Salmon tackle and chovie delivery offer

I've had a few requests for info on tackle for catching a salmon in the ocean, so here's what I've got:

(I'm still too lazy to post my pictures somewhere and then pull them in here with text between them...   )

The "DeepSix" or the "Double DeepSix" are diving planes that help to get the line down deeper - they're around $10-15.  I've decided based on the approximate 30 degree angle of the line as it enters the water from my rod tip that for every foot of line I have out I'm getting down about 1/3 of that, or 4".  My "pulls" of line off of my reel are around 2', so 30 pulls at 2' per pull means about 60' of line is out.  Figure that for the 30 degree angle and I should be about 20' under the surface.  I've caught fish at 13 pulls, and I've caught fish at over 70 pulls - intell on how deep the fish are that day is crucial.  The size of the DeepSix does make a difference, but not a huge one.  I'd get a small one, a large one, and a Double and see what you like.  The dodger, or flasher as I know them, is designed to make the terminal end bait do circles or dodge back and forth, simulating a wounded baitfish I think.  Luhr-Jensen and Seps are fine - around $6-14/each.  I like my flasher about 2' from my DeepSix.  The double hook slip rig is just that:  it has a fixed hook at the terminal end and a second hook that can slide along the line above it using a significant amount of tension.  These are $1-3/each and usually come barbed, so de-barb them with your pliers...  There's one brand that uses light yellowish thread for the non-fixed hook - I can't remember what it is, but these are crap - they fall apart after a couple of hours in the water.  Before tying the double hook slip rig onto your flasher you have the option of running a "hoochie" or lightweight squid over your chovie setup - just string one on so that it drapes over your chovie once it's trolling.  These are nice because you're still fishing even if you lose your chovie, and they also hide a less than perfect hook job on the chovie.  Sometimes I feel like not using them - I don't know why!  There's something pure about a straight chovie - you need bait that's in very good shape to do that...  Other than this, which is my favorite method and does require hanging over $20 worth of tackle out there, the banana weight with a slip rig works too, and there's always the "Watermelon Wonder" - the WMA / watermelon Apex lure, which also needs a way to get down and can be run with or without a flasher.  In salmon fishing there are many methods that work - like the Rotary Salmon Killer and other nose clip types.  Some guys even put a "Christmas Tree" out there which is a bunch of flashers, beads...etc. with a bait running behind it.  Kroc works too - PK had a takedown on one last year at the Cove.  Once you catch a fish you'll be partial to what you were using!  Be open to trying new methods and/or putting on what's catching them that day.

Hooking up the chovie to the double hook slip rig takes some time and practice to get good at, but it's not hard.  Make some slack by sliding the non-fixed hook away from the terminal end by around 9".  Hook the non-fixed hook up through the jaw of the chovie - as close to directly between the gill plates as possible - there's a little "neck" there that you can try to impale, but the hook usually ends up on one side or the other of it.  The point of the hook should come out the hard part of the chovie "skull" with only about 1/8" of the point visible.  Then hold the chovie in your hand with the belly toward you, wrap the terminal hook and extra line around its body being careful not to get under the gill plate, and cinch down the extra line until it's firm up against the body of the chovie.  A properly hooked chovie can run all day or until it gets touched by a fish.  Always use fresh or freshly thawed chovies (never re-frozen), and always check your bait after a tap, scratch, strike or other activity at the end of your line.

On bait delivery:  I will bring you a bag of anchovies from Eureka at $3.50 or so per bag - just let me know if you want some and I'll add you to the list. 

   See you at the Cove.   

Eric

Abking....please PM me your addreess so I can send you a spool of new leader material.   

Art, it may be ugly, but I make sure it's still functional!   

abking, I have hooked and lost one and landed a shaker, so not a lot of real-world catching,
and fantastic post as usual, learned what you mean by slip rig finally,  , but

I know how you love that science of fishing stuff, so that is what I got from reading on the pro-troll web site:

1. a dodger does not spin, goes back and forth. if it spins, you are going too fast.

