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I'm slowly getting the schedule set for Alaskan salmon fishing north of Ketchikan.

Trolling mostly from a skiff.....I have a couple poles but need reels.....what's the advice and maybe some advice about terminal tackle as well.

BTW one pole is for a spinning reel and the other for a bait casting style of reel

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This topic can cover pages and pages and not repeat a word. First, I'd like to direct you to a few websites. Put "Salmon University" in Google and you'll see a wealth of information. In depth information on reels is on Alan Tani's reel repair forum. Finally, look up ifish, piscatorial pursuits and gamefishin.com.

I prefer reels smaller than many salmon fisherman but you can make up your own mind. As long as I get between 150 and 200 yards of 20 - 25 lb test line for a trolling reel, I'm happy. The classic Penn 209 is fine for moderate cost. I'd step up a few dollars and go for the Penn 310 which you can find online for about 75-80. The Daiwa Sealine 17 is a favorite of mine. The Shimano Tekota is a fine reel running something under $200 as is the Penn Fathom (I like the 15 size in these).

Spinning reels should be matched to the rod. Many of us use the 2500 size on 8 1/2 to 10 1/2' rods rated 6-10 lb test line for the rivers.

Good luck on your trip!

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We don't fish in salt water...but I've used Penn 320's on our Great Lakes boat since 1985. The original 8 are still in service and we fish alot.

Last edited by SSB; 01/16/12.

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My AK salmon reels were the Garcia 6500/7000 reels. If I need to go higher, I have the top of the line Shimano Trinidad. I have a 16, 20, and 30. The 20 is the ideal reel for trolling or casting. I use 50# Power Pro Spectra braid under 20/30/40# Mono.

I purchased the Trinadad reels from Australia about ten years ago, when the exchange was about 50%. The Trinadad 20 was a fish killer for Yellow Tail on a long range trip out of San Diego.

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I like the Shimano Tekota 600. I have 2 with the line counter and use them for trolling and mooching. Smooth drags and plenty of line capacity. I also use Tekota 500's for pulling plugs in the river. I've got 50+ reels and the Tekota is one of my favorites.

Good luck.


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I've used Penn 320's on our Great Lakes boat since 1985.

Based on your recomendation I bought two of them.....got fairly decent deals too on Ebay

I also bought 600 yards of firewire 30 pound.....now to discover if leadcore line will work and how to use it.

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Are you using downriggers?


That's ok, I'll ass shoot a dink.

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Originally Posted by AkMtnHntr
Are you using downriggers?
I'll probably be fishing with heavy sinkers and possibly leadcore line.....I've also added some dipsy divers to my tackle....I was told that much of the fishing will be at 125 feet!

Seems downriggers are not available to me on this trip!

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You'll have to mooch to make it down 125ft. That'd be a lot of lead core. Even with downriggers, 125 is getting deep.

What operation are you going with?

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What operation are you going with?
None....just a personal friend on Northern POW island

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I seriously doubt you'll be needing to drag 125, other than for bottom fish. What month are you going? I've guided a ton of saltwater trips on the W side of POW, and things are similar on the northern end. What town?

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Going in August and the town is Kake just north of POW Island....I believe it's Kupreanof Island

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That's coho time up there. Coho typically can be found shallow. Trolling 30' will get it done. Think banana weight and cut plug. (herring) Mooching is another really good way to do it. You should find some nice bottom fish too. (yellow eye, ling, and halibut) A mooching rig will get it done for those too.

Get yourself a 9' quality mooching rod. A Shimano Tekoda 600LC. 30lb Maxima. Then you're done.

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I agree, 30' or even less depending on the method, where the baitfish are, etc ...

My experience with silvers/cohos in SC AK is more often than not people would troll too deep. Usually, I'd troll at 20' knowing that fish will come up to a bait vs not going down to chase bait. Flashers help in that regard and are extremely effective but not mandatory. When you're drifting, mooching or power mooching with a only plug cut herring it helps to have the bait at the same depth level as the majority of fish. Depths can vary more using these methods.

There's always exceptions and a fish finder is your best friend when it comes to figuring out where the fish are. Overall, the vast majority of silvers I've caught are with baits/lures set at 20' to 35'.

I ran into one exception out of Seward with silvers where they were actively feeding on the bottom in 125' of water. The tail half a herring on a single 4/0 hook (30" leader) dropped to the bottom with a 2 1/2 oz wt resulted in instant hook ups for hours. I had some inexperienced friends that couldn't feel the bites and more often than not the rod would simply go slack. One nibbly, the rod goes slack and ten seconds later a silver would explode on the surface thrashing and trying throw the hook. It was fun to watch.

The one and only time I fished in SE we caught the majority of our fish (silvers) in close where it was only 35' to 50' deep. We were fishing near kelp beds and the silvers were thick as could be. We got tired of trolling (it was too easy) and switched to a plug cut herring just dangling 15' below the boat. It was kick in the azz to watch the fish swim by and nail the bait.

Good thing about silvers is they are extremely aggressive and not too finicky about baits, lures, rigs or methods.


Sound about right Calvin?

Is this similar to you've found out about fishing for silvers in SE? You're the resident expert.


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Good information guys....I appreciate it....

A friend sent me a few 1/2 pound lead head jigs with huge twister tails of about 6" long.....are these good trolling baits for coho? Anything?...

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Not for coho.

Those are halibut, lingcod or rockfish jigs and yes, they work.

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Pretty much. Cohos are some of the stupidest fish alive, and it doesn't take much to catch them. They exist for one reason in Aug, and that is to eat and gain weight for the trip up river. I personally detest cohos, except when I'm selling them.

Nothing is worse than slow coho fishing. "good" coho fishing is a limit in about an hour, but that'd be pretty tough for a greenhorn. (6 is your limit) Some days are a scratch, and those are good days to pound rockpiles with those jigs.

If salmon is your aim, get out at first light. I like to leave in the dark and make my first pass before it's too light for the fish to bite.. see where they are on the sounder. Then on the second pass when you have enough light, you pound em. You'll catch most of your fish in those first 5 passes. I can't tell you how many kelp lines I've cleaned off before the next boat showed up. The best way to stack them is to mooch, unless you are really handy with downriggers. Cohos are fun though, especially when they get over 9lbs. Early cohos average 6lbs and are a pain in the ass, as they are bait stealers and leave scales all over the boat.

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here is a blog. I hear those two guides in the blog are pretty fishy dudes. should give you a good idea of what to expect.

http://blog.alaskakingfisherlodge.com/?m=201108

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I read most of their log.....nice fishing!!!

It seems the red fish is a rock fish and they seem to have no trouble catching limits of Halibut and Coho......but they don't mention Lingcod very much.

Thanks for the link....it's great fun just to read other's fishing reports when they are doing so well.

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Non residents have a 1 annual limit on lings, so we can't pound em every day. yellow eye (reds) have a 2 annual limit, 1 per day limit. Hali are easy, especially when you have a 1 fish per day limit, under 37". Next year the regs will ease up to 1 fish per day, with a reverse slot. I think we'll be allowed either a halibut over 165lbs or 1 under 44lbs.

As an unguided angler, you'll have a 2 halibut a day limit, any size. If meat is your goal, pound the halibut..

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