Chum gear

Discussion related to commercial salmon trolling, boats, gear, fishing techniques, electronics, marketing, etc.
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mattakfish
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Chum gear

Post by mattakfish »

So I'm looking to get geared up for chum. I have a lot of flashers in a variety of colors already...mostly green/chart and red as well as some blue. I am thinking of getting several dozen more blue hot spots w/standard embossed mylar tape as well as lots of bugs including m85's and j300's.
For hooks, I am thinking of going with the cheaper blue mustads....the 9510xxx in 6/0 or 7/0. I am also thinking about getting some of the custom black hooks, hoochies , and flaasher stickers from grizzly. Then there is the leader, I am torn between sticking with traditional mono or going with oregon twine...not sure what size/type of twine if I go in that direction.
Any suggestions welcome!
Matt on the F/V Aurora
Salty
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Re: Chum gear

Post by Salty »

You seem headed on a good direction. Talk to Bob at grizzly tackle about hooks.
Way more important than lures in chum trolling is your gear and fish handling system. Also your plan to keep everything charged at low RPM. Your steering system response at 1.5 knots. Remember to get two brailer bags for every one you plan to put fish in.
Oregon twine is fine, but iny system we are never grabbing a leader and pulling on it. We go from the snap to the flasher.

Good luck and beef up your stays.
mattakfish
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Re: Chum gear

Post by mattakfish »

Thanks for the tips.....I think my auto pilot works well even at 1 to 1.5 kts......I put it to the test early on because I originally assumed I should troll slow for kings (like I did hand trolling with rods).....It took me a few day trips before I found out power trolling for kings required a bit more speed to make the gear work. Seems like 2 to 3 kts was working for kings...but I understand I'll need to slow down to 1 or 1.5 for dogs.
The previous owner fished dogs and installed a beefed-up alternator so my charging system seems to be in good shape....and I'll soon be calling nomar to order more bags.
As far as stays, I just replaced the nylon line I had for stays from mast to poles with 3/8th inch stainless based on some of the discussion on this site.
If you have a minute, could you elaborate on what you meant at the end about never grabbing a leader? I know leaders are short for dogs....but do you mean you are attaching the flasher directly to the snap? Sorry for the dumb question :)

Thanks again!
Matt on the F/V Aurora
Abundance
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Re: Chum gear

Post by Abundance »

I had one fathom of green twine from the snap to the flasher, then seventeen to twenty four (I was experimenting) inches of regular mono line to the bug. I think what Mr. Jordan might mean is that he has the snap to flasher line short enough that he can reach the flasher from the boat without having to grab the twine. We use the green twine because it is easier to grip and pull 250/500/1000 (in your dreams) big hard fighting fish than slippery mono, also much less likely to slice up your gloves and hands in such situations. It also is more resistant to sunlight and stronger for hardcore use. I have heard of people using them for their lure leader, but have never tried it myself.
Garrett Hagen, F/V Abundance
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Re: Chum gear

Post by Salty »

Garret has it exactly right. We snap the snap onto the deck, slide the hand down the mono to the flasher, grab the flasher and then hoist the chum or pink aboard, or gaff or conk. I like the mono better because it slides through your hand better, but we go with whatever the crew likes best. The shorter deck hands like the twine better because they don't have the reach. It also matters where you place your snaps (we never ever attempt to land a fish with the snap on the wire for safety reasons) in leading the fish and flasher to your hand and the landing bin. We are also attempting, most of the time, to keep the wire moving in while we land the fish and set the flasher and gear for going out. Ideally, the gurdie never stops going in or going out, the handle is reversed after the last fish and out it goes.
For some reason the ideal and my performance have become increasingly further apart. I did have a couple of deckhands at one time who could achieve this consistently with pinks and smaller chums. When you have a guy or gal who can get into the zen rhythm (I say zen rhythm because it is more of a mind state involving focus and relaxation as much as it is coordination and strength) of handling troll gear and salmon at the highest level the work becomes performance art. I wish we had taken some videos of the best at work.
One of the best I ever saw fished chums and pinks solo at times. So not only was he running the gear, he was working fish, an edge, and avoiding other boats.

