Downrigging for Salmon

By Mark Hoffman On that splendid day in late June the ocean was as tranquil as a Miller's pond and the sun was beginning to cast long shadows that signaled its impending slide into the Western horizon. It made for a scene right off the face of a postcard. The only sound that could be heard above the genial rumble of a nearby waterfall was the high-pitched hum of my downrigger cables and the gentle purr of my kicker. My reverie did not last however, as it was suddenly shattered by the twang of my starboard cable and the scream of my reel. What transpired over the next sixty-eight minutes was an epic battle of classic proportions that finally culminated in my first Chinook to break the 50-pound barrier. I have been using downriggers for the better part of four decades and have concluded unquestionably over that time that, other than for the advent of the fish locator, they have impacted my fishing success more profoundly than all other innovations particularly when fishing for species such as salmon where downriggers have simply taken my fishing success rate to a new level. The Downrigger Advantage It’s all about depth control. We all know that various species of fish like to remain at certain depths at various times of the day or, for that matter, times of the year. Many factors can enter into this elemental preference level. A food supply, water temperatures, predators, oxygen supply, and even disturbances, can all or singularly, be a factor in the fishes chosen depth. I will forever recall, and not always fondly, the effort and the assortment of gear I have used over the years to get my bait or lures down to a particular depth and then to keep them there.  I have used everything from lead core line, steel line, and weights of every size and configuration, to divers of all sorts to achieve depth control. All provided success of sorts but were ineffective more often than not because of boat speed, tides, wind drift, the depth sought, and the amount of line being released. In other words, all too often there were just simply too many variables at play in order to attain and then remain at a particular depth for any length of time. Enter the downrigger. The use of a downrigger is actually the simple concept of using a release clip to attach your bait to a steel cable or a braided line with a heavy weight attached to the end of it. You then lower the weight to the desired depth, taking your lure or bait with it. Once it reaches your desired depth, it is just a matter of beginning to troll to impart action to your lure or bait while it is held at a constant depth by the downrigger weight. Another major advantage is that downriggers allow you to fight a fish free of any impediments such as heavy weights on the end of your line. This also means lighter tackle can often be used offering a much sportier challenge. While the concept may appear to be simple, it is a tad complicated. There are essentially two basic types of downriggers, a hand crank style or an electric version, with many makes and models of each. There are a number of essentials to consider when acquiring a downrigger including the amount of and intended use, size and model to meet your needs, mounting location on your boat, style of mounting bracket required for your boat, size of boom, type and amount of downrigger line or cable, style and size of the downrigger weight, style of downrigger quick releases, and the style and mounting location of the weight holder. I have used both crank and electric models extensively and if you can afford it, would highly recommend the latter. To read the full story, pick up the summer issue of BC Outdoors today!

 

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