Weight for salmon trolling

Question
How much weight should I be using trolling in about 20 feet of water?

Answer
I will assume that by trolling for salmon in 20 feet of water, you are fishing on the bottom, or near it, which is generally the case with Chinook or coho salmon. Lets start out by using a simple rule, having your line enter the water at a 45 degree angle, (or steeper), while trolling is best. You should have the rod in your hand and be constantly adjusting your depth by letting line out, or reeling some in. Hold the weight about 6 inches off the bottom, and bounce it down every 1 minute or so to make sure you are at the right depth, using a depth finder will help you control this.

Often people are concerned with having the tackle too close to the boat and spooking the fish. What they fail to see is that the boat has already gone over the top of any water that they will be pulling their line through, no matter how much line is out, so right under the boat is just fine with me. I usually fish with about 2-6 ounces more than most people do in the same situation. Most guides have realized that keeping the gear close minimizes the chance of tangling with other rods, both in your boat, and others. It also greatly improves how well you can feel the bottom.

My lines are always at a 45 degree angle or steeper. Because I fish 3 rods out each side of the boat, I start with the rods closest to the stern (furthest back) and add enough weight to keep them at a 45 degree angle. Then moving forward I add 2 ounces to each middle rod, and then two more to each front rod. This keeps the lines spread out in the water, letting the back rods go back further, and keeping the front rods up closer.

For example, if the back rods need 8 ounces each, the middle rods get 10 and the front get 12.

Each type of fishing requires different speeds, and different gear that has different drags. Giving an exact weight that you will need is impossible. Adding and subtracting weight to one rod in the morning will give you a baseline to judge the others by, just like in my situation, I always adjust the back rods first, and then fix the others to match the system. If I were planning on setting up a tackle box with weights I would buy 2 each (per person) of all the even numbers 4-12 oz. This will give you the opportunity to adjust to each type of fishing, and each depth.

Most salmon fishing in this depth of water is done with a spreader and an equal amount of leader and weight line. If this isn't how you are fishing, please let me know how you are rigging, so I can help a little better.

If you are still having problems, I would suggest hiring a professional guide for a day. They are relatively inexpensive, and you can learn so much in one day, you'll be sure to catch more fish on your own.

Thanks for the question, it's my first one!