Line Counter Reel + Rod Recs for Diver-Trolling?

Evan B

Bobber Downey Jr.
Staff member
Admin
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.
Oh it definitely wasn't rust. All were just plain broken parts that weren't strong enough for the task at hand. I think what gets them is the torque of cranking in a 16oz lead and skateboard flasher, which is the standard issue setup in the lower Columbia. Both those and the Accudepths had parts that sheared/broke.
 

Chucker

Steelhead
I would have bought tekotas when I got my okuma coldwaters, but I use left handed reels, and the LH line counter was not available back then. I might when I need new reels, but, I borrowed a (non line counter) tekota once, and it blew up catastrophically whist connected to a 24# chinook. Amazingly we still landed the fish, and shimano repaired the reel.

I am definitely in the line counter camp. Counting passes of a level wind requires too much brain power for me.
 

SSPey

loco alto!
The regular Okuma coldwater had problems, I’ve seen a few fail, though I think a known issue has been fixed. The Okuma low profile 354s have been more generally reliable and are plenty good for casual anglers, nice fat handle, line counter, and often go on sale for ~$100 (nice when buying multiples). The line counter can eventually fail, which seems to happen with all of them. I am told they’re hard to service compared to Tekotas, but again, they seem to last with recreational use that includes 16-20 oz weights and flashers.
 

JayB

Steelhead
For folks that run spoons or fish jigs for coho - what are your go-to's? Not going to build up a huge box, but I'd like to have a couple of proven versions of each onboard.
 

Nick Clayton

Fishing Is Neat
Forum Supporter
The bulk of my experience with Coldwaters is in the charter world where they get abused far and beyond what the average user would put them through, so keep that in mind.

Overall they aren't a bad reel for the money. On the ocean we use them mostly for salmon fishing, but they serve occasional backup duty on bottomfish trips when we are low on other reels. I am not a fan of them for bottomfish, as Evan mentioned I don't think they handle cranking in heavier weights repeatedly very well.

For salmon they are pretty decent but when they decide to die they tend to do some in dramatic fashion, and unfortunately IME, usually when in the midst of playing a fish. I do think the line counters are absolute crap. I have access to probably 50 or so of them in Westport and I can't think of a single one that still has a truly functional line counter. But, as mentioned these reels get used and abused in a big way, and maintenance isn't really part of our routine down there so I can't speak to how one would perform if used in a normal fashion and taken care of lol
 

Nick Clayton

Fishing Is Neat
Forum Supporter
For folks that run spoons or fish jigs for coho - what are your go-to's? Not going to build up a huge box, but I'd like to have a couple of proven versions of each onboard.


Honestly with coho I'm not a big believer that the type of spoon or color makes a big difference. Just my thoughts of course.

You can go as far down that rabbit hole as you like, and with Salmon gear in particular. (I mean many salmon anglers are big believers that specific colors of flashers are the only way to go lol)

Personally Id have some Coho Killers and some Kingfishers in a few colors/sizes and call it a day. My favorite spoon of all time is the Kingfisher in the Herring Aide color. I catch a ton of fish on that color, but if I'm perfectly honest that's because it's nearly all I fish and that's mostly because I just think it looks cool!

With chinook I find that size/profile can make a difference but have never really noticed that with coho. If chinook are eating sandlance then the longer/thinner profile spoons can be good. When they are eating herring, then a larger/fatter spoon can be the move.

Overall I'm a big believer when it comes to trolling for salmon that finding where the fish are, both location and depth, and putting something in front of them is far more important than the color of your gear. But again that's just my outlook.

I'd say some Coho Killers (or equivalent) in some combination of chartreuse/white/pink and maybe Cop Car or something similar, and some Kingfisher or equivalent in similar colors and of course Herring Aide would be more than enough to get you started.

I've never really jigged for coho so can't speak to that end of things.
 

Divad

Whitefish
Step 1. Throw away your divers
Step 2. Buy a cheap Scotty Laketroller or invest in a nicer downrigger

Paired with a finder you’re going to be in business. I had a buddy use those Flying K/C things or whatever they’re called for everything after buying a huge pack. Instances like that have me also a believer like @Nick Clayton said that getting a lure in-front of them is the most important.

And doing that consecutively is best done with a downrigger.
 

Chucker

Steelhead
For folks that run spoons or fish jigs for coho - what are your go-to's? Not going to build up a huge box, but I'd like to have a couple of proven versions of each onboard.

