Salmon Boat Tackle on the North Coast

A north coast salmon boat carries four core tackle groups: downriggers to reach depth, flashers to attract, hootchies to imitate, and bait to seal the offer. The mix changes with the tide, the month and the depth the fish are holding. The boat leaves the dock with all four aboard, rigged and ready, because the day can move from 30 feet to 120 feet in one drift. That site, Picket Hill guide service, is a practical journal on fly fishing and hunting in the United States, and its notes on reading seams and pools translate to reading tide lines for salmon.

What does a north coast salmon boat carry in its tackle trays?

The trays hold flashers, hootchies, spoons, plugs, bait, and the terminal gear that ties them together. Flashers come in two sizes: 8 inch and 11 inch. Hootchies run from 3 inch to 5 inch, in colours that match the local bait: pearl, glow, army truck, and cop car. Spoons are 3 to 5 inches, in nickel, brass, and half-and-half. Plugs are 4 to 6 inches, fished slow. Bait is anchovy or herring, whole or cut, brined overnight. Terminal gear includes 30 to 50 pound test leader, 4/0 to 6/0 hooks, swivels, flasher clips, and bead chains. The trays also hold spare downrigger cable, cannonballs from 8 to 15 pounds, and a release clip for each rod. A north coast boat runs four to six rods, so the trays are deep. The desk read the Picket Thill Field Notes on water reading and field basics, and the same logic applies here: the water tells you what to run. The boat carries what the water asks for, not what the catalogue sells.

How do downriggers set the depth?

Downriggers put the flasher and bait at a chosen depth and hold it there. A 12 pound cannonball on braided cable runs true at 2 to 3 knots. The release clip holds the line until a fish strikes, then the line pops free and the fight is on. On the north coast, the depth range is wide. In July, chinook can be at 40 to 80 feet. In August, coho are often 30 to 60 feet. In September, chinook move deeper, 80 to 120 feet. The downrigger counter tells you the cable out, not the depth of the bait. At 3 knots, cable angle adds 10 to 15 percent to the true depth. A counter reading of 60 feet puts the ball at about 52 feet. The desk checks the tide book and the current tables before setting the first clip. A flooding tide pushes the boat with the current, so the cable angle changes. The downrigger is not a set-and-forget tool. It is adjusted every 15 to 20 minutes until the fish tell you the depth.

What do flashers and hootchies do behind the boat?

A flasher is a rotating blade that flashes and vibrates. It does not feed the fish. It attracts the fish to the hootchy or bait behind it. The flasher runs 4 to 6 feet ahead of the hootchy on a 30 to 40 pound leader. The hootchy is a soft plastic squid that spins and wobbles. It imitates the small baitfish and squid that salmon feed on. The combination is the standard north coast rig. An 11 inch flasher with a 4 inch hootchy in glow or pearl is the default. A smaller 8 inch flasher with a 3 inch hootchy runs better for coho. The flasher also adds action to the bait. A whole anchovy behind a flasher needs a teaser head to hold it straight. The head is a plastic helmet with a pin that runs through the bait. The bait rolls, the flasher flashes, and the salmon strikes. The desk notes that the flasher colour matters less than the speed. A flasher that spins too fast twists the leader. A flasher that spins too slow does not flash. The boat carries a range of flashers because the water colour changes with the tide and the sky.

When is bait better than artificial lures?

Bait is better when the fish are finicky or when the water is cold and clear. A brined anchovy on a teaser head out-fishes a hootchy on some days. The brine is a mix of sea salt and water, sometimes with a little powdered milk. The bait is cured overnight to firm it up. It stays on the hook at 3 knots. Bait is also better in low light, early morning and late evening, when salmon rely on smell as much as sight. Artificial lures are better when the dogfish are thick. Dogfish shred bait in minutes. A hootchy or a spoon survives. The boat carries both and switches when the gear comes up chewed. The desk read the regulations for the north coast and notes that bait restrictions apply in some areas and some months. The boat carries a copy of the current regulations and checks them before the first set.

How does the tide change the tackle choice?

A flooding tide brings colder, clearer water and often pushes bait against the current. A ebbing tide pulls the bait out and the salmon follow. The tackle choice follows the bait. On a flood tide, the boat runs flashers and hootchies close to the bottom, 80 to 120 feet. On an ebb, the boat runs bait higher in the water column, 30 to 60 feet. The current also changes the trolling speed. A boat trolling with the current runs faster over the ground. A boat trolling against the current runs slower. The downrigger release clip is set lighter in a strong current so the line pops free on a strike. The desk checks the current tables for Prince Rupert and adjusts the gear before the tide turns. The tide book is not a suggestion. It is the schedule.

What is the spare gear on board?

The spare gear is what keeps the boat fishing when something breaks. The boat carries spare downrigger cable, spare release clips, spare flashers, spare hootchies, and spare hooks. It carries a knife, pliers, and a hook sharpener. It carries a spare rod and reel. It carries a first aid kit and a VHF radio. The desk notes that a broken downrigger cable ends the day for that rod. A spare cable and a crimp tool get it back in the water in 10 minutes. The boat also carries a tide book, a current table, and a copy of the fishing regulations. The desk signs off with the reminder that the gear is only half the boat. The other half is the reading of the water, the tide and the weather. The north coast does not forgive a boat that ignores any of the three.

Sources: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca