Hoochies

salmon slayer

salmon slayer

Active Member
Going through my tackle box and I want to try hoochies this coming year. I have pink ones for sockeye and pinks, but want to use them for Coho and springs. I fish mainly in the lower mainland, the hump ,thrasher, tungstal bay and sand heads. I also go a couple of trips to Barkley in July and August.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
 
I will not bother to mention all the hoochies that guys generally recommend for this area. I will list some of the older less commonly used hoochies that you may not see mentioned much, but still slay.

The side stripe series of Yamashita hoochies work very well. They come in glow, plain white or UV white versions. All work well, and one type may outproduce the other versions on any given day. The white or glow versions of the blood and bones (2 red stripes) can be killer for the coho in July. Same for the green stripe versions. The black stripe versions work too but black has just never been a colour I'll use before the others.

Gold, red, chartreuse, and neon orange mini plankton hoochies have landed me tons of all species including Tyee, locally and on the west coast. I've even caught Halibut with minis. Pink is the standard color, but other colors of minis will sometimes way out produce pink at times. Most of the other colors I listed besides pink you'll have to special order from Asia on the Internet. Most of those colors are not available in stores here anymore. Takes a long time for delivery but they are cheap overseas.

Blue and white, blue glow, purple people eater hoochies are good here in the early part of the year while the water is still fairly clear.

Pink plankton or mini plankton hoochies work very well inside green color hoochies here and other places as well. Glow Army Truck or green/white OMW14R, with pink hoochies inside seem to really go well together. You can also use the green UV versions of those hoochies for extra attraction rather than white or glow versions.

I'm sure the more standard hoochies will all be mentioned in other posts, so I thought I'd give you a few ideas for ones that can be killer that you won't see on store shelves that often. Hoochies are killers if you can find the pattern they are hitting on any given day, and it can change more than once during the day. Changing light and water color conditions will often change what they are hitting. Hoochie colors are an art to figure out sometimes, sure wish I had all the lines a commercial troller has to play with. Lots of fun fishing hoochies, good luck.
 
Last edited:
Reeltime said:
Silver horde purple haze with a glow puck insert ... coho and springs
Click to expand...

Glow puck insert, I've not seen those before! Is it just the Silver Horde Lure Head 'double glow'? Where do you pick them up from, or more importantly, anywhere mid island Courtenay/Campbell River or online?
 
Anyone tried Steelhead gooybobs instead. I was tying some up and was almost out of gum puckies and figured why not. I don't steelhead anymore, so I figured why not put them to use?
 
Waterwolf2230 said:
What's the difference between the regular and the steelhead gum puckys?
Click to expand...
Steelhead gooybobs are more soft and squishy compared to a gum puckey. They are an atificial salmon egg cluster. Usually pink or red in color.

LJ_gooey_bob.jpg
 
Prairie Locked said:
Glow puck insert, I've not seen those before! Is it just the Silver Horde Lure Head 'double glow'? Where do you pick them up from, or more importantly, anywhere mid island Courtenay/Campbell River or online?
Click to expand...

Any other brands close to this colour will work , i really like the clear hootchie and the glow insert comes right through , it's been good to me for the last few years.



https://www.fishermanswarehouse.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Gum_pucky_2-300x300.jpg
 
Last edited:
I use the Silver Horde glow/UV mylar inserts, or tie my own using mylar from a Fly fishing shop and plastic heads from Silver Horde. You can google Silver Horde for their contact info.
 
I don't get the high cost of gum puckies. I thought down in the States they would be cheaper, but they're still expensive even there. At $7.99 per 5 pack you can find hoochies cheaper than gum puckies. Pretty over priced for a simple hunk of plastic IMO.

I usually use pearlescent mylar inserts that come pre-tied on a head similar to gum puckies. The mylar inserts are about the same price as the gum puckies only they usually come 10 ten in a pack. Way better value, and I really think the mylar inserts add way more attraction to the hoochie underwater.

I am slowly getting all my tying supplies in order for when I retire. When I have the extra time in retirement I will probably start tying my own mylar inserts. It will save a bit of money, but it's also far more satisfying to catch the fish on stuff you made yourself.

Another way to make your tackle dollars go further. Don't throw away your old discolored or ripped up hoochies. They can come in handy for customizing other rigs. If the legs have been discolored by rusty hooks or some legs have been torn off you can cut the head off to add it on top of another hoochy. That way you can make an interesting and unique pattern all your own with a UV or glow head. I find it's usually the tentacles that get shabby looking, but the head section can be repurposed to make custom patterns.

