Line Counter Reel + Rod Recs for Diver-Trolling?

[JayB]

Finally making a concession to the pleas of my wife and cats to try to bring home more fish. When casting seems pointless, I'll be running divers instead of downriggers from my small whaler, and I'm planning on picking up a line-counter reel and pairing that with a suitable rod so that I can control the depth my gear more effectively.

Anyone got recommendations for a decent/reliable line-counter reel and a rod that'd be appropriate for running a heavy-diver/flasher/hoochie combo out in the sound? Willing to pay for something that's accurate and I can count on, but don't think I'll need a top-of-the-line reel since I'll be using it a dozen times a year at most.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[Chucker]

I have had Okuma coldwater line counters for the last 10 years, and they still work. If I ever fish a diver I pair them with Daiwa wilderness rods that sportco sells out of a big bucket for $20. they really are excellent rods for that purpose.

The combination of a big diver with a flasher and a hoochie might be the most awkward and least fun way to catch a salmon that I know of. I seldom fish divers for that reason, but when I do I use a fish flash attached right to the back of the diver, and a spoon instead of a hoochie. Still hate it though.

 

[Nick Clayton]

Personally I don't think line counters are at all necessary for pulling divers, or for many other reasons people buy them. They do have their uses no doubt though.

That said, I've always been a fan of Shimano Tekotas when I do use a line counter.

 

[Nick Clayton]

The combination of a big diver with a flasher and a hoochie might be the most awkward and least fun way to catch a salmon that I know of. I seldom fish divers for that reason, but when I do I use a fish flash attached right to the back of the diver, and a spoon instead of a hoochie. Still hate it though.

I totally agree. So I absolutely never fish flashers of any kind behind a diver. Such a miserable way of fishing IMO.

I'm not one who really believes flashers are necessary behind a diver in most scenarios anyway. I like to divers super short, right in the prop wash, which I think brings fish up in itself. Not sure a flasher has a big impact there personally.

 

[JayB]

Good intel & thanks for the input on gear and techniques!

I'm not a particularly big fan of any form of gear fishing, but am trying to acquaint myself with the dark arts to both to potentially bring more fish home and to be able to take out friends/family who will never learn to cast and enjoy the boat-ride-and-chill routine and would be pretty psyched to reel in a fish no matter what it's attached to.

I've basically just looked at the stuff that John Martinis has posted above captions that say "Here's the rig to use if you want to catch coho in the sound" and swapped out a diver for a downrigger ball - but if there are better, more interesting, or less clustery ways to go about running gear that are also effective I'd certainly be game.

On a somewhat tangential note, I just got a bunch of fairly heavy unpainted jig heads and paint so I can tie up a bunch of custom twitching jigs for my father-in-law as a thank-you for his help with some home projects - which made me wonder if that's an effective way to fish in the sound. Certainly less of a cluster, and might be more interesting for the rare guest on my boat that'd want to actively fish.

 

[JayB]

I have had Okuma coldwater line counters for the last 10 years, and they still work. If I ever fish a diver I pair them with Daiwa wilderness rods that sportco sells out of a big bucket for $20. they really are excellent rods for that purpose.

The combination of a big diver with a flasher and a hoochie might be the most awkward and least fun way to catch a salmon that I know of. I seldom fish divers for that reason, but when I do I use a fish flash attached right to the back of the diver, and a spoon instead of a hoochie. Still hate it though.

Is a fish-flash one of those triangle-shaped deals that rotates? Do you favor any particular size, color, type , etc for coho or is just getting it in the right place in the water column what really matters?

 

[Chucker]

Is a fish-flash one of those triangle-shaped deals that rotates? Do you favor any particular size, color, type , etc for coho or is just getting it in the right place in the water column what really matters?

Yes, in-line rotating flasher. And, no, it doesn’t matter what type or color.

I've basically just looked at the stuff that John Martinis has posted above captions that say "Here's the rig to use if you want to catch coho in the sound"

Everything John Martinis says is intended to sell more gear from his shop. Which is not to say that it doesn’t work, but other things do too.

As for jigs, I do a lot of jigging, but mainly with point Wilson dart type of jigs. I have occasionally played around with twitching jig style jigs and soft plastics in the sound for salmon, but not been successful. I still think that the right jig is out there though…

 

[Snopro]

Finally making a concession to the pleas of my wife and cats to try to bring home more fish. When casting seems pointless, I'll be running divers instead of downriggers from my small whaler, and I'm planning on picking up a line-counter reel and pairing that with a suitable rod so that I can control the depth my gear more effectively.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Why don't you want to use a downrigger? I've never used a diver, never will. It's so much more fun fighting fish when you don't have weight attached. You could even use your fly rod with a streamer off the DR clip if you really want to have some fun.

