Salmon trolling setup (salt water)

So the picture showed is my typical salmon trolling setup. I've been having issues with it lately though. I can't seem to get my gear down deep enough, there is way too much angle on the line. If you guys would have any suggestions, tips, or tricks I would appreciate it tons.

Would love to see some of your setups also!

Deep 6 Divers are a great way to catch fish & cover a lot of water. Lookup the following video on Utube, it's very descriptive & their rod, reel & diver setup can't be beat.

In the July issue of nw sportsman there is a article with a chart that talks about that exact thing with 8-10oz sinkers.not sure how accurate it is but worth the read.

The Delta Diver has worked well for me.  For suspended fish, 50 feet down is productive, there's a new diver on the market that claims 100 feet is possible.  I'll look for that site and append a link here.

Here's the link to the Torpedo site, they make cylindrical sinkers in 4 sizes, which can attain 100 feet at 2 mph with 300 feet of line out.  And the "Deep Sea" diver, which is similar to the Dipsy Diver:    https://www.torpedodivers.com/scart/product_details.asp?ItemNum=J0010

fone number for Matt, the owner, is 206 504 2265.

Have not tried these, there's nice charts on the website with length of 20 or 30# braid necessary to attain various depths.   Personally, I prefer Metzler sliding sinkers, rather than fixed.  They're getting hard to find, though.  And I can't believe how the price of lead has shot thru the roof!

How deep are you getting that rig? How deep do you need it?

I usually fish lead and I use the same rig in both estuaries and saltwater.    A Google search for "B10 salmon rig" should give you plenty of photos and videos. 

The banana weight system can work well in the ocean when you don't have to worry about snagging the bottom.   As for getting deep enough... how much weight are you running?   I would say between 8 oz should be plenty unless you're dealing a lot of current. 

Also, running braid as your mainline will help get it down deep as it is thinner and less drag.

I like to use a line counter and I pay attention to the angle of my line out.   After that a quick refresher of trigonometry will give you a decent estimate of how deep your bait is running.

So for example... 45 degree angle on the line going in and 50 ft of line on the counter ...

Depth = length on counter * sin(angle in degrees)
Depth = 50 ft *sin(45 deg) = 35.35 ft

If you're getting a different angle, you'll need to make an adjustment.   I don't do the trig on the water, rather I have the following memorized and I make adjustments to my weight and trolling speeds to get an appropriate angle.

sin(30 deg) =~ 0.5  (5 ft of depth for every 10 ft out)
sin(45 deg) =~ 0.7  (7 ft of depth for every 10 ft out)
sin(60 deg) =~ 0.87 (Not quite 9 ft of depth for every 10 ft out)

Any less than 30 degrees and you're probably running too much line out.  Any more than 60 degrees you probably have too much weight.


Short answer.. aim for 45 degrees and remember the 7:10 ratio

Meanwhile... please use a stronger snap swivel, one that actually locks.  That non-locking brass one you have there is making my left eye twitch.
 

Start with 42-48 inch leader from your flasher to bait/spinner and 8-10 oz on a slider with about a 2 foot bumper of line heavier than your leader because flashers are expensive. Most important step, fish with Ndogg. After he starts catching fish, get rid of the rig I just described and copy him. But seriously, the only thing I do different from bays is get rid of the dropper. I use a line counter and do the trig like Bsteves described. Keep your radio on because the boats will call out the depth they are finding them at.

Stake out fing-Minnowmagnet's house during salmon season following him to the water get geared up distract him just long enough to have your accomplice swap his gear with yours..... I use the same method as in my buddies pb ... Slider dropper chain and swivel, flasher , leader  plug cut herring as for lengths remember if your too far from your rod tip, it's a pain getting it in the net. Insert jokes here

+1 on the cheap swivel---friend Joel lost a huge salmon in the Strait last August when it pulled a brass swivel like yours apart.  Made him sick!  Sampo or Owner stainless swivels are the way to go.
With troll-caught king going for 20-22 bucks/lb at Thriftway, a 16# fish fillets out to about 10#, you do the math.  $ 3 for a 120# Sampo ball bearing sounds like a lot, but if it holds the Beast of the Bay after you hook it---so what?