[Big Green Machine]

I know this that back trolling plugs (eg. Kwikfish) is used in the states quite a bit. Has anyone done this on the Fraser?
Also, can someone provide the link to the DFO's regs stating that no bait is to be used in the Fraser for salmon. I saw two fellas last year wrapping their kwikfish with sardines.

 

[steeliesrking]

Back trolled plugs on the Harrison last year for springs and had an absolute riot. Worked great. Can't wait till fall of this year.

 

[Steel Co.]

you will find the regs. here
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/recreational.html
:lol: cheers

 

[Big Green Machine]

Thanks Steel Co. but I was looking for DFO regs for Freshwater salmon and the link on the page you gave me does not work.

 

[Guest]

You can use Bait (roe, shrimp, krill) on the Fraser but no Fin Fish for salmon. Fin Fish (sardines, pike minnows, eulechons,) can be used for STURGEON only and you cannot use a whole fin fish (head less)


Hope this helps
Mike <"))))><

 

[jeeper]

Might be a dumb question but here it goes.......what is "back trolling" how do you execute it?

 

[Big Green Machine]

I'm not entirely sure becasue you don't see too much of it up here in Canada. It's really popular in the states when using drift boats especially on the Columbia River. I've also seen guide Matt Guiget back troll plugs for steelhead in his drift boat on the Cowichan River. Essentially, you use your oars to hold the boat back (slow it up) from drifting downstream at the speed of the water. The front of yuor boat is pointed downstream. You cast your plug to the side and let your plug drift the same way you would if fishing from the bank. Near the end of the drift your plug then is trolled. I'm not sure where the "back" part comes in to the term however, does someone know?

Thanks Mike for the clarification on bait in the Fraser.

 

[Guest]

I've also seen some people out on the harrison river anchored and cast plugs out behind the boat and slowly reel in giving er a tug here and there, worked, saw one guy land a 50 pound spring one day.



Mike <")))))><

 

[Big Green Machine]

Yes, the Harrison seems to be quite popular because you can try a variety of different techniques. When it feels like a lake, troll a plug, or if you prefer it to be a river because after all it is a river and does have some current, anchor up and essentially "bar fish" or cast and slowly retrieve plugs.

 

[hoochie]

I've also seen some people out on the harrison river anchored and cast plugs out behind the boat and slowly reel in giving er a tug here and there, worked, saw one guy land a 50 pound spring one day.
Mike <")))))><

Thats what we called jigging... the giving it a tug every once in a while.... works well in the ocean too.

 

[Rib]

Back trolling, (as I know it), involves using moderate depth diving plugs held against the current....Your boat is then slowly maneuvered downstream, allowing the plugs to slowly swim their way into the holding water you wish to work them. Ie: by holding the boat back with the oars, the plugs work against the current behind the boat a certain distance and dive to a specific depth based on the tuning of the "bills" and angle of the line to them. The oarsman can then meander the boat back and forth in such a way that the lines/plugs slowly drift downstream into holding water based on the position of the boat above them. The lines remain static, in rod holders allowing the current pressure on the bills to create tension causing the plugs to achieve their swimming action....Basically the only difference between backtrolling and say trolling on a lake or ocean is that with back trolling it's the water that's moving while the boat stays in one place, rather than the boat pulling the lines through the water. Hope that makes some kind of sense,
Rib

 

[bigjay]

Sound a lot like motor mooching.
Have fun, Jason

 

[fishortho]

Rib'.....I was going to throw something on the board, but I'm glad I didn't because if it were me I would have taken a lot more space to explain the backtrolling....It is an aquired art form and you really have to know the currents and speeds of the surface vs. the deepwater to really make them effective.......Ortho

 

[South Texas Salt]

What is motor mooching please ?

Have trolled a bait behind the boat pulled by motor of course. Trolling.

Once in Alaska, very fast water, Kenai River, Trolled bait pulled by motor of course going against the strong current. They called that trolling to. Motor mooching, ?.

Thanks. Salt.

 

[Rib]

yeah ortho, I think I've become a bit long winded lately myself, but this explaination went ok..... :lol: there . :?

 

[bigjay]

Texas Salt,
Mooching is using live herring (a 2-4oz. weight, 8' to 10' leader and two small treble hooks) and either drifting with the wind or anchoring. I was the #1 method for fishing for chinook in the ocean, because you could fish deep. But today, more people have downriggers and live bait is harder to get - it was sold at almost every gas barge, not so anymore.

Motor mooching is done where there are tidal rappids, places like Campbell River, Stuart Is, or Schookem (SP) Chuck rappid. Most of these places have very specific hole caused by back eddies where the fish hold - 100' left or right of the spot and you won't get fish. These places have lot of current, up to 12knots at times. The engine is not used to move the boat around but to keep line straight up and down in a controled drift. Again the bait used is live or cut plug herring, the weight would be from 8 to 10 oz. Most of the time the bit is soft and the fish usually swim up and the line go slack. Fishing in tidal rappid is one of the classic ways to fish for salmon.
Have fun, Jason

 

[South Texas Salt]

Thank you for the information, had no idea what you were talking about, now I know. Thanks. Salt.

