apex choice???

[RalphL]

I have had great luck with a lone Apex Trout killer which I picked up somewhere in my travels and now want to buy an assortment of different patterns.. I see on the web that they offer a Kokanee killer as well,slightly different shape, Any preference over the two styles, color choices,size Where is the best place to buy them?? Have the same questions about the Hoochie I read so much about here. Have never used them but would love to stock up. Not much for rollin my own so would appreciate a heads up on a good source. thanks

[Full_Monte]

On Apex...the watermelon is very effective. Pink or orange would be good ones too. Purple would be next. Silver Bullets is the expert on these....he has several hundred of them. They aren't cheap to buy...around here, they run $4.99 each. I haven't seen them much cheaper than that.

[SilverBullets]

I have had great luck with a lone Apex Trout killer which I picked up somewhere in my travels and now want to buy an assortment of different patterns.. I see on the web that they offer a Kokanee killer as well,slightly different shape, Any preference over the two styles, color choices,size Where is the best place to buy them?? Have the same questions about the Hoochie I read so much about here. Have never used them but would love to stock up. Not much for rollin my own so would appreciate a heads up on a good source. thanks

In my experience the hot spot and pro-troll versions catch rate is very close to the same. I use the 2" models and re-rigg them. Color choice really depends on the lake.
http://stores.homestead.com/EChip/Ca...del+-+Specials
Check out the advertisers here on KFF for other colors and a great selection of hoochies.

http://www.kokaneefishingforum.com/f...ead.php?t=3049

[RalphL]

thanks--- btw-- does that e chip thingy work, lots of hype or is the jury still out?? I bought one but the streight apex outfished it 10 to one. But one day is not a test and it was a different color..

[SilverBullets]

thanks--- btw-- does that e chip thingy work, lots of hype or is the jury still out?? I bought one but the streight apex outfished it 10 to one. But one day is not a test and it was a different color..

As far as the e-chip on the pro-troll lures I think it's more of a sales gimmick. I've fished both the pro-troll and hot spot side by side many times (both lures customized exactly the same, same color, same leader length, scent, speed, and dodger) and there are days one will outfish the other, but the next day it's the other lure that gets more hits. I have absolutly no problem putting either one on the line. In my experience with these lures the color is as important as the action.

[RalphL]

I went to a tackle shop near the lake and all they had was the e chip unit, it was the closest I could find to my lone apex so I bought it along with an e chip dodger. Bad mistake, That dodger is the line twistenist son of a gun I've ever seen no mater how I swiveled it, Very erratic action I think from that chunk in front with the chip. Anyone else find that??

[SilverBullets]

I went to a tackle shop near the lake and all they had was the e chip unit, it was the closest I could find to my lone apex so I bought it along with an e chip dodger. Bad mistake, That dodger is the line twistenist son of a gun I've ever seen no mater how I swiveled it, Very erratic action I think from that chunk in front with the chip. Anyone else find that??

That e-chip dodger sounds more like a a flasher. How fast are you trolling and does it rotate instead of swaying side to side?

[ctkid]

do the colors really matter. clear water, stained water good colors?

[RalphL]

That e-chip dodger sounds more like a a flasher. How fast are you trolling and does it rotate instead of swaying side to side?

1-1.5 mph It seems to go side to side a bit, than rotate a bit, No biggie but the e hype got me and I had to see if it lived up to the ".Will outfish everything qn the planet" claim on the pkg. I will grind off the chip and see how it behaves, or toss it.

[Neptune]

just a point on the whole E chip deal...the E chip is said to mimic the sound of a wounded bait fish or give off the electric impulse of one... Kokanee aren't fish eaters...now mind you when they get big enough they will certainly eat small fish, but primarily they are a krill feeder, so the E chip thing is just marketing hype with regards to Kokes....

I personally like the Apex better than the Pro Troll...they come with better chain swivels and better hooks. And I've used Apex for Salmon in the big water for over 30 years so I'm a bit biased....and this is also my favorite lure for Kokes!

Good Fishing!

[SilverBullets]

do the colors really matter. clear water, stained water good colors?

I think color choice when koke fishing has more do with what color shows up best as you go down the water colume. Bright fluorescent's are good but there are times when the glows and uv's are a better choice depending on available light and depth. Also, the use of holographic prism tapes can be deadly in clear water on bright days. That said, there are times when the shade or contrast of certain colors (or combination of) drives em nuts. You wouldn't think of black as a kokanee color (if it is a color) but the contrast of it with other colors works very well.

http://www.educatedangler.com/index....article&id=921

[RalphL]

In my experience the hot spot and pro-troll versions catch rate is very close to the same. I use the 2" models and re-rigg them. Color choice really depends on the lake.
http://stores.homestead.com/EChip/Ca...del+-+Specials
Check out the advertisers here on KFF for other colors and a great selection of hoochies.

http://www.kokaneefishingforum.com/f...ead.php?t=3049

cant find any 2 inch, just 1.5. where can I get the 2in apex??

