[sinker]

Last year we were at Bonneville on the WA side and an elderly man shows up below us. Not to many people around and the sturgeon fishing was slow so I'm watching him out of the corner of my eye to see if I can learn anything.
He ties a bunch of weight on the end of his line. I watch him cast it our and there's nothing but weight on his line. :shrug:

So now I'm really interested in what he has cookin.

He takes a handline and clips it on the line coming off his fishing pole with about a 3 foot leader hanging down and feeds it out by hand. Sits there jigging up and down with his hands. He slaughtered the shad. Pull them in by hand and then hold the line with one hand and reach out with a net in the other.

Now what I'm wondering, is there any type of a downrigger release type clip that you could attach a second pole too, have the Mrs feed the line going to the snap out by hand and then one of could jig it up and down while one of us mans the pole with the lure on it.

This way you could still fight them with a pole but would get the same presentation he had.

Lose alot less gear. Only gear you'd probly lose is the weight on the "downrigger" rod.

 

[greenbuttskunk]

yes, they make line release for multiple rods, lines off on downrigger. soem are referred to as stacker releases. The challenge is tangles and missing the target depth when fishing more than one lure. It can be effective if done correctly, If the action is hot, though, one line/lure should be the ticket.

[ 06-02-2003, 10:37 AM: Message edited by: greenbuttskunk ]

 

[sinker]

I figured it beat losing all my gear. I haven't been lucky shad fishing in my 2 attempts at it in the past. Lost all my spoons before I ever got a fish.
Watching that guy though looked like it was the way to go.

 

[GearUp]

The current issue of Fishing & Hunting has an article about a guy who fishes the CR for shad who attaches his drop line to a rock using masking tape and then throws the rock into the river with his bale open. Once a fish gets on the lead line is pulled from the rock and away you go. He fills a bucket with rocks on his way down to the river.

 

[sinker]

Not to good of an article for F&H News to run.
What about all that duct tape in the river???

 

[1pump]

I've got a stacker called a "Shuttle Hawk", made by Shasta Tackle. It dives on it's own, but I don't know if it would work with a jigging action. :shrug: When the shad action gets fast and furious, it would be a pain in the butt to have to reset all that gear every 2 minutes, which is the main reason I don't use my downrigger for shad. I might try it this year if I get the chance.

[ 06-02-2003, 11:52 AM: Message edited by: 1pump ]

 

[sinker]

I'm banking it.
I was thinking of running a hand line permanently to the release and use the hand line for the jigging action, then when a fish takes it, the line snaps off, pull the release in by hand and after landing fish, set release back up and repeat.
Maybe I have a few screws loose (been told this by more than 1 person now) but it seems like it would work.

 

[dampainter]

gearup, that is exactly what they do below john day dam...suppose to be the only way to shad fish there, unless you don`t mind using and losing a bunch of lead.

[ 06-02-2003, 12:25 PM: Message edited by: dampainter ]

 

[sinker]

Anyone else have any ideas??

I was down there last June for sturgeon, below Bonneville on the WA side and was talking to a local and he said they use railroad spikes. Even gave me a half dozed to use.

I lost my weight every cast.

Cast out let it drag bottom until the weight finds a good rock to hang up on and stick your pole in the holder.

I was using a 15lb mono dropper to go off my swivel to the weight. Time to check the bait? Break the 15lb line off and reel 'er up.

I caught 2, a 41" and a 24", not sure if the fish broke the mono off or I did when I set the hook.

 

[DaleDor]

I've done it at John Day on Or. side! Use a downrigger release clip attached to your fishing line, and use ANOTHER rod, with a big weight on it that acts as a DOWNRIGGER. Put the downrigger rod upstream a bit (so the current will take the lure downstream). I just put snap swivel around the downrigger rod (this rod is just like a "permanent" downrigger out there) and the fishing rod (with lure) would slide down the line of said downrigger rod.

