Sandy this weekend - Putting together a game plan...

[carpedium]

I am planning on getting out to do some trolling on my newly set up rig for the first time this weekend. I am borrowing some old cannonballs from a friends father until I get some of my own.

My equipment:

18' Sea Nymph Deep V w/70hp OB

Humminbird 300TX - monochrome

2 Rod holders, one on each side

2 Riviera Manual crank downriggers w/ 4' booms on swivel mounts with integral rod holders

1 Riviera Manual crank w/ 16" boom (not installed)

2 Dipsy combos I got from ScottB - I am adding wire and twilli tonight

2 Trolling combos Diawa levelwind w/ light action heartland rods. These are spooled with 15lb mono

Assortment of trolling spoons

Two standard Dipsy Divers (glow)

Two inline Dipsy Divers

I'm pretty excited, but trying to figure out what exactly to do when I get out there. I'd like to target salmon, although it looks like people are still having a lot of luck with browns. Keeping salmon in mind, I am thinking of heading out to around the 100 FOW mark and dropping my lines to around 40' and trolling west from sandy creek and back keeping in that depth range. Is this a good or bad plan?

I have some green/white green/chrome spoons that I plan to use on all setups.

Can anyone suggest any alternatives?

Thanks for your time,

Matt

[motoman]

if i was you id set right up in 8-10 fow and head north west watch the fish finder and send em the the depth of the fish and you may not see many if the water is as cold as it was monday, you mite want too put out a planer bourd on one side of the boat to try and pick some of the fish up that are in the top ten fow ! i only marked two fish moving right along monday out deep ! but who knows thing could change by this weekend ! good luck

[FISHIN AGAIN?]

I would start fishing by 6 AM and try the shallow Brown bite first. Look for stained water starting near creek and following dirty water 5-20 feet of water. Long leads and stick baits. If that does not work slowly work out deeper south to North looking for marks and temperature breaks. Put out dipsys on each side with flasher fly combos and put spoons on downriggers and vary depth from top to at least 60-80 feet down. Troll out to 300 or so and see if ya mark or get anything. Change up lures for water color, depth, and brightness of day. Vary your speed and see where the other boats are fishin and listen to VHF. Some of the guys there are pretty helpful. Good luck. I hope to be out Sunday morning.

[Legacy]

Keep your radio on and tuned to 72. Water temp will dictate everything... wont hurt to try the shallow bite early.

[Traveling Circus]

Fishin Again mentioned temperature breaks......... areas where there's a quick transition from a given surface temp to water that's say 2F warmer...... usually these breaks collect debris (branches, sticks, logs, dead critters, etc.)...... so while you're trolling, look for lines of slick(smooth) water with junk in them....... This time of year the breaks can offer great planer board/stickbait fishing..... right on top.....fish both sides of the break, till you figure out where they're at, and then have at them...... Sometimes you'll have to head N through several breaks to find one with fish on it...... When you hear radio talk about fish caught at a given depth, when you get close to that depth, look for some kind of surface feature to fish...... They're usually a very important part of the puzzle...

These slick lines sometimes indicate current seams too...... water moving different(faster / slower) on one side of the slick than the other.......

You can watch your downspeed, or your rigger cables to help figure that out..... Don't neglect your riggers out there.....it's a great game.... have at it!

[carpedium]

Thanks very much for all of your help! All of this is news to me - especially about the thermal breaks.

I ended up just running out and grabbing a spin doctor (42nd Spinny) with a Green glow fly. Also got the one dipsy rod spooled up with wire, I think the second will have to wait till tomorrow.

If you all see a brown boat out there this weekend looking like fool trying to act like it knows what its doing just smile and wave... it will get better as the season progresses....

[Mortigan]

Right there with you...

[ray koziatek]

im justa plumer

[ray koziatek]

opps

[Silver Fox]

If youn want your best cance at fish, do what Legacy said. Then head north and do what mike said. A 1-4 degree break is what you'll probobly find. I'll be out sunday and monday mornings. good luck!

[carpedium]

thanks again for all the advice everyone. Just took the boat out on the canal to make sure it was all good. perfection!

Also ended up picking up some new blacks releases, some flashers, etc. I plan to head out for the early bite tomorrow morning and fishing till 10:00am or so with the father and father in law.

Ray - I respect your advice and opinion as someone who has done this for years. No such thing as "just a plummer".

I will have my radio on 72 - not sure how my range is.... But what is an appropriate way to obtain fishing information over VHF? Just listen?

Thanks

[Legacy]

yeah the best thing to do is listen to what others are doing. it may help and it may not. FYI, The inside bite was not existent for me this am.

[Lund SSS]

Team Nothin But Net was out this morning and made a go of it. Ended the morning at 10:30 with 3 steelhead and 2 small kings. 330' out to 350' then south/southeast troll all the way in to 25'. We never touched a fish inside 100' of water. Temps were 3 deg. warmer and perfect green water inside with bait but no fish.

hope it sets up quick I'd like to get back out on Mon. AM