Winter Spring set up?

Ghostprof

Active Member
Anyone feel like helping this newbie with recommended leader length, lure, and depth to fish for winter springs? My 10-year old son has decided all of a sudden we should try. Thanks for any tips. We'll be on the flats, if it makes a difference.
 
Skip the flats and go to the waterfront, clover point to brotchie. 200feet,, green glow coyote or skinny g. 36 inch leader...
 
Fishing down to 200’ might be a tad challenging for a newbie...but @tinboatrobb is right that they are generally, though not always, right on bottom this time of year. I took my boys out and we had a handful of nice fish on in 80-100’ of water in a couple hours. My 6 and 8 year olds much prefer playing a fish from 80’ down vs 200’! The flats should be holding fish also.
 
I use a plastic snubber to connect the ball to the DR cable snap & connect the release clip up there as well. This way you can let the ball drag bottom without fouling your lures - the ball should not drag bottom all the time; just every once-in-a-while. You SHOULD be able to catch fish with just a spoon; no Flasher. Using a Flasher, I really like a Golden Bait NG 142 hoochie on a 44 inch leader of a least 50# test with a 4/0 swish hook crimped onto a barrel swivel. If you want to still-fish, troll til you get fish, mark the location on a GPS, then still-fish that area. When just trolling I always mark where I get fish, then troll back to that location.
 
Skinny g "outfitter" long leader length
Chartreuse and glow flasher
Herring scent stuff
Depth depends on area but deep like 175/200

Bounce your ball off the bottom then bring it up 10ft
 
Thanks everyone. We fished the waterfront for a couple of hours today, near the bottom, but maybe not near enough. We came up empty. The current was moving too fast for me to get down deep enough consistently when we were going against it. We also dropped a cannon ball when the downrigger crimp thing on the steel cable slipped or something. We were in the 200' depth much of the time, but noticed people in much closer to shore and shallower too. We may try the flats next week, but I'm hearing that the bottom is the area and we just have to stay with it. We ran a dummy flasher on the cannonball and then sandlance spoons on the line. Maybe we just need heavier cannonballs...
 
What boat were you in? We have a black 14ft lund with a merc 20hp. Out net stands up at the back of the boat. 2 of us in boat.
 
What boat were you in? We have a black 14ft lund with a merc 20hp. Out net stands up at the back of the boat. 2 of us in boat.
We've got a 14' Lifetimer skiff that's been customized to close in the bow with a windscreen and steering wheel. We had two lines down on downriggers and a net upright by the steering wheel.
 
Where would this area be? Thinking of packing up the boat and heading out..
All along the Victoria waterfront from Clover Point to Ogden Point/Breakwater. There is a ledge that runs along there called Brotchie Ledge basically in front of Beacon Hill Park/Dallas rd. You will sometimes hear people talk about the flagpole that's the flagpole at Beacon Hill Park.
 
Thanks everyone. We fished the waterfront for a couple of hours today, near the bottom, but maybe not near enough. We came up empty. The current was moving too fast for me to get down deep enough consistently when we were going against it. We also dropped a cannon ball when the downrigger crimp thing on the steel cable slipped or something. We were in the 200' depth much of the time, but noticed people in much closer to shore and shallower too. We may try the flats next week, but I'm hearing that the bottom is the area and we just have to stay with it. We ran a dummy flasher on the cannonball and then sandlance spoons on the line. Maybe we just need heavier cannonballs...

I like the 90 -120 foot contours for winter springs myself, I also fish from a 14 foot tin boat, the shallower depths are easier to manage in a smaller boat, and there are plenty of fish there too. Glow flashers with glow spoons or hootchies are my favourites. Everything glow. Coho killers, AP sandlance, Gibbs Skinny g, these all work. I like them on about a 36-40 inch leader, heavy mono. I use 50 pound.

when fishing around the Vic waterfront I let my riggers out until the cannon ball touches bottom, pull it up about 5 - 10 feet and start trolling. Follow that contour on your chart plotter. Every once in a while your gear may touch bottom, or you get too far off the bottom... always keep adjusting the gear ensuring you’re close to the bottom.
 
I like the 90 -120 foot contours for winter springs myself, I also fish from a 14 foot tin boat, the shallower depths are easier to manage in a smaller boat, and there are plenty of fish there too. Glow flashers with glow spoons or hootchies are my favourites. Everything glow. Coho killers, AP sandlance, Gibbs Skinny g, these all work. I like them on about a 36-40 inch leader, heavy mono. I use 50 pound.

when fishing around the Vic waterfront I let my riggers out until the cannon ball touches bottom, pull it up about 5 - 10 feet and start trolling. Follow that contour on your chart plotter. Every once in a while your gear may touch bottom, or you get too far off the bottom... always keep adjusting the gear ensuring you’re close to the bottom.

Thanks! This is very helpful. I think we were not deep enough down, for sure. And we only have 12lb cannonballs, so that was a problem for keeping things down when we were going against the current.
 
Thanks! This is very helpful. I think we were not deep enough down, for sure. And we only have 12lb cannonballs, so that was a problem for keeping things down when we were going against the current.
With or against current shouldn't change your line angle/depth. Throttle will change, SOG will change, the action on your gear should not. 60 degrees off vertical and a 30% increase in rigger cable to achieve the depth isn't uncommon when running deep. But yes you're right 12lb is way too small either way.
 
With or against current shouldn't change your line angle/depth. Throttle will change, SOG will change, the action on your gear should not. 60 degrees off vertical and a 30% increase in rigger cable to achieve the depth isn't uncommon when running deep. But yes you're right 12lb is way too small either way.
Cool, thanks. We were trying to keep the angle closer to 30-45 degrees, which may be why we were struggling (i.e., that is definitely why we were struggling). What size cannonball would you recommend? Can I double up the 12 pounders?
 
Cool, thanks. We were trying to keep the angle closer to 30-45 degrees, which may be why we were struggling (i.e., that is definitely why we were struggling). What size cannonball would you recommend? Can I double up the 12 pounders?
No that'll cause more drag and blowback. I find 18's to be the sweet spot of not going to rip your shoulder out but still keeping the gear down. If you can only run 15s then just don't stack or try running a flasher with less drag, the ones that just spin and don't flail around.
 
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