What does your salmon setup look like

Ok guys I am getting pumped for Salmon season. Being my first season I am a little unclear on what gear to get. What do you guys use?

power bait  

http://www.californiagameandfish.com/ca_aa050702a/

Mooching is done with a 2 to 3 foot leader as light a weight as possible to control the line at the desired depth. Usually weights are under one pound. The leader is threaded through the bait, anchovy, sardine, or herring with the hook being set in the head of the bait. A half hitch is tied around the tail of the bait. Best results come from slowly working the bait through the depth range of the salmon. The bait is most often taken during a slow retrieve.

I used a slider with a 3 ounce ball sinker attached to it. I use #15 leader (many use heavier - but I prefer the challenge of using light leader) My main line is also 15 #.

Bill,

I use a St. Croix 10' 6" (2-piece like to tie it to the side of my Yak when coming in at Linda Mar) med. power SC Graphite 8 to 20 lb test 1/4 to 3/4 oz. and a Daiwa line counter 27.

I like this set up because you need to get around your Yak when the salmon is zig zag ing and also the extra lenght helps keep pressure on the fish.  You can not turn around in a Yak or look backwards.  The extra lenght helps me play out the fish.

I used 12 to 15 lb. test.  lean more towards the 15 lb. test.  Slide O's with round balls or banana weights or egg sinkers.  The problem with slide O and the round balls that can get caught in your net.  Bananas and eggs don't get caught.

Line counter helps when you are in deep water like Moss Landing and don't want to count 100 to 150 pulls.

Get a big net also.
Ken kickfish

Get a big net also.

....ya...Ken almost caught a low flying aircraft because his net was so big  

Hey Joel,

I remember a time when someone (Me) had the limit of salmon and someone (Joel) pleaded with the other (Me) to stay out there (Linda Mar).  So, I  could hold your hand until you got your limit.

Also, Bill ...Do not cut the handle...you will need the extra reach....

Ken Kickfish

Opinions vary on the ball vs bannana issue.  I've heard some say that the shape of the bannana weight will give your bait a different wobbling action.  I've never used a ball for mooching so I can't really comment on it.  You know how it is when it comes to fishing though, sometimes one works better than the other and vice versa.  Sliders are definitely the way to go, makes for less fuss when + or - weight and you can take em off when paddling to different spots.

Art,

The main thing is to use as little weight as you can get by with.  At Linda Mar you must feed the salmon some line.  Let it run.

Also, a sea anchor will help when the wind it stronger then the drift.

Also, you want your line as vertical as you can get it..with as little weight as you can use to get this.

Ken kickfish

Sliders are definitely the way to go, makes for less fuss when + or - weight and you can take em off when paddling to different spots.

good point Art.....I also like the slider so you can fly-line your set-up without completely changing your entire rig. Simply take the weight out and your ready to fly-line. I will be trying this method at Linda Mar (if and when the Salmon show up) Most of the salmon we caught were within 10 to 15 feet below the yak in 40 to 50 ft of water =  a very shallow bite.

I've never caught a salmon on a fly-line....must be nice fighting one without the additional weight of a sinker   It's almost like hand to hand combat  

So does everyone pretty much mooch? What about trolling setups?

I only troll when the conditions are good - (most likely very early in the morning)

I use a pink lady diver with flashers and a rainbow colored apex.
http://www.luhrjensen.com/prod_lure_select.cfm?Stock=5550&CategoryID=12&ProductNo=5550-000-0091

http://www.luhrjensen.com/prod_detail.cfm?ProductNo=3700-000-0150&CategoryID=20&SizeID=0

http://www.boatersworld.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=758414&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10051

I had 3 break-offs   in Linda Mar last year - so I will be beefing up my line to 20 # when trolling this time around. And since you will have a lot of line behind you (when trolling)- I suggest paddling a few more strokes once a salmon hits your lure to get a proper hookset. IF you pick up your rod too soon and try setting the hook yourself - you'll likely loose the fish ( I learned the hard way and lost fish this way)

I still prefer mooching - like my teacher (Stuart)       once said...."mooching is like playing cat and mouse"....  