 

[abbyfireguy]

I used large kwik fish for back trolling(modified)....
There was a few good posts on here early last year that I picked up on and it works great on the Harrison or any other clear water .....I use sizes from K13-K15 for large springs.....
Up here you need to remove the two teble hooks from the kwik fish and reinstall one single(siwash long shank)...
Some people add herring or anchovie fillets tied on by magic thread,,I never tried that (regs??).....
A simple internet search will yield volumnes of back trolling and kwik fish techniques...
This is a fun way to catch monster springs and still be able to easily release them. I put extra swivels on the hooks and it works well for me.....
Talk to Dusty at Hub's for details...I'll try and round up diagrams for you all....

 

[5-Salt Fever]

Back trolling, (as I know it), involves using moderate depth diving plugs held against the current....Your boat is then slowly maneuvered downstream, allowing the plugs to slowly swim their way into the holding water you wish to work them. Ie: by holding the boat back with the oars, the plugs work against the current behind the boat a certain distance and dive to a specific depth based on the tuning of the "bills" and angle of the line to them. The oarsman can then meander the boat back and forth in such a way that the lines/plugs slowly drift downstream into holding water based on the position of the boat above them. The lines remain static, in rod holders allowing the current pressure on the bills to create tension causing the plugs to achieve their swimming action....Basically the only difference between backtrolling and say trolling on a lake or ocean is that with back trolling it's the water that's moving while the boat stays in one place, rather than the boat pulling the lines through the water. Hope that makes some kind of sense,
Rib

what he said....


We love the back troll here in Oregon. Back troll and pulling plugs are two different activities but same net effect.

Back troll is using kicker motor to hold in current while positioning Kwik-fish, Hot Shots, Spin-n-glows w/eggs, spinners, anything that you think will whack-em - once postioned you ever so slightly decrease power so as to move down river very slowly through your fav hole or slot.

Back Bounce is same only using a cannon-ball sinker on 12-36in dropper to get you offering in to the strike zone (see below diagram)/ Here the your line is let out until the cannon-ball touches bottom and the bottom can be touched with each successive small raise and lowering of your rod tip while you move slowly down river with the kicker controlling rate of decent.

Feet per minute is the rate of decent in either case

Pulling plugs is a discribed above but for primarily for Steelhead and out of drift boat using oar power to control decent - very effective but should be avoided in C& R fishery as fish tend to swallow plug deep.

Final variation is anchor fishing in river current (most popular on larger systems - Frasier, Columbia, etc...rivers) where one is anchored at the top of their fav hole or slot and eases back into the hole or slot a sardine wrapped kwik-fish or other suitable plug. Goes without saying you must have an outbound current to fish this method - we troll the incoming and anchor on the ebb flow when fishing this method in tide water. Start with smaller Kwikfish (K14) at early ebb and move to K15 or K16 in heavier ebb or river flows and back to K14 at bottom of ebb flow.

Put the pole in the holder, get out the cribbage board, and wait for the rod tip to burry into the water. Spring and Fall run Chinook love the Kwik fish in our area and they will about tear your rod out of the holder when hiting a Kwik-fish. The urge here is to grab the rod and swing for the fences on the hook set - but often one tears the plug out of their mouth before hooks find a home. Leave the rod in the holder until the fish is peeling line from the reel and then couple of short pops to set hook and away we go. Tuning you Kwik is imperative so that it dives absolutely strainght down. Any side movement favoring left or right on the dive and you might as well go home - only properly tune plugs will catch fish - we can dicsuss how in another post if anyone want to know how. Besure and re-tune plug after bait wrapping to again, ensure she dive only straight down - many beleive this is more important then color selection.

Below is a pic of fav rigging of a K15 sized Kwikfish as well pics of how we get the swivel on the Kwikfish. K15's and K13's I believe are the only sizes that have the eye that can be opened. Swivels on hooks are a must your fighting fish will leverage the Kwik body against the current during fight and pull the hooks out. Subsitute singles for trebles where regs dictate.

Popular Kwik colors are:

Chome
Fickle Pickle
Chartuse and chrome
Green and Chrome
Chome with pink dots
cheese measles
double trouble

I can post pics for those interested

See also the following link for movie demo'ing how the bait wrap your Kwikfish - http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/movies/biglqwrap.mpg (11mb)

Backbonce/Anchor Setup - sub in plugs for spin-n-glow

 

[Nice_One]

Right on! Thanx for the info guys! I hope to fish some of the Fraser by boat for the first time this summer...try to fish them rather.:?
I want to do a guided trip too but I'm getting married this fall and probably won't be able to swing it...sigh...
Cheers! -Nathan in NW