I have heard the term "pop gear" used about trolling. I did a quick search on the internet about this with no success. Guess I should have asked here first. So, what in the heck is it?
Matt

Popgear is another name for a gang troll. Now, what's a gang troll?

These pieces of equipment generally consist of a wire leader with two to six spinner blades of different sizes and assorted colored beads, usually red.

Some folks will finish it off with a simple snelled hook and worm, or add a weddingring spinner or even a dick nite spoon. These are also sometimes called ford fenders of double willow leafs depending upon the shape of the spinner blades.

If you have fished for kokanee,( I know, what's a kokanee), you have probably used one of these.

They are very good producers for trout, but some folks don't like them, like me, because they put a lot of pressure on your rod, and it gets in the way of fighting the fish.

I hope this helps, if not, someone else may be able to describe it in better detail.

(<--pole) --------0---0----0----0------0---J

Hello,
Pop Gear, also known as Gang-Trolls, are a set of spinning blades connected to a wire (bad description) used for trout salmon, and all sorts of trolling. You tie on a lure or a spinner off of a leader and fish really seam to be attracted to them!! The only problem is that it is VERY heavy and can be harder fighting than the fish!
Ok there is a picture!
~Matt

They have lighter ones made out of mylar now, but I've never used one. I'm in the class that doesn't like them, because they're such a PITA. You need a really stiff rod to stand up to all the pressure the water puts on the blades, they get in the way of fighting the fish, and you have to keep up a pretty quick pace consistantly while trolling or else they sink and foul on the bottom. They're pretty much a magnet for weeds, too.

Pop gear is really cheap gear that makes popping noises when it breaks.

Isn't "pop gear" something old men use lol.

Thanks, for the post. I now know what that is. Okay, last question. If most of you don't use pop gear then how do you fish deep for kokanee?
Matt

Downriggers are the most effective way of getting your lures down deep where the fish are. Some small clamp on models can be had for $40-60. Check Cabelas.com, Basspro.com, or boatersworld.com. These are excellent tools for getting you offerings down to where the fish are. If you fish for salmon or have a larger boat, I might invest in a Penn or a larger Scotty downrigger if $100-200 isn't an issue. These will be more effective for all around fishing.

The beauty of a downrigger is the ability to place your lure or bait where the fish are, and after the fish hits, you only have the fish and your lure to deal with. No flasher or popgear gets in the way, so you feel the fish. I would much rather catch 5 pound silvers on a plug cut herring off of a downrigger, than catch them off of a flasher combo.

Use this in combination with an accurate fishfinder and you increase your odds of catching fish exponentially.

Some folks also use lead core line, but in crowded bumperboat situations, it can be difficult to troll with 100'+ feet of line trailing behind you. If the lake isn't crowded, go ahead.

Hope this helps. Andy

You're all washed up!!
Stanley (Pop) Gear was an old grey haired guy who fished the Sea/Tac area lakes back in the 40's & 50"s. He couldn't tie flies worth a damn and his hands were too shakey to thread a worm,so he invented gang trolls,which then became known by his name. He finally put a permanent set in all his bamboo rods from pulling metal,gave up fishing in 1958,and sold all his damaged rods in a yard sale.
:p

Hey! Doesn't anybody notice my little add down there hehe! I am the owner of a Washington Based kokanee fishing page http://www.kokaneehole.cjb.net, and to answer your question there are several ways you can get down deep, 1)Use a downrigger... this is the most popular way and is used by most anglers for DEEP controlled depth fishing 2)Use a diver such as a deep-6 Dipsy Diver or Jet Diver, but just remember to set the clips loose enough that a tiny koke or really small trout could trip it. 3)Use lead core line, this gets you down about 30 feet max. I use lead core a lot and it seems to work ok. 4) Tie on about a 3 ounce weight 30 or so inches up the line from your rig and just pull it out and count your pulls.....
Hope this helps, also, if you don't want to fight the weight of pop gear you can use a 3 or 4/0 dodger tied off to a wedding ring spinner tipped with WHITE SHOEPEG CORN(see the Fishing Techniques section for an illustration) and if thats STILL TOO HEAVY for ya you can use artaficials very well, I like Firetiger colored rapalas or small spoons such as Needlefish or Kokaneekillers.... Most of all once you locate a fish, circle back around and go through the EXACT SAME SPOT kokanee school and you will catch at least 2 usually from one spot!
Hope this is helpful!!
~Matt

I'm am just trying to learn this stuff because I have never fished for kokanee before. I am hearing a lot of talk about it and would like to try it. The problem is that I don't have a boat and don't know where to fish for them. Maybe one of you could be kind enough to take me kokanee fishing for half a day or so.
Matt

I was gonna say that Stanley (Pop) Gear changed his name to Ron and moved over by Coulee Dam.... but Ron ties real nice looking flies. I like his bead bodied damsels.

He also ties some good looking scuds. Jim S.

Hey Matt: I was up at Woods Lake near Kelowna BC. and also Bridge Lake near 100 mile house and the boys were talking about catching Kokanee with flies on conventional fly gear in the spring when they hold shallow.
This soulds like a blast on light fly gear.
Do you know of anywhere it has been done around here?
Do you know of any successful fly patterns??
I only got sketchy reports, but want to go up there earlier next year and try it.
Would be great if I could find somewhere down here that it works too.

