's very weedy and has a series of underwater pinnacles.  Lots of herring here and Coho migrate up this shoreline feeding as they go.  It also holds a lot of Blackmouth. 


Just a thought.  Get out of crowds, cast a few lures, listen to the birds, the water and the pinnipeds instead of the drone of a kicker.

[snit]

I used mine last year on schools of rockfish after we finished up on halibut and deep-water lings. Fishing along known holding areas closer to the beach, we'd slip along until we found larger schools of blacks, I'd then set the "anchor" on the MK, and we'd beat them up until they dispersed. Then I'd "pull anchor", and we'd go back on the hunt for another school. Maybe we'd travel up to a quarter mile until we found another thick concentration on the screen, and reset again. It was a game changer!

[GWP]

Every time I go out.
I also have Panoptix, but if I had to choose one item it would be the Bow Mount with Spot Lock. I go solo 99% of the time and it makes it much easier to fish by myself.
I will say when it 'Goes Silent' you pick up on it right away. I carry two batteries so I can switch out but usually charge (Lithium) every night on the one I was using but have gone 2 days before charging if it was not working particularly hard.
In high wind and large tide changes I have had it running hard (8-10) to stay put or working slowly fore or back trolling with the current. Mine is an 80lb thrust on a 19' boat, which is overpowered on a lake, but I would not want less on the salt.

[CP]

It would be interesting to know if bait and coho stay in the same spot or move with the current.  My bet is the latter as I have tried unsuccessfully to find the school by going back to the same spot but have had some success following it down current.

This might be a use case for "Drift mode".  I haven't figured that one out yet.