Bought a new boat, how should I deck it out?

[callelk]

DeltaDude, nice job on de-virginizing the boat. Everything will be a learning experience for a while. Get in the routine of checking your gear regularly as even if it isn't a fish, you can be dragging a small piece of algae or debris. If I'm not catching fish, I'm either switching out tackle or checking corn about every 15 - 20 minutes.

I have changed my clips of late because the "spring time kok's" can't trip my bigger fish set ups. I have been using the dobro and offshore yellow with the spring all the way to the rear.

 

[DeltaDude]

They are spread out this time of year so I have been picking up singles, doubles and some small groups of 5-6.

If you want to catch trout fish the top 10 foot of water and try the narrows towards AR.

Yeah, so I guess it isn't my fish finder being wonky. I have seen at most maybe 2-3.

Are trout up in the top 10 feet? I have been told go deep as you can for them. Any specific type of setup you use?

Lures? Colors? Corn? No Corn?

 

[callelk]

"Are trout up in the top 10 feet? I have been told go deep as you can for them. Any specific type of setup you use? Lures? Colors? Corn? No Corn?"

When I pulled-out Sunday a boat that was ahead of me said he kept 1 downrigger at 10' and the other at 15' and they caught a few small kok's and a number of trout. I was at 21' and 25' and picked up 3 Kok's that were 17" plus and then a half dozen 10-12" latter in the morning and released all but 2 of the smaller fish that were hooked too severely to live as I want them to be next years fish. I don't target trout except at cascade where they are considerably larger so what I am giving you is second hand. However, he did say that they were running silver dodgers and pink squid so I assume they were using standard Kok fare with corn..

 

[DeltaDude]

"Are trout up in the top 10 feet? I have been told go deep as you can for them. Any specific type of setup you use? Lures? Colors? Corn? No Corn?"

When I pulled-out Sunday a boat that was ahead of me said he kept 1 downrigger at 10' and the other at 15' and they caught a few small kok's and a number of trout. I was at 21' and 25' and picked up 3 Kok's that were 17" plus and then a half dozen 10-12" latter in the morning and released all but 2 of the smaller fish that were hooked too severely to live as I want them to be next years fish. I don't target trout except at cascade where they are considerably larger so what I am giving you is second hand. However, he did say that they were running silver dodgers and pink squid so I assume they were using standard Kok fare with corn..

Damn all I caught was 1 koke on sunday I was at 15ft. But I only have 1 downrigger and rod atm.

 

[mrmike]

Know that you got your boat agoing. Your going to have to pick up a few books and learn about your quarry. You can stack the one down rigger for two poles seams the fish are scattered, you need to fine the thermocline level. That were your kokes are (oxygen).they like 48/54 degree water departure that were the biters are good luck

 

[DeltaDude]

Know that you got your boat agoing. Your going to have to pick up a few books and learn about your quarry. You can stack the one down rigger for two poles seams the fish are scattered, you need to fine the thermocline level. That were your kokes are (oxygen).they like 48/54 degree water departure that were the biters are good luck

So what about winter / fall months when the water might be cooler than that?

 

[mrmike]

Later in the year (fall) the Kokanee will start to change for spawning when they will migrate up into streams/creeks/and also in the lake to reproduce there species they will turn red. That why I advise you can locate a few books about kokanee with will explain there life cycle. When that happens are lake close for the harvest of kokanee. Giving you a quick example kokanee being a plankton eater and plankton being sensitive to sun light is why, The first thing in the early part of the day,before the sun get on the water the fish are targeted on/in the first 10 ft or so before they follow the plankton down to the thermocline level. On over cast days things change got it. Most experience fisherman already know this. Good luck

 

[callelk]

Damn all I caught was 1 koke on sunday I was at 15ft. But I only have 1 downrigger and rod atm.

