TOPIC:

After reading all the reports (thanks for those!), I ran out with my dad and great uncle this morning.

We started a little later than I would have liked, but we dropped lines a stones throw east of the gong at 7:45 and traveled northeast from there to the IL state line. We continued to travel back and forth between there focusing on waypoints where we caught the fish.

I haven't fished "off shore" in over 25 years, but we ended up going 4 for 5. The fish came on the following:

1 for 2: Mixed veggie spoon 25' down

1 for 1: 00 red dodger and green/black fly 40' down

1 for 1: red and black Yakima Mag Lip 3.5 150' out on a flat line

1 for 1: 5/8 keel weight with a red and black thin fish 100' off a yellow bird.

As you can tell, we normally quit fishing after the spring run. Any advice to improve our numbers would be greatly appreciated. I tried 2 Dipsy divers with dodger and fly with no luck. I want to try some leadcore, but I am not sure what to use or how.

There are a ton of variables but speed and speed control are a big one. I think we were running about 3.5 mph last time I was out two weeks ago and did decent. If you are not getting hits speed up or slow down and see what happens. Also on my spoons I either run a protroll with the fish attractor or some other attractor. My larger flies I will run a dodger or a spin doctor. If you don't have a marine radio that would be a good investment and keep it on 68, in this area there is generally a lot of info being given out. If something isnt working change it out. And as always location location location; just have to find the schools. That is my tidbit of info from a relatively new guy to Salmon fishing. Capt Ralph does a spring Salmon Seminar each year - I suggest that highly . Not only does he give out a ton of great info there are also some great giveaways.

You didn't do bad for lack of equipment. Sounds like the fishing today slowed down to what it was last weekend. When you get offshore I try to get a least 3 people so I can run a 9 rod spread. It's tough to keep action going on 6, but last week it could have been done. Lead and copper rigs are becoming more important then riggers and dipsy's. I have 5,6,7 color leads which have been doing good last week, but with the temps going up would switch to copper since the fish will be going down in the water column. 150,200,250,300,350,400 coppers will come in play. I run spoons and limit d/f and flashers do to them getting into other lines. As you can see rod and reel combo's add up quick, so does money, if limited I would try to get a couple of lead and coppers say 5,7 lead which can be ran in less than 40ft of water and 200, 300ft coppers which can be used for 80ft plus depth. Then the other side is the spoons, d/f used which can make or brake you. I always try to buy 2 of the same spoons or flashers which is hard to do if they are hot. Nothing like being on the lake and only having one spoon that is catching fish. I try on my reports to list spoons that are working which have not changed since last time out. Dolphins regular, ss, and mags in carmal, green, blue always catch fish but after that it's day to day. Hopefully others will chime in with there thoughts. Mike

Thanks guys!

I do have a marine radio, but I think the chatter was limited today because of the tournament.

I think my speed was a little slow. I had a hard time keeping the speed steady, but I was only around 2.5 to 2.7. With the warmer water, I should have picked up my speed.

Thanks again and I will keep trying to improve.

What Ed and Mike said is very good info. This past week sliders were working real good for us. SS's in monkey puke, nbk and orange crush took lots of fish.

from someone who has only been at it for going on my 3rd year, and I think for my experience I am doing really well, the best advice I can give is put time in reading everyone's reports (and go back and read some posts from last year also). If you have questions just ask. Read some of my stuff from two years ago and you will see I was asking all kinds of questions.
I am not sure what size boat you have but I am running a 17.5 foot so if I get over 6 lines things get pretty crowded and hard not to have line crossing issues but if you can get away with more lines that will help like they said. I do not run lead often but that is because I don't have much confidence in it and really have not had a lot of luck with it but I am an exception.
I have thrown a lot of money getting up to where I am at so I am slowing down now. copper and more lead will be down the road for me. There are so many options and opinions so just get what is in your price range and you want to fish then get out there.

