Sunny Day Setup?

[TheToadHunter]

Generally I do well enough to keep me satisfied while the sun is on the water, but this year I can't catch a break. Just looking for some advice from others on what they do if the fishing is great during low light, but your fish "shut off" when the sun comes up.

 

Frustration is starting to kick in. As of late, I've seen too many fish come to my riggers, follow, and not take. Even my go-to dipsy set-ups aren't taking hits. Tried varying my leads from the rigger balls between 10'-35', switching spoon colors (greens, blue, blacks, whites, UV, glow,etc), switching spoon brands (DW and MS), standards and mags, direction of troll, stop/go if I have followers and no takes..etc.. The only thing I haven't done is drop from 20lb fluoro to 15lb and extend the length between my ball and spoon.

 

What gives????

 

 

Mike

 

 

 

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[J.D.]

Some kind of bad scent issue??  cleaning supplies, gasoline, suntan lotion, etc.    Try something on the lures.... Smelly jelly, Pro cure, herring oil....  any bananas on board??

[TheToadHunter]

Thanks for the only reply!!!

Bad scent was a thought of mine, but I ruled that out because we'll take hits regularly on the same rigs before the sun beats down, then nothing after (without changing anything or touching anything).

I use smelly jelly on my Kwikfish while backtrolling salmon in the rivers, so maybe I'll try something similar on my spoons.


Mike

Some kind of bad scent issue??  cleaning supplies, gasoline, suntan lotion, etc.    Try something on the lures.... Smelly jelly, Pro cure, herring oil....  any bananas on board??

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[CopperJon]

Not sure what you're running early, but standard rule of thumb is glows early, then switch to silver/chrome, UVs. Also try stretching your lead back from the ball. As the sun gets higher they can see everything much better

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[GAMBLER]

Running the "go to" stuff seems to change year to year.  What was hot last year may not buy many bites this year.  I have found changing up lures when the bite slows, changing presentations, not getting hung up on what worked last year, and changing speeds helped during slow times.  I have found on somedays too many flashers can be a bad thing when the bite slows.  Take some out of your spread and see if it changes things.  Two years ago during the Sandy Creek Shootout, I was watching the fish streak into the rigger spread and not commit.  I pulled the flashers out of the spread and we started firing rods like crazy.  We ended up upgrading 3 kings in our box in the last hour and a half after I pulled the flashers.  Also pay attention to the graph.  Later in the day, we find more kings deep and out of temp.  

[TheToadHunter]

Not sure what you're running early, but standard rule of thumb is glows early, then switch to silver/chrome, UVs. Also try stretching your lead back from the ball. As the sun gets higher they can see everything much better

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I usually start with a UV spoon on one rigger, and then a standard or glow finish on another, which is usually a different brand. I swap them out as fish decide which they prefer, but this year, sun = skunk 90% of the time.

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[TheToadHunter]

Running the "go to" stuff seems to change year to year.  What was hot last year may not buy many bites this year.  I have found changing up lures when the bite slows, changing presentations, not getting hung up on what worked last year, and changing speeds helped during slow times.  I have found on somedays too many flashers can be a bad thing when the bite slows.  Take some out of your spread and see if it changes things.  Two years ago during the Sandy Creek Shootout, I was watching the fish streak into the rigger spread and not commit.  I pulled the flashers out of the spread and we started firing rods like crazy.  We ended up upgrading 3 kings in our box in the last hour and a half after I pulled the flashers.  Also pay attention to the graph.  Later in the day, we find more kings deep and out of temp.  

I appreciate the input. And like you said about "go-to's, I found out on Sunday, one specific flasher/SD color made the day. It was a discontinued color I haven't used in several years. And was NEVER a go-to color. This year we've been doing alot of unorthodox stuff when the sun is beating down, but haven't found a pattern that works.

Our normal setup is 2 riggers with spoons, 2 dipsey/FF, and a leadcore rod. If we start taking fish on spoons, we swap the FF with spoons, and vice versa. But we always keep at least one spoon or FF in the spread.

Sunday morning I broke down and tried 15lb fluoro on a downrigger/spoon. Sure enough, 10 minutes later we had a big steelhead skyrocketing behind the boat and broke the line. I immediately switched back to heavier leader. Id prefer fewer hits, quicker fights, and less breakoffs than killing every fish from long fights in warm water. Maybe we would do better with lighter leaders in high sun, but I've never had issues before!?!?

Mike






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[HB2]

I find high Sun mid day after a good morning bite can be very  tough 

 

I think the boat or the rigger balls can spook them . 

 

Even when  temp is deep I will put my dipsey at 2.5 / 3 setting and let it back up to 300 ft 

 

My slide diver and a spoon has save my bacon many days . 

 

Silver purple seems to be best on those days for me  spoon wise . And I  have a blue angle flasher ( first one I bought years back ) that works on a dipsey . 

 

I have also been known to set my rigger leads back 125 ft , even if I'm fishing  90  down .

 

This has been know to get a fish or two on a day when nothing else seems to work . 

Edited July 8, 2020 by HB2

[Firechief48]

I know in the past my best rig when high noon was a chrome spin doctor/green dot with either a hammer or pro am fly off a dipsey. 

[Adk1]

When do u run a white flasher and fly? Bright sun or overcast? 

[HB2]

White  or some variation of white is my best all around color . First light best but all day after that .

 

Maybe because I have the most confidence with it but I put other color flasher I have down and the white outperforms them . 

 

And I use glow all day with good results. 

 

The other colors catch fish also , but white seems,the best . 

 

Just got a UV white to try . 

[steelfire]

13 hours ago, Adk1 said:

When do u run a white flasher and fly? Bright sun or overcast? 

Green dot white spinny fires all day from dark to sunset. It always works. match it with  an Atommik Stud fly, UV190 or Kevin special and thats all you usually need to be successful for the day.

[Adk1]

Thanks. I have a couple of white and green dot sd's