[SilverBullets]

cant find any 2 inch, just 1.5. where can I get the 2in apex??

I'm not sure where they measure from but the one's advertised as 1.5" measure 2" from tip to tip. This size comes with 12lb test...I get rid of it and change out to lighter line (I use 8lb) for better action at slower speeds. Also, some in the 2" size are sold as trout lures and come with a big single hook. Get rid of the hook and change out to a tandem hook set-up... I use size 4 gamakatsu hooks. The recommended trolling speed for these lures right out of the package is 1.5 to 2.0 mph. With the lighter line 1.4-1.6 mph seems to work pretty good.

[RalphL]

In my experience the hot spot and pro-troll versions catch rate is very close to the same. I use the 2" models and re-rigg them. Color choice really depends on the lake.
http://stores.homestead.com/EChip/Ca...del+-+Specials
Check out the advertisers here on KFF for other colors and a great selection of hoochies.

http://www.kokaneefishingforum.com/f...ead.php?t=3049

I just recieved my order of a dozen e troll (apex clones) as you suggested. They look great and the price is the best ,but I ordered # 2 and they look huge . Hook looks like a no.4, maybe bigger.The lure itself measures right at 2 inches,about right, but that huge hook seems way too big for koke. Did I screw up??, should I have ordered no. 1??. You said you rerig them, do you start with these bigger lures and drop the hook size or should I be sending these back for no.1? Thanks

[SilverBullets]

I just recieved my order of a dozen e troll (apex clones) as you suggested. They look great and the price is the best ,but I ordered # 2 and they look huge . Hook looks like a no.4, maybe bigger.The lure itself measures right at 2 inches,about right, but that huge hook seems way too big for koke. Did I screw up??, should I have ordered no. 1??. You said you rerig them, do you start with these bigger lures and drop the hook size or should I be sending these back for no.1? Thanks

No...don't send them back. Like I mentioned some of the 2" size are sold as trout lures. I get rid of everything except the lure itself and and the swivel on the end of the line and re-rig with 8lb mono with a couple tandem size 4 red Gamakatsu hooks. Once you have the hooks snelled in place thread on a few size 4 or 5 glow beads, a rubber bobber stop, the lure, then tie the swivel on the end of the line. The bobber stop will allow you to adjust the hook set-back. I'd recommend trying a leader length of around 36" to your dodger.

additional info... Use only one kernal of corn per hook, troll in "S" turns, and vary your speed between 1.4-1.6 mph.

[RalphL]

thank you Silver Bullet I will have to brush up on proper knots and find a source for those re rig materials.. Any suggestions for a single source??. A pity no one sells them rigged up properly, my knot tying skills are limited(eyesight) but I will get it done. Again, thank you

[ctkid]

where can i get the apex lures? i found some places, but they hardly have any colors.

[RalphL]

see Silver Bullet link in his answer to me, lots of colore. Also found a good selection at Kokanee tackle(see banner ) ..

[ctkid]

those are pro-troll, i wanted apex lures. the sites on here only have afew colors. the apex site shows alot of colors.

[Killer_B]

IMHO the two brands of lures fish a little different on each day. They seem to have a bit of a different action and for sure put off a different vibration in the water. I have found that the same color in the two different brands will definately fish differently on the same day. I have about 3 doz Pro-trolls in different colors and sizes but about 120 Apexes I have collected over the years, some I have painted/died/or put different reflective tapes on. Fisherman's Friend in Lodi still has a better selection than anywhere that I know of for hard to find or exclusive colors although it is not a shadow of what it used to be when Russ was ordering all his exclusive colors. I find that early season the smaller 1.0 size works better then I switch to the 1.5 size as the season progresses and the fish get more aggressive. Also I too change the leaders immediatly and use size 4 hooks and 6# CXX P-Line on the 1.0 size and size 2 hooks with 8# CXX P-Line on the size #1.5. Bottom line is that I have found that fishing Apexes can be very complex when you factor, size, brand, and color. I know that I alot of times have great success with my Apexes/Pro-trolls when other people have given up on them due to my wide selection of different lures and I can not say that Apex or Pro-troll out fish each other day in and day out. It depends on the time of year, depth and actually speed to determine which I fish and how good they are. One thing that I think Apex has the edge on is over the years, there has been so many more colors to choose from and if you have a collection, day in and day out you will probably catch more on them. If you have any other ?'s about them you want to know, feel free to PM me.

