Down riggers ain't just for trout

[fishnazzi]

This is how we fish Powell in Late spring and summer..............

I think that I need to give a small amount of my back ground. I started working on commercial sport fishing boats in San Diego at age 8. I got my Masters lis. at age 19. My first commercial boat I owned at age 17. I have fished around the world both running sport and commercial fishing vessels. I have been able to move styles from one fisherie to another in many places. I moved to Big Water in Dec. 2010. I bought my house a year before to be at in the off season. Fishing is a very tough go these days. I am now a pilot at Antelope Marina. I get to be in the harbor every day(either working or playing....fishing). I am saddened by so many coming down on their vacation to catch fish and having a tough day. I see many with DR's and not prepared to fish them. I hope this will help. I remember my dad wanting to catch fish for his family on trips......I hope this will help.


I would like to start this with a simple statement. Down riggers do catch fish very effectively. It does take more then just dragging gear around. To effectively fish this gear a guy has got to have a decent meter and be able to read it. If you still fish yours with the fish symbol on........I suggest a trip to lowrance.com they have some good info that can be applied to almost any good meter.


OK lets get started with a few terms. This will allow everyone to understand the info provided.

DR: Down rigger

Wire: This is the line that is on the DR itself. It is often wire, it can be braided line. NOTE: Cannon DR's are not braid compatible unless they are the newest models with a one piece spool. I believe the best wire to use is Mason wire it lasts forever(almost in fresh water)

Blow back: This is he backward angle in your wire from the DR when trolling. If it is more then 45 degrees you are "not fishing" the gear fishes best at about 10-45 degrees.

Line release: Also called simply release. This is what holds your line to take it down. When a fish bites the line releases allowing you to fight fish with encumbering weights and such.

Drop back: This is distance from lure to line release.

Flasher: This is a flat plastic board that is bent at each end to cause it to swim and attract fish. It also can do one of two things........add to a lure's action or completely ruin it.

Weight: This is the lead weight that is attached to DR wire to take gear down. For fishing stripers you will need to fish weight in excess of 10 pounds(yes I meant pounds)

Lure: anything artificial attached to fishing rods line that is man made.

Bait: Anything attached to your line that is natural. Anchovies, sardines, shad are our best examples.


Lets get started. The 2 choices of DR's are either manuel or electric. I fish a manuel because it what I have. I am considering a pair of electrics for my 24' center console.....we'll see. If this continues to produce larger fish.......coming soon. What ever kind of DR you purchase or have, it really needs to be able to fish a 10lb plus weight. If a lighter weight is used the blow back at trolling speed is to much. The web site below has a great chart to understand blow back. It does not show depth after 45 degrees because it becomes a wild card.

http://www.lakemichiganangler.com/tips/d..._depth.htm





Now lets get to the gear below is a pic of my down rigger notice the heavy construction of the pole. Also take note of the length, short seems nice for storage but can make maneuvering very limited. The shorter the pole the quicker the wire can get wound into the prop. Also I have 300' of wire on mine. Not that I intend to fish that deep(yet...maybe) but so that I have extra wire incase of a fray or kink in cable.





Attaching the cable to a heavy snap swivel is critical. There are a couple different way. They sell kits that use crimps. They also sell kits that use a wedge which requires no crimping. I prefer this style as if a kink is found, cutting and replacing end takes only a moment. I use the kit made by Silver Horde.



I am also a firm believer in rubber snubbers to attach the weight to the cable......They will save your balls(pun intended) They do 2 things they act as a shock absorber and help "spring" the balls out. When you get hung the DR does have a drag. The cable will go out. Stop and back up over same course traveled forward wind up cable the snubber will help spring ball free. I have hung my balls 10 or 12 times still haven't lost one. I have about 20 waiting for their turn.......I hope to keep them on the bench.



Now releases come in a million styles. They can be very spendie or not . I use Scotty brand releases as they work great and are inexpensive. You can also replace the rubber tips which is nice. If you use scent on your lures and get any on your hands and then transfer to release surface you will have a release that no longer will hold. Either the tip or the entire release will need to be replaced. So be careful. The release it attached to the cable with a small long line clip. The length between clip and release should a length you can have DR weight in the water and still be able to easily handle release in the boat. Rule of thumb: At least 6" longer then the length of DR pole.




Location of Dr's on the boat is pretty simple. They need to be mount as close to the corner as possible. The farther forward they are mounted the more chance there is for cable to become tangled in prop when maneuvering.


The amount of stuff that can be fished on a DR is like most areas of fishing it is only limited by you. Almost any lure is moved can be fished on a DR. There are of course "go-to" styles of lures and baits. I will try to cover them.

Flashers. Can be used in front of spoons and hoochies to attract fish and add some action to the bait. We will cover this more in depth.......





Hoochies. These are often called squids. They are not made to imitate a squid but a bait fish. They fish very well behind a flasher. They come in a million colors and sizes.