Surprised you had no luck on the Dipsey Divers. These are steady producers for me all season long. Couple questions. What line are you using? About 99% of the time if I'm offshore, I'm either using 30 pound braid or 30 pound stranded wire line. Wire takes some special rods (and expense) but you can use the same diver rods/reels with braid as with mono. Last few trips I've been running one diver at 75, the other side 90 feet of line. No ring, set on #3.

BNature wrote:

Surprised you had no luck on the Dipsey Divers. These are steady producers for me all season long. Couple questions. What line are you using? About 99% of the time if I'm offshore, I'm either using 30 pound braid or 30 pound stranded wire line. Wire takes some special rods (and expense) but you can use the same diver rods/reels with braid as with mono. Last few trips I've been running one diver at 75, the other side 90 feet of line. No ring, set on #3.

The first year I was running Mono on my Dipsy's and had horrible luck with either them not tripping or just losing fishing on them. I switched to braid (and picked up a used wire rig) and my dipsy program is 1000% better. The change from Mono made all the difference in the world. I have only been out 3 or 4 times with the wire rod and it has produced every time. Dipsy's are by far my best rig once they start going deeper.

dtLund13 wrote:

Thanks guys!

I do have a marine radio, but I think the chatter was limited today because of the tournament.

I think my speed was a little slow. I had a hard time keeping the speed steady, but I was only around 2.5 to 2.7. With the warmer water, I should have picked up my speed.

Thanks again and I will keep trying to improve.

Speed is a very important thing and changes with the primary setup you run as different baits have different speed tolorences. Most baits overlap at some point in there performance curves but knowing what you are targeting and the baits you are using does take some experience and the only way to get that is time on the water and experimentation. With that said boats also play a little factor in that as well as GPS vs Speed at the ball. Depending on currents you may have to speed up or slow down with your change of direction. Here are a few things you can keep in mind and I have used since I started chasing these salmon, 30+years. Whether fishing in the 14ft flat bottom, 17ft multi sport, or 36ft I use the following:

1. If you are not getting bites change your speed. Easiest way to figure out if you are going to fast or slow is to start turning the boat. Make a small turn to the port or stbd or most of the time I basically zig zag in an S pattern and see if I start picking up hits, If the hit come from the inside of the turn the baits are slower there so you are going to fast, if the hits come from the outside turn then you are going to slow as they are faster.

2. If you have Downriggers watch the angle on the cable for your depth. This is an experience thing and takes time but if you have a good setup and proper speed you should hear you riggers talk to you, more or less sing to you. If the cables are hanging straight down you are most likely going to slow, at 20-60 foot down you should see a nice angle(20-30-40 deg) to the cables and a nice harmonic resonence should be heard. The deeper you go the more the drag and the greater the angle. If I dont hear that singing I change speed.

3. Hold a rod tip under the water with the primary bait (spoon, plugs, D/F, SD/F) and see what kind of action you have. Spoons and plugs are more speed tolerant but you need to see them flashing imitating a dying fish. If they are spinning too fast, lazily moving back and forth too slow. D/F(Dodger/Fly) should be moving back and forth with the fly snapping in the oposite directions behind it. A good speed for a Dodger will produce a small uniform rythmic rod tip dip when on a rigger and dipsey, harder to see on a copper or lead long line. SD/F(Spin Doctor /fly) just like the name indicates it should spin.

Keep these things in mind for the fish you are targeting, water temps, and the possible currents between surface and bait. Hope this helps some on speed.

Jeff's post about speed is good info. Let me add a couple things. When you are doing the lazy s thing and to speed up or slow your lures, when you are using 'core, copper and divers they will drastically move higher or lower in the water column when you turn. I don't know the exact depth change, but for a diver, maybe as much as 10 to 20 feet if you are running 100 feet of line out. Last time out I hit fish on the diver and 8-color rod (my deepest sets - diver out 90 feet.) when I was turning. Both would have dropped deeper. I let out 30 feet more line on the diver and replaced a 6 color which hadn't gotten a bite with a 10 color and both the diver and 10-color took several hits before the trip was over.

Unless I'm targeting Skamanias, I very seldom troll over 3 mph.