Trolling for Salmon

[adrock]

Well the ice gear is packed away, and my thoughts are beginning to focus on the upcoming open water season.  I would like to try some catch some salmon this spring and I have heard trolling can be a pretty productive method.  I am just not really sure where to start.  I have heard and read suggestions to use large streamers, wobblers, and sewed on smelts.  Just wondering what everone else has had success with.  Any advice is appreciated.

[nhtroutfreak]

Try trolling w/streamer flies on the top or a foot or two down.  I have pretty good luck with ones that imitate baitfish like the Winni smelt.  After the water warms, though using a downrigger to get down deeper will help some times.  The "Top Gun" lures work well, too.  As well as "Chevy Chase" lures.  You may have to use trial and error to find the colors they will hit on a particular day.  Good Luck!

[chowdah]

At beggining of season we use streamers and smelt. Later on we will use downriggers or lead lines w/lures. Moosilauke wobbler brown w/spots is always good. We get plenty of different colors, patterns, styles cause some days just switchin them keeps ya busy lookin for something to work. Of course its best to have two so when you come up w/the one that works the second one goes to the highest bidder!!

[lavaman]

At beggining of season we use streamers and smelt. Later on we will use downriggers or lead lines w/lures. Moosilauke wobbler brown w/spots is always good. We get plenty of different colors, patterns, styles cause some days just switchin them keeps ya busy lookin for something to work. Of course its best to have two so when you come up w/the one that works the second one goes to the highest bidder!!

how do you troll with a smelt? how fast do you go? Where is a good place to start? we tried last year at ctr hbr with no results? please help.

[adrock]

From what little experience i have i know that you are suppose to troll slow. 

[Robb]

Lake clear wobbler's with a worm about 10-14' down either on lead line or downrigger, or let lots of line out on a spinning rod, try a few different colors and the glow in the dark one's work good.

Robb


http://www.lakeclearwabbler.com/pages/812852/index.htm

[chowdah]

troll slow w smelt, seems like most that were caught on 4-1 were on smelt. At least most of the guys I talked to. I had hits on a winni smelt tandem streamer at the surface but failed to hook up.

[Smelt1]

I've caught and landed 14 salmon this year and 10 of them have been caught on a DB smelt in the rainbow colors.I troll at 1.8 mph 2 colors down on lead core line,using 15' of flourocarbon leader.I have been marking alot of fish at 35 ft which must be the thermocline right now.Good luck!

[chowdah]

we fished for salmon again this weekend. caught one on DB smelt ,two on winni smelt streamer and one on trolled smelt. We also caught three smallies in 2-3lb size.

[winnisquam]

 Streamers, any of the old standbys, from 5 to 10 ft early, then as the season and temp rise go deeper. 1 to 2.5 mph.