Backbouncing is my favorite way to present bait to Kings/Chinooks; it's excellant for Steelhead too. Rigging: Use the non-stretch superbraids such as Tuf Line or Spider Wire for mainline. It's best for bottom & fish feel, & it's the easiest to control short stroke bounces w/o snagging (for real snaggy water Jet Planers on your droppers are usually better to use). On the mainline snapswivel attach a 3-way. For large fall Kings use strong 5/0 hooks with 40", 30# leader with about a 10", 12# dropper for the lead sinker (use a snap or loop for cannon balls or tear drops). For real clear water try a 20#, 45" leader. A leader exception is up in the Skeena trib.s & Kenai R. where 40 to 60# leader use is common. When it's murky I'll try to put the bait on their nose with about a 6" dropper; unless the bottom is quite muddy/sandy/silty where I'll use a 12 to 15" dropper because the fish will swim a little bit off bottom to avoid getting silt in their gills. The same set up applies to slightly smaller Springers except use 4/0 hooks with 15 to 25# leader, depending on water color. For the big Columbia, Frazer, & Willamette rivers use a 50" leader, with barrelswivel near mid-leader, and 16 to 24" dropper. For Steelhead use 1/0 hooks (give or take) with 30" to 45", 12 down to 6# leader, depending on clarity. I usually use a shorter 4 to 6" dropper for them. - For bait, it is hard to beat large egg clusters or egg/sandshrimp combos for Kings. For large single sandshrimp or prawns, double hooks are good. Same for Steelhead on the lighter lines with smaller hooks. Single hooks are the way to go for small egg clusters. For clearish to med. color water use a smaller corky or birdie. For both species, in colored water use a little larger plastics such as Spin N Glos, with baitoil applied. - For backbounce presentation position your boat above good holding water with enough current to slowly backtroll down thru as you would with plugs. For slower currents try 1 1/2 to 3 oz. lead sinkers. For mediums currents try 3 to 5 oz. & for heavy or real deep currents try 5 to 8 oz. or more. Free spool out your bait/lead rig with moderate speed under thumb control until you feel the lead bump bottom. Start short stroke lift & drop bouncing immediately. The current will usually pull the rig off the bottom until letting more line out finds the stabilized bounce point (where it is easy to tap & lift the lead up and down w/o snagging or slacking the line. This takes a lot of practice while continually reeling in/ letting out line to achieve a med. speed rythym short stroke bouncing. - During this attractive action presentation, hard hits or quick sure take downs are common; set it! Often though the fish, especially Kings, will softly nibble or mouth the bait. It takes experience to learn this feel; just as with driftfishing. When this happens drop the rod tip a little and stop bouncing. If you feel nothing continue with a softer shorter stroke bounce to entice a strike. When you get a good take down bite set it! "There ee is!". - Steve Hanson - P.S.- Thanks "fishin fool"; I can't believe I proof read this long post twice for corrections and still forgot to recommend sliding dropper/sinker rigups for the mainline.
[This message has been edited by Reel Truth (edited 03-20-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Reel Truth (edited 03-20-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Reel Truth (edited 03-21-2000).]
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