The effectiveness of small versus large trolling gear (hooks and lures) was compared for sampling juvenile chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and coho salmon O. kisutch in the marine waters of southeastern Alaska during 23 d in spring and fall 1985. Sizes, marine ages, and numbers of salmon caught by each gear size were compared. Reducing the size of terminal gear resulted in the capture of smaller and younger salmon. Additionally, more salmon were caught in fall by the small gear than by the large gear; however, catch rates in spring were not significantly different between gear types. Results demonstrate the potential for using scaled-down trolling gear for sampling.