The Dirty Troll, Trial By Fire, Trolling Spinners for Salmon in Seward Alaska

Back when we decided to get into the spinner game, we knew we were on to something big when we came up with our Dirty Troll line of trolling spinners.

However when push comes to shove it ‘s really a matter of putting our gear to the test, in essence, put our proverbial money where our mouth is. We were, of course, confident in our product, we had assembled the killer color combo’s, twisted up the wire and attached the most effective blades we could find. Now it was time to do or die, so we headed out on the water to embark on the things that legends are made of.

The key items we had to consider is the species we planned to target. Since we’re headquartered in the Pacific Northwest salmon was the only logical option for our new trolling spinners trials.  We also knew that not only will our spinners have to attract fish to the bite, but they will also have to withstand the rigors of getting hammered by fish that range in size from 5lbs all the way to 100lbs. We were definitely up for the task but a little nervous as well as we saught for the best place to give it the old college try. In the end, there really was no better place for this test run than Seward Alaska during the peak of the salmon season.

For this endeavor, we solicited the assistance of one of our pro staffers Aarron Schmidt of Schmidtys Guide service. Aarron fishes the whole summer season and a good part of the fall in Seward Alaska known as the land where salmon and halibut reigns supreme.

During this series of our Dirty Troll Spinner trials, we decided to incorporate two specific models from our first-generation Dirty Troll line up which utilized the infamous Colorado blade. The Sparkler edition and the Hammered Pinky. These two spinners alone have proven that SCB’s Dirty Troll line is destined to become one of the top trolling spinners manufactured in the Pacific Northwest and possibly even the nation.


Dirty Troll #4 Hammered Pinky Salmon Trolling Spinner with sickle hook by SCB


Hammered Pinky salmon trolling spinner

 

 


Now when it comes to the troll game it’s all about getting it in front of the fish. To get the spinners down to the optimal depth we incorporated a diver in front of a flasher with our spinners trailing behind. Once we found the blob on the fish finder and got our rigs down to the appropriate depth, in a matter of minutes it was one right after another. With double hookups and high spirits, our Dirty Troll spinners were definitely proving there effectiveness when targeting these feisty Alaskan salmon. Although both spinners we immensely effective with hookups running about 50/50 between the two models we were able to land more fish with the Hammered Pinky versus the Sparkler.

Now at that time, we were using .028 stainless steel wire which is more than enough for steelhead and overall very effective and durable when river fishing for salmon. However, we couldn’t ever have anticipated having more than 60 hookups in a day and landing over 45 fish on just these two lures.

 



 

This really put our spinners through the torcher test hefting one coho after the other weighting from 8-10 lbs with the big one hitting the 12lbs range.  One of the interesting things we found was that our Dirty Troll Sparkler spinner which incorporated our larger 4.5 Colorado blade began to experience wire bend under the stress of catching so many fish. Even funnier was the more bent the wire became the more hookups we got. Our Hammered Pinky, however, held strong and even though it had the same .028 wire and the same number of hookups, we didn’t have any issues with bending. In addition, we landed more with the Hammered Pinky which incorporates our #4 Hammered Brass Colorado blade.

 


Dirty Troll #4.5 Sparkler Salmon Trolling Spinner with Treble hook by SCB



 

Granted the Sparkler didn’t actually fail and still caught a ton of fish, but the fact that the wire bent helped us to determine that we needed to strengthen up our trolling spinners. We used the situation as a learning experience and now all our spinners are built with the larger .035 wire which is a significant upgrade from the traditional .028 used for many of the salmon spinners commonly sold in retail stores.

 

One thing for sure, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing your gear successfully land 45 salmon in a single day of fishing and as a result, we have modified our product and made it even better than it was before.  Stay tuned for more information on the development of our Dirty Troll fishing spinners as we create the best fishing spinners made today.

 

 

 


Another taken in Sward, AK, only this time it’s with the Dirty Troll War Hammer Spinner


Coho caught with our Dirty Troll War Hammer Trolling Spinner

 

 


 

 

SCB Pro Staff

4 comments to “The Dirty Troll, Trial By Fire, Trolling Spinners for Salmon in Seward Alaska”

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  1. John - July 26, 2020 Reply

    Great looking spinners. Curious as to what brand of snap is used to connect the spinner and swivel in the hammered pinky photo.

    • Sales and Service - July 27, 2020 Reply

      For salmon, we basically use whatever we can find rated for 75 lbs. test or higher, Size #4 or #5. Our favorite clips are made by a local company in Port Angeles WA called Metzco. If we can’t find them local, the Dr. Fish brand is fairly decent. They make excellent barrel swivels as well.

  2. John - July 28, 2020 Reply

    Thank you very much. Info added to my notes. What are your top 3 or 4 spinners you would recommend for Nehalem river fall chinook. I will primarily be fishing Nehalem river with a few trips to Tillamook Bay. I am a kayak guy.

    • Sales and Service - December 8, 2020 Reply

      Our Death Star, Hammered Pinky, Fire Squid, and Pink Glow are all great options for targeting fall chinook in the Nehalem. Also the Copper Killer, and Pink nightmare have put allot of fish in the boat as well. If you’re a cast and retrieve guy our Hoochie Bomb in the Jungle fever, wicked, or Dazzler have proven very effective. If you have any other questions let us know. Good luck on the water!

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