Tips to keep Kokanee from coming unhooked

[Waterfish]

I posted this on the Billy Chinook thread, and then decided that it might be a good idea to post it as its own thread. What techniques do you use to keep kokanee from coming unhooked? I have three techniques that have increased my ratio of kokes to the net. I fish with downriggers, but these techniques would work whether you are using downriggers or banana weights.

First tip: Let more line out (I use line counter reels so I don't have to count pulls). I let out 50 feet of line before clipping into the downrigger. Sometimes 75 feet. Letting out lots of line gives them more time to tire out as you reel them in. The downside to this technique is that letting out more line gives them more time to come unhooked. However I believe that tiring them out more than makes up for giving them more time to get off the hook.

Second tip: Set your drag very loose so that they can make runs and pull line off the reel. That really tires them out. When you play them out, they jump out of the water less so there is less chance of coming unhooked.

Third tip: If they come straight to the surface and start jumping, stick your rod straight down underwater (at least 1 to 2 feet underwater) to try and keep them underwater right up until you get them into the net.

What are your techniques to keep kokanee from coming unhooked?

[LuckyStrike]

I use bungees, monofilament line, ultra lite tension home made releases and good fiberglass rods with level wind reels and of course, a long handle net. Has worked well for me.

LS

[Tamarack]

Originally Posted by LuckyStrike

I use bungees, monofilament line, ultra lite tension home made releases and good fiberglass rods with level wind reels and of course, a long handle net. Has worked well for me.

LS

How do you make your homemade releases?

Thanks

[pharmseller]

#4 red Gami hooks, tied so that the hook points ride 180 degrees from each other along the plane of the hook shaft.
I like the eye of the back hook even with the bend of the first hook.
I rig my hootchies with spacer beads so that the end of the hootchie just barely reaches the bend of the upper hook.
Uncommon not to have both hooks embedded in the fish.


P

[dlm]

[quote=pharmseller;2560689I rig my hootchies with spacer beads so that the end of the hootchie just barely reaches the bend of the upper hook.
Uncommon not to have both hooks embedded in the fish.
P[/quote]

Try little rubber bobber stoppers in place of the spacer beads. Eagle claw makes some as well as some other brands. The let you adjust your hook set-back and have no weight or drag that could keep the hoochie/tube from dancing.

[boatman]

Use a #8 treble,works great.

[fishnhuntnfool]

It would be really sweet if someone could post a pic of their double hook setup! HINT HINT!

[Wingmaster]

Use the search function, theres been a few tutorial posts in the past.

[Smalma]

In addition to the things mentioned if you are trolling some other things that might help to increase your strikes to hand ratio includes:

Do not set the hook!

Pay attention to your rod; as soon as the rod tip starts that "happy dance" immediately get to it.

Hooks - Make sure they are "sticky" sharp! After serveral dozen fish even the best hooks get dull. I really like double single thin wire hooks.

Once the fish is hooked slow the boat down or even kick it out of gear. Just keep enough forward motion to keep the other gear from fouling.

I have noticed that it is easier to land those aggressive biting fish. If you are getting tentative bites try changing things up to see if you can get a "better" bite. If fishing is slow I change bait every 15 minutes or so also try different scents, lure/dodger color, lure/dodger action/size, speed, depth, etc.

When the fish are tentative it seems to me that they will often follow your presentation and at times a sudden change in that presentation caused by sharp turns, speed changes or line depth changes will trigger that aggressive bite that equals a fish to hand. In a typical morning it is typicial for 10% to 1/3 of my kokanee to come from those "change" bites.

Landing fish like some much of kokanee fishing paying attention to details often pays dividends in fish in the box.

Tight lines
Curt

[Kokanee Slow]

Good stuff! Thanks for sharing your experience.

[Pacific Fisher]

Use a pretty soft medium action rod to prevent hooks from pulling out of their jaws. Fiberglass is the way to go for trolling in my opinion.

[Smalma]

As mentioned by Luckstrike and Pacific Fisher I too like soft action fiberglass rods. My favorite rods I have built on fly rod blanks (4weights).

While not everyone's cup of tea I really like direct drive reels for playing the fish; for me the benefits are inlcude fish playing enjoyment as well as reducing fish loss. Allowing the fish to run easily with just the lightest thumb pressure both reduces the hook pull outs and lets the fish get away from the boat before they start that frantic boat side "dance".

