What’s your Spread....

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Reelax
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Species: Salmon, steelhead, brown trout
Location: Fletcher, Vt

Re: What’s your Spread....

Post by Reelax »

I am so impressed with all the replies.. think it’s great to see so many setups described. I know captnthorny crazy Ivan and fathead can put out some major spreads.. waiting. To hear from me them..

I do know it pays to have fishin buddies... I usually put 3 in the boat and like to fish 4 cause I think 10 spoons is a big reason we do such good numbers Reelax...

Call friends.. get more fish... good technique
Matt B
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C-Hawk
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Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2012 11:41 am
Species: salmon,lake trout

Re: What’s your Spread....

Post by C-Hawk »

I like your program Matt. I will consider it . Although after two weeks of the Billy -Bobs, and nearly dropping a liver, it's time to go it alone. Kind of like sneaking around for that elusive 8 point. Most guys would be bored senless fishing the same reef for a weekend, with little to show. However, I know sooner or later, with my minimalist spread, I will get a nice fish.
dry net
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Species: cold water

Re: What’s your Spread....

Post by dry net »

Our spring spread starts with boards. Two flats on the outside at least 100 back pulling a stick and a spoon, spoon set up as a weight rod. Two 3 color leads inside starting at 1 and 2 pulling a stick and spoon. Two riggers set shallow 30 and 50 back pulling a stick and spoon. This spring for us was a spoon year. Ended up running almost exclusively spoons and Crazy Ivans took 90% of the fish. This may have been a product of where we were fishing but not sure. Good luck to all !
Adkhare
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Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2015 1:52 pm
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Re: What’s your Spread....

Post by Adkhare »

Normally we run 2 riggers ,always with cheaters ,one lite bite and one mini dipsey lead lenght varies but we stagger the rigger cheater combos to cover the water column as much as possible and dial in from there. This season is spoons all the way for us complete opposite of last year. We had a boatload for the lci and attempted our most extraordinary set up 2 riggers each stacked with 2 rods and cheaters on high lines and one rod in the prop wash, then our normal diver set up. That made 7 rods and 9 lures, a bit much but we felt good ,Went off flawlessly with only one minor tangle due to a laker and an idiot in a big cruiser that decided diving through a fleet of trolling boats was a better idea than the wide open channel. Great idea for this discussion lot easier than studying boats traveling past. Next we’ll have to have to try one on the craziest thing you’ve dragged behind the boat on days of desperation.
Bulldogbish
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Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2018 1:21 pm
Species: Salmon, Lakers

Re: What’s your Spread....

Post by Bulldogbish »

Another fun thread. Again, new to the site.

One thing we do that may be different is run planers all year. We normally put our dipseys as far we can stretch it (wave dependent). This gets it away so we can still run 3 or 4 downriggers. Sometimes even put the leadcore on the boards to mix things up. We always joke that we catch fish when we try "dumb" things.

We dont have lite bites so that is our next plan. Sounds like these can get pretty far out, we will be in extra stealth mode out on the planer.
Off season
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Species: Salmon/Lakers

Re: What’s your Spread....

Post by Off season »

This time of the Year I'll run 2 riggers with cheaters, I run 2 copper rods on 15' Outriggers! The copper seems to take some Nice Fish! I am introducing Slide Diver Lite bites to my spread Lately!
Spring fishing, I run Otter Boats with 2 color Lead Cores on each side or 50'- 60' Coppers,run back 200'-250' back! Riggers with Long leads down 15-20'
"OFF SEASON"
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Ahhspray
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Location: Northern Vermont

Re: What’s your Spread....

Post by Ahhspray »

This thread is fantastic! Thanks to Relax for starting it and to all who have contributed. The creativity of the successful and sometimes desperate fisherman never ceases to amaze me.

It's also interesting to see the variety of different ways that seemingly different set-ups can be used to get to the same spot in the water column.
Totally rebuilt - 1986 22' Starcraft 220V CC T-top w/ 1986 Evinrude 140hp and 1978 Merc 7.5hp kicker
mrwalleye
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Re: What’s your Spread....

Post by mrwalleye »

When we're fishing for salmon during the summer a typical set up will consist of running four riggers, with the out side two stacked and the stacked rods with cheaters. Then we run 4 slide divers. Usually the inside diver on a 8 1/2 ft rod on a 1 sitting with the heavy weight and ring set running the deepest and the outside ones on a 10' rod on a 2.5 setting with the standard weight and no ring if the fish are high enough if not I'll run the same as the inside rod just not as deep.

We usually have five on the boat. We get very few tangles with this setup. Just have to make wide turns with the 4 divers out. We're running 10 rods and 12 lures.

I like to run large spreads. Mostly to figure out where the fish are and what they want. If I haven't been out in a while I'll start with different types, size's of spoons and colors.

Our largest Salmon's this year have come on lake trout size spoons. I run probably run 40% of my spread with larger than the standard size spoons. The size of the alewives are huge out there.
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C-Hawk
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Species: salmon,lake trout

Re: What’s your Spread....

Post by C-Hawk »

We also have been using larger spoons this year, my best has been a large silver Mooselook. It caught salmon 60 down April 30 the, and I have not put it away.
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