If you have a second rod of any type, preferably heavier, you can add a sliding sinker-swivel and a couple of beads before the swivel. Add a bungee and 4-5' of 14-16# leader and then your dodger/flasher ahead of your spinner/hoochie. Don't forget to have the leader ahead of the dodger/flashers because if not, it will dampen (read kill) the action of your attractor.

In time you will have plenty of dedicated rods but I fish by myself most of the time during the week and have a minimum of 2 downrigger rods, 1 lead core and 2 long-line/diver/weight rods ready to go. I don't always take my leadcore rod but that is probably a mistake.

Figure out where 100' of line is and add a bobber stop at the reel so you always have a starting point. Early morning go with 1/4 - 1/2 oz and add more weight as needed but do not vary the line you let out. Keep a diary of the water temp, depth, lures, weight, etc. once you find a set-up that works with your DR use the same on your weighted line and adjust the weights until you hit the sweet spot.

You can try playing with your sonar's sensitivity until you find the thermocline but if you spotting most of the fish at 21' in 100' of water, bingo!

It's not like we have a lot of other things to do while putting around at 1.2-1.7 MPH......

 

[DeltaDude]

If you have a second rod of any type, preferably heavier, you can add a sliding sinker-swivel and a couple of beads before the swivel. Add a bungee and 4-5' of 14-16# leader and then your dodger/flasher ahead of your spinner/hoochie. Don't forget to have the leader ahead of the dodger/flashers because if not, it will dampen (read kill) the action of your attractor.

In time you will have plenty of dedicated rods but I fish by myself most of the time during the week and have a minimum of 2 downrigger rods, 1 lead core and 2 long-line/diver/weight rods ready to go. I don't always take my leadcore rod but that is probably a mistake.

Figure out where 100' of line is and add a bobber stop at the reel so you always have a starting point. Early morning go with 1/4 - 1/2 oz and add more weight as needed but do not vary the line you let out. Keep a diary of the water temp, depth, lures, weight, etc. once you find a set-up that works with your DR use the same on your weighted line and adjust the weights until you hit the sweet spot.

You can try playing with your sonar's sensitivity until you find the thermocline but if you spotting most of the fish at 21' in 100' of water, bingo!

It's not like we have a lot of other things to do while putting around at 1.2-1.7 MPH......

Is it normal to only pick up a single fish every minute or two with your fish finder? My sensitivity is 7/10 on the fish finder.

Even after hooking a fish, they were never really on the fish finder, I understand the line is behind the boat, but trolling in a straight line I dont see a fish before I hook one.

 

[SuperD]

I would say that a majority of the fish I catch are fish that aren't necessarily at my depth on the sonar or on my sonar at all. There are days that picking up a fish or 2 every couple of minutes is a great ratio. Just wait until you spend a day when the graph looks like a blank screen.

 

[callelk]

Is it normal to only pick up a single fish every minute or two with your fish finder?

Even after hooking a fish, they were never really on the fish finder, I understand the line is behind the boat, but trolling in a straight line I dont see a fish before I hook one.

Google cone angles. I run 83KHZ in deep lakes and have a number of years staring at fish on sonar so with such a wide cone angle I can tell which side of the boat that they "were" on.

Couple of things

What you see on sonar is history.....
The fish you see are at a distance from the transducer....not nessessaraly depth. That is to say, the wider the cone angle the less chance the fish are at the water depth you think they are..unless they are directly under the transducer....and your transducer is parallel to the world...and...and...
Fish meander, you may go in a straight line but they go what ever direction they darn well please (in a lake, they they tend to follow shorelines to a point) and may approach your attractors from a 90 deg angle.

 

[DeltaDude]

Yeah, thats true, I run at 2 frequencies

200/83 kHz

It is dualbeam doesn't give me specifics just says

DualBeam PLUS uses wide and narrow sonar cones to provide great detail and wide coverage

However I did just stick with the helix 5 since the boat shop had it in stock and would install all of it for free.

