Teasers for bucktailing

mbowers · Jul 30, 2022

Coho have been large for the season and prolific on the Canadian side of Juan de Fuca in Sooke. A flyrod bucktail was getting a few hits while fishing spoons on downriggers so decided to go all in on bucktails and surface fishing. Inspired by trolling in FL, I put dummy flashers on the downriggers and swapped the 15lb cannon balls for 2lb balls so the flashers would be 10ft back and near the surface instead of 0ft back and 10ft deep. I also added some small tuna birds and daisy chain hoochies about 40ft back. Then put the flies between the two teasers and enjoyed the show. Lots of lookers, some subtle takers and some smashes. Very happy with the results. Generally I'd rather cast and strip but that would mean giving up on the visual part.

Video of the spread. Flies are hopefully visible too.
Bucktailing spread

Tallguy · Jul 30, 2022

Cool report, and nice innovation. Are you fishing that all near shore, or way out in the shipping lanes?

I have long wanted to head to VI for a beach coho trip.. I lack many details though

mbowers · Jul 31, 2022

Tallguy said:
Cool report, and nice innovation. Are you fishing that all near shore, or way out in the shipping lanes?

I have long wanted to head to VI for a beach coho trip.. I lack many details though

Fishing 100ft of water or more. There's lots of fish in 200 - 300ft so haven't had to dodge freighters. I'm hoping the setup works later in the season too when the big ones are swimming by. Thanks to some unscientific orcaphiles deeper water more than 0.5 mile from shore is closed to salmon fishing this year. Won't be allowed to try those teasers in the shipping lanes.