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By: Buzz Ramsey Fishing a jig in combination with a float is one of the easiest fishing methods to master and can produce quick limits, even for inexperienced anglers, as all you need do is watch your float and set the hook when a fish pulls it under. By positioning your jig above bottom, even if only a foot or two, you can avoid the hassle of having it snag bottom. I’ve had success catching many different fish types by suspending a jig under a float. And while it’s generally true that smaller fish prefer tiny jigs, it’s amazing how even big fish like steelhead will go for 1/16 and 1/32 ounce jigs given clear water conditions. As you may know, bass, crappie and trout will most often respond to colors that mimic natural forage. Walleye and steelhead can go for the naturals and bright colors too; it just depends on conditions and what natural forage they might be focused on. The general rule is to employ natural colors like, black, brown, green, yellow, or white when the water is medium to clear, and orange or chartreuse when the water is turbid. And while bright colors are mostly reserved for walleye and steelhead they can, at times, produce when used for other fish types too. Rigging is easy, since all you need is a bobber threaded on your main line with a jig suspended below it. Because you’ll be fishing different water depths, requiring you to vary the distance from your bobber to jig, you will want to choose a bobber style that can be quickly and easily moved up and down your line via a friction fit. Although monofilament lines work and perform best during freezing conditions, they don’t float very well as compared to braided super-lines, which is the main reason a growing number of anglers are employing super-lines for this fishing method. Hi-tech super-lines, like Spiderwire, offer thin diameter, have almost no stretch (this helps ensure strong hook sets), float well (especially when treated with fly-line dressing), and handle like a dream on a spinning reel because unlike monofilament, they absorb line twist. Whatever super-line you select, you will need to rig a two-to-three foot length of clear monofilament or invisible fluorocarbon leader to its end and attach your bobber to your main line. A Uni-to-Uni knot works best when splicing mono or fluoro leaders to super line. No matter the jig size or color employed, you will want your jig to ride horizontal in the water when suspended under your float. This can be easily done by positioning your line tie at the top of the hook eyelet. To ensure your knot grips the eyelet securely, it’s important to cinch it down tightly. The idea behind your jig riding horizontal is for it to mimic an aquatic bug, fish during the aluvian stage of development, swimming fry, or small fish. Because your bobber is stationary on your main line and distance from your bobber to jig might range from just a few feet to eight feet or more, it’s to your advantage to select a longer rod than you might otherwise use. For example, I employ a seven to eight foot rod for trout and panfish and a nine to 10 foot rod when chasing steelhead. When it comes to reels, it’s mostly spinning reels that anglers use for this method because they facilitate the casting of light-weight riggings. Adding scent to your jig can give you an advantage over other anglers. One that works well and not bundle the jig dressing together is a new one called Rooster Tail Scent Spray. And while this fish attractant was developed so as to not matt down the hackle on a Rooster Tail spinner it will do the same for jigs dressed with marabou or other body material. You can add to the effectiveness of your jig by tipped the hook with live, dead or prepared bait. Many anglers targeting bass, panfish and walleye tip their jigs with worm, leech or minnow. Scent filled artificial like PowerBait or Gulp! work too and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. And while Midwest anglers chasing steelhead might choose natural baits like a wax worm or wiggler when tipping, one favored by west-coast anglers is a two to three inch section pinched from the tail end of a scent-filled worm – a pink PowerBait worm is a regional favorite. Bobbers are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. And while a round shape might work just fine, pencil-shaped floats can signal a lot more about what’s going on. As an example, a long float will tip sideways if a fish is swimming horizontal with your jig. Of course most fish will pull your float under, which is particularly true if you position your jig just above where fish are holding. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I spend a lot of time fishing steelhead in rivers. Most anglers that chase steelhead and trout understand that a jig suspended under a float produces best when and where the water is slow moving. This makes fishing with a bobber n’ jig the go-to method during times when rivers are low, for targeting fish in slow-moving holes, and can be amazingly effective for fishing current edges – that is: where straight-running current and slack water meet. When navigating rivers, steelhead hold in fairly shallow water, that is, water less than ten feet deep. Water four to eight feet deep, moving about the speed of a person’s brisk walk, is where they spend most of their time. They also like to hold in “tail outs” (the downstream one-third of a hole, pool or drift). Other preferred holding areas include immediately downstream from an underwater drop off, where a steep bank extends into the river, and (as mentioned above) along current edges. What most anglers do is cast their outfit out, across and slightly upstream, pick up excess slack line, and allow their float (with jig suspended under it) to drift along in the current. Your drift is complete when your outfit nears the tail out, jig begins hitting bottom, or you cannot eliminate line drag by mending, which is when you will need to reel in and cast again. Float fishing is a series of casts, drifts, and retrieves. Because you’re fishing with your eyes rather than by feel, you’ll need to keep tabs on your bobber at all times. When your bobber goes down/disappears (signaling a fish has taken your jig) you must quickly/immediately set the hook. In all cases, a drag-free drift with your float moving at or a bit slower than the river current is critical to success. If you’re fishing a current edge on the near side of the river, you should have no problem with line drag. It may be a different story if you’re casting out into a hole or drift where the current, especially a strong one, can grab your main line the moment it hits the water surface and push it downstream faster than your float. One way to reduce or momentarily eliminate line belly is to mend your line. Line mending is something fly anglers do, for the same reason, to prevent their fly from skating downstream too fast. To mend your line, start with your rod at a low angle and pointed at your float, progressively pull your rod up and backward (toward you) while rolling your rod tip and line upstream. When you mend, it’s important to do so aggressively enough that your main line will be tossed upstream all the way to your float. Casting out at a slight downstream angle and feeding line off your reel fast enough that your bobber won’t be overcome by line drag can reduce or eliminate the effects of line belly on your bobber. If you’re a boater, you can cast out to the side too, but you may find better success and eliminate all line drag by anchoring above the area you wish to fish and maneuver your bobber n’ jig directly downstream. The floats preferred by river anglers are mostly of a pencil style and often sized so they will float more than one jig size. For example, a bobber capable of floating a quarter ounce jig can be rigged in combination with a smaller jig by adding a split shot where your main line and leader meet. Doing this ensures you bobber will go under with the slightest of resistance, adds casting weight, keeps even small jigs in the strike zone, and makes switching to a quarter ounce jig quick and easy. Surprising to some, steelhead will come off the bottom to take a jig; for example, if the water is clear, your jig should only have to extend half to three quarters of the way to the bottom. If the water is deep, eight feet or more, you might find better success positioning your jig within a few feet of the bottom. You should realize, in all cases you do not (NOT) want your jig to bounce the river bottom, which is good news for anglers weary of snagging bottom and then having to spend valuable fishing time re-rigging. There are literally thousands of jig sizes, shapes and colors available to anglers. All work at one time or another. And while those having thin-wire hooks are just fine for bass and panfish, you may want to upscale if you seek a more durable jig that features cleaned hook eyelets, a UV (ultraviolet) overcoat, and 2X strong hook that is pre-sharpened. My favorite quality jig for targeting fish the size of steelhead is the Maxi Jig made by Yakima Bait that features an Owner hook.