Spoons. These are one of the most effective and easy lure to fish. They come in many sizes and colors. They are made to imitate a bait fish.



Crank baits. Almost any of your favorite crank baits can be used. Just remember that it should be checked before each drop to ensure it is running straight. If it is not the lure will need to be tuned.

Swim baits. Most any swim bait can be used. These are a popular bait. Most are made of soft plastic. Again when rigging these make sure the hooks are centered and baits are straight, otherwise they will not swim true.

---

Plugs. These were made for the DR. They fish very well at the speed we need for stripers. They do not need to be tuned. I am a believer in them. Notice the nice large treble hooks with a second trap hook.








OK so we now know what terminal gear we might try. Lets get it in the water.

Rods are commonly in the 10' range for DR fishing. A parabolic type(they bend evenly from tip to butt) is the norm. Many of these rods are available for a reasonable price. Most all these rods are bait caster type rods. I believe that a bait caster is really the best reel for this type of fishing.

Line is a bit of a tricky area. I suggest 15-25 lb line on your reel. Most all of the lures and presentations will require a leader. Leader line will differ for different baits.

I suggest that a large pig tail type swivel be tied to your main line. Leader material I am fishing is 20lb mono with a large barrel swivel. Photo below shows barrel swivel and pig tail type swivel.



This will allow you to easily change lures and presentations.

Flasher-hoochie rig is pretty easy. I suggest breakaway type flashers. When a fish bites it pulls the pin disabling the flasher it allows you to fight the fish.........not the flasher.
Attach flasher to main line swivel. Then attach hoochie. The most common hook for this is a 2/0 octopus hook. I like to you some beads to aline the hook with the end of hoochie. The leader length is very important in this rig. Depending on the type of flasher you are using and the speed you are trolling. Some where between 24-30". Put your rig over the side at trolling speed. Watch it the hoochies should have some action from flasher. If it is swinging all over (to much action) leader is to short. If it just follows with no action twitch or kick.......to long. The mood of the fish can make all this a non-point, but again a good starting point. I suggest 25-30lb leader for your hoochies. It is stiffer and helps in the action of the lure.

The plugs, cranks, and swim baits are easy a 6' leader no flasher.

Spoons can be fished either with or without a flasher. Again a 6' leader seems to be the ticket.

Flashers are made in many colors and a couple different styles. I prefer the break away flashers. They offer a couple of advantages. The first is when a fish bites it pulls a pin that makes the flasher "flop" free. You are now fighting just the fish not the flasher. The second is when a fish makes a run in any direction standard flashers drag in the water they allow a fish to work and or tear a hook out.

Below are pictures of the break away flasher. They have a leader that is attached to your pig tail.



to the snap on end you attach your leader. When a fish bites it pulls the pin free allowing the flasher to be disabled.



These are pic's of fish on flashers that break away.




These flashers are available in both 8 and 11" models. I recommend the mylar type flasher they have been very effective in anything over 60'.The mylar on these break aways has been proven to me to make a difference on the last 2 trips. It has out fished the non-mylar flashers about 3 to 1. I feel they have helped us make a difference at the 80-100' level we have been fishing.

Dodgers are another type of attractor. These are usually used with bait. I believe at some point there will be a thread about how to motor mooch. Simply put. a dodger with a 2 hook mooching rig and a frozen anchovy. Speed is slower......1/2 - 1 mph.

---

Ok so what are we fishing today. 11" break away flasher in the blue ice and fire tiger colors with a spoon.









Also fishing silver horde plugs in the 3 and 4" lengths. I am fish 12 lb balls. I am really considering getting some 15 lbers.

Mainly fishing in the main channel down current biting better then up current. Fish the depth you meter fish. Has been from 65-100'. The fish are scattered and in small groups. Don't be afraid to change speeds and depths. Gear should fish about 5' above depth of fish. They see up much better then down.

I hope this can get you started......if you have questions........ASK I will do my best to answer them.

If you need any of the gear shown above........

Flashers are available from www.qcove.com

all the other stuff from John's sporting goods. http://Shop.JohnsSportingGoods.com/

---

Without pictures.......these kinds of things just don't work. I'm not a computer guy but.......I am fishermen and wanna say "screw the limits"..........12 pic limit makes these things very difficult........just say'in.........

[Oatums]

Great read, thanks for sharing.

[Mikey]

Very similar to Salmon rigs. I have hear of this for striper. Great read thanks

[choodak]

yea i was up in canada last july fishing kings and silver's, and all we did was troll, and used the same exact techniques, even the same hoochies and spoons. That big black and white spoon on the right was my ticket. Nicknamed, "Cop Car"

[fishnazzi]

Cop car is a go to spoon color.........turns out that they make a break away flasher with UV in cop car also........great combo

Whats not in the 101 was swim bait of course without flashers. Turns out here the big hammer 5" anchovy color are very good........

[Mikey]

always cool to see how some rigs and colors show up in different areas and works