Some well known guides will tell you leader should be 30 to 31 inches. No more no less.

 

Thanks WackO. If I remember correctly I remember someone telling me that the 30" length behind 360 flashers is for spinfish and Brad's Orignial and Cut Plugs and that spinners should be around 24" and it has kind of stuck with me. I will most likely pre-tie a few soft 3.5 Colorado blades in the 24" to 30" range.

 

I am in the process of pre-tying some soft spinners using Simon 3.5 Colorado blades and 40lb Seaguar STS Fluorocarbon leaders and have a few questions:

1. Does it matter if I use fluorocarbon versus green monofilament versus clear monofilament? Also I assume 40lb line rating is okay so the plastic clevis doesn't rub and cut my line? I can then use these pre-tied leaders for both springers and fall salmon.

2. I plan to use size 2 Gamakatsu 2X Strong treble hooks. I assume size 2 is okay. Also, some people tie a size 2/0 or 1/2 stinger. Is this recommended?

3. How long of a leader should I tie the spinners behind the 360 flashers? I know guys recommended anywhere from 18" to 36" behind a 360 flasher, but that's quite a range difference.

4. Do any of you apply scents to your spinners?

Thank you in advance for helping this newbie out

I have been fishing soft spinner successfully the last few years, but I'm hardly an expert. Here are my thoughts, for what it's worth:

1. No opinion on flouro v. mono. In my experience salmon fishing in general, line color means nothing. Green/brown/clear all work fine. 40 lbs is what I tend to use.

2. No idea, but think about using a single big river bait or octopus hook instead of a treble. There are so many weird hinge points and ways for a fish to leverage the weight and flasher against you with 360s, and I think sometimes trebles only add to that. My soft spinners are all single hook and I don't find that I land any fewer fish with them than when I run a store bought wire spinner with a treble.

3. There is no right answer. I have seen super short leaders (like, 12 inches) and long ones (like 36 inches) work. This is like asking "what's the best beer." Everybody will have an opinion, and they will all be correct. Something in the 18 to 24 inch realm is a good place to start, and then experiment from there. I tend to like them short with a longer bumper, but that's just me. Shorter offering in general tends to mean easier/quicker netting, which can matter with 360s and how easy it is to lose fish on them.

4. Always. Unless I forget, and then I find I catch fish anyway.

 

I have been fishing soft spinner successfully the last few years, but I'm hardly an expert. Here are my thoughts, for what it's worth:

1. No opinion on flouro v. mono. In my experience salmon fishing in general, line color means nothing. Green/brown/clear all work fine. 40 lbs is what I tend to use.

2. No idea, but think about using a single big river bait or octopus hook instead of a treble. There are so many weird hinge points and ways for a fish to leverage the weight and flasher against you with 360s, and I think sometimes trebles only add to that. My soft spinners are all single hook and I don't find that I land any fewer fish with them than when I run a store bought wire spinner with a treble.

3. There is no right answer. I have seen super short leaders (like, 12 inches) and long ones (like 36 inches) work. This is like asking "what's the best beer." Everybody will have an opinion, and they will all be correct. Something in the 18 to 24 inch realm is a good place to start, and then experiment from there. I tend to like them short with a longer bumper, but that's just me. Shorter offering in general tends to mean easier/quicker netting, which can matter with 360s and how easy it is to lose fish on them.

4. Always. Unless I forget, and then I find I catch fish anyway.

I used to use a couple of size 2/0 Big River Bait hooks or a couple of size 3/0 Gama Octopus hooks but thought that using treble with possibly a stinger would give me two additional sticking points. Plus I like using treble hooks because I tie a small tuna ball on the bottom of my trebles. I doubt it if doing this increased my hookup chances because I haven't hooked much of anything lately. But willing to try whatever it takes to increase my hookups.

 

pst's no. 2 is good advice. Single hook, big enough to grab a jaw, not a sliver of skin. Sharp.....

I never put a spinner in the water without some meat attached. Chunk of herring, anchovy, shrimp, something.

 

DZ, what size and style of single hook do you use for your spinners? Does the hook size matter whether you are targeting springers, fall chinook or coho?

