Hoochie leader Lengths

[el.Pereh]

I'm mostly a bait and spoon guy but have been trying out hoochies this year more with some nice success. Still having a hard time soaking them more. This site is deep with colour suggestions and some have posted their leader length go tos

My best success has been on the chartreuse splatter back and the chartreuse with the glow double skirt. Leader length was 32"from the nose of the squid to the bottom of the swivel. 40 lb mono. South side of Bowen, hump, and hole in the wall have been where I've had luck with these.

How do you measure your leader lengths? Do you change then up for different fisheries/time of year?

 

[ILHG]

I can't catch a cold on a hoochie.... I don't know why, I have tried lots of things.

Maybe it's my dislike of rubber.

 

[barkerfam]

I like fishing them with a dummy flasher. Scotty makes a squid devil which is a mini-flasher for the front of the hoochie. Fun, fun, fun!

 

[el.Pereh]

I guess my real question is if there is a general rule used for measure your leader lengths?

 

[michael_reiber]

I usually measure 42" from the back of the flasher to the back of the hootiche

 

[wishiniwasfishin1]

I prefer shorter leaders on hoochies - 30" or so for Chinook

 

[Discus]

Devil Butterfly squid works better

 

[barkerfam]

Butrefly squid works better

View attachment 33732

Butrefly squid works better

View attachment 33732

YES! THat's what I was trying to describe. Thanks for the picture Discus.

 

[fishin_magician]

Set your leader length up to your boat's troll speed.

Most sport trollers trolling at 2.3 mph do well with a 32-36" 40 lb test leader.

 

[Tangled]

Meaure your leader by the number of wraps of a standard 11 inch flasher. I like 3 and 3/4 to 4 wraps. I find this the easiest way to stay consistent.

 

[casper5280]

Meaure your leader by the number of wraps of a standard 11 inch flasher. I like 3 and 3/4 to 4 wraps. I find this the easiest way to stay consistent.

X2 thats the way I have always measured mine and 50+ lb leader

 

[high tide]

Meaure your leader by the number of wraps of a standard 11 inch flasher. I like 3 and 3/4 to 4 wraps. I find this the easiest way to stay consistent.

Narrow front end or wide back end...... Lol

I love hootchies for springs too and they are a big part of my play every day out off Van, thrasher, Porlier ...... Any local waters and also west coast when we're there. Leaders from 18 inch to 42 inches ....... Most regular set up off Fraser and Hump etc for me, a Med green and glo white 4-5 inch, med green and plain white ....... 30 to 36 inch leaders behind hot spot style green flashers. My biggest locally off the Fraser mouth, a 42 # on a Green /white hootchie.

 

[Seafever]

38 inches from back edge of flasher (edge behind hole)) to nose of hoochy. (This includes all hardware....) 40lb test. Average 1.85 mph to 2.5 mph.

Don't have a favorite hoochy. Different hoochies work at different times.

There is leader length and also "overall" length.
Standard commercial is 42 inches "overall" length.

This is overall length from back edge of flasher to back end of hoochy.
So if you factor in about 4 inches for hoochy, leaves you with 38 inches of leader and hardware to end of flasher.
Of this, about an inch or less is hardware.
So my actual leader length is about 37 1/2".

I measure 38" from back of flasher to nose of hoochy and then tie whatever it takes to achieve that.

 

[paguy]

36" from top of leader to top of hootchie, 45 degree downrigger cable

 

[Brian Reiber]

White glow hootchie is my go to lure. I start there and then move on into different colours, spoons etc. 42" bottom of flasher to the bottom of the last hook (if fishing a trailing hook). We have played around with 36" leaders this winter and have had good success. I was always taught that springs can be gear shy and hence slower acting flashers, slower speeds, and longer leaders. This winter proved that theory wrong for (thank you SFBC forum for teaching me this). I am not sure if the shorter leaders apply only to the winter feeders or not but I am retying all my hootchies to 42" leaders for my trip to Ukee next week.

cheers,
Brian

 

[paguy]

42" leader for spoons measured from top of leader to top of spoon, 36" leader measured same way for hootchies has been standard procedure for summer and winter over here in Washington.

 

[ericl]

It's a complex equation: trolling speed+leader stiffness+leader length+ hook weight+Salmon preference of the day = success.

I don't fish flashers anymore but used to use both 8" & 11". leader length = 4x the blade length. I liked a stiff (fluorocarbon) 50# leader. I go fast enough to fish plugs (3mph+). I used a single Siwash 5/0

 

[fishin_magician]

White glow hootchie is my go to lure. I start there and then move on into different colours, spoons etc. 42" bottom of flasher to the bottom of the last hook (if fishing a trailing hook). We have played around with 36" leaders this winter and have had good success. I was always taught that springs can be gear shy and hence slower acting flashers, slower speeds, and longer leaders. This winter proved that theory wrong for (thank you SFBC forum for teaching me this). I am not sure if the shorter leaders apply only to the winter feeders or not but I am retying all my hootchies to 42" leaders for my trip to Ukee next week.

cheers,
Brian

Troll briskly. Check action to ensure it's giving you the right action.

 

[Tips Up]

I go from tip of my nose to tip of finger on an outstretched arm. So 35" I guess. Never did the math till now. LOL.
Always worked for me.

Tips

 

[cj6530]

I general target deep water Chinook out of Westport WA. Overall length 37 inches from the top of the leader to the end of the hook. Troll speed at least 2.5 using using a size 5 or 6 single hook.