Opinions on a drop shot rig for salmon

[beaser]

I had someone tell me of a variation of a drop shot rig using a treble hook tied to the leader about 12" above the weight with a palomar knot so that the hook sits at 90 degrees to the line.

[OldTimer]

Any bait used in this "method" ?

.... smile.

[MikeH]

(08-31-2012 04:10 PM)beaser Wrote:  I had someone tell me of a variation of a drop shot rig using a treble hook tied to the leader about 12" above the weight with a palomar knot so that the hook sits at 90 degrees to the line.

Drop shot....for salmon....with a treble hook?

What "someone" has described to you is a snagging rig designed to be dragged through the water until it makes contact with a salmon body. Then the salmon is foul hooked and dragged to the shore.

Not cool.

[OldTimer]

(08-31-2012 04:57 PM)MikeH Wrote:  

(08-31-2012 04:10 PM)beaser Wrote:  I had someone tell me of a variation of a drop shot rig using a treble hook tied to the leader about 12" above the weight with a palomar knot so that the hook sits at 90 degrees to the line.

Drop shot....for salmon....with a treble hook?

What "someone" has described to you is a snagging rig designed to be dragged through the water until it makes contact with a salmon body. Then the salmon is foul hooked and dragged to the shore.

Not cool.

I agree Mike.............Very not cool and also against the law.

- and could cost you everthing in your possession or "control" at the time of arrest. Including your vehicle. All of which are impounded immediately at arrest and kept by the court - awaiting the trial, in a month or two or so...........

[Giuga10]

I have a question about Salmon fishing also.

I heard that when Salmon are running the do not bite at any bait because there purpose is to lay there eggs and die. The person then said that the only way to catch Salmon when they are running is to put a jig or worm on and just drop it in the water and if a Salmon feels intimidated or at risk it will ram into the lure and snag itself and that's how you hook a Salmon.

Is this true or do Salmon bite during the run.

Thanks,
Giuga10

[OldTimer]

Now there's a topic that has had & continues to have a lot of heated discusion here & there along the way.

Opinions vary widely and with great gusto (or more).

Research the topic in your leisure,(there's lots on line).......... and then witness reality on the lake, then in the mouth of a river, then shortly upstream, then 5 or more miles up from that.

Then reflect and ponder....................... before you decide what's what.

[MikeH]

(08-31-2012 05:34 PM)Giuga10 Wrote:  I have a question about Salmon fishing also.

I heard that when Salmon are running the do not bite at any bait because there purpose is to lay there eggs and die. The person then said that the only way to catch Salmon when they are running is to put a jig or worm on and just drop it in the water and if a Salmon feels intimidated or at risk it will ram into the lure and snag itself and that's how you hook a Salmon.

Is this true or do Salmon bite during the run.

Thanks,
Giuga10

I can only speak from my own experience. I usually catch a couple of nice shiny silver Salmon staging at the Humber river mouth. They chase down and strike my spoons, or egg clusters pretty aggressively.

I have seen large salmon, black as old boots in the Niagara Whirlpool just sit next to the shore line and ignore everything until some asshat snags one in the back or actually hits one with a lure.

So from my own experience, Salmon become more dis-interested in feeding as they move up the river. This is not the same for the trout that follow them up and feed on the Salmon eggs though....

[beaser]

I suspected as much. That's why I posted the question. I had always thought that on a drop shot rig a hook should be attached to a triple swivel with a length of leader. What the person had described to me sounded like poor sportsmanship. More like a nudge nudge, wink wink.

The bait that was suggested was roe.

The reason I couched my post is I didn't want to offend anyone and if I were an "asshat" I certainly wouldn't have cleared a questionable practice in an open forum. I'm new to fishing but a hook tied at right angles to a drop line in a rigid and close coupled manner certainly sounds questionable. Had no one answered I would have call MNR to inquire. The local office has been quite helpful (Midhurst)

What I have been doing is using an 8 ft leader with a slip float and either a wooly bugger or salmon eggs on an octopus hook. It was my understanding that fishing for salmon was a worthwhile activety and not some sort of nefarious deed

Thank you for the feedback.