 

I think you can use 4/0 effectively for Springers. Sickle Siwash style work best, Gami or Grabbers are my preference. Gami BRB's are easier to find. Matzuo work but they sometimes have drawbacks. For Summer Chinook and B-10, 5/0 is the ticket. Same size for Silvers. 6/0 isn't too big. I honestly don't think there's a bad hook for Chinook by design. They don't fight like Silvers, hooks stay in 'em a whole lot better. Size matters once again.... Small don't cut it. Ask your.......... never mind....

 

Old thread, but why start another when we can continue the discussion rather than having five threads on treble hooks? 😊
.
Funny, I started with 1/0 and 2/0 singles. Then went to 2/0 and 3/0 Big River singles, then all 3/0 Big River singles. After reading more threads I'm reading about people using 5/0 at buoy 10.
I think I'll do a 4/0 single with a 5/0 single trailing.
.
But I'm thinking of throwing in the mix a few with treble stingers.
.
I was comparing the sizes and trying to figure out a good balance in size - hook size and weight.
.
I settled on #1 Trebles. Not 1/0 treble, #1 treble.
.
Whatcha all think?

 

At Buoy 10 I tie most of my soft spinners on 'my preferred' 50# line. It is such a rough and abusive fishery, I think we can get a couple of more fish out of a leader made of 50# vs 40# before it needs replacement. 40# is fine for stuffers. I always used #1 trebles with a 4/0 or 5/0 Big River trailer, but I noticed that if I didn't wrap the entire shank of the treble when tying my knot, the stinger hook typically would get caught in the bottom of the treble and sometimes lead to a break off of the stinger hook and a lost fish. I've tried every knot I know and have even tried braid for the stinger, but lately have gone back to 2 3/0 Big River tied back to back. No issues there. I might try 155# Assist line for my stinger this year just to see if there is a difference. Fishing bait, I always use a treble and stinger with both my Rhys Davis Anchovie Heads (#1 & 4/0) and Dick's Shure Spin Cut Plug Heads (1/0 & 5/0), so need to come up with something. It's a process. For leader lengths, I'm 24"to 27" 3.5 spinner and 30ish" stuffer. The reality is like BGF said earlier, these fish are biters. Put something 'interesting' in their faces and they will eat it. An inch or two difference in leader length.......no big deal.

 

Okay, I may rethink this. Thanks.
But the #1 Treble is an appropriate size.
Thanks

 

What about all those barbs on those treble hooks shown? I could have sworn that B10 was a barbless fishery?

I’ve played with all kinds of hook sizes from 2/0 - 5/0 and pretty much settled on 3/0 wide gap for a tow hook, and a 4/0 trailing hook on mooching rigs. Distance between hooks depends on what sized herring or anchovies I’m running. I like the trailing hook right behind the tail or even with the tail of my offering. My spin fish, and spinner rigs get two 3/0 about a finger space apart pointing opposite directions. Sometimes I’ll use a 4/0 on the trailing hook and use I use 40# mono. I’m a Maxima fan, but I’m sure most 40# test line will work fine, including fluorocarbon if you are so inclined.

The key to any rig you are using and catching fish with, needs to be inspected closely before it goes back in the water. The teeth on these chinook can damage any leader and you risk loosing a nice one , and a hot plug if you don’t check it out…. .02 cents…. Kirk

 

Yes, I will be using barbless. I'm pretty sure the whole Columbia is barbless only.

 

60lb mono with a single barbless 6/0 Gamakatsu octopus circle hook rigged hangback style. 22-24” leaders for spinners, 28-30” for superbaits behind a 360. Release is easy, and hook to land ratio goes WAY up.

 

Is your measurement from duo lock to head of offering, not to bottom hook? Thats how I measure them. Good luck out there!

 

I couldn't find 5/0 singles in barbless.
Pinching them down with vise-grips legal? Or should I grind them off?

 

Factory barbless are garbage. It doesn’t matter what you pinch them down with. Technically, grinding the point off is probably the best way to do it because you can leave part of the barb intact. For something to be a “barb” it needs to be sharp so as long as it isn’t sharp you’re good to go. Look up the definition of barb in the dictionary.