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Hey all, I need some advise. I just bought an 1850 Lund that I hope to get on the lake this spring. I have zero experience trolling for salmon and steelhead. I need advise on what tackle to start out with. The one time I went we used dipsy divers and spoons. I would assume that I want medium action rods with line counter reels? Other than that, I got nothing! Any advise would be appreciated.

spring is really simple. You can run just straight crank baits and spoons right off the back or side. You can add more rods at a time by using planer boards. As the fish go deeper then you need, weighted line(lead core or copper) on planer boards. You would also want dipsey divers and down riggers as the fish go deeper and deeper. Once your fishing deeper you can incorporate flasher fly, different size spoons, jplugs, cut plugs. If your able to get on a boat with an experienced guy or pay the $ and take a charter you will learn a ton. Go through some of the older posts on here to see how the fishing is throughout the year and watch some youtube videos.

Really the spring is the best time for inexperenced guys to get their feet wet. Fish are hungry, they are in close and the tackle doesn't need to be anything heavier than you would use for walleye. Once the Kings move in and spring starts to end you will want larger gear.

Hello there i was exactly in your shoes a couple years ago. I came here knowing almost nothing on salmon fishing.  Now I'm not saying i know all that much now but I do put some fish in the boat and I'd like to think I at least have a grasp of what's going on  now.
I will let you know what i use,  I'm sure others will chime in and you can go from there. 
First we will start with the boat , which btw i started with a 18 ft Tyee myself then went to a Baron then last year picked up my current rig in my signature,  a 22ft Angler Qwest. 
I highly recommend a gps bow mount trolling motor to be used in conjunction with a kicker motor( preferably with servo throttle control).You can set the kicker to lock in straight and use enough propulsion from the bow mount to steer and keep you course locked. There are other ways to troll, using bow mount only ( but you'll eat up your batteries quickly) trolling with the main and a plate or using bags to slow you down but then you are steering and that's no fun.  
  
So now you're trolling,  you need something to hold the rods.  There's multiple ways , I recommend putting tracks down those nice wide gunnels that your Tyee has and using them. A nice set of rod trees really help to position your spread. I went with a basic 4 rod fixed tree from high seas but you can go a fancy as you want with adjustability and lights etc but it costs. 
When it comes to rods and reels you can really start dropping some coin but an economical way to get say a 6 rod spread is to go Daiwa wilderness rods and okuma magda reels( line counter). Of course there's better but you can get yourself a rod reel/combo for about 75-80 bucks.  My spring coho planer rods double as my Lake Erie walleye rods so i run Sunline 16 # super natural- it's same diameter as the mono used in all the trolling apps so i know my depth.  Now it's time to get inline boards-most run offshore or church boards or yellow birds it's kinda of a Ford/ Chevy deal. 
I am the odd ball, i run Sidewinder Planer boards with a modified offshore release.  I do this because when my boards releases it slides straight down the line, line actually runs through middle of the board,  to a bead and swivel 6 feet ahead of my bait.  Never have to remove a board and you are fighting the fish, not the board.  As far as spring coho baits go i keep it simple i run Brads thinfins primarily red/black squiggles and fire tiger. 
also run jointed orange rapalas. After a few weeks of that i start running orange or silver 6 inch dodgers with peanut flies, usually with a 5/8 oz keel weight. Green  carmel and Blue carmel do well. 
That is primarily my spring coho program.  After April ends the coho start moving out of the south end and it's on to dipsys, flasher/flies, spoons, riggers etc. That can be another topic. Let us know how your spring goes,  and if you have any more questions, ask away.  Good luck and tight lines.

A good start is reading through everything on this site.  Some good advice diven by Tim and Ltrain.  The other good chunk of advice, watch for guys with boats looking for someone to go out with them or crew.  Getting out with someone knowledgable will allow you to learn a ton really fast.

I started with a bass boat, bass rods, and some crankbaits.  Plenty of guys here willing to help.  As you develop more specific questions, dont hesitate to ask.  Alot of guys are in hiberation til the spring haha.

This is all great advice.
You can run multiple rod holders instead of trees to save on the initial cost, but if you really get into trolling you will probably end up buying trees later.
Don't forget to get TowBoatUs towing insurance if you plan on boating on the big lake.

Thanks guys, any info is appreciated. I’ll figure it out! On your trolling rods do you run mono or braid? I’m thinking I’m going to start with 3 rods. Don’t want to overdo right out of the gate. I’m also going to start with just rod holders instead of trees. As I learn and get better I’m sure my equipment will evolve. 

For my coho boards( double as walleye boards) i run mono- 16# Sunline. I tried braid and it slips and cuts up the offshore release pads.
If you go rod holders skip the plastic ones,  If you hook a King, you'll lose everything.  I recommend a good ratcheting rod holder, that way you can use it in the later months for dypsys too.
Just curious where do you plan on launching out of?

Straight braid is not good in general (too much stress on a fish mouth), but setups in which you have mostly braid and a leader of Fluoro (or mono) is ideal.  Braid is wonderful, but you need that stretch to play any fish in any condition.  With that being said, strait mono on boards is not a good plan either.  Too much stretch and not enough hookset.  If your boards are close to the boat in spring, then its somewhat ok.   Offshore in summer when the boards are spread out and far from the boat, not so much.  Every one of my rods has braid (or leadcore or copper)  with a fluoro leader except for down rigger lines which are straight mono.

I echo what Dirty says about boards in the summer.  On my bigger boards I’ll run braid with a flouro leader. Coho/walleye boards I'm all mono, braid just wouldn't work with my boards and releases.  There's several ways to do things though,  what works for me may not be your cup of tea.
Another example- I use a downrigger release that works very well with braid so that's what i use,  probably in the minority there but i like it and it performs well for me.
I will say never mono with dipsys though,  braid or wire.......
I will add use quality ball bearing swivels,  pay extra for good terminal tackle. The frustration it saves you is priceless

 

All good advice given so far.  For getting into the sport check Craigslist or eBay for guys getting out or just trying to get rid of extra equipment.  There are some great deals out there for gear that will surprise you if you are willing to make reasonable offers.  Also look for tackle swap meets.