Tight lines
Curt

[joemomma]

I use all the above and alot of "PRAYER" " O dear lord, cmon baby!, come to papa, you gunna look good in the treager" You know stuff like that!

[Kokonuts]

I like the Macks "Double Wammy" wedding rings, they have the second hook set back about 11/2" ant they really grab on! ....Kokonuts

[K sled]

Originally Posted by Kokonuts

I like the Macks "Double Wammy" wedding rings, they have the second hook set back about 11/2" ant they really grab on! ....Kokonuts

I agree with Kokonuts.I like the chartruese blade with the medium hooks.

[Dan Grbavac]

try this #4 on 6# fluorocarbon

[twisted lines]

All these thing's are on track for the normal but I wish I had #2s tied up at wickiup, they are sly big devels, you know you have had one on when you heard the splash. Put more corn on and hope the next one likes the same color!!!!!

[Splash]

Double hooks
no hook set
soft rod
direct drive reel

All have been mentioned and work pretty well for me. Sometimes none of it matters as kokanee are just plain squirrely and soft mouthed.

That's fishing.

[Rick on Rogue]

Originally Posted by Dan Grbavac

try this #4 on 6# fluorocarbon

And what do you bait that with?

[Kokonuts]

Originally Posted by Rick on Rogue

And what do you bait that with?

1. Shopeg (SP?) Corn
2. Berkley Maggots
3. Salmon Eggs

Use em with every scent, color combination that I can think up!

Oil from Tuna fish cans works good sometmes , but sometimes a bare hook works good too! Kokonuts

[mike edson]

All of the above ideas sound like great ideas that I will add to my arsenal. I find that using a plain old rubber band behind my flashers and before my leader works great.

Just the thought of kokanee makes me.

[SilverBullets]

In my experiance I've had better hook to land ratios useing short set backs. Longer setbacks from what I've seen allows the fish more time to get off. I've noticed while useing a long set back the fish have more of a chance to get to the surface and spit the hook when their doing their aerial dance. With a short set back you can keep tension on them better while bringing them up and they don't have as much room to go ballistic. I think it's important to adjust the release clip tight to produce a better hook set, and not be in too big a hurry to pick up the rod out of the holder (as long as the clip didn't release)...let the fish hook itself! Using mono line,a flexible rod, and a long handle net helps alot. I've seen alot of kokes come off the minute you stop reeling, never allow any slack! All my rigs have double hooks. I used to load the corn on, but have since gone to just one kernal on each hook, making sure to never cover the end of the hooks. I think one kernal allows more area of the hook to do it's job. The first hook is usually the one that gets hit...it's important the stinger hook is not overloaded with bait so it can dig in when the fish is thrashing....resulting in more fish in the boat.

[HiTide]

I'm w Silver Bullets: I have tried long & short set-backs over 30 yrs of koke fishing and usually do much better keeping fish on the short set-back. Also, I use #2 and #4 hooks, nothing smaller. Bigger hooks go all the way thru & out the other side. Another help has been using sickle hooks. I agree you need a soft action rod tip ... that's more important (in my experience) than snubbers. One kernel of corn is good, more just get ripped off.
There is a film posted on the Fishsniffer website by "High Tech Koke" that shows how good these fish are at stealing bait when there are multiple corn kernels.
I can honestly state that (finally!) I lose very few kokes on the troll using these methods. That's after many years of grabbing the net just to put it right back.

[Doc_Rhen]

When I tie my double hook rigs, the upper hook will slide, the thought in my little brain is that if you hook on the upper hook, maybe the lower hook will slide in and hook something also. Don't really know if it works that way but that is the easiest way for me to tie a double hook rig. I use soft fiberglass rods on riggers with dodgers and heavier graphite rods and snubbers with flashers. (I have to run both when we have 4-6 lines out.)

[ElkTalker]

Some things I think about for get these little buggers in the boat

- One is short strikes or fish that come off quickly.

The first thing I try is to slowdown, some times I think they are just half heartedly hitting the lure and slowing down give them a better look.

If they stop hitting after I slow down or they still come off I change my lure to a brighter color or more visible lure. This just makes it a little easer for the fish to hone in and strike with more accuracy.

When all else fails go faster and through the box at them.

-The second thing is fish going nuts at the boat or when the net comes out.

If possible turn the boat into the sun, this will help to blind the fish and they can’t see the net or the boat coming. This really only works when the sun is lower in the sky and not straight over head.

ET