Over the years I have noticed that leader length between lure and flasher can often make a big difference in strike rate while trolling for salmon at various times and for various species. I was wondering what some of the rest of you tin trollers are using and especially what leader lengths you favor.

Although I use everything from herring, flies, coyotes and hootchies, my numero uno (should be outlawed) go-to rig is a green-glo Hot Spot with a plain vanilla glow squid at about 28-32" for kings, 22" for BM and a scant 18" for silvers. I know that 18" is very tight and breaks all the rules but it catches fish and I guess that all that counts. I will vary troll speed alot and make alot of turns if that matters. I use about the same leader length on flies but spoons and bait I'll go more standard length and longer.

I'm sure your experience and input would be much appreciated.

I follow along your lines Mooch. I like a short leader. I go 2 1/2 times the flasher length for hoochies (for all salmon species) and three feet for spoons.

today i started at 3 feet with a spoon and got nada. then I switched to a hootchie and got nothing until I shortened my leader from 38 inches down to about 24. That turned my outing around and i got my 2 fish quickly after making the change...

Mooch,

Here's a small preview from the soon to be:
"Techniques and Theories of a Puget Sound Salmon Fisherman"

These lengths have been documented in my journals as being the most consistent over the last 24 years. The lengths in parentheses are my overall preferred starting lengths for 50# Mason or F/C leaders (20# for spoons). These lengths have also caught the most fish over the years.

Although these are common lengths for many fishermen, some might disagree... it boils down to a personal choice.

What some folks don't realize is you can get the same action from a 28" leader trolled slow compared to a 38" leader at a faster speed. Relative motion is the only difference.. I am not a big fan of the old adage "slow for kings, fast for silvers. " I prefer to cover as much water as possible during my day on the water.

For simplicity... I only covered 11" and 8" flashers here. The current sizes available on the market are 6", 8" through 15".

Apologize in advance, my format didn't take to well from "click and paste" mode.

Hope this hopes!

Leader Length Chart

11” Plastic Flashers

King (returning adult)

Bait 48”- 60”(52”)
3” Hootchy 40”- 46” (43”)
4” Hootchy 40”- 46” (44”)
5” Hootchy 41”- 47” (45”)
6” Hootchy 44”- 48” (46”)
2”-3” Spoon 40”- 55” (52”)
4” Spoon 42”- 55” (53”)
5” Spoon 44”- 60” (55”)
6” Spoon 48”- 60” (58”)
Coho Killer 40”- 46” (46”)
B2 Mini Squid 31”- 38” (38”)
Grand Slam Bucktail 28”- 33” (30”)
(or standard bucktail flies)
3” Apex 48”- 60” (53”) (slow troll)
4” Apex 65”- 75” (67”) (slow troll)

Blackmouth

Bait 36”-50” (40”)
3” Hootchy 30”-38” (35”)
4” Hootchy 32”-38” (37”)
5” Hootchy 33”-40” (38”)
2”-3” Spoons 35”-44” (42”)
4” Spoons 38”-48” (44”)
Coho Killer 35”-48” (42”)
B2 Mini Squid 30”-36” (35”)
Grand Slam Bucktail 28”-31” (29”)
(or standard bucktail flies)
3” Apex 48”-60” (55”)

Coho
Bait 36”-48” (37”)
3” Hootchy 29”-35” (32”)
4” Hootchy 30”-36” (34”)
2”-3” Spoon 32”-38” (36”)
4” Spoon 34”-40” (38”)
Coho Killer 30”-40” (36”)
Grand Slam Bucktail 29”-34” (34”)
Apex 45”-55” (50”)

Large Metal Flashers

King (returning adult)

Bait 42”- 52” (46”)
3” Hootchy 29”- 38” (36”)
4” Hootchy 30”- 38” (37”)
5” Hootchy 30”- 39” (38”)
2”-3” Spoon 30”- 40” (39”)
4” Spoon 30”- 41” (40”)
5” Spoon 33”- 43” (42”)
Coho Killer 30”-38” (35”)
B2 Mini Squid 34”- 40” (35”)
Grand Slam Bucktail 28”- 32” (29”)
(or standard bucktail flies)

