Salmon Trolling Gear
Great Lakes salmon trolling is one of the most exciting fisheries in the Midwest. Throughout the year incredible salmon fishing can be found from Lake Superior to Lake Ontario. While there is a ton of different trolling specific gear; Troy Lindner highlights a couple items that you need to have when trolling for salmon on the Great Lakes.
Off Shore Planer Board
The Off Shore Tackle SST Pro Mag Planer is the perfect planer board when using heavy trolling setups for salmon or trout. At over thirteen inches long it pulls more weight than any in line board available! The SST Pro Mag Planer was designed to be correctly balanced for pulling heavy weights with no modifications or additions are needed! The clip on the tail of the board ensures that your board will stay on your fishing line when you are sure to place your line behind its center pin as the instructions indicate. We recommend the SST Pro Mag Planer for large and heavy presentations, while the size 12 is good for most applications. Ready to fish out of the pack, the offshore planers offer everything you need in a planer when salmon trolling the Great Lakes.
Daiwa Saltist Reel
The Daiwa Saltist Line Counter Reel in a size 20 is the perfect option for salmon trolling on the Great Lakes. Built out of durable aluminum will hold up in the toughest conditions. It features a quality line counter that helps you accurately stagger your spread in the water column. The Saltist Line Counter Reel has a large line capacity allowing you to get your baits out from the boat. It also features a tournament carbon drag that can handle the strongest salmon.
Black Fish Rage Jacket and Bibs
Big winds and rain storms frequently pop up throughout the summer months. Having a reliable set of rain gear is critical when salmon trolling out on the Great Lakes. The Rage Rain Jacket and Rage Rain Bib is very comfortable and is 100% waterproof. It’s incredibly breathable, making it very comfortable even in warmer temperatures. The jacket features a vented hood which helps prevent it from blowing off when driving across the lake. Both the jacket and bibs feature water tight zippers and pockets keeping your gear dry.
St. Croix Onchor Trolling Rods
The St. Croix Onchor Trolling Rods were designed specifically for salmon and steelhead. The Onchor rod series was created with the consideration of the heavy loads placed upon a salmon trolling rods. Various fishing rigs, down rigger balls, and the sudden strike of a big fish were all factored in. Created with a sensitive and lightweight SCIII Carbon Fiber and Linear S-Glass blank with fortified resin system to supply strength, durability, and flexibility. These rods were designed to handle to biggest salmon that swim.
Sufix Performance Lead Core
Sufix Performance Lead Core is designed with a high density lead center for excellent sinking speed. It consists of a ten color sequence with ten yards per color. This high density lead core is the perfect line when trolling for salmon. It allows the angler to present light spoons, crankbaits, and fly rigs in deep water without the using down riggers.
Luhr-Jensen Dipsy Diver
The special round shape and resulting multi-directional feature sets the Dipsy Diver apart from all other divers and planers. A shift left or right, as indicated on the base plate, will cause the diver to track to port or starboard, allowing for large spreads of lures to be fished from a single boat. You’ll cover more water when the Dipsy Divers are deployed. The adjustable trip mechanism can be set specifically for various lure sizes and the size of target fish. Four sizes of Dipsy Divers are available, with dive depths of up to 20, 35, 50 and 100 feet. It’s available in over thirty colors.
