Over the years there has been no greater joy than creating fine tackle that allows our clients be more successful on the water. As a result, more and more anglers have come to love our gear as much as we do. We’ve put countless hours into the development of our Dirty Troll salmon trolling spinners and the results have made it all worthwhile. We’re very fortunate to have been able to work with several industry professionals to put our Dirty Troll to the test. Their feedback has been invaluable as we continue to strive for greatness.

The Destination

One thing for certain, when it comes to trolling our spinners, there’s no better place than our own back yard right here in the Pacific Northwest. As the alarm clock blares it’s 3:00 am and getting out of bed is reminiscent to an old horror movie “Night of the Living Dead”. Stumbling too the coffee pot the ritual of huddling next to a piping hot cup is a matter of survival. Just as the rich full flavor of French roast brings one to life, suddenly it’s time to hit the road. After loading up and jumping into the truck, off we go to the renowned Columbia River to chase the infamous runs of fall salmon.

As a professional angler and passionate tackle manufacturer we only work with the best of the best. For or our day on the water we enlisted one of the top Oregon fishing guides in the region. Buddy Dupell of Columbia River Fishing Adventures is not only an amazing fishing guide, he is an amazing person and a consummate professional. Even better he’s got a nice big comfy sled that is prefect for the task at hand.

By the time day beak descends upon us we’re walking down the doc and getting ready to hit the water for our Portland Oregon fishing trip. The blare of the 250 horse Mercury outboard hums along almost taking your breath away as the cold air penetrates your lungs. Once we hit the fishing grounds the shinny 20′ aluminum jet sled begins to slow to trolling speed. Soon the numbness from the cold begins to fade away as the sun brings the warmth of day. Tweaking the fish finder and marking the fish it’s time to get the gear in the water.

Trolling Spinners on the  Columbia River

Choosing the spinner

As we mull over what we want to run, the task of choosing our secret weapon is no simple endeavor. The Dirty Troll Sparkler has been a fish killer in the past but our Full-Scale Assault Pink Nightmare is always a winner, the Death Star, maybe the infamous Fire Squid? All proven incredibly effective on the Columbia. Today however, we decided to add a couple additional spinners to the mix. One was our more traditional style spinners and the other a new line we had just come up with. For the old school it’s all about the Hammered Copper Killer. This spinner incorporates our hammered copper 3.5 Colorado with red beads and red UV hook stabilizer tubing. The next trolling spinner we decided to use is our Hot Pink Squidy. This spinner has a UV pained hot pink 3.5 Colorado blade with a purple dot, a jet black and hot pink bead and pink and yellow UV hoochie skirt.

Trolling Spinners for salmon

As the old saying goes, proof is in the pudding. Six lines in the water, trolling our spinners behind 9-inch Pro Trolls, we were cruising at about 3 mph at 30 ft. deep. Suddenly the magic happens and whammy! Our first rod literally gets bent in half. The fight is on! As the mighty beast surfaced and leaps in the air we get a glimpse of a monster coho before he dives back into the water for another run. For what seems like forever we finally get it in the net and on the deck. A 20lb. Coho for all the world to see caught on our Hot Pink Squidy.

Hot Pink Squidy Salmon Trolling Spinner

Fall Chinook caught with our hot pink squidy spinner

Next thing you know we’re back one the troll. Within minutes the tip of another another rod gets just buried. This time it’s all about the Full-Scale Assault Pink Nightmare for the win. We hooked into a chinook that was surprisingly small. Although this king salmon was smaller than the coho we caught before it was good enough for the freezer.

Pink Nightmare Trolling Spinner

The Dirty Troll Full-Scale Assault “Pink Nightmare” spinner gets it done.

Soon we’re back at it again, however, there was a brief lull in the action, we had lost a few after getting broke off, admittedly so our heads were hanging a little low. It looked like the bite had died off. Not for long, Wham! Another rod gets bent and we’re back in business. It’s amazing the excitement of catching a Columbia River salmon. After some awesome acrobatics and a coupe good runs peeling off the line we were finally able to get the fish in the net. This time our old school Copper Killer salmon spinner was the hit. What a blast.

Copper Killer Trolling Spinner

Our Hammered “Copper Killer” trolling spinner shines on the Columbia.

Another fish in the boat and another happy customers. Our long time friend and Oregon Fishing Guide made our day. All our spinners produced. Right then Buddy paid us probably the best compliment a tackle manufacturer can get. “I have to say that the Dirty Troll is by far one of the best spinners on the market. Not only are they incredibly effective at catching fall salmon. They are exceptionally well made. These hooks retail at a $1 each at the tackle store, now I don’t have to cut off the cheap hooks most companies use, I just fish it as it is.” Thanks Buddy, for putting our gear to the test and joining the Dirty Troll family. Were honored to have you come aboard as one of our pro-staff members.

If you’d like to try out our Dirty Troll salmon trolling spinners , click here to order some today!