One things for sure, fishing the great lakes is a lot different than fishing SE AK for kings. I wouldn't expect to keep up should I head to the great lakes, and I wouldn't expect them to do well should they come here. So, maybe using a ton of rods is superior over there, I don't know.
Downriggers are a powerful tool, mainly because they allow you to fish an 11" flasher at a specific depth. Nothing outfishes an 11" flasher day in and day out. Other things work well, but when it comes to putting fish in the boat and making a living, it's done with flashers. I will say though that it is fun to play around with other things like spoons and naked herring.
The thing about a flasher is that it will draw salmon from a good distance. I've seen them come up 100+ feet on the sounder to strike a hoochie behind a flasher. So, when scratch fishing, I actually like less gear in the water. Less gear allows better maneuverability, and keeps you motivated to pull gear and bail to another spot should things not be working. It also keeps you motivated to cycle through gear to check for bombers, jellyfish, or kelp that might have fouled you up. Electronics are so good these days, it takes not much time at all to size up a bite and know when to get out of there. But, I look at things from a production point of view, and not really a recreational point of view.
Last edited by Calvin; 03/22/16.
