Prepare for the influx of dirtbags!

[Stonedfish]

I watched a video about that on YouTube, it looked like a cool way to put meat in the boat, and I was surprised at the bends big Kings put on those rods.

I know salmon trolling is a fishing technique that predates sport downriggers. Was all trolling done with meatlines back then?

No, we trolled with deep sixes, just a banana weight with a cut plug herring etc.
What was really fun is taking light trout spinning rods and trolling with a 1/2 ox or less of weight plus a cut plug herring for coho.
We mooched a lot also and the Penn 109’s got a good workout. A good bite while mooching is hard to beat.
SF

 

[jasmillo]

I’m convinced any fly fisherman worth shit is a dirtbag at heart and was probably a dirtbag first. If you’re over 15 and dunking crawlers and power bait for 13 inch stockers to make freezer burn works of art for instagram fame, you’re a dirtierbagger than me. To each his own though, I’m not going to judge.

 

[speedbird]

No, we trolled with deep sixes, just a banana weight with a cut plug herring etc.
What was really fun is taking light trout spinning rods and trolling with a 1/2 ox or less of weight plus a cut plug herring for coho.
We mooched a lot also and the Penn 109’s got a good workout. A good bite while mooching is hard to beat.
SF

Guessing pounding the bottom wasn't the only way to catch Kings back then. Subsurface cut plug seems really cool. If we get anymore surface bait action I gotta try that

 

[Stonedfish]

Guessing pounding the bottom wasn't the only way to catch Kings back then. Subsurface cut plug seems really cool. If we get anymore surface bait action I gotta try that

Motor mooching can also be effective.
SF

 

[Scudley Do Right]

Anyone over here like to mooch? I know the folks who do are pretty diehard about it. I'm thinking about challenging myself to not troll for Coho at all this year, especially when they stack up thick at shipwreck

That's all I do

 

[Tuna Ball]

I used to mooch out of Trinidad. Often caught our RF on the process.

I also remember using brass sinker releases on the charter boats with my Dad and brother. I still have a few even. Can you imagine loosing a 3lb lead every time a salmon grabbed your bait? That would get mighty expensive these days.

 

[ThatGuyRyRy]

They were big before downriggers really came onto the scene and a very common way to fish the sound back then.
Not pretty and very clunky, but they put a lot of fish in the boat back in the day.
I still have my old Pflueger Pakron reel.
SF

They are still very popular in 11 and 13. I would say half the boats trolling are running meat rods

 

[SilverFly]

Anyone over here like to mooch? I know the folks who do are pretty diehard about it. I'm thinking about challenging myself to not troll for Coho at all this year, especially when they stack up thick at shipwreck

Haven't done it in ages, but that has more to do with not living near saltwater, than being "anti-gear" (clearly I'm not).

I learned 2 ways to fish coho from Dad... trolling "coho flies" behind a small dodger and banana weight. And mooching a plug-cut. Of the two, I prefer mooching due to having less shit on the line, and using the smallest banana weight that still gets the herring in the zone. Ironically, that same simplicity factor (less crap on the line between you and the fish) is one of the things I love most about fly fishing.

Now that I think about it, a lot has to do with sensing what's going on at the business end of the line. Mooching gives you that sensitivity, not quite the same as fly fishing, but close. Back bouncing eggs falls into that same category.

 

[ThatGuyRyRy]

simplicity factor

Says the man who decides to weld those own stupid deep fly lines...

 

[SilverFly]

Says the man who decides to weld those own stupid deep fly lines...

Shhh! We don't want these dirt bag guys to know I crafted a custom "mooching" fly line with the banana weight built-in!

 

[bobduck]

I’m convinced any fly fisherman worth shit is a dirtbag at heart and was probably a dirtbag first. If you’re over 15 and dunking crawlers and power bait for 13 inch stockers to make freezer burn works of art for instagram fame, you’re a dirtierbagger than me. To each his own though, I’m not going to judge.

I caught my first trout at the age of 6. On a worm. My dad and I were sitting on a log and I felt a tug and jerked back so hard I fell backwards off the log. I remember my dad muttering What the Hell or some such as I told him I felt a tug and that's when we heard something thrashing in the bushes behind us and by golly there was my trout. Neither one of us saw it flying over our heads so we had a good laugh. There started my dirtbagger career.

