Home Forums Fishing Saltwater reels for salmon fiushing

When I fished Valdez for silvers, we would troll using a Pink Lady due to not having downriggers. It would take the lure down to whatever depth we wanted, depending on how much line was let out. It always worked quite well and we always caught our limit. Even had one guy on our boat use a bass setup and he caught one that weighed close to 18lbs, I thought for sure he was going to lose it.

Actually it's a nice side benefit.....I've fished many times as a catch and release type and have released some nice fish over the years....one day I released six walleyes all between 8 and 12 pounds and have released well over a hundred Northern Pike over 20 pounds....that said, coming home with a pile of Salmon and Halibut steaks don't hurt my feelings a bit.

My freezer now has moose, elk, deer, pheasant, ptarmigan, and a few quail.....Beef?....what's that?.....LOL

Here's a couple fish I released....

I must have the fever....I'm sitting here tieing mooching rigs....

I plan to have ten in hand tonight....hope that's all I'll need.....LOL

You can catch a pile of fish while mooching in SE AK. I like an 8ft leader, 4/0 gamakatsu hooks, and 30lb maxima. I've put 200lb+ hali in the boat with them over the years. 50lb + kings. Just change them out when you feel the leader getting nicked up.

Mooching rules..

The local store just happened to have that exact hook....so I made five more!
Heck man...It's still January and the Packers are still trying to figure out what happened and I'm already starting to enjoy this fishing trip!

LOL

I'm starting to get cabin fever too. A local troller picked up a 40lb king last week. Once it stops blowing I'll hit the water and do some winter king fishing.

Will I have any need for a gaff hook?

Someone already mentioned the Garcia 6500. They're common as hell around here, and for good reason. Very reliable and easy to use. If you quit trolling and get into casting, the anti-backlash adjustment works as well as any.

I had a Salmon fishing Charter boat on Lake Michigan a long time ago. I started out using Penn reels, but large salmon were tearing up the drags. Penn Internationals were much better but too expensive when you are running six lines. The best bang for your buck would be a Garcia 7000. They have a greater line capacity than a 6500, and a greater star drag rotation control. They were going for about $85 then, but I guess they might be over $100 now. A second choice would be a Diawa Sealine. Not for casting, but a very good trolling reel. I use my 7000's for casting for Musky's in my lake and it cast's nice and handles large Musky's well.

Or for the money get a Shimano Charter Special.

thanks for the comments folks but I've already bought the reels .....and this may be a one time trip.....at my age one never knows...LOL...

Can anyone comment on the need for a gaff hook in the Pacific waters.....?

gaff hook is a must, IMO. I like at least a 30" gaff for my fish beating duties..

Guess I'll break out the woodturning lathe and bend some #9 wire and make a gaff.....I'll probably have more fun preparing for this trip than actually going there....(not)

You don't want to be in AK fishing without a gaff.

It's now a done deal.....I purchased the airfare and marine highway tickets round trip yesterday.....Alaska, here I come!.....after fifty years of threatening to do it!

I just hope Sarah Palin is at the airport in Ketchikan to meet us when we get there.....I want her to show me where Russia is so I can get a photo.....LOL

More dumb questions....

What is the difference between chum, pink, coho, and king salmon?

Specifically, is one of them better table fare?

Besides size of the critter itself.....why is the chinook (king) salmon so much highly prized over the others?

Kings are king. Good fights and excellent eating. You might be a bit late for them, and the king fishing is Kake can be good, but not great. Not in the big migration route.

Cohos are fun, and are good table fare. Good for smoking too. They'll be 6-12lbs, with the occasional bigger one. They jump, run circles, and are as dumb as a rock in the saltwater.

Humpies suck and can choke certain areas. Make good halibut bait though. I wouldn't feed my dog one.

Chum can be ok if dime bright, but you don't catch too many in the salt.

Thanks.....sounds like coho and hali are the prime targets.

I'll attempt some ling cod too.....stream fishing is also starting to look like fun as well.....

Researching is half the trip....thanks again for the info...

I'm a semi lucky guy....Cabela's is 1/2 hour away......so I now have a pile of Mepps spinners #4 and #5....in psycadillic colors.....

Chinooks will pull 100 yards of line off your spool in the blink of an eye. Don't set your drag too tight or they will break off. Set it lightly and gradually put the pressure on. That's one of the reasons they are highly prized. They are also good baked or smoked. I prefer small spoons to spinners. If you are fishing deep (+20 ft.) try to stay with a silver plated lure. Chrome starts to turn black the deeper you go. Don't sell the Coho's short. They are good scrappers too.