Deep fishing doesn’t have to be heavy Light tackle can be effective

Contrary to the old adage, this old dog has got a new trick. Up until a couple of weeks ago I’d gone summer lake trolling for deep dwelling, hot weather salmon and trout only once. That was all it took to convince me that dragging lead core line, Dave Davis rigs, flashers and heavy baits on rods with the action of a broom stick wasn’t for me. We dragged a 14-inch brook trout around for at least 15 minutes and only discovered it while randomly checking our baits, and even a two-pound salmon offered little fight and fun on the weighty lines and lures, and stout rods.

Tom Wolters is a Michigan native who owns a camp on a northern Maine lake and spends three or four months each year casting and blasting throughout the Pine Tree State. By a random set of circumstances four years ago, Tom and I encountered each other at the same grain field one pre-dawn morn. It was a likely goose hot spot and with first light and early flights imminent, we opted to pool decoys, use my bale blind and hunt together. We enjoyed good gunning and each others company, and we have become fishing and hunting companions whenever Tom is at camp.

During a native goose hunt last September, between flocks Tom was relating his July and August deep trolling success on regional lakes. I told him of my one less-than-stellar outing that turned me from deep trolling local lakes to often mediocre, but more delicate dry-fly casting on area streams and brooks. When Tom voiced his distaste for heavy trolling gear as well, and explained that all of his fish hooked using downriggers were played on light action fly rods, my interest was piqued. He offered to introduce me to his techniques and tactics this summer, and when he made good that promise in early July, I was converted after only one outing.

Tom’s tactics

By 6:30 a.m. on a cloudless and already warm morning, Tom and I were securing two downriggers in place and sliding his 16-foot Lund off the trailer into Long Lake near St. Agatha. As we motored away from the launch site to a deeper section of the lake, a fully mature bald eagle took flight from a tall shoreline fir and made a pass right over us scanning the water for breakfast. Before we even had our rods rigged the beautiful bird had made three passes, dived and grabbed a fish and was heading back to the nest. I commented to Tom that we were pretty poor fishermen compared to that old white-headed, high-flying angler, but after that demonstration my day was made even it we didn’t catch anything.

Tom attached a silver Dave Davis multi-spoon and flasher unit to the eight pound weight of the right downrigger. He explained that by hooking up this way, we still got the fish attraction of the sparkling, spinning blades without the weight being directly on our fishing line. He then got out a 10 foot, very limber fly rod, often called a noodle rod, that was fitted with a baitcasting reel spooled with 12-pound monofilament. Tom tied on a small green quarter ounce lure, then took a six-foot length of fluorocarbon leader and tied another small red lure on one end and a plastic quick clamp on the other end. The clamp was attached six feet up the line from the first lure, creating a dropper line and a two-bait trolling rig.

A nine-foot noodle rod and Ambassador baitcast reel were set up exactly the same way on the left downrigger, but with two different lures and no flashers or reflectors attached to the weight. Tom explained that he was using all lures because that was what the fish were taking over the last two weeks. Often he uses tandem streamer flies on one rod and lures on the other until one bait proves more effective on each particular day. On recent trips, Wolters explained, all the big fish had been taken on lures, and that included five salmon between 3 and 6 pounds. Well that will make anyone a believer, so I was all for trying the proven fish takers rather than flies to start our outing. Tom hooked up his portable fish finder to check on the current depths where fish were holding, and set the left baits at 28 feet and the right at 34. Those were the depths that had produced steady action two days earlier.

We hadn’t trolled 10 minutes, and had yet to even mark a fish on the fishfinder, when the right rod doubled over and the line snapped free from the weight clamp. I grabbed the rod from the holder and gave a tug to make sure the hook was set, and felt a solid, defiant tug in return, and line spooled steadily off the reel. About three seconds later an 18-inch fat and feisty salmon performed somersaults in the boat’s wake. Using a lefthanded bait reel rather than my usual righthanded fly reel was a bit of a challenge at first, but I managed. A couple more leaps and another run provided great excitement on the light fly rod, and then the silver landlocked was in the net, quickly unhooked and released.

As Tom reset the downrigger, I enthusiastically reviewed the strike and the fight, ecstatic to finally find a way to successfully use deep trolling rigs with light tackle. Now, regardless of how hot the weather is, I can enjoy action on regional lakes for trophy trout and salmon all summer. Soon we began to see schools of smelt on the fishfinder, and nearby there were always several larger game fish stalking the baitfish. Taking note of the depth level where most fish were holding we adjusted the weights so our lures twitched along at the same depth. About one out of every five pods of fish we trolled through produced a strike.

Our second fish was a fair-sized brookie with vibrant spots and orange flanks that fought deep with a lot of head shaking before finally reaching boat side. Fifteen minutes later another rod got the bends and a landlocked took to the air, spitting the small spoon for a long line release. We circled back for a second chance and got another strike but no hookup. A few minutes later on the third pass a fat football-shaped salmon of 16 inches gave Tom a few minutes of fun.

By 10:30 the sun was high and hot at 88 degrees, and despite the fact that fish were still taking occasionally, action had slowed. Tom and I decided that shade and a cold drink were in order so we pulled up the downrigger and headed for the boat ramp praising the boat breeze. Although none of our fish broke the three-pound barrier, in 31/2 hours of trolling we caught and released two brookies and seven salmon ranging in length from 15 to 181/2 inches. There were also two fish lost in battle and two takes with no hookups.

Gearing up

Before we even had the boat back on the trailer, I was compiling a mental shopping list to outfit my boat with a pair of downriggers and accessories. Tom’s two deep dredging units were more than 25 years old, proving that good gear lasts if you take care of it. I asked dozens of questions on the ride home and headed for the local fishing shop once back in town. After buying what I could locally, I turned to mail order outdoor catalogs to fill the rest of my needs.

Like most Maine anglers, I already had two rods and reels to fit my trolling needs. I chose nine-foot, light to medium action fly rods, although lightweight 71/2 to 9-foot spinning or bait casting rods would work just fine. Tom recommends baitcasting reels spooled with 10- to 14-pound monofilament. They let out and retrieve line straight onto the reel with less twist and wear than spinning reels, and have smoother and stronger, easily adjustable drags, and faster gear ratios than most fly reels. Since I already own several fly reels, I’m going to at least try them before spending more money.

Big Jon, Scotty, Walker, Penn and Fishlander all make fine downriggers, but for top quality, durability, ease of use and a vast variety of matching accessories, I selected Cannon. Full units as well as a vast array of replacement parts and accessories such as weights, mounting brackets, cable, rod holders and quick release mechanisms are readily available at many local and regional sports shops and department stores.

Convenient, but more expensive electric units with dozens of fancy features aren’t needed for most Maine lake trollers, so I selected an Easi-Troll 2 for one side of the boat and Uni-Troll H.P. for the other. Each features one hand control, a non-fouling cable reel loaded with 150 feet of 150-pound test stainless steel cable, clutch brake, three-digit depth counter, attached rod holder and snap-on terminator. The Easi-Troll has a two foot boom, while the Uni-Troll has a 2-5 foot telescoping boom and swivel base.

I chose clamp on gunnel mounts for each Cannon downrigger so I can move them from boat to canoe and change their locations in each watercraft as desired. This also allows me to quickly remove each unit and transport them inside my truck to avoid dust, debris and abuse from traveling rough dirt roads. I selected eight pound, plastic encased weights rather than lighter models since their heft will make them hand down straighter giving more accurate fishing depths. Both of my Cannon downriggers required minor assembly, but came with all accessories and ready to fish, and thanks to a current promotions I got a free Cannonball weight with each. All I have to do now is supply a boat and rods, and then add water!

Dependable downriggers cost as little as $75 and up to $250 for manual models, while electric, multi-feature outfits run from 350 to over a thousand dollars. Visit your local fishing shop or sporting goods store to view their selection of brands and styles of downriggers, or go on line at www.cannondownrigger.com to learn about the Easi-Troll 2 or Uni-Troll H.P. , or any other Cannon product. For technical information, call 208-887-1000.

Don’t be like I was for many years and feel that fishing deep means heavy equipment and reduced enjoyment. Match up your favorite rod with a downrigger and get down where the big fish are, then enjoy some memorable light tackle tussles this summer.

Outdoor feature writer Bill Graves can be reached via e-mail at bgravesoutdoors@ainop.com