Reasoning behind the hog lines?

[paulages]

Hey guys,

This might seem like a silly question, but are the hog lines usually in known fish holding locations, or are fisherman just a bunch of sheep that need company in the water?

 

[GraphiteZen]

Latter. Gotta vote the latter.

 

[paulages]

Yeah, I've boated around the hog lines and not seen too many fish on the finder, then seen a ton just a few dozen yards away... I've also seen guides steering clear of the hog lines, but some of the guys in the lines have got to know what they're doing, right?

 

[Herefishyfishy]

The hoglines tie up in the lanes where fish usually run. The proven theory is the fish will run into a wall of lures/ bait which kick in the instincs to attack and it's probably going to hit someone's gear. Hoglines can not only get the bite going at the line but above it or around it as well, all the gear seems to get the fish riled up. Saturday I caught on that had gone through 2 lines and hit me about 200 yards up.

 

[Raincatcher]

Huh! I always thought they were so close so they didn't drop the beer in the drink. :lol::lol:

 

[alseaalumaweld]

hoglines tie up in the lanes where fish usually run. and do that on the tides they dont wana troll or bobber fish

 

[halibuthitman]

hog lines allow many boats to fish a small amount of water without too much conflict, a boat backbouncing can pop off the anchor buoy and play a fish politely out of everyones game and then return to its saved position. when a person anchors just back of a hog line it voids its effectivness and in my opinion is rude. as for feeding frenzies or walls of gear... that may be part of it too-

 

[GraphiteZen]

I suspect that if you get the right mix of people in a line, some beer and liquor flowing, you could have a pretty damned good time.

At least I could. They may not be into it, but... you know, who cares.

 

[GDBrown]

I watched the lines form three rows deep above Warrior Rock Light and the guys below had no clue what to do when a first line boat dropped back. He was solo in the boat and had to work the fish out from between the lines of boats to clear water to fight the fish. He got back in line and I heard him say "I did every thing wrong I could do and those idiots still won't get out of my way"!

When you see the same boats in the same location every week and every year you better believe they know it's a good place to catch fish.

GD

 

[paulages]

I've just steered clear of the hog lines, not knowing all of the proper etiquette. In the case of the triple hog line described above, should the lower boats also drop out and give the boat with a bite a clear route out?

 

[halibuthitman]

no, the following hog lines should leave enough room for the boat to move out to open water or have the driver "jog" the boat in an open position, you shouldn't fish hog lines with less than two guys on board, but ive seen some real fast boatmen do it-

 

[GraphiteZen]

no, the following hog lines should leave enough room for the boat to move out to open water or have the driver "jog" the boat in an open position, you shouldn't fish hog lines with less than two guys on board, but ive seen some real fast boatmen do it-

Can you fish a hogline with a pontoon?

 

[halibuthitman]

I have seen a toon in a hog line at cowlitz and near goble, and theres a fella who fishes the birdhouse hole on the channel for sturgeon, crazy folk-

 

[GraphiteZen]

I have seen a toon in a hog line at cowlitz and near goble, and theres a fella who fishes the birdhouse hole on the channel for sturgeon, crazy folk-

Oh wow. And I was only kidding haha..

 

[alseaalumaweld]

i cliped 2 of my toons together cause my budy couldnt row to save his life haha

 

[tonythefish]

my father in-law has fished the same hog line for 30 years,and he always has a freezer full of salmon at the end of the season.as a matter of fact we are smoking a rack right now.and yes he does have some crazy stories about the hog line.but for the most part everybody gets a long.

 

[igot_it]

It's funny about the hog lines.....I think it depends where you are. Some places are real friendly I have had some of the old timers give me great advice and always been treated pretty politely. I'm a newbie and I think it's best to go with a person who has been in them before. Familiar faces at the helm seems to give everyone a more understanding attitude. Don't go to the line without observing the etiquette first. People always talk about how stressful they are but I have way more conflicts with bank fishers vs drift boat fishing than hoglines. It's a lot harder to get bank access so people get more protective. I've fished the bank so I feel that pain. I went drift fishing and hooked into a nice steelhead and while fighting it we drifted into some of the bankies gear. They were not happy and yelled at us. I was about to give some attitude back when my brother in law said "We've all been on the bank. You gotta give them a little slack." We got out as quick as we could and he waved and yelled "Sorry." That taught me a lesson pretty quick.

 

[paulages]

Funny, we ended up starting one on Saturday... we picked a spot, anchored up, and by the time tide was turning other boats were lining up around us. Some old timers next to us were a little unfriendly, but otherwise it is nice to see what is working for other people.

 

[GDBrown]

What shocked me was seeing a thirty foot motor yacht try and get in the middle line of a three rows mass of boats. He had good boat control but it still took him three tries.
I always seem to end up on the shallow end of the upriver row, but I now have 300 feet of anchor line so I may get bold and try and move out a little. I'm usually there because I'm alone or with a newbie to hog lines and want to show them what is going on without creating chaos.

GD

 

[Born2Fish55]

Hoglines and days of old

Hoglines and days of old

I always try to steer clear of Hoglines... but once I anchor and start to tie into a fish or two, the Hoglines tend to follow me and line up alongside of my boat. Always amazes me, how the sheep follow the leader in the hopes of 'greener grass' where I'm fishing. No matter what, Hoglines always catch more fish just because of the amount of artillery hitting the water and the chum line put down by those using bait.:lol:

My Grandfather used to speak of several boats lining up at anchor and using 'Chum Chain' on their anchor lines. 'Chum Chains' consisted of a 3' piece of anchor chain with a snap clip to clip on the main anchor rope. They would wind and tie bait (Sardines-Herring-Smelt) to the length of chain, then clip it on the anchor rope with a lighter line and let it run down to the 'approved' depth to let it do it's 'chumming' thing. With the fixed location 'chum' above and the lures and bait downstream... the fix was in! To disperse a little more scent, they would just tug on the light line a few times. Grandpa said they would tie on thirty or forty bait fish & fillets so they had enough scent to draw in Sturgeon and other fish. :think:

Must have really worked well because it's illegal to use in Oregon now days!!!:naughty: