Would you fish for Salmon with this lure?

[Sea Ranger]

I was given this lure and I think its for catching Pike or Muskies back east. Its Called a Rapala Magnum and says its for use in salt or fresh water. It's a rather large lure and about as big as a 7 inch plug. Do you think this lure would catch Spring Salmon or would I be wasting my time by trying?

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I always believe that its important to try new things so I'm going to give it a try.... Ya just never know..... thats the way I look at it. But I'd like to hear what you think..... thanks Steve.

 

[fishin_magician]

I betcha you'll catch Coho...when the pilchards are around..with that thing..I think anything is possible!

[)]

 

[Sushihunter]

quote:Originally posted by fishin_magician

I betcha you'll catch Coho...when the pilchards are around..with that thing..I think anything is possible!

[)]

I had the same thought.

Find some place where the Coho are feeding near the surface and drag that as a surface line in the propwash of the boat, about 30 to 50 feet back.



Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250

 

[Dogbreath]

I've put a smaller version out I think it was a CD5 Silver during a hot Coho bite and they wouldn't touch it, this was @ Milbanke when Coho were even hitting Copper Spinners dragged off the downrigger.

My track record with Rapala plugs on Salmon isn't good, a broken backed Balsa plug will work but those little trebles are a bitch to get out of a net.

These Rebel Fastracs as shown are much better for whatever reason, I take the trebles off and just add a thin Siwash on the rear.

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[Sushihunter]

This reminded me of a trip where we were hitting a lot of Coho off of Low Rock at the mouth of Esperanza Inlet a number of years ago.

We were doing quite well and had a box full of Coho and a few nice Chinook. We were getting close to a Coho limit but we couldn't seem to hook anything else in my prime Chinook spot. What to do?

I looked through my tacklebox and sitting on top was a big 7" Tomic plug, white with a pink stripe down the sides, kind of dirty from years of being packed around, but never used by myself. It came from my late father's tacklebox. I looked at it and thought, "that's way too big for these Coho."

I put it out on the port side. Can't remember what I had on the other side, but after a bit we trolled over the reef that comes up to about 12' or so of depth. The starboard rod pounded with yet another Coho.

I hit the retrieve button on the downriggers and got both of them to the surface. The fish was pretty close and ready to net, I looked over to the port side and there was the plug floating on the surface. All of a sudden, there was a big splash and the port rod started running for Japan.

I grabbed the rod and gave it a bit of a hookset, loosened the drag and handed to the guy standing beside me.

August 8/'04 - Andrew Warwick with this year's record (to date) 20-3/4 lb Coho, caught at Low Rock while out on a charter with his father and 2 brothers. Beat yesterday's record Coho by 4-1/4 pounds!



Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250

 

[Sea Ranger]

Thanks for the replies and maybe this lure would work for Coho but I was thinking about trying to catch Spring Salmon with it.... Nice long leader about 6 to 8 feet long trolled behind a flasher. Anyways... I'll be heading out on Sunday to give it a try. I do have one question for the winter spring fishers out there..... When do we stop fishing for winter springs near the bottom and start fishing off Beechy Head or the Trap Shack looking for springs in the 60 to 90 feet range? I'm not a winter fisher so I don't know these things....lol. Any help would be muchly appreciated..... Steve.

 

[Rum Buddies]

quote:Nice long leader about 6 to 8 feet long trolled behind a flasher.

I've used the magnum trolling for barracuda, you might have better luck trying that

Just remember that nose will make it dive a good 20' at least.

 

[Gunsmith]

If you put hooks on that can of bud lite you might catch something. I have used those big rapalas for lake trout and they do work.

 

[Last Chance]

I've only used 'em once for pike, I thought they would wiggle too fast at salt speeds, I don't know.

Last Chance Fishing Adventures

www.lastchancefishingadventures.com
www.swiftsurebank.com

 

[scott craven]

quote:Originally posted by fishinfool

Thanks for the replies and maybe this lure would work for Coho but I was thinking about trying to catch Spring Salmon with it.... Nice long leader about 6 to 8 feet long trolled behind a flasher. Anyways... I'll be heading out on Sunday to give it a try. I do have one question for the winter spring fishers out there..... When do we stop fishing for winter springs near the bottom and start fishing off Beechy Head or the Trap Shack looking for springs in the 60 to 90 feet range? I'm not a winter fisher so I don't know these things....lol. Any help would be muchly appreciated..... Steve.

I would suggest to keep your gear in the mud till end of March anyway...
then go fish Halibut for April/May
migratory Springs should start to show up in June, but after last year who knows ???

