Achieving Depth-For Salmon

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I'm heading to the Great Lakes soon for a salmon fishing trip with Doug Grann of Wildlife Forever, a conservation group doing great things stopping the spread of harmful invasive species. All reports coming from our destination (Sheboygan, Wisconsin) are solid. There are good number of kings coming off both flies and spoons, I'm told.  

Salmon anglers speak their own language. A typical conversation sounds something like this: "They're down 50 in 90, coming on flashers and flies off riggers....spoons and Dipseys are good, too."  

For the most part, salmon fishing in the Great Lakes is a trolling game. We did tape a segment last August with Capt. Eric Haataja near Milwaukee using jigs, four-inch Gulp! Minnows and spinning rods (segment is available on fishingclub.com).  Bigger boats are the norm not only because all the Great Lakes can kick up with a wind, but also because larger boats make it easier to fish multiple rods. I've heard some of the charters there are now called Unicorns as they sport a large boom of the bow to accommodate larger planers off which they can fish upwards of 10 or more rods per side of the boat!  

Me, I enjoy fishing off boats large and small.  My Ranger 621 is small by Great Lakes standards. I don't have it rigged with downriggers. It does sport multiple rod holders from which I'll run a total of six rods. Off each side, I'll put a planer board out, using a weight from 4-12 ounces to get the bait down to the desired depth.  

Inside each board rod I'll be running a Dipsey Diver set to take the bait down and out from the boat. A size  0 Dipsey, using 20 pound line and trolling at 2.5 MPH, will take a bait down 35 feet if you let out 145 feet of line.  

Finally, I am going to run two additional rods off the transom, using 12 ounces to get them down with minimal line out to reduce tangles. I may go with a single rod and leadcore if the fish are near the surface and spooky.  

The keys to salmon fishing is paying attention to details. Knowing speed and let-back is often as important as picking the right lure. Line Counter reels like an Abu Garcia 6500LC make it easy to replicate the what just produced your last fish!    

Salmon can be notoriously picky eaters. A green spoon with a silver stripe might be killing them, so you dig in your box and find a green spoon with a gold stripe and an hour later you are still waiting for your first bite on it.   

Steve