Ron,

Did you read Ian's write-up on fly fishing for kokanee? He figured they could catch them on flies as some BC lakes had so many fish that they turned to chronies as an additional food source. He was catching them on chronies and I think using indicators to boot.

P.S. Ron also does very attrative bead bodied silver-grey chronies.... a real master of his craft. Now..if he'd just learn to cast.

hmm.... couln't tell ya... I've fished for a couple different things on a Fly rod but never have fished for kokes. My suggestions would be SMALL Egg Sucking leaches WITH VERY bright colors and probably some flash in the tail, or small colorful nymph or scud patterns... they are very touchy and it might be hard to do!! But a 14" koke on a fly rod sure would be fun!! Just remeber kokanee will also attack on aggresion not as an actual feeding pattern so bigger flies like BRIGHT leaches may unleash the agressive side of a koke! And also try bright colors like orange red and Fl. Green
~matt

PS
Lemme know how things go if you try it!

Well, no one took my offer to go fishing for kokanee. No big deal. Actually I have misc. parts laying around and I through some lures together. I dont know how most people build lures but these will work. I used 6lb test with some pink and glow beads with a copper blade. My next lure was with yellow beads and a firetiger blade. The third was with black beads and black sparkle blades. I rigged the okie not on all of the hooks. What are your opinions? I probably will end up catching a walleye or pike or something.
Matt

where are you planning to go? The spinners sound A.O.K! Exept the black one.. Kokanee bite usually on agression and will target brite colors.. I would suggest running them behind a 3 or 4/0 dodger and dont forget to tip the hooks with whit shoepeg corn!! I would take you but I am going on vacation .. Hope you do well... PLease send me a report at stealy_fish@hotmail.com I will post it on my Kokanee web site www.kokaneehole.cjb.net
~Matt

Here's my situation. I don't have a boat. So I can't go fishing. So I am reduced to begging someone to take me out. I have all the appropriate gear, except boat and kokanee knowledge. Oh, and my grandfather has a depth finder. Want to go fishing bad, may have to try flyfishing in the spring. I have heard the yale, merwin, and riffe are producing good. This makes me want to fish even more. Hope we can work something out.
Matt

I have gotten several reports for lake Merwin!! IT IS PRODUCING WELL!! Fish in the 14-16" range and daily limits for many anglers!!! Which is wonderful!! Have you tried looking for a guide service? Or shopping around for a cheap aluminum boat/outboard combo?? You don't need a massive boat to fish for um... and on the small allimies yu can clamp on those cheap Cannon Mini-Downriggers... Sorry to say I live far away from your area which sucks!
~Matt

Hey Zen: Some people fish to cast. Some people CAST TO FISH. I'm one of the latter.
Besides, good flies make up for poor technique.That's why I've redefined the meaning of "good presentation."

I have another question. If I just connect weight to my line and do so many pulls and troll at a certain speed then the line will be at a certain angle from the boat. This sounds kinda like a math problem and it is. What is the average angle that the line makes with the boat when trolling using different weights? I don't know if my questions are coming across clear to you. Say if I use 3 oz and want to fish at 40ft then how many pulls should I use. Or what about if I use a deep six or other type of weight? How do I know how deep I am fishing?
Matt

Hey Rip,
If we have any math teachers out there I'm sure they will use this for a test question! The problem is there are too many variables to answer your question. First, you're trolling speed would have to be constant. Second, the amount of line pulled out would have to be the exact same each time. If you know those two factors and keep them the same, then you take the angle that the line makes when it breaks the plan of the water. If you know the angle, and you know the amount of line out, you can then determine the depth. Because if you know one angle, and make the second angle 90 degrees, you then will know the third angle. Once you know two angles and one side you can figure out the other sides (ie the depth). But that's as far as I can take you since I haven't figured this out since high school. You'll need a high school trig book.
But the problem is to know how to vary the depth every time you go out you will have to measure the angle of the line as it enters the water. Pretty hard to do on a moving boat. Even with a downrigger we are using rough estimates of depth since the downrigger line will slant back. So the real answer is: keep your trolling speed constant, adjust the amount of line out until you hit fish, then keep track of the number of pulls you used to get to the fish and use the same pulls the next time. (Which is basically how you use a pink lady or deep six driving plane anyway). Man - this fishing stuff is way too complicated!
I use a rough rule of thumb - you're depth is about 2/3s of the line out if the line angle is around 45 degrees. So 60 feet out equals about 40 feet deep.

I know there are many variables, but you gave me a tip that I was looking for. I will remeber 2/3 of the line out at a 45 degree angle. Trig is not a problem for me. I plan on taking calculus next year in HS. Just need to find a time to get off work and go fishing for ANYTHING. I haven't been fishing in several weeks. good luck to you all, unless I have more questions. Oh, and my previously tied lures have the snap on/off clips for easy blade changing. So if the black blade doesn't work, I'll change blade colors. Last question is if you prefer only one blade per lure or two.

Matt