I'd put a few inches of fishing line off of the snap swivel (gotta send down a new snap swivel each time....can retreive the many snap swivels until you reel in the downrigger rod...you'll think of some way to save the many snap swivels even though the WEIGHT will very likely not be retreivable...put some kind of STOP above the weight so the snap swivels don't slide all the way to the weight, and then tie a LIGHTER line right above the weight so it can BREAK and still not lose the many snap swivels that you've slid down your line. YOU CLIP THE AFORE-MENTIONED FEW INCHES OF LINE TO THE 'DOWNRIGGER RELEASE' THAT'S ATTACHED TO YOUR FISHING LINE....gotta think about this, but it works. You supply a jigging action to the fishing rod.

The "downrigger" rod does NOT have a lure on it, it just serves as a "downrigger" to get the "fishing rod's" lure down and keep it down....it has a rock on the end of it's line.

Sorry to make this sound confusing, but all you really need to do is use one rod as a permanent "downrigger" and slide your "fishing" rod's lure down the "downrigger" rod's line using a release clip, and a snap swivel that runs down the "downrigger" rod's line, and has a bit of line sticking out from it to attach the release clip to.

Dick Nites are better for PLUNKING than shad darts, in my humble opinion. Darts rule when CASTING/DRIFTING.

Plunking like this is NOT appropriate to do where other people quite close to you are just CASTING/DRIFTING, since lines will tangle. So go to John Day dam (or if you can find some breathing room around Hamilton Island - below the Bonneville boat launch - where PLUNKING is often practiced.) In the mid 90's, on the Oregon side below Bonneville, I've seen them plunk with great results, as well. I'd probably be dead now if I'd tried plunking in the early 1990's when I used to fish CASCADE ISLAND (closed after 9/11 I think) amongst the casting hordes!

[ 06-03-2003, 01:43 PM: Message edited by: DaleDor ]

 

[Miss B Haven]

I'd be careful guys. The fine for littering in a river is $1,000.00 I know cause a bud got a ticket. Similar situation to the duct tape.
In addition- using two poles is definatley going to atract the attention of the Wardens. Even if only one has a hook on it, not clear to me that you would get away without a ticket.
Two different ideas in this post, one is clearly illegal and the second is probably going to get you hassled at best. :depressed:

 

[4Salt]

My only question would be this: Why make things so complicated and less fun?

Go to Bonneville dam. (especially if your a WA resident) Tie a shad dart with a little pencil lead on to your favorite trout rod, cast quartering upstream, retrieve slowly like you would a spinner, reel in before your gear hangs in the rocks, and catch more shad than you'll know what to do with! :smile:

 

[Barviewrocks]

Here is how we used to do it below the dam near the fish hatchery:

1) tie a larger snap swivel to the end of your line
2) attach a rubber band to the snap ( somewhat light rubber band like the type you get on your paper
3) find a rock a little bit bigger than your fist which is longer than wide (like a cube of butter) bonus points for one with a catch for teh rubber band
4) attach the rubber band around the rock such that it can release from the rock if pulled on
5) throw this out into the current near shore slightly upstream when it stops, set the rod in the groundsuch that the line is downstream
6) attach your lure to a 2 foot leader and a snap swivel to the other end
7) attach this to the line and it will get carried down by the current - attach a bell for effects and if you do not get a fish in 10 minutes, recast or move.
8) when the shad hits, they usually pull the line off the rock and you can get them in. Remember they have soft mouths

 

[sinker]

DaleDor. thats exactly what I was thinking of. I was thinking of having the release on the downrigger line, but then you'd have a hand line to mess with to get it back in.
Didn't even think of putting the release on the main line.

It's not illegal since one rod won't have a hook on it. Besides that a warden shouldnt' even look twice since my wife and I will both be there and we do things by the book. No worries. :wink:

That rubber band idea sounds good too. Have to try that one out too.

Thanks for the info everyone. Now I have to get out and try it.

 

[The Overfishin Condition]

Sinker, looks like the best answer is Daledor's idea, which is what I'd go with too. Two rods is illegal miss b haven, but it looks like sinker is aware, because he was talking about having somoene man the rod with just weight in it. Sounds like it'd be worth using this setup with two guys alternating who brings in the fish! Tight Lines All- TOC.