Northwest Fishing Reports

Gotta love Go-Pro cameras. Here's footage off my downrigger of coho on the attack!

Great Video! The bigger ocean silvers are coming!

very cool!!! quality video!

now if we only had a remote and remote lcd to the camera and a zoom function and then filmed at 60fps to slow down the moment they attack.. that would be CRAZY awesome! is that asking too much? haha.. guess that's why the gopros are so inexpensive.. just the way i like'em!!

Why not make a GoPro lure? Get the attack up close and personal...Maybe a lipstick cam in a hoochie?
Cool video Mike!

That is so cool!! I bet it's exciting bringing up the camara to see what you've caught on it. Keep up the great work, can't get enough of those vids!!!

goodtimesfishing wrote:That is so cool!! I bet it's exciting bringing up the camara to see what you've caught on it. Keep up the great work, can't get enough of those vids!!!

I will never forget the first time I checked the go pro footage from my downrigger set up. I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen.

Next year, the pinks and sockeye will be even cooler because they run shallower so there will be more natural light. I'm also going to look into underwater lighting options. Can you imagine some of the pink salmon swarms that could be captured?

Thanks Mike,
Great video. I sure would be curious to see your underwater mount. Is it home made or purchased?

Big D wrote:Thanks Mike,
Great video. I sure would be curious to see your underwater mount. Is it home made or purchased?

Home made. Having a Go Pro seems to encourage finding new and unique ways to utilize them.

Mike Carey wrote:

Big D wrote:Thanks Mike,
Great video. I sure would be curious to see your underwater mount. Is it home made or purchased?

Home made. Having a Go Pro seems to encourage finding new and unique ways to utilize them.

I've been looking at a unit called a Trollpro but it's a little expensive. http://trollpro.com/ running at $150.00
Can I see a picture of what your setup looks like?
Again, great video and thanks.

pretty rad! ground breaking footage!

Mike, have you detailed anywhere on here.. how exactly you are rigging the GoPro to the ball? I would be a little nervous about sending it down, without a pretty secure mounting strategy. Also, must have been a trial and error situation regarding the angle of the mount. It's a lot different than just wearing it on your head, and reaching up to adjust angle. You send it down, and hope for the best?

The Quadfather wrote:Mike, have you detailed anywhere on here.. how exactly you are rigging the GoPro to the ball? I would be a little nervous about sending it down, without a pretty secure mounting strategy. Also, must have been a trial and error situation regarding the angle of the mount. It's a lot different than just wearing it on your head, and reaching up to adjust angle. You send it down, and hope for the best?

Yes, the anxiety level is pretty high, especially since I have lost DR balls in the past. The camera rig is attached to the cable,and the ball is just below it attached to the rig. The camera angle was most definately a trial and error proposition. Lot's of factors to consider, including trolling speed and set back. Thankfully coho have no DR ball shyness. Cause the flasher is only 6-10 ft back from the clip. As to speed, faster trolling (3-3.5) put the flasher at the bottom of the video, while slower (2-2.7) put it at the top of the screen.
The first time I used my set up was on Alder lake and wouldn't you know it, I lost the DR ball to a tree stump. I figured I had lost everything, but when I brought it up my go pro rig was still attached. Very lucky!`

That is cool to watch!! its crazy how long those fish will follow a lure before they will comitt!

Steelheadin360 wrote:That is cool to watch!! its crazy how long those fish will follow a lure before they will comitt!

and you're watching edited footage. Some of the video the fish would follow for several minutes. I learned a lot about coho fishing making this video. Speed really is critical when using flashers, that was very obvious. Anytime there was a non-rotating flasher, if I sped up the fish usually hit the lure.

Some of the best information I've learned all year. It may seem obvious that a non rotating flasher equals bored salmon... but the thing is you just don't always know if your gear is rotating properly. You can give it boat-side test run.. looks good.
But then some of those flashers that you showed weren't doing there job, and no one knew the better.
I think a little thrust on the motor to possibly bring things back into play is def. a worthy move.
I found myself frustrated just 2 days ago Sunday...I think there was a lot of eel grass within the water colum. Whenever I brought my gear in, it was a mess of eel grass. As well as the downrigger ball. Eel grass is supposed to be on the bottom... What gives?? So if my gear was fished at 80' in 250' of water... and it comes up with salad, and not to mention it was a bunk day of fishing with only 1 hit. Makes me think that if I could have seen it on camera, it would have had eel grass all over the flasher and no rotato.

you'll notice on some of the footage eel grass on the DR wire - it didn't bother the fish, but I agree, grass on the flasher/hoochie I suspect is the kiss of death. About the only thing to do is faithfully check your gear every 30 minutes. As to rotating flashers - when in doubt, go faster. I doubt you can go too fast for a coho. Oh, if you see a hit, don't bring in the gear too quickly. A couple of the fish in the video hit the hoochi, missed, and came back and hit it again. I'm guilty of pulling up my gear after getting a hit to "check it", when I should have let it stay down there for at least a few minutes, maybe do some speed down/up/turn manuvuers.