2 trolling secrets that you will want to try

[jacksonlaker]

It's almost time for rainbows,kokes or cutts and I thought I would share a couple of trolling tricks that really work. The first one is something I came up with a couple of years ago. You tie on a number 11 Taildancer deep (dives to 25 to 30 feet). Then attach a 3 to 4 foot leader with a snap on both ends to the split ring of the TDD. Then clip on a serpent or needlefish or whatever you like to that. I usualy put a 1 or 2oz snap wieght 40 feet in front of the taildancer for extra depth. This rig will go 35 to 40 feet deep set back 120' at 1.8mph. The taildancer acts as an attractor and the fish will nail the small spoon. There is very little drag on your line (unlike a dipsey diver) so you can use a light rod. It will work off of planer boards also. It is a great way to get a Mai-Tai serpent spoon into the "Koke zone" without lead core or downriggers. The second thing is what we called on Lake Ontario a cheater or stinger rig. It is just a leader clipped on your line around 6 to 10 feet above your release. The leader should be around 6 feet long and you can use small spoons on it. The trick is you tie a rubber band around the swivel clipped to your line so it cant move. Once again, now you have 2 lures in the "koke zone". when a fish hits this line the swivel will slide down to the other lure making for some great tangles !! With some good netting techinques you can avoid this. I included some crude pictures so you guys can see what I'm doing. Good luck and let me know how this works for 'ya...JL
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[Theekillerbee]

Thanks for the tips. Nice to know if you want to get her down without riggers or big divers.
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[Weekend_Warrior]

Nice man I especially appreciate the pics. Will the fish eat the rap or is it just to get it down?
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[Strikes_R_Us]

Thanks a lot for the secret info. I have been wanting to try for the kokes for a long time, but dont have downriggers or leaded line outfits. Can't wait to try. How would the first set up work if you could'nt troll that slow? Maybee at 2.5 to 3.0 mph?
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[jacksonlaker]

Weekend warrior...i have caught fish on the plug, but it is mainly a way for the spoon to get deep

Strikes are us...I normaly dont troll that fast, but I'm sure it would work. If you need to slow your boat down, try dragging buckets or drift socks. It also works with or without the snap weights. I would buy the snap weights, they are an effective way to get your stuff a little deeper.
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[davefishman]

Jacksonlaker - I love to catch Kokes. I am from Idaho and I have only caught them there. I do not have a downrigger and I thought that fact made it impossible to catch them anywhere around here. So, my question is this, where in Utah can I fish for kokes with the first setup you described?
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[jacksonlaker]

The best place to catch Kokanee in Utah or anywhere for that matter is Flaming Gorge. If you go there in the spring, the kokes are fairly shallow but harder to find. This set up would be great for fish from 20 to 40 feet deep. But remember, it can really only handle a small spoon behind the plug, no dodgers and squids. This kind of limits your presentation. If you use a 2oz snap weight 40 feet in front of a dodger/squid I bet you could get down 25 feet at 1.5 mph.
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[davefishman]

Does anyone fish for them at strawberry?
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[Lundman]

You can use a similar setup trolling for walleye ...

Use a three-way swivel and run a worm harness on top and a short leader to a deep diving crankbait on the bottom which replaces a bottom bouncer wieght. You can catch eyes on both the harness and the crankbait.

Be careful - as warned by jacksonlaker this setup can become a tangle nightmare fast.
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[DallanC]

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Does anyone fish for them at strawberry? [/reply]

I just tried for kokes for the first time last year, 2 seperate trips just targeting them... tried up at strawberry. We caught 1 right off the bat, a really big one, nothing the rest of the day or the next trip. Occasionally picked up cuts on koke gear though, oddly some really deep (ie: 60ft).

I suspect my sonar isnt up to the task of locating them. Buying a new one in a couple weeks (8000 watt). I'd love suggestions on where to find the schools of them up there.

/shrug.


-DallanC
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[Saberfish]

[black][size 3]Fishing for kokanee at either Flaming Gorge or Strawberry can be productive. (The Gorge is best)[/size][/black]
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[size 3]You will be a leg up on them if you use your fish finder to locate the depth that they are hanging at. They will stratify in comfort areas that have the right temperature and oxygen levels.[/size]
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[size 3]Because most of the year they are very soft mouth, and it is not unusual for a hooked fish to be lost because the lure tears loose. Things that can help are rubber snubbers in line with your terminal gear, long soft action trolling rods, and monofilament line with a little stretch will also help you land them.[/size]
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[size 3]Using downriggers will allow you to put your bait at their exact level. For most of the year, they live on plankton, and will not move great distances to chase a lure. However, during the pre spawn, they get quite aggressive, and will attack larger lures.[/size]
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[size 3]Small lures like needle fish are best for general trolling. They seem to have a preference for colors like flor. orange. most of the year. Rocky Mountain Tackle, locally has a good variety of baits and rigs to use. Shasta Tackle in the northwest, also has several good lures.[/size]
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[size 3]Trolling speeds should vary, until they tell you what speed they want. I have trolled for a lot of kokes, but have never used scent on lures, and don't know if that would help or not.[/size]
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[DallanC]

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[size 3]You will be a leg up on them if you use your fish finder to locate the depth that they are hanging at. They will stratify in comfort areas that have the right temperature and oxygen levels.[/size]

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How many fish in a school will you find on a finder? A handfull? Dozen? Hundreds?


-DallanC
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[Saberfish]

[black][size 3]They usually are quite spread out, like trout, but unlike macks, which will group in a "pod".[/size][/black]
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[size 3]They will usually be found at the same level in the water column. [/size]
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[size 3]Like trout, if you catch one, it is a good idea to go back and troll the same area again.[/size]
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[size 3]During the pre spawn and spawn, they group so tightly that you will find the screen on your fish finder going completely black. In that case, I have found my best fishing. I stop trolling, and stay over them with my bow mounted elec. motor, and jig them with a [/size]
[size 3]Buzz bomb, which is a heavy elongated diamond shaped lure that threads on your line, and slides up and down, bouncing off a rubber washer which also slides on your line above a treble hook. During the spawn, the males get a very hard mouth, are very aggressive, and go crazy when hooked. (much fun to catch)[/size]
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[catfishaholic]

Info with diagrams now that's cool
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[hlfmoon]

I am guessing the 2nd set up is using a downriger. And the first just with regular line, not leaded line.
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[2fishon]

I'm not trying to be a pain, but that font you use is really hard on the eyes.
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[go_deep]

Thanks for the info, I will have to give it a try. Always looking for new things to try.
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