Good questions, I hope this helps. I typed a much longer response but will post most of that in another thread under fisheries politics.
mattakfish
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Re: Chum gear

Post by mattakfish »

Thanks guys. Not sure I will reach the zen this first season....but I know what you mean by mindset and concentration. I tried to let the gurdy keep running while I was pulling my king gear and handling the boat. not really necessary with slow fishing but I thought I would try it to see if I could juggle. I ended up pulling a snap through the fairlead a couple times...so I decided to slow down just a little:)

Thanks again for the tips
I'll look for the longer post under fishery politics.
Matt on the F/V Aurora
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Re: Chum gear

Post by Salty »

Snaps through the fairleads happen all the time on my boat. I have done away with fairleads on the heavies and now get to experience the snap on the gurdie spool and the flasher snapping off at the block.
I stop the gurdy to pull and land kings. Usually do the same with coho unless they are in the midst of a bunch of chum or pinks. I try not to stop the gurdie for empty leaders for any fishery. We string long king leaders.
Then there was the deckhand who hauled one line when he was setting the other. We were stringing only 5 spreads a line but it was a bit disconcerting to have both bows being run at the same time with only one guy back there. And I thought I was doing good getting one line out without stopping.

Decided I did not want to post the section I cut out in the politics section. The quota, a good BOF member, Vince Webster, who I had worked with and voted trollers way a few times, not confirmed today, and a week of wind coming just when I was planning to start trolling. Better to not post much.

Time for a good stiff one.
SilverT
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Re: Chum gear

Post by SilverT »

Salty & Abundance,

I've been away for a while. You've been posting some great tips and links. The tip on unsnapping before landing a fish is appreciated. I remember the old men talking when I was a kid about a fellow who was taken to depth by a free-spooling gurdie, a large cannon ball & a hook that must have grabbed him when he was a little off balance. He didn't get free in time.

Lane
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Re: Chum gear

Post by Salty »

We had a hook in a thumb of a crew member years ago. Another time I was landing a fish with the leader on the line when I ran over a log, the wire broke and it got pretty exciting trying to get my hand off the line before the spoon and the fish got to me. And then there is hitting the gurdy handle with the gaff, the fish, etc. and trying to let go and dodge as things go the other way rapidly.
It breaks my heart to see guys stop the gurdy, reach over with the gaff, catch the leader, haul it up, wrap it around their hand multiple times and then gaff the fish, sling it over their shoulder over the back of the boat toward the center, over the cockpit, and then down into the checker with a crash I can hear hundreds of yards away. But, I catch so few I can handle them way more delicately.

Looking forward to catching a few tomorrow. It has been really really slow here folks.

The CG check list is completely filled out. Inspector available for courtesy exam next week.
The only major surprise was that all my survival suits failed the pressure test and examination. Three new survival suits necessitates fishing.
fveureka
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Re: Chum gear

Post by fveureka »

Running 4 lines and finding I just don't have enuf $11 dollars a piece flashers for fishing dogs anyone ever tried cheaper methods because mama needs a new pair of shoes. Comment and lol appreciated.
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Kelper
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Re: Chum gear

Post by Kelper »

haha. I bet you could catch on that rig!
Homeshore
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Re: Chum gear

Post by Homeshore »

Free is good!
I have some old license plates you can try.
Painted on one side, shiny on the other.
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Re: Chum gear

Post by Homeshore »

Wait, I might actually try license plates.
Cut one in half lengthwise, give it the right bend........
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Re: Chum gear

Post by Homeshore »

Montana looks good for wild Alaskan Icy Strait Keta salmon.
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fveureka
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Re: Chum gear

Post by fveureka »

Thanks!!, by cutting down the edges and bending one out to look like a hotspot could work.... I do have a couple Canadian flashers about that size.
mattakfish
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Re: Chum gear

Post by mattakfish »

How about Canadian license plates? I hear the red Ontario's are going to be all the rage at Neets this year :)
Matt on the F/V Aurora
fveureka
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Re: Chum gear

Post by fveureka »

Yes the red plates will out fish the red flagging tape snelled to hooks
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