FIELD
MAKE YOUR TROLLING TERRIFIC 36O-DEGREE FLASHER SETUP CAN SCORE YOUR BOAT PLENTY OF SALMON BY SCOTT HAUGEN
T
rolling for salmon – kings and coho – is nothing new. However, as with most approaches relating to catching these cagey fish, fine-tuning your gear can pay big dividends. I’ve been fortunate to fish with many folks over the decades. Recently I went out with Pro Escobedo of VIP Outdoors (vipoutdoors.com). I’ve been trying to connect with Pro for a few years, and when the stars finally aligned, I was regretting not having fished with him sooner. I could write an entire feature on what a class-act Pro is – how he greets fellow anglers at the dock when fishing and in the aisles of sport shows. But instead, I’ll focus on a trolling setup he shared with me. It’s one that’s been working for him for a few years now – and is one that more and more fellow anglers are turning to.
“TROLLING WITH 360-DEGREE FLASHERS is nothing new; it’s been around for years,” Pro says. “What’s changed is how we’ve downsized and streamlined the terminal gear in an effort to create more action and catch more fish.” The setup is simple, and the more you study it and fish it, the more you buy into why it works. Threaded onto 50- to 60-pound braided mainline is a 10mm bead, followed by a Line Lock Slider. In itself, the slider is ingenious and one that’s designed and made by VIP Outdoors. It not only holds your sinker, it butts up against your bead chain swivel and stops the transfer of line twist.
One of the components of today’s popular form of 360-degree trolling for salmon is a downsized spinner, which offers optimized action, something this coho couldn’t resist. (SCOTT HAUGEN) aksportingjournal.com | JUNE 2020
ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL
35
