Salmon behind prop wash ???

[Rover]

Good topic guys.

Rover/others, Do you just put a third line close to the prop wash when you are in tight/shallow ie. 60 feet or less, or if you are stacked 45/75/ 90/120 down 150 ish would you put one out then ... or do you find they hit the high line close in only when you are shallow?

If your fishing Haida gwaii I don't know why you would be fishing that deep. If your there your likely after the big one that you wouldn't have the same chance to get anywhere else. These larger fish generally run in tight and shallow so that's where I target them. I don't think I fish anywhere deeper then 80ft generally less than 50. My riggers are often set at 25/35. It's easier for a fish to see above them than below.

If you do fish deeper why not toss one out the back. That's one of the great parts of fishing... You just never know what's out there

A few years ago The biggest fish that came out of our lodge was caught by some unguided quack running a coho killer on a weighted rod on a downrigger, fishing 150ft in 280 ft of water targeting halibut. He snagged the fish in the stomach. You just never know

 

[anorthernhunter]

Rover: PM sent

 

[Brian Reiber]

Good topic guys.

Rover/others, Do you just put a third line close to the prop wash when you are in tight/shallow ie. 60 feet or less, or if you are stacked 45/75/ 90/120 down 150 ish would you put one out then ... or do you find they hit the high line close in only when you are shallow?

You can do it anywhere. I have done it 1 mile offshore. The only time I ever do it is when there are heavy coho concentrations. This thread is the first I have heard that springs will also hit it. I might have to try something new.

 

[Kisinana]

When we used to have a lot of coho in Georgia Strait
I have bucktailed less than 15 feet back in the prop wash and have fished a black hook, no bait, no flasher, no bead, just a black hook 20 feet back in the prop wash.
Does not work with a silver hook or a red hook.
Why the coho hang in the wash I have no idea but I sure do miss those days.

 

[NDT]

Last year in winter harbour, I decided to try the bucktails I usually use in Kootenay Lake. Got more action on the bucktail with a skull, then the two riggers. 4" Black/white with silver tinsel if my memory serves me right. Figured the skull brought the buck tail about 1-2 ft under the surface. 3 springs and 4 coho all within 50 ft behind the boat. (Not a lot of boats when I was there)
I will be trying this again this year in Pedder bay, stopping at gill and gift in belfour, bc, to restock my bucktail collect this weekend!

 

[Waterwolf2230]

I have fished in Campbell River for years growing up and now fish yearly
at North Island Lodge up at Langara Island Haida Gwaii.

I have watched and heard about fisherman laying their back line out "10 or 15 or 20 pulls" and
have never done it because I always though that being so close to the motor the exhaust smell
in the water would deter them. (recalling water skiing and smelling the exhaust smell in the water
thinking that the fish wouldn't stay around that smell).

Well reading on this forum and in particular watching a video just posted showing salmon grouping
just behind the boat in the prop wash got me thinking ... maybe I am missing something.

I always put my back line waayyy out back ... maybe I should rethink this.

Any thoughts on this ... especially around the motor smell in the water?

I believe that no matter how long we fish/hunt etc., there are always tid bits we can learn and I
am open to rethinking this "behind the boat" strategy when I go to Langara next month.

Thanks,

Northern

There are a number of the old fellas at Pacific Playgrounds that are bucktailing specialists. They have a collection of bucktails in various colours. They ALL use a clevis with a small spinner blade in front of the bucktail for added flash. I was able to squeeze a few from the last year at the end of the season, but don't have them with me to show you. They have good success though. If it's not in the bubbles you don't get as many strikes. I used the same philosophy last year with a 4" LiveTarget Blueback Herring swimbait and caught 5 or so with a couple of really nice fish (wild unfortunately). Super fun though, they come out of nowhere so you have to be watching...

 

[fishbadger]

+1 on the clevis and a little spinner blade in front of the bucktail. How far away the bottom is makes no difference when it comes to cohos as they migrate shallow on average.

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[Prairie Locked]

+1 on the clevis and a little spinner blade in front of the bucktail. How far away the bottom is makes no difference when it comes to cohos as they migrate shallow on average.

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Last year it was constant at 150-160' for me with coho, majority of them were hatch fish as well (Kitty Coleman). Other years not much different, they were typically deeper than they were shallow - that I found anyway.