Blackmouth
Bait 36”-50” (40”)
3” Hootchy 30”-38” (35”)
4” Hootchy 32”-38” (37”)
5” Hootchy 33”-40” (38”)
2”-3” Spoons 32”-36” (35”)
4” Spoons 33”-38” (37”)
B2 Mini Squid 31”-35” (32”)
Grand Slam Bucktail 30”-34” (32”)
(or standard bucktail flies)
3” Apex 48”-60” (55”)

Coho

Bait 36”-48” (37”)
3” Hootchy 29”-35” (32”)
4” Hootchy 30”-36” (34”)
2”-3” Spoon 32”-38” (34”)
4” Spoon 34”-40” (38”)
Grand Slam Bucktail 30”-34” (32”)
Apex 45”-55” (50”)

Small Plastic Flashers (8”)

King (returning adult)

Bait (strip) 30”- 36” (34”)
3” Hootchy 26”- 33” (27”)
4” Hootchy 26”- 34” (29”)
2”-3” Spoon 26”- 40” (31”)
Coho Killer 26”- 40” (30”)
B2 Mini Squid 25”- 35” (28”)
Grand Slam Bucktail 24”- 27” (26”)
(or standard bucktail flies)

Blackmouth

Bait (or strip) 30”- 36” (34”)
3” Hootchy 20”- 24” (22”)
4” Hootchy 21”- 24” (23”)
2”-3” Spoon 22”- 26” (24”)
Coho Killer 20”- 24” (21”)
B2 Mini Squid 19”- 24” (20”)
Grand Slam Bucktail 18”- 22” (19”)
(or standard bucktail flies)

Coho All leader lengths should be same as Blackmouth. Increase trolling speeds.

Pinks 2” Pink Hootchy 15”-18” (16”) Use all white flasher.
Troll slow.

Sockeye 3/0 or 4/0 Hooks 17”-22” (18”) Use bare red hooks.


Small Metal Flashers (8”)

King (returning adult)

Bait (strip) 30”- 36” (34”)
3” Hootchy 26”- 33” (27”)
4” Hootchy 26”- 34” (29”)
2”-3” Spoon 26”- 40” (31”)
Coho Killer 26”- 40” (30”)
B2 Mini Squid 25”- 35” (28”)
Grand Slam Bucktail 24”- 27” (26”)
(or standard bucktail flies)

Blackmouth

Bait 30”- 36” (34”)
3” Hootchy 20”- 24” (22”)
4” Hootchy 21”- 24” (23”)
2”-3” Spoon 22”- 26” (24”)
Coho Killer 20”- 24” (21”)
B2 Mini Squid 18”- 24” (19”)
Grand Slam Bucktail 18”- 22” (19”)
(or standard bucktail flies)

Coho All leader lengths should be same as

Blackmouth. Increase trolling speeds.

Pinks 2” Pink Hootchy 15”-18” (16”) Use all white flasher.
Troll slow.
(White Dodger) 2” Pink Hootchy 12”-15” (14”)

Sockeye 2” Pink Hootchy 17”-22” (18”) Use bare red hooks.

(Dodger) 3/0 or 4/0 Hooks 8”-12” (9’) Use bare red hooks

Downriggin has an impressive list of leader lengths based on his log. That is a great piece of advise for all...keep a log. If I had only done so in the last 25 years what a book I could write too. Alot of my initial techniques were handed down to me by my uncles who lived on the water in area 8-1 and 7. I have developed my own techniques for success and will pass on a couple of them..........

First I think the combination of presentation and boat handling is the key. After I select the gear and get the lines ready to go I then have to select the depths to run the gear and then , in my mond, the real key is the handling of the boat. What I mean by that is the water covered , the trolling pattern as in twists and turns and then the real important element SPEED...This combination was really proven this year at Westport and Neah Bay. I use my Garmin GPS with huge numbers settings to observe the speed in knots. I pay close attention to the action of the lures at any given place and time and at different speeds. This is an aquired technique that can't be learned on the internet. Alot of folks simply look at the downrigger cable to see if it has the "right" angle and go by that . I saw this on my own boat at Westport recently...I usually drive but gave up the wheel for awhile and watched the downrigger cable angle technique. We caught few if any fish. I took the helm back and adjusted the speed and started making turns at different speeds and bingo two kings 33 and 34. This was using 6" spoons.

