Northwest Fishing Reports

Need some assist,

I am going to KTN AK for 10 days this August and only a couple charter days the other days I have rented a 17 foot alum with downriggers. I am new to the use of downriggers and hardware setup(I am mostly a river guy). I have 2 med 8-6 poles running 15 lb main with level winds. We are targeting mostly Silvers at this time of year but if a king would be great. Can someone give me hardware tips of what to use. I keep hearing silver hordes and hoochies and herring, Mostly need some pic's or description of what would be needed.

Thanks in advance......

Follow this link and ye shall be enlightened. http://www.salmonuniversity.com/index.html

That being said, you need not spend much in tackle as you can troll herring and spoons sans dodger/flasher and slam cohos all day long.

Pretty small boat....... I wouldn't. I've run a small boat around the area quite a bit but always with in sight of a big support vessel. Things can happen real fast out there and there is no help in a hurry. I'd think real hard about chartering all your salt fishing. If you want to fish on your own, hit a river.

15 lb is pretty light for trolling line out there. I would go to 20 lb or 25 lb and bump up your leader weights to 25 or 30... when jsing flashers if a fish jumps out of the water the drag created from the flasher in the water will snap the line like nothing else.

Hi Bodo,

I actually wont ever be more than 1/2 a mile away from some piece of land. I will be mostly in the narrows of Kecthikan and up by Settleers Cove. No wider than Hoods Canal.

Be aware. Engine dies and the next thing you know you're in the middle if Dixon entrance. The water runs through the narrows like a river.

Matt wrote:15 lb is pretty light for trolling line out there. I would go to 20 lb or 25 lb and bump up your leader weights to 25 or 30... when jsing flashers if a fish jumps out of the water the drag created from the flasher in the water will snap the line like nothing else.

I completely agree!

I'd say 30 pd mainline and I've gone to 40 pd flurocarbon between the flasher and spoon/squid/herring. Sometimes, if the fish gets that flasher sideways, he can break a 30 pd leader pretty easy.

I think it would be fun to try Brad's Super Plug Cuts up there... We used them without flashers very successfully at Westport, and it was a hoot. Used Blue Hawaiian color, tied on 20 pound Maxima Ultragreen with 5/0 and 3/0 hooks... (5/0 to get the tip of the hook past the edge of the plastic).

Or try rigging this way with a treble and single...

http://blog.theoutdoorline.com/post/200 ... -Bait.aspx

I just got back from fishing around ketchikan for kings. We mostly fished mountain point and herring cove and did well on kings to 30 pounds. I was there last august and silver fishing was good, as well as smaller kings, 4-10 lbs. This past time I was running flasher and anchovy as well as a straight herring helmet no flasher with blue label herring. By august the running kings are pretty gone. For silvers I would use flasher anchovy, herring, and white needlefish hootchies behind a flasher as they are a main source of food. Seems like every fish last august had needlefish in them. If your going to fish anchovies you have to buy them in advance as they don't sell them in ketchikan.