Beginner setup for Chinook and Pink

[Rod and Reel]

Hi fellow fishers, I have a question on setup for the fraser river salmon fishing. I'm going out on my boat and I am planning on anchoring it at about 30-10 feet, if you could tell me what depth I should anchor it at (nothing lower then 10 because of prop). I don't want to troll. I just want to know how to setup my rover king 8 foot Rod and reel combo, it is rated for 12-30 pound test and I currenty have 30lbs non braided line. I also have 10lbs mono leader if required. I don't have a downrigger or anything too. Just wanted to know a good setup for these fish. Trying to keep it basic. Thank you!

 

[DanL]

Speaking specifically re: pink fishing. If you want to cast for them, consider swapping your line to something lighter for better cast distance? For mainline maybe 8-10lb mono or 20 lb braid. Pinks are not that big, 30lb mono is overkill and will limit casting distance for no benefit.

Also. pinks can run closer to the shore than you might expect, literally you can get strikes barely even a rods length out. You might be better off using the boat to find some areas that non-boaters cant get access to and beaching the boat to fish from shore. Casting into the deeper water and retrieving into the shallows (shoreline) might be more effective as it keeps your presentation more in the zone, IMHO.

 

[chris.heatley1]

I definitely agree with DanL
I think you're limiting your options by arbitrarily picking 10' as being too deep. What kind of boat is it? Chances are you're only drafting around 2-3'
There are lots of salmon outside the river as well. You can have decent success without down riggers although you might want to keep an eye out for a low price used manual. They really increase your options and allow for much lighter tackle.
Then there is the oldest piece of fishing advice. Go along with somebody who knows how to fish the area and see firsthand how it's done