One other interesting thing: When I was a teenager my uncles used to take me to Sekiu and here is the ONLY thing that worked according to them:

Abe n Al silver flasher with 18" (exactly) of 50# mono leader to a blue and white hootchie. A length of 50# mono about 6' long from the flasher up to a triple swivel and the main line...a dropper lead off the swivel...That was it...fished 50 feet down in 60' of water and nailed the kings....yes kings...with 18" of leader.

I also caught the most hook nose silvers on Possession using the following:

GloWhite Silver Horde F4 Piscator metal flasher
22.5" of 50# mono to a squid called "Apple Core" with a twinkle skirt....Two 5/0 sharp hooks with the trailing hook just barely below the bottom of the squid. Fish the bar at 100-150 down when you can spot the schools migrating at that depths.

And finally the Coyote....I have used 72" of leader behind a Hot Spot for kings and had the most success by far. This also is done by combining the driving techniques of varying speed and making turns. When the 72" of leader goes around a corner on an inside turn the spoon will flutter and slow down causing the fish that may be following it to strike. This really worked with the 6" spoons with no flasher.

To each his own....Remember that you usually catch 90% of your fish with what you use 90% of the time. Try something new and you might be surprised.

Grandpa,

You touched on a very important part of the presentation- boat handling.

I firmly believe one of the reasons "Ringing the Dinner Bell" works so well is the flutter/dropping action of the lure. This technique works well when you approach a bait ball, have fish following your gear or know fish are feeding on sand lance.

Additionally, if you fish by yourself, this affords you an opportunity to really work a good bait ball and make tight turns. Most of the hits come as you are about to drive back over your gear- slow or fast.

Another presentation area often overlooked is depth... It is imperative that BM fishermen learn the contours and structure of their area! BM spend 90-95 percent of thier time traveling along the bottom ten feet, another 85-90 percent feeding in this zone on a diet that consists of 60 percent sand lance!

Yes , I agree everyone out fishing stay with those exact leader lengths please....

That way I can be the only one on the water with something different to show them

down rigger thank you for the list, I think a change is in order and your list gives me options that I dont have to just make up

I fish mostly kings and I use 2.5 x the flasher length for hootches and (I dont want to say it, but here it goes) Coho killer spoons, silver/cold and silver/metalic tape....if you ever get into a place you know the kings are munching on candle fish (san Jauns) coho killers rock. for bigger spoons I use 36 inches.
one other thing (again I dont want to say it) try a large 5 inch spoon with-out a flasher when you see kings jumping in bait balls or the fish are on the move....DJ

down rigger thank you for the list, I think a change is in order and your list gives me options that I dont have to just make up

I fish mostly kings and I use 2.5 x the flasher length for hootches and (I dont want to say it, but here it goes) Coho killer spoons, silver/cold and silver/metalic tape....if you ever get into a place you know the kings are munching on candle fish (san Jauns) coho killers rock. for bigger spoons I use 36 inches.
one other thing (again I dont want to say it) try a large 5 inch spoon with-out a flasher when you see kings jumping in bait balls or the fish are on the move....DJ

I think one obvious but overlooked technique is to watch your sonar/depth sounder and change the depth you're fishing to match your downriggers to the depth that the fish are showing up on your screen. If you are able to fish with more than one downrigger, vary your depths. There tends to be a magic # on some days (like 105'), but next weekend I find that the suspended rigger gets the fish.

Mooch - Lots of good suggestions on this board but one thing comes to mind. What worked last year may not work this year. Traditionally, we've used chrome dodgers with a 24" leader to a glow-green w/blue sptterback hootchie to catch silvers in area 9 and 10. Tried the same set-up earlier this month but nada. Other rigger had a chrome dodger with 36" leader to a mother-of-pearl hootchie that was cleaning up the fish. We switched the green-glow over to a mother-of-pearl and wammo, fish on. Just my thoughts but maybe it isn't necessarily the length of the leader as much as the type and color of your bait. I'm going to try a shorter leader this weekend and report back.