 

[spoiler]

I have done a lot of bucktailing over the years and anytime I have a chance to dangle a fly off the back of boat I will! I usually rig up a 9' 9wt fly rod with a fighting butt and a large arbour fly reel loaded with 20lb mono. A bucktail with a thumbnail size spinner in front and no weight 15' behind the boat does the trick! A lot of times I will work the fly by skipping it over the wake only to have a big Coho do a "Jaws" style attack with the dorsal fin poking through the surface! Probably one of the most exciting ways to fish saltwater!

 

[trophywife]

i will run a third line in the wash usually offshore.. bare spoons and loose drags ftw!

 

[Derby]

love doing that...17 pulls no weight..small coyote spoons... hang on

 

[Rockfish]

Have seen an aggressive Coho come up right beside the boat and hammer the bright yellow tip of a 60 inch Scotty Release clip on the surface before we had even put the rod back out on that side.

 

[OnTick]

Had a croc come straight out of the water and take my water canteen from around my neck......oh, nah that was the chick from Crocodile Dundee. Sorry. Just saw that on TV last night

 

[tubber]

I enjoy a surface rod too, and there were some big cohos in Barkley last year. but I remember clearly when Ukee guide, Dan (RIP), asked some clients about the light rods they were about to pack onto his boat one morning.
When they said they thought they might have time to do some bucktailing, he said something to the effect of, "Take that **** back to your car; coho is a 4 letter word on my boat. We're looking for slabs and halibut!"
I suggest clients ask the guide ahead of time.

 

[JSX]

Ditto on those crazy little guys hitting the scotty clips when they are around. We've basically banked on these guys hitting in the prop wash when we are in Barkley sound. It's a lot of fun! We are dead in the wash with either a spoon or a salt fly. 3-6 pulls only. Great fun!

 

[anorthernhunter]

What do you think is the reason Coho (in particular) would "hang out" 15 feet from a loud chugging boat motor
when there is no bait around the wash? Curiosity? More oxygen/bubbles in the water? bubbles acting
as dropped scales from bait fish?

 

[Reeltime]

Cloudy dark over cast days @ the cap all along westvan , flasher and spoon 15' clipped on and the flasher just skimming the surface of the water you can
see it flash and you can see the release clip 5-10 down ,that's work so many times there ....few times standing up just watching my rods while trolling
id just gaze back at the rods and i started to see coho schools dart 1' under the surface and whiz by the boat so many times ....lol i thought i was seeing things
started keeping my eye's peeled more and sure enough saw them a lot more , so that's when i figured why not skim the surface with the flasher and spoon with speed ..
i know it's not prop wash but it's right on the surface beside the wash ...

 

[TomicTime]

i find the match the hatch saying to matter greatly with bucktails - might be because we tie our own based on the great Bruce Fergusen book Lambeth Herring pattern. the book was out of print for many years but now back in.

the Coho killer is misnamed it is an excellent King lure....just watch the tail as a slab will twist it and metal fatigue may cost you that next fish....

 

[Prairie Locked]

I enjoy a surface rod too, and there were some big cohos in Barkley last year. but I remember clearly when Ukee guide, Dan (RIP), asked some clients about the light rods they were about to pack onto his boat one morning.
When they said they thought they might have time to do some bucktailing, he said something to the effect of, "Take that **** back to your car; coho is a 4 letter word on my boat. We're looking for slabs and halibut!"
I suggest clients ask the guide ahead of time.

That's a pretty **** poor attitude from a guide IMHO. So, you're saying the paying clients expressed an interest in doing something (bucktailing for coho) and his response is to 'take their $h!t back to their car?' This is an appropriate and constructive attitude how? I think that's butt backwards, I'd more suggest that the guide ask the clients ahead of time or at the time of boarding what they want and what they expect.

 

[fishbadger]

i find the match the hatch saying to matter greatly with bucktails - might be because we tie our own based on the great Bruce Fergusen book Lambeth Herring pattern. the book was out of print for many years but now back in.

the Coho killer is misnamed it is an excellent King lure....just watch the tail as a slab will twist it and metal fatigue may cost you that next fish....

Bruce is from my neck of the woods. . . .good man, may he RIP. . .I helped take care of him at our hospital. Glad his good name is still spread around some!

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