 

[Sea Ranger]

Sushihunter,
Many years ago, back in my commercial fishing days we use to run a 5 inch plug on a 20 to 30 foot leader off the boom at the back of the boat. This was called the whiskey plug. The thought was.... any fish caught on the whiskey plug was sold off for a bottle of whiskey. At times we could catch 3 to 4 fish a day or more using it but they were just added to the rest of the fish for selling at the end of the trip. Brings back memories..... thanks.

 

[Dogbreath]

That plug has almost no action at all under 3MPH and we run them up to 10 MPH for Tuna/Dorado, over that they tend to blow out of the water.

As mentioned the diving lip means they can't be used effectively with a flasher.

I can't see it working for Springs at all but would love to be proved wrong.[8D]

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[IronNoggin]

quote:Originally posted by fishinfool

... long leader about 6 to 8 feet long trolled behind a flasher.

Not a good idea. The sheer size of the lure coupled with the diving lip will provide so much resistance that the flasher will not rotate. Rather it will simply lay flat with a subtle side to side wobble, not desirable when attracting springs. If you need the flasher, set one up attached directly to the cannonball as a "false flasher", then run up the line about 4 - 6 feet and clip on the release to which the lure is attached. Make sure the lure is well back behind the flasher to prevent tangling, especially important with a lure specifically designed to dive.

As to the original question: Yes, I have used that specific lure and caught springs - off the troller. There were both mackeral and pilchards around then, and I assumed that is what the lure represented. Catch rate was not</u> brilliant, and therefore I never did try it when sportfishing.

That said, I have had some good success with other Rapalas on springs from time to time. Have a look in their stomachs, and should you have the right Rapala (one that approximates the size of the menu of the day) it is worth a try. Like to experiment a lot with terminals, and that can often pay off with great rewards.

Cheers,
Nog

 

[twinwinds]

Iron Noggin, Did you own your own troller? if so what was the name of it?

 

[Sea Ranger]

IronNoggin,
Good point. I never thought about it being too much drag on the flasher. Maybe I'll use a large Nookta flasher with a long leader, that might help. It won't be on my gear for long but just long enough to give it a try. Other then that I guess I'll be trying out some glow hootchies behind a glow flasher or maybe a Purple haze set up. I'm thinking that maybe some good old anchovies with a glow head and a either a red, green or gold flasher would be my best bet. I'm going to go this weekend, hopefully Sunday morning and give it a try.

 

[dohboy]

i tried casting one of the breakwater when i was younger and caught a big ling, kind of a shock at the time

 

[The Fish Assassin]

For winters, try tyee strip and a dodger[]

Take only what you need.

 

[fishspoon]

A 8" large tomic plug once worked for me and my father while fishing right off the Franklin Wall, Alberni Inlet long time ago that resulted a 25 pound spring salmon. Most days on our fishing trip with 8" plugs...no success.

 

[Governor]

Back east on Lake Ontario and Lake Huron they run similar plugs for chinook. Not so much the deep divers though, they will use those on planer boards in shallow water early spring for big Rainbows and Coho. Color of your Magnum Rap in the picture would indicate best for Coho but might be lucky to catch a spring out here?

Try running it naked (without a flasher) off the cannonball release clip but remember they dive about ten foot on a long leader so watch out for getting too close to the rock bottom on the Trap Shack or else where.

Or try stacking it up the rigger wire on a fairly short leader approx 20 feet above your lower lure and flasher set up at the cannonball.

From my experience, Magnum Raps like yours work OK at slower and medium speeds. Too slow and they don't wiggle right. Check the action and boat speed on the surface by the boat before you send it out fishing.

But if you want to horse around a bit, run it clean (just a SS barrel swivel up the line on a six foot leader) on its own designated rod with light line (8 - 10 lb test) about 200 feet off the back of the boat while you're downrigger fishing in the summer.

You will be pleasantly surprised at the amazing fight you get

I would recommend, as someone else, did to cut off the back treble and put a decent size siwash (hook tip facing up and sticky sharp)

Good luck and have fun!





God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling - Izaak Walton

 

[Sea Ranger]

I was out Saturday, tried the giant Rapala and you were right IronNoggin the lure was too heavy for a flasher.In fact it had almost as much drag as a flasher its self. Didn't have it out long but then again I never caught anything anyways....lol. The new boat works great, even though it wasn't very calm out there the boat made it a nice day anyways. Better luck next time...... Steve.