Magic Tail Lengths

[SIR]

Okay...knowing this will start a religeous dabate... who uses what tail lengths, with what lures at what time of year going after what species. Only those who actually CATCH fish need reply

99% of the fish caught in my area are Springs. I use a 24 inch tail with my hootchies (glow tiger prawn and glow army truck) and a 36 inch tail with my coyote spoons (wonderbread and black/white with the extra little silver willow leaf spinner). I have not seemed to notice the need to play around from winter to summer with tail lengths but would admitt that I think I catch more smaller/mid sized fish and not as many lunkers. In our area fishing tends to be an "extra" activity on top of kayaking, hiking, biking, snorkelling so most of our folks have never caught a salmon before so "more" is better than "bigger"

Whoes had success with what??? And is willing to share

 

[RobTufnail]

The only salmon I target all season round in my area are springs and I fish long liters for coyotes and do quite well, 60 inches kind of thing, troll faster then most with the long liters, then spoon isnt even affected by the flasher and has a great flutter action to it. Sorry as I dont often fish hootchies in my local water, and I usually catch a variety of sizes of fish.

where are you going to be fishing?

 

[SIR]

I fish the Lund/Desolation Sound area. My challenge is that I fish deep 180-210 year round and I can't get my speed up too high and keep my cannonballs on bottom so that might be why shorter tails work for me...

I mostly catch fish in the 8-20lb range and it has been suggested to me by the "old-timers" in the area that my shorter tail lengths are causing my smaller fish. The "masters" in the area are fishing with ex-commercial gear and 35lb cannon balls so they can fish deep and fast.

Thinking of trying to rig up some hydraulic motors with air-compressor quick diconnects so I can convert a couple of 48" Scotty boom arms to hydraulics and fish heavier wieghts....

 

[RobTufnail]

oh okay then shorter liters would work better for you, i dont usually get the cable wet more then 160ft. I fish around nanaimo most the year but plan more trips to better fishing this year

all the advice i can give ya is that scotty electric downrigger motors are not designed for anything over a 20 lbs cannon ball, it may resault in the motor to break down, or just constant blown fuses.

 

[Rum Buddies]

pretty much strictly anchovy, some times spoons and hoochies. For mature springs i'd say you using a pretty short leader and thats probably why you're catching feeders and not migratory fish.

When I do fish hootchies i'm never go as short as 24 inches for springs, lengthen your leaders IMO.

 

[doubletake]

I go with a 36" leader for hootchies for everything except sockeye. For me thats the magic number.

 

[Tips Up]

Hootchies - hold line to the tip of my nose and extend 1 arm out.
Anchovies - winter just less than a full wing span. Summer bit more than a full wing span.
Spoons - full wing span.

My rules of thumb. I have never measured these guide lines.

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