2. a flasher spins.

they are supposed to give off signals underwater (vibrations) that make salmon think some other salmon is feeding or hitting bait. the salmon can locate each other to some extent by tail beats in the water. the movement of the attractor simulates the beating of a salmon tail, and that's why a salmon attractor is big and a trout attractor is smaller.

flashers and dodgers are generically called 'attractors'.

so in this case, the salmon comes to your attractor to find out what is up, who is eating whom. it sees/smells the bait behind the attractor, acting like a dead or dying bait that was whacked by some other salmon, and eats it.

hope you get some good ones this year! 

John

Was that you Eric I saw throwing a chovie net off of fields landing the other day, goin into business Huh

Great post Bro you know we'll all be following your lead.

Hey Ab great rig. Looks like a real killer. One question, can that 'chovie still spin? If it can't I'd advise trying to use a fillet instead. I just think that weight of the whole 'chovie would slow the action that the dodger is giving you. I'm a pretty firm believer that action is a big part of the salmon game. Obviously your rig works but might be something to try to see if you can up your hookup ratio.

Just my .02. 

Z

Great info, Abking! Thanks for posting this.
It s/b noted that this rig must be modified if you intend to mooch or drift (AKA not paddling). In the case of mooching, you need to use barbless circle hooks. And the hooks must be hard-tied or stationary (AKA no slip-rigs allowed).
So it would be a good idea to pack a hard-tied barbless circle hook rig if you think you might get tired of trolling/paddling. That way, you could just attach that rig and drop straight down.
We should also note that lures need to be barbless. I think most Apexes come w/barbless hooks already. But the Crocodile spoons (and lots of other popular spoons) come with barbed hooks. So you'd need to bend those down.
PK

(3) Other Hook Restrictions. When fishing with bait in the ocean between Horse Mountain
(40º05’00” N. lat.) and Point Conception, if angling by any other means than trolling, then no more than two (2) single point, single shank, barbless circle hooks shall be used. The distance between the two hooks must not exceed five inches when measured from the top of the eye of the top hook to the inner base of the curve of the lower hook, and both hooks must be permanently tied in place (hard tied). A circle hook is defined as a hook with a generally circular shape, and a point which turns inwards, pointing directly to the shank at a 90-degree angle. Trolling is defined as angling from a boat or floating device that is making way by means of a source of power, other than drifting by means of the prevailing water current or weather conditions. See Section 28.65(g).

Thanks for the replies, guys; it's all good stuff.   

It wasn't me, Hawk!   

I definitely hear you, Z, about modifying my approach, but it's too hard to abandon success.  The main factor is that this is how my Dad taught me to do it, so I'm committed to it.   Unless another method is hammering that day and I'm not!   

Thanks for the clarification on the dodgers/flashers/attractors, John.  Maybe this "article" isn't spot-on enough to get me a t-shirt or whatever...  but hey, Bill, how about a few stickers!   

Eric

I love it, excellent except that your trig is way off.  At 30 degrees line angle (excluding bend) you are closre to 6 inches drop for every foot so that you are actually down about 30 feet when you have 60 feet of line down.  The way a plane works it is likely that the line angle actually increases with depth so it may actually be even deeper. 

Sorry about the angle geek overlaod but it is my job. 

Thanks for the tips very helpful for us newbs. 

Etienne - I thought you Cal guys are low-key on the angles. 

Scott

OK, Eric, now that I noticed the picture you just posted...a minor threadjack here. I got rid of the "red eye" in the picture of you and your son with the salmon. Betcha never even noticed it.

Howard

Hojo- Red eyes are a Humboldt Thing, you can't get rid of it!

Nice job Eric. I really like seeing detailed pics of different rigs that others use.

Ditto, thanks for posting that.  Before I read this I stocked up on salmon gear and that's almost exactly what I ended up with...

Except the Deep 6's I bought have WAY less weight.  According to the package the 0 goes 100 feet and the 1 up to 120 feet, yet they both have considerably less weight than yours.  What model is that you use?

-Eric B

According to the package the 0 goes 100 feet and the 1 up to 120 feet, yet they both have considerably less weight than yours. 
-Eric B

You know I've used these for a long time now and I think since we're on yaks those depth numbers on the package don't really reflect what we can get unless you can keep your speed up around 3-4 mph.  The best estimate I have for the deepest I've gone w/ a D6 is about 60-65 feet. Still more than enough though.

Z