 

[Nick Clayton]

Why don't you want to use a downrigger? I've never used a diver, never will. It's so much more fun fighting fish when you don't have weight attached. You could even use your fly rod with a streamer off the DR clip if you really want to have some fun.

Agreed. But diver bites are soooo much cooler than downrigger bites

 

[JayB]

Why don't you want to use a downrigger? I've never used a diver, never will. It's so much more fun fighting fish when you don't have weight attached. You could even use your fly rod with a streamer off the DR clip if you really want to have some fun.

Mainly because I figured was that I'd spend less money buying a couple divers/flashers than a downrigger + cannonballs, installing a downrigger in my boat would be a hassle, & it'd be more cumbersome and unwieldy in my small boat. Plus I put gear fishing in the "harvest" bucket and the quality of the fight matters but not enough to override the other factors I cited.

Part of my brain is telling me this post is going to be remembered as a prelude to an "Aaaaand I'm buying a downrigger..." moment but this is where I'm at for the time being.

 

[Snopro]

Agreed. But diver bites are soooo much cooler than downrigger bites

Wouldn't know about it. See above.

What I do know is there's something about the sound and vibration of a DR clip popping that gives me a shot of adrenalin. Maybe it's because I'm right next to it sitting in the kayak. I can feel it.

What's a diver bite like?

 

[Evan B]

I don't fish the Sound anymore, but I'd consider down riggers to be mandatory there.

Out in the open ocean, you can catch the fish up on the surface.

 

[Nick Clayton]

I don't fish the Sound anymore, but I'd consider down riggers to be mandatory there.

Out in the open ocean, you can catch the fish up on the surface.

Downriggers are without a doubt the most effective method for the angler wanting to just put fish in the freezer as efficiently as possible with the shortest learning curve. But they are by no means mandatory.

Fish can most definitely be caught on top on the sound. Not as easily as on the ocean no doubt. But they aren't in the deep depths 24/7.

A skilled moocher most definitely doesn't care about downriggers and isn't going to have much problem filling their freezer. Add in jigs, divers, flatlines, and even fly fishing and a guy can fish quite productively all summer long without a downrigger. Granted, this requires putting in a lot more effort towards learning than just trolling around with riggers, but they definitely aren't the only way to go.

 

[Nick Clayton]

What's a diver bite like?

Much more violent than any rigger bite. Since the gear is typically close to the boat with minimal line out the bites are pretty intense. With coho the rod tends to bury then start dancing, with the coho often instantaneously taking to the air.

With chinook, the rod usually just buries to the water and line starts ripping off. Those are my favorite.

My favorite ocean fishing is trolling shallow up on the beach with divers. 20 lb chinook hooked right behind the boat are just so exciting!

The only downrigger bites that really get me riled up are deeeeep water bites. Like 350-400'+ on the wire. At that depth the bites almost always consist of the rod just suddenly standing up flat. No head shakes or sign that a fish is even there because no matter how well that rod is loaded up there is just typically so much stretch and slack like at that depth to make up for. Especially if the fish eats coming up. Jumping to the rod and just reeling like a mad man hoping to catch up to a fish is dang fun!

 

[Scudley Do Right]

Mooching leaders and some weights is all you need to catch fish. The herring is the most expensive part but you can jig them to save money. I would never tie a diver to a rod I didn't mind blowing up. If you have reel like an ambassadeur where the line guide travels back and forth when letting line out you can measure how much line comes off when it goes from one side to the other. Then when you're letting line out count how many times the line guide travels back and forth and you'll know roughly how much line is out.

 

[Sam Roffe]

That said, I've always been a fan of Shimano Tekotas when I do use a line counter.

Tekotas in general a a great reel. I use one without a counter.

 

[Evan B]

Tekotas in general a a great reel. I use one without a counter.

I have several. Started with the Okuma Coldwaters until they all failed. Tried Daiwa Accudepth but they're better suited to walleye fishing. Finally did what I should have done at the beginning and got all Tekotas.

 

[JayB]

Were the coldwaters that failed the SS version with the stainless internal components?

 

[Evan B]

Were the coldwaters that failed the SS version with the stainless internal components?

Not sure honestly. Just whatever the standard high profile Coldwater reel was like 4yrs ago

 

[JayB]

Fair enough. Was just wondering if they failed due to rust/corrosion or some other issue. Sounds like maybe they're just plain not as good as the Shimano.