 

[wanderingrichard]

Haven't done it in ages, but that has more to do with not living near saltwater, than being "anti-gear" (clearly I'm not).

I learned 2 ways to fish coho from Dad... trolling "coho flies" behind a small dodger and banana weight. And mooching a plug-cut. Of the two, I prefer mooching due to having less shit on the line, and using the smallest banana weight that still gets the herring in the zone. Ironically, that same simplicity factor (less crap on the line between you and the fish) is one of the things I love most about fly fishing.

Now that I think about it, a lot has to do with sensing what's going on at the business end of the line. Mooching gives you that sensitivity, not quite the same as fly fishing, but close. Back bouncing eggs falls into that same category.

Mooching- the technique used by the Westport charter boats to put 1000's of rockfish in the boat each year.

Same simple gear, just different targets..

And, no, not picking at anyone. It hit me in the above description that that's exactly what the charters do.

 

[clarkman]

I'm the dirtiest type of fly fisherman
View attachment 75824
the kind who can't even "long arm" a pic right

Your camera guy was trying to help you out I think....getting better, but there's still work to do.

 

[ffb]

Anyone over here like to mooch? I know the folks who do are pretty diehard about it. I'm thinking about challenging myself to not troll for Coho at all this year, especially when they stack up thick at shipwreck

I just started to learn to mooch. Have had a little bit of success so far. The first bite on the drop was sick. Also the bite followed by the fish running straight to the surface leaving you wondering why you lost all the weight in your setup until a salmon starts jumping with your banana weight flying behind it and realizing that you were totally slacklined was pretty entertaining too and taught me to keep reeling even when I thought I lost a fish. I look forward to doing it more in the future.

 

[speedbird]

Speaking of mooching- caught my first salmon on a mooched herring today, feisty 3 or 4 lb wild coho outside Edmonds in a tide rip. The thing punished me, it saved its fight for when it got to the surface and then broke my weight off as I tried to dehook him

Kind of wish I didn’t run down to Elliot Bay for my last chance at a chinook, marked three fish in the entire bay, everyone and their mother was fishing there

 

[Matt B]

Speaking of mooching- caught my first salmon on a mooched herring today, feisty 3 or 4 lb wild coho outside Edmonds in a tide rip. The thing punished me, it saved its fight for when it got to the surface and then broke my weight off as I tried to dehook him

Kind of wish I didn’t run down to Elliot Bay for my last chance at a chinook, marked three fish in the entire bay, everyone and their mother was fishing there

I was around the corner to the south yesterday morning. It was very quiet at first, then there was a steady parade of boats coming up from 11. Most blasted on north, I assumed many were then heading into EB. A couple, however, spent some time around where I was and they also seem not to understand (or not care) where the boundary between 10 and 11 actually is.

The stream of boats made me think of this song:

 

[JayB]

Now that everyone is fessing up who is going to come forward and admit to combining fly gear and downriggers?

Now that I've got the gear I've been toying with the idea of running a dummy-flasher on on a downrigger an just clipping in my fly-rig to do some trolling once I'm done casting for the day. Downside = probably less effective than just running gear, upside = less gear to pack and less stuff in the boat.

 

[PnwChrome]

So does being gear fishing guide, make you a dirtier dirtbag than your normal dirtbag? If so I am dirtiest of all dirtbags. I blame Evan for getting me on a fly guy site. Truth be told I began my fishing addiction fly fishing San Juan river as youth and I still fly fish on occasion. This should be entertaining, is it waterfowl season yet? I never have spare time during duck season . Kinda disappointed I couldn't use my name from ifish and the pnwfishing forum... so formally known as "PnwChrome"

 

[Dekartes]

This is the dirtbag thread?! I swing both ways...

I broke my favorite Coho rod last week. It still makes me want to cry. Anyone have a Sage SP 370-3 out there, that they no longer use? I love that little travel rod.

 

[_WW_]

Now that everyone is fessing up who is going to come forward and admit to combining fly gear and downriggers?

Now that I've got the gear I've been toying with the idea of running a dummy-flasher on on a downrigger an just clipping in my fly-rig to do some trolling once I'm done casting for the day. Downside = probably less effective than just running gear, upside = less gear to pack and less stuff in the boat.

Guilty.