For a while now I've been advocating the merits of the hangback rigging for salmon trolling.

Finally came across an underwater video of a coho caught on "bare" hooks. I gotta admit the video was never actually intended to be a demo of my hangback technique. In fact, the hooks are actually rigged in standard, closely spaced mooching fashion. But just keep watching because the video goes on to demonstrate the ultimate hangback "floss job" of the same over-achieving kamikaze coho that gets caught with an EXTREMELY exaggerated "hangback" of about 3 ft.

I've tried to explain the mechanics of hangback "flossing" on willful biters numerous times to people who still don't get it, or flat out REFUSE to believe that's really how it works. See for yourself! A moving picture is worth a bazillion words!

Watch as a couple of small jack kings take a stab at the trolled dodger and herring combo.... first swiping at the dodger, then repeatedly at the over-sized herring (well, over-sized for the jack).

Then along comes the adult coho for its shot. Notice how the salmon follows from behind, but when it finally decides to make its assault, it lunges forward off to one side and slashes at the bait from the right side of your screen, then it swims off with the bait. It doesn't get hooked because from the coho's chosen approach, the business end of the mooching rig was literally "shielded" by the bait. Not only does the coho NOT get hooked, but it strips the bait from the hooks altogether. DANG! Had the coho approached from the opposite side, it probably would have been hooked.

(NOTE: Had that herring been rigged "hangback" with a fully exposed trailer hook, that fish could have been hooked from EITHER approach!)

But all is not lost! Notice how without the restrictive heavy load of the stolen herring, the dodger's kicking action suddenly comes to full life. Mr. Overachiever Coho is now stimulated into another attack on the bare dodger!

He comes back for a look at the tantalizing dance of bent metal, and curiously bumps the dodger to size it up. Comes back for a second look and gives it a tentative nip to see what it's really made of. Then he decides, "Holy smokes that thing is still kicking.... I'm gonna show it who's boss!" Coho lunges forward one last time and bolts at the dodger with a full broadside assault, once again from the right side of your screen.

As the flat smooth plate of hookless trolled metal slips out of Mr Coho's jaws, he gets "flossed" by the trailing leader. With coho broadside to the axis of the troll path, it takes less than a second for three feet of leader to slide thru his jaws.... only to have the bare mooching hook end up skewering him in the hinge of the jaw from the outside in. Incredible footage and a perfect video demo of the mechanics of my hangback technique!

http://muttleycrewfishing.com/web_media/coho_gets_hooked_by_bare_hook_after_stealing_herring.wmv


I played with hangback spoons in my swimming pool a few months ago thinking that would be a really good way to rig Coyotes and North Point Nailers for ocean trolling. This video is proof in my eyes that it will be absolutely killer!

Remember the ultimate merits of hangback rigging are for the benefit of the fish! Outside in eliminates the risk of mortal vascular hookups thru the tongue and/or gill arches. It also results in the most easily accessible hookup site to easily and instantly release that fish with an elegant no-touch technique.

For the sake of the fish... just do it!