First trip to gorge with downriggers

[jacksonman]

I made a goal to myself that as soon as I was done with school, and could afford it, I would buy a boat that could handle the gorge and deck it out. I graduated April 2009 and bought a 2005 16' Tracker with a 50 hp Mercury. This past week I bought two Canon downriggers and 2.5 hp Merc kicker. I have the RMT gear that I used to catch kokes with 2 years ago at the gorge from a rental.

I am making my maiden trip to the gorge with this boat next Friday to Sunday.

So I have a few questions.

1. How do you run two lines from one downrigger? I would like to run a cheater line either 5 feet above the main line or even half way up. How do you do it?

2. What are the best rod and reel combos for trolling with kokes? I am looking to buy a new trolling koke rod and reel setup.

3. What is your lure setup? Right now, I plan on running 10 lb test on my spinning rod setups and light braided line on a conventional setup, attached to a dodger or two, and then 6-12"s of 6-8lb test and then a RMT squid or spoon. Do most of you uses mono or braided for your main line? Any ideas that you can give me would be great as I am about to drop another $300 in gear.

Thanks. Keep the posts coming!

 

[Rafting4fun]

Gear

First off, congratulations on school and buying a nice boat that will surely get the job done. Way kewl!!!
For the second line on the D/R I use a stacker system. They are common and I have attached a picture that should demonstrate how it is used. You can stack lines to cover different depths you are interested in. The key for me is to always be moving when I'm running dual stacks.

You have opened a can of corn when it comes to rods/reels. I use what ever fits the ticket. It can be as capricious as the bite and you will most likely get a lot of input on this. I like using my ultra light gear up to medium weight rods. I use both spinning/level winds and again it just depends on my mood. I think sometimes my ultra light gear will hold a kokanee longer because of the flexibility of the rod. Again, I will leave this one to some other advice. I'm a Shimano guy and I love a good rod with sensitivity so I can feel what the fish is doing.

Gear is important but there seems to be consistent producers out there. To me it's like the foundation of kokanee fishing. I pull pop gear which seems to always work. I also love to use a dodger and hoochie. I like to put fish in my boat, however; when I'm close to my limit I select lures that drag less so I can be directly on the fish (less drag) to enjoy the fight. Sometimes I'm out with the largest cans in my box and other times I use the flexible apex blades, again to feel the fish more.
There is a lot of knowledge out here in these forums and a lot of good guys with tons more experience than I. Read a lot but you will soon learn there are themes that will resonate with you. I wish you the best of luck and tight lines. Peace, John

 

[Ryno]

I was in the same boat about 5 years back, trying to gain all the knowledge I could, so I could dial the kokes in. This is a good site for that!

1. How do you run two lines from one downrigger? How do you do it? I use Shasta Shuttle Hawks and love them. The shuttle holds the top line and slides (planes) down the cable to a pre-set stopper (usually 5-10 ft above the cannonball). When the fish hits, you pop the release, and the shuttle rides back to the surface on the cable. The only thing I didn't like about them, is the releases, which I replaced with Off Shores.

2. What are the best rod and reel combos for trolling with kokes? Use some lighter action downrigger rods. Kokes have soft mouths, especially earlier in the year, and it helps to have some spring in your rod when you're fighting them. If you're like me and just want some good all purpose rigs for trolling (stripers, wipers, walleye, kokes, lakers) then you might like the Cabela's DepthMaster rods in medium action. I also like line counter reels, so I easily know where everything is by depth and distance from the boat. I use Diawa Sealine 27s.

3. What is your lure setup? I run 10lb monofilament on my trolling rods, mostly because that's what the Precision Trolling manual is based off for pulling crankbaits, snapweights, etc. I use a 3-4ft flourocarbon leader in 10lb at the terminal end and whatever dodger, spoon, squid, ring, combo you desire. My best all-around combo this year has been a hyperplaid Signature dodger followed by a hyperglow pink squid or radical red Radical Glow Tube.

Good luck and have fun! Ryno

 

[jacksonlaker]

Hey Jared, Congrats on finishing school and getting a boat. I'm glad you are doing well. On some of your questions...I would not stack rods, especially your first time out. You really need to pay attention driving or you will spend more time time on tangles than fishing. Lures only work if you can keep 'em in the water.!! If the fishing is on, 2 rods will be more than enough, or I run a lead core line out the side. I know fighting Kokes on lead core is not that much fun, but it is another lure in the zone and it is so far back that it rarely tangles. As far a set-ups...I have 2 of Vances tackle spiral wrap rods ( around $80.00) and I love them for downrigging. They make the mini-macs here on Jackson Lake seem like real fighters !! What I dont like about them or most of the Kokanee rods is that they are too soft for flatlining or planer board fishing. You will be doing this in the spring on the Gorge for Kokes a rainbows...trust me !! I have not found a rod I like for this type of fishing..yet. I have some ambaseuders, I know they are not Ticas, but they are fairly smooth. I dont fish braided line, some guys do, it's up to you, just make sure you use a mono leader. Sometimes the real light braid is too thin or slippery for your downrigger clips. You load the rod and your line pops out !! If you look thru the past few weeks posts, you can see what lures have been working. If you want to invest some money into gear I would get the best fishfinder you can...with GPS. I dont know how to fish without it any more !! Well good luck and let us know how you did.....Tom JL

 

[jacksonman]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I will probably start with the rods that I currently have and then buy some next year depending on how my current gear performs this year. I did order a ton of RMT gear and am not done yet.

Captain Tom - good to hear from you. I will probably not stack the lines the first day but I may try it on one downrigger the second day. We may be coming up to Jackson to fish Jackson Lake, Lewis Lake and Yellowstone Lake the end of September. You are welcome to join for any of those trips.

Ill post a report once we get back from our trip this weekend. Thanks again.

 

[Bduck]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I will probably start with the rods that I currently have and then buy some next year depending on how my current gear performs this year. I did order a ton of RMT gear and am not done yet.

Captain Tom - good to hear from you. I will probably not stack the lines the first day but I may try it on one downrigger the second day. We may be coming up to Jackson to fish Jackson Lake, Lewis Lake and Yellowstone Lake the end of September. You are welcome to join for any of those trips.

Ill post a report once we get back from our trip this weekend. Thanks again.

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