Standard jig is the Point Wilson dart. 2oz is what I use the most, I also have 1 and 3oz. Going as light as you can get away with is a good rule. P-line jigs work too, and are cheaper. Chartreuse and white are the only two colors you need for coho and kings. Maybe add a 1oz pink jig for humpies.

Like Nick says, being on the fish is far more important than the lure. Maybe even more so if you are jigging, because you don’t cover much water.
 

JayB

Steelhead
Step 1. Throw away your divers
Step 2. Buy a cheap Scotty Laketroller or invest in a nicer downrigger

Paired with a finder you’re going to be in business. I had a buddy use those Flying K/C things or whatever they’re called for everything after buying a huge pack. Instances like that have me also a believer like @Nick Clayton said that getting a lure in-front of them is the most important.

And doing that consecutively is best done with a downrigger.
Rapidly converging to a point where anchoring bias and the sunk-cost-fallacy are the only things keeping me from going that route. Funny thing is I was thinking "How would I mount downriggers on my little Whaler?" while paying no heed to the fact that I already had my rod holders mounted to the railings....
 

JayB

Steelhead
Standard jig is the Point Wilson dart. 2oz is what I use the most, I also have 1 and 3oz. Going as light as you can get away with is a good rule. P-line jigs work too, and are cheaper. Chartreuse and white are the only two colors you need for coho and kings. Maybe add a 1oz pink jig for humpies.

Like Nick says, being on the fish is far more important than the lure. Maybe even more so if you are jigging, because you don’t cover much water.
Thanks - appreciate the feedback! Will be adding those to the box.
 

JayB

Steelhead
Honestly with coho I'm not a big believer that the type of spoon or color makes a big difference. Just my thoughts of course.

You can go as far down that rabbit hole as you like, and with Salmon gear in particular. (I mean many salmon anglers are big believers that specific colors of flashers are the only way to go lol)

Personally Id have some Coho Killers and some Kingfishers in a few colors/sizes and call it a day. My favorite spoon of all time is the Kingfisher in the Herring Aide color. I catch a ton of fish on that color, but if I'm perfectly honest that's because it's nearly all I fish and that's mostly because I just think it looks cool!

With chinook I find that size/profile can make a difference but have never really noticed that with coho. If chinook are eating sandlance then the longer/thinner profile spoons can be good. When they are eating herring, then a larger/fatter spoon can be the move.

Overall I'm a big believer when it comes to trolling for salmon that finding where the fish are, both location and depth, and putting something in front of them is far more important than the color of your gear. But again that's just my outlook.

I'd say some Coho Killers (or equivalent) in some combination of chartreuse/white/pink and maybe Cop Car or something similar, and some Kingfisher or equivalent in similar colors and of course Herring Aide would be more than enough to get you started.

I've never really jigged for coho so can't speak to that end of things.
Very grateful for the suggestions & thanks for taking the time to post them! Have placed orders accordingly.....
 

Chucker

Steelhead
Rapidly converging to a point where anchoring bias and the sunk-cost-fallacy are the only things keeping me from going that route. Funny thing is I was thinking "How would I mount downriggers on my little Whaler?" while paying no heed to the fact that I already had my rod holders mounted to the railings....

Downrigger fishing is a very slippery slope. You might start with one laketroller, but you will almost certainly end up with a pair of expensive electric downriggers - simply because they are better for doing the job that downriggers do.

I was in exactly the position you are in a dozen years ago. In retrospect, I should have just gone all in from the start and skipped all the intermediate steps. I now have two electric Scottys mounted to the rails of my little boston whaler…
 

JayB

Steelhead
Sounds very prophetic. Need to put a plaque that says "Buy once, cry once" over the entrance to my garage - woukd probably end up saving me money in the long run.
 

ThatGuyRyRy

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
I started fishing plugs this year on downriggers and I think I will always have at least one rigged now. Easiest fishing and even my 4 year old son was able to reel up a 10 lb king. I use cold water ss and I've been really happy with them.

I'm not the biggest fan of fishing with downriggers but I fish with the kids enough that I'm usually trying to entertain them while fishing so it's what I can do. It took a while to dial in but it's worked really well for me now.
 

cdnred

Life of the Party
I've been using using a Shimano Tekota TEK600LC reel and luv it. The need for a line counter is more of a personal preference then whether it's really needed or not. Shimano reels are well made, priced right and have been a reliable product as far as I'm concerned. As far as keeping it at a certain depth, I think a downrigger would be your best option..

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