Plus, B.reak O.ut A.nother T.housand is no joke lol. I am on my last $20 for now

Getting a new trolling motor next paycheck still though.
http://www.minnkotamotors.com/Products/TERROVA-55-LB-54-INCH-SHAFT-US2--i-PILOT/

Debating on getting a second downrigger.

 

[callelk]

At LP I see not reason to run 200KHZ or 455/800 DSI. Cascade however is a different story.

Early in the season at LP we were fishing really shallow and what I seen on sonar would result in a hit 9 out of 10 times. Now, later in the season, I am seeing a lot of fish but no where near the bites.

 

[DeltaDude]

When does the season truly begin for kokanee?

What do you fish for in the off season?

 

[sawtooth]

You can fish for kokanee year around, but most people wait until next years spawners are around 12-14 inches in the early spring months. Then fish for them through the summer. You will start to notice in the next couple weeks (if not already) that the fish will start to change color and their scales/skin will change as they get ready to spawn. Once the fish has hook jaw, red sides with green head and tail (spawn ready) you will notice the quality of the meat is not very good. At that time most fishermen will take a break until the following spring. There are a few that continue to fish for next years spawners, but as you may have noticed that class of fish is in the 8-10" range now and there is not much meat on them. The fish you said you drug around Lucky Peak a few weeks ago would fall into this class of fish.
The fall months for me are filled with trips to the coast for the kokes big brothers in the salt, and deer, elk, and upland bird hunting. Winter months, building rods, making spinners and other tackle and snow skiing. Always something to do in the great Northwest.thumbsup

 

[DeltaDude]

Yeah, I wish I could increase my hookup on trout.

You fish from the bank so often, its hard to imagine there are not that many fish below you when you're in a boat

 

[berryessakoke]

Watch for your downrigger weight/s on your depth sounder as it descends, if/when it NO longer appears on your depth sounder, gives the viewer a relative indication of the depth sounder's cone range from the boat at the depth with which the weight disappears...Mark

 

[DeltaDude]

Alright so... what happens if I don't see it period?

Might be because my downrigger is on the opposite side of my transducer.

Both are in the back, but the downrigger is on the back left side, and the transducer is on the transom on the right side.

 

[callelk]

Have to agree with sawtooth, it starts for me in late April and will end in the next couple of weeks. My job consumes my fall and I am getting to old to chase Elk anymore so what free time I have I chase upland birds with my 1923 Smith double or try to break a state record at Cascade. I do believe there are still records in that body of water and I have had too many 8-10# leaders broken by heavy fish to think differently.

Winter is reloading/rod/lure making and spending as much time working in SoCal/Phoenix/Hawaii as I can.

 

[berryessakoke]

Alright so... what happens if I don't see it period?

Might be because my downrigger is on the opposite side of my transducer.

Both are in the back, but the downrigger is on the back left side, and the transducer is on the transom on the right side.

Not to be "Harsh"...Do you actually think that the diameter of range that your transducer covers is LESS than the few feet from your transducer mounting point to your downrigger weight?!

READ your depth sounder manual!...It will tell you the diameter of coverage at various depths dependent upon the setting.

Here is chart as a reference point...Mark


Sonar Beam Coverage Area

Below is a quick reference chart for the area covered by the specific cone angle listed. For example, if you are fishing in 10 feet of water and the cone angle on your transducer is 20 degrees, the area across the bottom is 3.5 feet.
20 degrees - 0.35 or roughly 1/3 of depth
24 degrees - 0.42 or roughly 2/5 of depth
30 degrees - 0.53 or roughly 1/2 of depth
40 degrees - 0.72 or roughly 3/4 of depth
50 degrees - 0.93 or roughly 9/10 of depth
60 degrees - 1.15 x depth
70 degrees - 1.4 x depth
73 degrees - 1.48 x depth
80 degrees - 1.68 x depth
90 degrees - 2 x depth
100 degrees - 2.38 x depth
110 degrees - 2.85 x depth