Bill,

That is early season (trolling works).  You need to cover a lot of water.

Also, there are times the Salmon want the bait moving (krill bite or fish are scatter).  Yo Yo ing or slow trolling a mooching rig will work.

Basically, you need to try something else.  If your method is not working.

Ken

The conditions will dictate which method you're gonna use.  Early in the season or when the fish are scattered trolling will allow you to effectively cover more water.  When the bait schools get thick the salmon usually hang out underneath or on the edges picking off straglers or injured baitfish thats when mooching comes into play.  Now all we need is an official write up from Joel or Chuck on Trooching.  

Joel, I've never flylined but have successfully used pegged 1/4 oz egg sinkers and split shots on bass gear.  Its all fish and a hell of an  adrenalin rush.   I've seen party boats mooch live anchovies so given the shallow bit in Linda Mar I wouldn't rule that out either.

write up from Joel or Chuck on Trooching.

sorry, classified info  


just leave the butt of your rod under your right thigh and the first guide (or second) of your rod should be resting on your left knee or upper shin......and paddle very slow in and out of the baitballs.....very simple but very effective...

yeah - I can't wait to try out the  fly line method - maybe even use 12 # mono instead of 15  

It's just so exciting to see your FF turn black from all the baitfish...then the "tap-tap" comes along and FISH ON    BABY! I LOVE SALMON FISHING  

got this from coastside:

http://coastsidefishingclub.com/drupal/?q=node/view/55

IF conditions are good I like to uses the lightest weight possible, I like a three oz banana weight for trolling (if there is wind you need more weight) because I believe the shape allows it to sink better. The weight clips right to a swivel, from there things can vary. If I am using plug  cut I might use 8 feet of leader to get the bait to spin properly, but I also like Rotary Killers and they seem to work fine with 3 or 4 feet of leader.

On the other hand early in the season a flasher is nearly mandatory and this gets three or four feet of leader from the swivel and eighteen inches to the lure, bait or whatever you are using. It's also a good idea to have a inline swivel between the flasher and the  bait.  The main problem with flashers is they can be a drag, literally and cause your kayak to turn toward the side you have your line out. I've always meant to rig a pole holder that is straight up right in front of me that I can put my arms around to paddle..

Behind the flasher I have used, hoochi's, rotary killers, lures and a simple two hook mooching rig without a squid skirt. They all have caught fish. If the bait is concentrated or the fishing has been good I prefer not to use a flasher  because it adds drag when you play the fish. It also good to use the weight releasing system with canon ball style weights, so you have a free line with the fish on it.

I have also had my best luck with salmon leaving my drag off with just the clicker on for drag (occasionally you have to use some drag) and wait for the fish to take the bait. Then I tighten the drag as little as possible and just reel the fish when he lets me. I feel this keeps the fish from tearing the hook out of his mouth.  Generally it takes around 20 minutes to get a 20lb  fish in the net this way.

Trolling, I pull my bait along and then drop my speed to almost nothing and let the bait drop, then raise it back up (mooching/trolling I call it trooching) by paddling more. Most big fish are caught on the drop when you are fishing the bottom (this is in 100 feet of water or usually less).  I always use  herring or anchovie when I do this,  but who knows a lure could work.

My theory is chinook salmon and larger salmon are at the bottom, usually, looking for wounded bait fish or a bait fish moving erratically and they are inclined to want to chase it. That's why when I rig my bait I try to get it to do a jerky spin instead of smooth, but this is hard to do with the regs saying you have to have solid tied hooks 5 inches apart on  your mooching rig.

The most important tip is: GPS the spot you catch the fish or get a salmon bite. It's nearly a guarentee there are more fish there. In a group of boats trolling you will very often see two or more boats hook up in the same spot at the same time. Last year my buddy and I got our limits the first day out in two hours doing this. It would have  been sooner but we were in a stinkpot and he took that long to go back over the spot. Two fish the first pass, one fish for us and one fish for another boat the second pass and one more fish the third pass. I was kind of funny because the commercial guys were out 100 yrds trolling back and forth and the sport guys were in a group a quarter mile the other direction. Hardly anyone was on that spot. I guess the ones that were caught their  fish and left.