trolling for springers

[grumman16]

Thinking about doing a little springer fishing around the head of the channel. Tomorrow it looks like the tide is going out all morning. I've always trolled this area when it was slack. Does anyone troll this area when the current is running out (I'm assuming trolling with the current)or would I be better off anchoring and using kiwkfish?

I was thinking about doing sturgeon in the am and salmon after the tide changes, but the salmon bite there always seems to be best in the morning.

Any advise would be appreciated. IF you see a blue Asaltor out there say hello.

-G16

[5-Cents]

Troll with the current....

[Time Off]

Most folks troll the incomming and anchor up on the outgoing.

Anyone in a Blue Asaltor has to be OK. :grin:

If the water color allows, run up into the channel and troll downstream with the current. Herring, prawn spinners or Kwikfish. Or do the same in the Columbia.

For 20 feet and under water, run a 18 to 36 inch dropper, and bounce the lead just off the bottom.

In deeper water, a deep water "trolling master" has convinced me that 4 ounces 14 pulls is the starting point benchmark. :smile:

Or why bother? Find some good current, drop the hook and let them come to you with the same baits.



Let us know how the channel color looks. :smile:

Rick

[ 03-04-2004, 02:36 PM: Message edited by: ****** ]

[SalmonSeason]

As for the color of the channel
I just looked at it, good enough for sturg, but
I'd be impressed if someone caught a springer in it

[FishinMission]

******..Water looked pretty good in the harbor on my trip over the Fremont this a.m.

Mark

[grumman16]

Thanks for the advice everyone - I'll post results tomorrow night good or bad.

This started out as a sturgeon trip, but I'm getting the fever...

Thanks Mark. See you at Sellwood. Not. :grin:

[Freakwater]

5-Cent,

Do you mean troll with the tide?
Or troll with the current?

Freak

[Chrome Bumper]

Troll either direction. Upstream produces more than downstream, which produces more than anchoring up in my experience. Day break is the best time, 15-20 feet.

[5-Cents]

Freakwater I like trolling with the current not against it. When the tide is coming in most current stops so you can go any direction you want. Trolling with the current is a more natural way to present your bait to the fish. Remember that you are trying to immitate an injured bait fish... not too many injured bait fish swim into the current. Additionally if you are trolling with the current you will be presenting the bait into the face of the fish and they will have to make a decision to strike viciously or let the meal pass. If you are tolling against the current the fish has much more time to inspect, and therefore, reject the biat. Lastly, you cover a lot more water trolling with the current... you dont make up much ground trying to pull your bait against a 2 MPH current.

Dont get me wrong there are times I troll against, back troll or hover in one spot but for most open water, big water, lots of room applications the best way to be heading is with the current in my opinion.

[blacktail519]

Yes!!! What 5 CENTS said :grin:

[5-Cents]

Oh I forgot to mention when you get to the end of your troll pick up the lines and blast back to the top with you big motor to start all over again! You will cover a ton of water and consistently put your bait in front of more fish doing this [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img]

[Fish Hawg]

It Sounds Like 5-Cents knows what he is doing :tongue: :grin:

[scrod]

I'd just to add that even in a river, trolling with the current doesn't always mean downstream and an incoming tide doesn't mean upstream. Read the water cuz things change.

[pearl]

We had a pretty good post going on this subject a few of weeks ago including some of the advice 5 Cents has given here. A lot of people gave some valuable techniques and ideas.

Check out this link web page Springer Techniques

[ 03-04-2004, 09:04 PM: Message edited by: pearl ]

[FrogPond]

I keep hearing "the river is just to cold yet"...Is there a magic temp? If so what is it? [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

[Silver Hilton]

If you look at this site. You can find temperatures by day for the past ten years, as well as fish counts for those days. You have to swap back and forth a bit, and the temps are in centigrade, but the data is there.

Basically, it looks to me like the water over Bonneville needs to hit 44 degrees, and that's when good numbers of fish seem to start.

[skybuster]

Don't discount trolling upstream.

The secret to trolling upstream is to go a little faster. It feels like your ripping the herring off the hooks, but it works. When trolling upstream you want to go a little faster to make the fish chase your bait.

The current in the willy allows this, but you probably couldn't pull it off in the CR on an outgoing tide.

3 years ago we landed a big nate in the channel going upstream faster than anyone was going downstream. It hit a whole sardine bouncing off the bottom!

Go bigger! Go faster!

[legal_layover]

What legnth dropper do you use trolling herring in the Colmbia?
Thanks

[5-Cents]

18"-24" for my lead line.

[legal_layover]

Thanks, seems like that would work. I use 12" to 24" when on the hook with plugs and do pretty good. I think these spingers like to hug the bottom.

[FishinMission]

I've hooked lotsa fish trolling upstream, while I watch guys blasting upriver a couple of miles to troll downstream only. Lines "out of the water" are unproductive, plain and simple. Nothing wrong with going 90 degrees to the flow either, and 180 degree turns with your lines in the water can be deadly. :grin:

Fact is...just do what works best for you. With gas approaching $2.00+ a gallon...you better have deep pockets to be running that big motor (or two) 1/3 of the day.

Mark

[ 03-07-2004, 09:39 AM: Message edited by: FishinMission ]