[MikeH]

(08-31-2012 10:49 PM)beaser Wrote:  I suspected as much. That's why I posted the question. I had always thought that on a drop shot rig a hook should be attached to a triple swivel with a length of leader. What the person had described to me sounded like poor sportsmanship. More like a nudge nudge, wink wink.

The bait that was suggested was roe.

The reason I couched my post is I didn't want to offend anyone and if I were an "asshat" I certainly wouldn't have cleared a questionable practice in an open forum. I'm new to fishing but a hook tied at right angles to a drop line in a rigid and close coupled manner certainly sounds questionable. Had no one answered I would have call MNR to inquire. The local office has been quite helpful (Midhurst)

What I have been doing is using an 8 ft leader with a slip float and either a wooly bugger or salmon eggs on an octopus hook. It was my understanding that fishing for salmon was a worthwhile activety and not some sort of nefarious deed

Thank you for the feedback.

Dont get the wrong idea, Dropshotting is a legit technique, but not usually done with a big treble. Rigid tied or short snood single hooks are common for drop shot rigs, Google "standoff hook" to see one that is a specific design to hold a plastic or real worm straight out from the line as you drop shot into weeds. The issue with what was described to you is the manner that a treble hook with a weight below it (usually a Large one) can be dragged through the water to make contact, (which is not dropshotting anyway.)

I take kids dropshotting for bass, yellow perch and panfish along the harbourfront as its a really good way to teach them that the fish are not all 200ft offshore, but right below them next to the wall.

http://fishontoronto.com/panfish-mania-d...g-for-kids

simple dropshot article.

[MuskieBait]

Most salmon fishing upriver from the mouth is questionable. I'm of the opinion that most of the salmon caught in the river are 1) intentionally snagged 2) unintentionally snagged 3) intentionally lined/flossed 4) unintentionally lined/flossed.

That being said, I have personally experienced, as well as witnessed friends, salmon that chased down a spinner, spoon, and even roe bag on the retrieve, or taken a nightcrawler deep down the throat so far you can't even see the hook anymore (while fishing for steelhead and brown trout in mid-October)! So there are the ODD occasions where they will legitimately bite/hit in the river.

But after fishing for them for over 15 years, I can honestly say that most of the time, they avoid anything drifting toward them. In clear water, they can see an object (either debris, split shots or roe bag) drifting to them over 15 feet upstream of them and they do avoid the drifting object.

A lot of times, people use long leader (especially proponent of fluorocarbon leader) and try to fish for them "legally", but most of the time, the low visibility line simply just drifted into the gaping jaw of the salmon and the salmon spooks and run off, at which point the line is pulled tight and the hook is "set" on the outside of the jaw...sometimes on the eye, the gill plate, the pectoral fin, the side of the body, the corner of the jaw...and if you are lucky, it may hook somewhere inside the jaw to make it SEEMS like the fish legitimately took the bait.

I've casted spinners, spoons and crankbaits, things that people say would also work in the rivers...I've casted big, bright aggressive fly patterns...I've drifted roe bags, single eggs, marabou jigs...and most of the salmon ignore my bait and lures. That is after 15 years of experience.

The only exception is salmon at the rivermouth which will and do chase and bite spoons, J-13's and other diving plugs. I've fished alongside with friends who do very well fishing rivermouths for salmon. I'm not there yet...

So what I'm trying to say is that try not to get sucked into the snagger/flossing crowd of the salmon "fisherman" and put in your time to do it ethically. Casting spoons at the rivermouth from now until late September is your best bet to hook a salmon legally.

I was taught to fish for salmon by lining/flossing them. At the time, I was young and I didn't really know I was being taught to incorrectly fish for salmon. I was taught to drift the roe bag or yarn fly INTO the mouth of the salmon and set the hook when the line comes tight. That is totally lining and flossing. I am much more educated now and I consciously make the decision to not fish in this manner. I do fish the streams around the spawning run to find the odd steelhead, brown trout or even (once) an Atlantic Salmon (that jumped off). I do line/snag some salmon here and there since they can be so thick you cannot avoid them, but I do not go out actively snag/line salmon like many people do.