Another good use for old hoochies is to put them on your bottom fishing gear. Bottom fishing hoochies can be bulked up by adding one or more old hoohies under the larger skirts for more color combinations and a larger silhouette down deep. Why just chuck them out if they're looking a little old, when bottom fish aren't too picky about them being in pristine shape. Just some ideas for other ways to customize your rigs, and get a little extra use out of your old gear.
 
salmon slayer said:
Going through my tackle box and I want to try hoochies this coming year. I have pink ones for sockeye and pinks, but want to use them for Coho and springs. I fish mainly in the lower mainland, the hump ,thrasher, tungstal bay and sand heads. I also go a couple of trips to Barkley in July and August.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Hoochies are a much misunderstood lure.

Around Vancouver you need but a few colours as the Strait of Georgia does not change water colour too much.

Green Spackleback
Pink sockeye squirts
Purple Haze
Army Truck
Glow
White
Green/white.

Over on the WCVI these work too. There are some I would recommend but I would recommend against you going out and buying a bunch of the "numbers".

How many do you want to tie? How do you want to rig them? Singles with a swivel commercial style? Tandem Singles Sporty Style?

If you want to go sporty style a pair of 4/0 or 5/0 hooks tied in tandem on 40lb test with a 36" leader at a moderate troll will work. Use a barrel swivel off the back of the flasher.

If you want to go commercial style if you go to large singles (when they're in they're not getting off) you need much heavier test and much bigger hooks and pick up the speed.

Try to match bait size to hoochie size. Needlefish? Octopus? Cuttlefish?

Depending on what the size of your target species is (depending on what fish are around) and your fishing location the wrong size may not be a good idea. Each tie has it's drawbacks.

I was off the Fraser in a brisk SE 20-22 knots last August and conditions were not conducive to reasonable traditional trolling and there weren't many fish around. (There were only 4 other boats out that day with someone at the helm fulltime on each boat). I was trolling on one of the mains at 2.7 knots with 42" tails, heavy test and BIG hooks. ( that's what I had on board) and trying to stay away from shakers which were annoying when I was trolling slower with bait.

Unfortunately a pesky 24" jack inhaled one of my big hooks and wasn't going to make it--bleeding out. mandatory release though. Likewise an hour later on another hoochie an 8" shaker was sideways impaled on one of the other hooks-dead. unfortunate but true.

I'm a fan of Hoochies...literally hundreds tied and ready to fish for the right fisheries and occasions... ..but spoons being as versatile as they are dominate the majority of the early season for me (up to the end of June) and allow for good survival of undersized fish.

After that meat takes over form mature Chinooks. Small white or tandem purple haze ties for West Van Coho. Otherwise Anchovies for Chinook. This is a pink year... they are going to be a nuisance...Anchovy sales are going to be brisk....lol.

A 3.5" Irish Cream spoon is almost a catch all this year for inside waters--early season WCVI as well.
 
I like others am a gear addict.

Drawers below are 6 inches deep.

The big for Hali:

upload_2017-4-4_19-57-40.png


Regulars for Salmon:

upload_2017-4-4_19-58-28.png



The old reliable I have been using since 1980: Usually put it out first on one of the spreads.

upload_2017-4-4_19-59-52.png

42 to 43 inches has worked over on this side of the Straits for many years for Chinook:

ry%3D400


ry%3D400


Beaked hook, barb filed smooth, gum pucky, 60 pound Yami


ry%3D400
 
Last edited:
Mako 22 said:
I like others am a gear addict.

Drawers below are 6 inches deep.

The big for Hali:

View attachment 32267


Regulars for Salmon:

View attachment 32268



The old reliable I have been using since 1980: Usually put it out first on one of the spreads.

View attachment 32269

42 to 43 inches has worked over on this side of the Straits for many years for Chinook:

ry%3D400


ry%3D400


Beaked hook, barb filed smooth, gum pucky, 60 pound Yami


ry%3D400
Click to expand...
Nice post Mako. If you don't mind me asking where do you get the glow hoochies with the dark green dots (top left corner of your tray) Do you have a make and number on those hoochies. They used to be one of my best producers, but they are no longer available up here. There are similar ones, but not the same up here (lighter green splotches). Any info would be greatly appreciated.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

ryanonthevedder
Your favorite Spoons
Replies
73
Views
7K
PEETZcanada
PEETZcanada
S
Haida gwaii trip
Replies
7
Views
1K
Flashman
F
H
What are they biting?
Replies
4
Views
2K
Fixit
Fixit
D
Fly reel recommendations
Replies
9
Views
1K
Macdeep
Macdeep
-Jim-
Chasing Pinks in Indian Arm - Guidance Please
Replies
40
Views
4K
-Jim-
-Jim-
Back
Top