[SilverBullets]

IMHO the two brands of lures fish a little different on each day. They seem to have a bit of a different action and for sure put off a different vibration in the water. I have found that the same color in the two different brands will definately fish differently on the same day. I have about 3 doz Pro-trolls in different colors and sizes but about 120 Apexes I have collected over the years, some I have painted/died/or put different reflective tapes on. Fisherman's Friend in Lodi still has a better selection than anywhere that I know of for hard to find or exclusive colors although it is not a shadow of what it used to be when Russ was ordering all his exclusive colors. I find that early season the smaller 1.0 size works better then I switch to the 1.5 size as the season progresses and the fish get more aggressive. Also I too change the leaders immediatly and use size 4 hooks and 6# CXX P-Line on the 1.0 size and size 2 hooks with 8# CXX P-Line on the size #1.5. Bottom line is that I have found that fishing Apexes can be very complex when you factor, size, brand, and color. I know that I alot of times have great success with my Apexes/Pro-trolls when other people have given up on them due to my wide selection of different lures and I can not say that Apex or Pro-troll out fish each other day in and day out. It depends on the time of year, depth and actually speed to determine which I fish and how good they are. One thing that I think Apex has the edge on is over the years, there has been so many more colors to choose from and if you have a collection, day in and day out you will probably catch more on them. If you have any other ?'s about them you want to know, feel free to PM me.

Nice to hear from apex believer! My collection is close to a couple hundred and I too have had days when one brand will definatly out-fish the other. Different designs/colors are hard to find... that's part of the reason I decided to get into customizing them years ago. If you haven't tried the bobber stop trick give it a try...works very well. Do you have any hockey sticks in your collection and if so how do you like them?

[bob r]

Just my two cents on the e-chip thing. my wife Melanie saw it on large flashers for use in salt for salmon. I said that there are a lot of things designed more to catch fishermen then fish, she bought it anyway. Fast forward the next summer in Neah Bay fishing for silvers close to Wadda Island, two identical set-ups, same size and color flashers, same color and size hootchie behind it , same deep-sixes, same set-back distance, only diff. was one flasher had an E-Chip. thin fog so limited light, in 10 passes we hooked 12 fish, the only fish hooked on non-e-chip dodger was when other rig had fish on, would trip deep 6 and start retrieve when Fish On! I did the same thing in Seiku the next day with clear conditions and both set ups produced evenly.I believe that in low light situations it may help fish zero in on it at the last second, that said I haven't had the luck with small pro troll flashers or with an e-chipon koke killers for kokes, I'm not crazy about the action of the small pro-troll flashers compared to large flashers and dodgers( large and small) dodgers are what I use for Kokes and I haven't seen any dodgers with an e-chip, not sure but I would think it would affect action of dodger.I,ve had good luck with the small(2 in.)watermelon apex in Merwin as well.Bob R

[RalphL]

Recieved all my apex and pro troll lures (20 in all), beads, pre tied double hooks from owner and crystal, and bobber stops. By the way, both GREAT outfits to do business with. Ready to begin the great re rigging marathon but once you open the factory pkgs. you need a storage solution thats handy, fast ,and tangle proof on the boat. Solution, a $5 pkg of 12x12 in. interlocking foam floor play pads(called playmats) from wallgreens,10 to the pkg,, and a $3 plastic 11/6/5 box with a lid from the $1 store. Trim the 1/4 inch foam to rectangles that fit in the box and you can sort and store a pile of lures with leaders... Just hook them to the top of the foam, wrap the leader around however many wraps it takes , and pin the end with a small round head pin.100 pins for a buck.. Each rectangle holds up to 8 without cramming and you can sort wedding rings, hoochies, apex etc. on their own sheet. I have been using these made from old foam coozies for a while but the PlayMat is far better. Think I will put a square or two of the stuff near the DR's for a quick place to hang the lures during the changovers. Will try to figure out how to post picks but am techie challenged..

[jacksonlaker]

I have used the 4" Pro-troll flasher and it has worked well on kokes. I use the 8" flasher with a 2.5" squid tipped with a gulp minnow for lake trout. Troll it around 1.7 and hang on. The macs just hammer that set up. ! As for the E-chip, I dont think it works but the flashers have a great, slow rotating action. I still like the regular apexes.

[SuperD]

This is how I store my Apexes:

Paper towel holder, noodle and a 2 X 4