The Kwikfish® can be forward trolled in open water areas such as bays, sloughs or large rivers when the tide or current effect is minimal. Likewise, it can be backtrolled in the same waters when the current is natural or tide-influenced.

BACKTROLLING
With your boat headed upstream above the area you wish to fish, row or run your motor just fast enough to hold even with the current, as though you were anchored. Work your lure (outfit) out downstream below the boat. When you stop letting out line, the current will cause the lure to work. Then allow your boat to slowly slip downstream, keeping the lure actively working as you back your boat and trailing lure through the holding water. Because Salmon face upstream, into the current, this technique provides optimum results because fish can see and anticipate the lure coming. Most anglers agree that by watching their rod tip, they can tell just how fast to run their boat. A constantly throbbing tip indicates that the plug is working properly. This technique will produce savage strikes from Salmon.

FLATLINING
When trolling or backtrolling in water less than 8 ft. deep, the Kwikfish® can be fished without any lead weight. Simply let out 30 to 50 feet of line behind the boat and allow the lure to work in the current. Trolling speed, current speed and the distance the lure is placed behind the boat can all affect how deep the lure dives. Slow current or a short trolling distance (30') produces a shallow dive, while strong current or a long trolling distance (50') produces a deeper dive. Remember, you want your lure to work close to the river bottom.

USING A JET DIVER™

A Jet Diver™ can be used instead of a lead weight when trolling or backtrolling a Kwikfish®. Rigging is identical to the free-sliding back-bouncing set-up(see illustration on back) except you replace the lead weight with a Jet Diver™. It's most effective in water 10 - 20' deep with a size 20, 30 or 40 Jet Diver™ in medium to fast current speeds. Simply let your line (outfit) out 40-60' behind the boat, depending on water depth and current speed.

BACK- BOUNCING KWIKFISH®
Riverboat fishermen are back-bouncing Kwikfish® in deeper Salmon holes and reporting fantastic results. The technique is much like back-bouncing bait, but with some important differences. With Kwikfish® the amount of weight you use is critical. Too much and it won't bounce out below the boat. Not enough and you may not feel it hit the bottom or you may not be sure where the bottom is in relationship to your Kwikfish®. It is important that it is working within 16 inches of the bottom because that is the zone where most Salmon lie.

You'll want to back-bounce or walk your outfit downstream from the boat until your line is at least at a 45-degree angle from the rod tip. Holding your rod at a 30-degree angle, you should be able to drop your rod 6 to 12 inches and feel the lead hit bottom, then lift the rod back up, waiting for the strike. The boat should be backtrolled while holding the rod steady in this position. Every 2-5 minutes, lower your rod again, checking to make sure your outfit is still working near the bottom. If the depth has shallowed up, you'll need to reel in some line. If it has deepened, you'll need to let some out. The idea is to back-bounce your outfit downstream of the boat 15 to 25 feet and lift the lead off the bottom, allowing the lure to work through the holding water with the boat, while you hold the rod steady waiting for a bite. Then every few minutes, check to make sure that you are still working your Kwikfish® close to the bottom. This technique is different from backtrolling bait in that you do not continually bounce your lead off the bottom. Salmon strike Kwikfish® savagely, so it's very important to hold the rod steady until the fish has pulled hard three or four times. If you yank right away, you'll usually miss the fish. Back-bouncing is the most productive way to fish Kwikfish® in deep (even roily) Salmon holes.

BAITWRAPPER

When wrapping a bait fillet on a Kwikfish® remember it should be centered around the belly screw-eye which is the balance point of the lure. Be sure it is tied on with the skin next to the lure. Use a fillet of herring, anchovy or sardine (sardine is most popular and available in most sporting goods stores). Fillet each side away from the backbone and cut into rectangular pieces 3/4" x 2-1/4" for the K14 size, 1" x 2-3/4" for the K15 and 1-1/8" x 3" for the K16. Your bait fillet doesn't have to be exact, but you'll find these sizes to be a handy reference. It's important to have the fillet correctly positioned so that you maintain proper lure action once it's all put together. Split the fillet halfway so it can be fitted around the belly eyelet. Two pound test mono or Kwikfish® Stretchy Thread (new) both work for wrapping the fillet in place. Wrap it on with 20 to 30 wraps Finish the mono wrap with several half-hitches, or if using the elastic thread, finish by wrapping five times in the same place and break off, no half hitches are needed with elastic thread if your bait is firm. Your fillet should be changed often, at least every hour. Wrapping your plug with a sardine filet is a chore, but worth the effort. Tip: Wrap up several lures the night before, storing them fresh in a small bait cooler so you're ready for action.

