dodger or no dodger?

[fishman1]

I'm new to the board and want to target kokanee more seriously. My question is do you guys ever get into a bite on spoons, apex, hard baits without a dodger? I'm sure anything is possible on that special day but is it most common to run these hard baits with a dodger? Thanks.worthy12

 

[sawtooth]

Jigging a small spoon or other jig is a popular technique in many lakes. I have also caught kokes while trolling small spinners, spoons, and other baits that create their own action, without a dodger. But kokes seem to prefer a lot of flash and movement which means that a dodger usually performs better than trolling without one.

 

[dragonfly]

I always use dodgers mainly for the flash and noise they produce to get the fish interested further away, but if you drove thru the schools then a dodger will not be that important. dfly

 

[SuperDaveMT]

Also, if you are fishing relatively deep, you can run your dodger or flashers off the downrigger ball and use a short set back (say 5 - 10 feet) with no dodger or attractor on the line itself. I was getting limits fishing only 12 - 15 feet down and about 10feet back behing my flashers early in the year, but the lake I fish isn't super clear water.

 

[kok-head]

I'm new to the board and want to target kokanee more seriously. My question is do you guys ever get into a bite on spoons, apex, hard baits without a dodger? I'm sure anything is possible on that special day but is it most common to run these hard baits with a dodger? Thanks.worthy12

from what i hear most folks will run dodgers with the lures you describe, i always run dodgers and i use soft lures about 70% of the time and then spoons and spinners the rest of the time

 

[bob r]

When fishing American Lake I've used spoons on a rod flat-lining a long line set between downriggers that are set closer to boat, up until mid-May the spoon produced about as many fish as the dodger and hoochie.. In Summit last year I caught more kokes with the spoon stacked above dodger and hoochie, lower rod (dodger with hootchie) caught more trout, the spoon caught more kokes whether stacked or lower set-up. Go figure. Did NOT work that way in Merwin though. They do like that dodger/hoochie combo. Bob R