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These are my set ups . 12.6 ft Shimano Crucial Spinning Rod with Daiwa whisker reel. 10ft Shimano Crucial spinning rod with a Quantum tour pro 20. My other is a 10ft river bait cast set up. I remove the braid once the cold weather comes and go with Raven. It makes a nice drifting set up when I want to wear mitts. All are set up with line as said above. I find casting with the braid is much easier and you don't get that line twisting when your drag is fighting the fish. Yer a good man Rick.

I would say 90% of the fish get caught at night or early dawn at Bronte once the staging begins. Some years going out from dusk till about midnight is best other times it's a 4am to 9 am bite. Once the boats come out at 5:30 am the bite really dies off. Can't get the power boaters to incorporate stealthy quiet as part of their approach to salmon fishing in 12 to 20 feet of water. Lots of them troll around or just zoom from spot to spot casting. This activity pretty much shuts down salmon unless everything else is salmon positive like cold,stained water following a rain. Shallow water Salmon are MOODY and careless technique does not pass muster with them. They are sharp eyed cautious animals that, in spawning colour look dumb but are not dumb, they are extremely alert. Goobers blasting around in power boats don't do well and their amatuerish approach often wrecks it for everyone else on shore or in silent boats. If you have a boat and insist on trolling in water less than 40 feet deep it's best for you and everyone around you to use a trolling motor as opposed to a gas engine. Even flatlining a casting spoon like a Cleo or a diving stickbait works while trolling with an electric motor and you should be holding on to the rod to maximize the fun factor rather than setting up like you are fishing the blue zone with dipseys, riggers or whatever works in deep water.

Thanks for that comment. It has even more meaning when you know that my mother (the wife of the guy on the left and the grandmother of the kid on the right) unexpectedly passed away two weeks before that photo was taken. My dad wasn't going to go on this trip because he didn't want my mother to be alone that week but after she passed, he agreed that she would want him to go. That trip was about much more than the fish caught.

Sounds to me like you'd do alright with a 3000 series reel with 30lb power pro depth hunter line and a 9 foot medium heavy spinning rod. The metered line will let you troll precisely with plugs and mini dipsys no problem. It'll be pretty versatile for casting cleos etc. You can always just black out the last 10 feet of line with a sharpie and tie on a 15 pound fluoro leader and your all set. Line counters are great for most trolling but if I wanted one reel for casting and trolling river mouths for under $200 it'd be a spinning combo. You will have a lot more success if you start before the sun rises in those depths though.

Thanks a lot i really had given up on this post thinking i wasn't going to get any responses ill be sure to try your suggestions ill be staying right on the river as it runs through the back of the owners property and Im just on the other side of hwy 11 directly across from arrowhead so im definitely going to give that a try as well thanks again!

Many lakes in that area have Black Crappies that are native! Enjoy, catch lots! Oh BTW they are delicious!

Best offer yet! Sounds like Spincast can fix you up. I don't have any salmon gear, sorry.

Not sure where you live, but I have some surplus stuff - downrigger rods, a 10 foot dispey rod with a twilly tip (well used , but still functional) , and at least one level wind, no counter though. drop me a pm and if your interested I can send some pictures through. Most of these are the result of upgrading - or going to fishing shows in january when I haven't been on the water for 3 months and anything salmon sings to me like opiods to a junkie....... .

That looks like a good and economical option to get started! And it's new.

Thanks Chris - can confirm the walleye as we got into a few along with plenty of smallies. A good time was had by all - thanks again for the tips guys

The safe to store in a condo makes me wonder. The product is 99% gasoline with the additives used in Sta-bil Marine 360 makes it good for 2 years of storage. The only difference on the product is it is in a metal can that is resealable which will keep it from releasing vapors into a living space. It is just as flammable as gas that comes from the gas station. The metal gas cans that are rated for gasoline will provide the same ease of storage as the metal tru fuel can does. So the next time you empty the tru fuel bottle use sta bil,quality 2 stroke oil and your favorite non ethanol or ethanol fuel with the sta bil product and you will have the same product much cheaper. Art

It sounds like the same relationship we have with the Blue Catfish and the Mud Shad in the Potomac River and the James down in Virginia. The bio mass of the available food is huge and the upper level predators have become gluttens and growing at a accelerated pace. The Snakehead fish that was accidentally introduced and with the food available has already coughed up a new world record within the first 14 years of them being introduced. The good news is it seems that the introduction of 2 top end predators both deemed invasive (1981 blue catfish 2002 Snakehead) has not fulfilled the prophecy of wiping out the bass population and the food forage base. The waterways seem to have been able to absorb and rebalance to accommodate the load. Art

If they market the video and start making money off it...he'll find them!!