WAIT BEFORE "SETTING THE HOOK"
For best results in hooking and landing a Salmon using a Kwikfish®, use a heavy rod (such as a Berkley Air-IM7 8'6" XH model). When a fish strikes your lure, it is best to let it take your rod down four or five times before you set the hook hard. A Salmon striking a bait-wrapped Kwikfish® will be the hardest strike that you have ever felt from a fish!

TUNING
As with all diving plugs, your Kwikfish® may require tuning to ensure the best possible action. This can be checked by pulling the lure through the water. It should have a side-to-side wobbling motion. However, if it dives to the left, turn the screw eye to the right (clockwise). If to the right, turn it to the left (counter-clockwise). A small pair of needle-nose pliers works best for this fine tuning.

SIZES FOR Salmon
Most anglers use the larger K14, K15 or K16 Kwikfish® when going after Salmon. Generally current speed is the determining factor when selecting the proper size . Of these sizes, the K14 works best in faster water, the K15 in medium-speed water and the K16 in slower holes.

NEW "HOT TAIL™" FINISHES
After more than a year of in-the-field testing to prove their effectiveness, Luhr Jensen has introduced a new series of Hot Tail™ finishes that are now becoming those preferred by guides and other knowledgeable anglers. Instead of painting the lure head with the accent color (e.g. Silver/Chartreuse Head) we've reversed the patterns and are now painting the tail or hook end of the lure with the accent color. Fish will normally zero-in on the colored end and these new Hot Tail™ finishes result in more hook-ups and better hooked fish. Anglers still need to wait for the rod to pump down three to five times before setting the hook, but find that when using Hot Tail™ finishes, the fish are better hooked, generally by the tail hook. In fact, many anglers have begun to remove the belly hook which makes wrapping the fillet much easier. Luhr Jensen is offering several Hot Tail™ finishes including Hot Tail™ Silver/Purple/Chartreuse, Hot Tail™ Silver/Green Chartreuse, Hot Tail™ Pearl/Green/Chartreuse, Hot Tail™ Silver/Chartreuse, Hot Tail™ Silver/Fire, Hot Tail™ Gold/Fire, Hot Tail™ Pearl/Fire, Hot Tail™ Chartreuse/Fire, Hot Tail Copper/Fire, Hot Tail™ Silver/Fluorescent Green, Hot Tail™ Silver/Fire/Chartreuse, Hot Tail™ Silver/Metallic Green/Blue, and Hot Tail™ Gold Green/Chartreuse. The Chartreuse/Pearl combinations are for off-color water.

PLUNKING KWIKFISH®
Besides trolling, plunking Kwikfish® from boats is growing in popularity, particularly for moving fish or in areas that are influenced by tidal currents. The lure is rigged identically to the diagram below, except that the lead dropper line is longer, usually 18 to 20 inches, with a 1- to 6-oz. sinker, depending on current speed. This has been particularly effective in water less than 20 feet deep, in the upper ends of bays or tidal areas as the tide runs in or out (most anglers troll during slack tide), or on large rivers off points or where bottom structure will funnel fish into a narrow traveling zone. Many avid plunkers will drop down to a K10 or K12 size Kwikfish®, especially when water conditions are clear, and although these small sizes won't carry a sardine fillet, they can be scented with any of the popular fish attractants. When plunking Kwikfish®, cast your outfit downstream below the boat, or back-bounce it to a position 20 to 40 feet downstream of the boat.

SHARP HOOKS PAY OFF! One of the easiest things you can do to improve your fishing success, is to maintain super-sharp hooks on your lures at all times. A fine-toothed file such as Luhr Jensen's Sharp Hook File is the absolute best hook sharpening tool available. Hold the file parallel to the hook point and with gentle, one-way strokes, remove a small amount of metal on at least two sides of the point to obtain a sticky-sharp point with a knife-like cutting edge. These top-quality, high-carbon steel, ultra-fine tooth files are available in two sizes (4 1/4" x 5/8" and 5 1/2" x 3/4") and four models (tang-end, thumb handle, unbreakable plastic handle and with a lanyard and snap ). Keep the file clean and dry and occasionally spray it with a non-corrosive lubricant such as WD-40 to prevent rust.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Kwikfish® come in 13 sizes and 69 finishes for all fish situations and species. Many of these can be found at your local tackle retailer.