By Mark Romanack Rooster Tail Scent Spray is the perfect compliment to any lure or live bait. Designed to create a natural scent stream in the water, fish just can’t resist the amino acids and strike stimulants packed into every bottle of Rooster Tail Scent Spray. The men, women and children I know who enjoy fishing are my favorites when it comes to buying Christmas gifts. Anglers of all ages and skill sets share one thing in common… they all love to collect and use fishing lures! My personal collection of fishing lures would put a Bass Pro Shops to shame, but that’s another story. Yakima Bait Company, based out of Granger, Washington is one of the largest tackle manufacturers in the world. The fine folks at Yakima Bait Company have brought to the fishing world a number of iconic baits including the Rooster Tail Spinner, FlatFish wobbling plug, the Spin-n-Glo bait drifter and the Mag Lip skip-beat-plug to name a few. A nice selection of these lures or any of the Yakima Bait Company products will put a smile on the face of anyone who enjoys fishing. ROOSTER TAIL SPINNERS The iconic Rooster Tail Spinner catches everything with fins and comes in literally hundreds of sizes, color patterns and blade designs. Anglers who enjoy targeting panfish and stream trout will be all smiles over an assortment of 1/32, 1/20, 1/16, 1/8 and 1/6 ounce sizes. Anglers after larger trout, bass and pike will find that the 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 and 3/4 ounce models are tailor made for making long casts. Many of the most popular Rooster Tail sizes and colors are also sold in 3-Pak and 6-Pak Trophy Pak assortments, making it easy to choose a gift. FLATFISH WOBBLING PLUG The FlatFish was the original wide wobbling plug to hit the market several decades ago. Available in 14 different sizes, the FlatFish is ideal for targeting all species from panfish to walleye, bass, pike, lake trout, steelhead and salmon. Besides featuring an aggressive side-to-side wobble, the FlatFish comes in a host of species specific color patterns guaranteed to put fish on the stringer. In addition to the original FlatFish, don’t overlook the Jointed FlatFish and the Hawg Nose FlatFish. The Jointed FlatFish has even more action and is deadly effective on trout, salmon and pike. The Hawg Nose FlatFish is the largest FlatFish in the family and is a favorite among those who target trophy lake trout, northern pike and musky. SPIN-N-GLO BAIT DRIFTER The Spin-N-Glo is lake trout candy. This iconic bait fished 18-24 inches behind a dodger or flasher has caught more lake trout in the Great Lakes than all other lure options combined. When most anglers talk about the iconic Spin-n-Glo they are probably focusing on catching trout, steelhead and salmon. Each Spin-N-Glo is hand made and hand painted to perfection. Even the soft plastic wings are hand trimmed to make each Spin-N-Glo a fish catcher. The Spin-n-Glo is ideal for side drifting rivers for steelhead. The smaller sizes including the No. 14, 12 and 10 are a good choice for drifting applications. Spin-N-Glo is also commonly used for back bouncing chunks of spawn for salmon. The larger No. 2, 0, 00 and even 000 sizes are perfect for keeping spawn up off bottom and attracting river run salmon. The value of the Spin-N-Glo doesn’t stop with steelhead and salmon. The Spin-N-Glo is also the “go to” bait for anglers who troll for lake trout in the Great Lakes and natural lakes all across North America. A Spin-N-Glo rigged 18 to 24 inches behind a dodger or flasher has probably caught more lake trout on the Great Lakes than every other lure option combined! Lake trout love Spin-N-Glo and the best sizes for trout are typically the No. 4, 2 and 0. Cold water species aren’t the only fish that love Spin-N-Glo. Walleye fishermen use the Spin-N-Glo in place of a spinner blade when fishing live bait such as leeches, minnows and nightcrawler. A Spin-N-Glo has great action at speeds much slower than can be achieved with a traditional blade. The most popular Spin-N-Glo sizes among walleye anglers are the No. 8, 6 and 4. In total Spin-N-Glo come in 10 different sizes, hundreds of different color patterns and the wings are available in white, black, silver, chartreuse, pink and glo. MAG LIP SKIP BEAT PLUGS The Mag Lip 3.5 is the author’s favorite wobbling plug for targeting chinook salmon. When the Mag Lip hit the market a few years ago, it was immediately obvious it was something special. The “skip beat” action of the Mag Lip creates an explosive strike response from fish that think it’s getting away. To say Mag Lip drives fish crazy is an understatement. Mag Lip comes in several sizes including the 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0. The smaller 2.0 and 2.5 sizes are ideal for trout and kokanee. The 3.0 and 3.5 sizes are great choices for lake trout, brown trout and steelhead. The 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5 are perfect for targeting trophy lake trout and salmon. Unlike other wide wobbling plugs, the Mag Lip is stable enough to fish at all common speeds from .7 to 4.0 MPH! Trolled in open water or back trolled in rivers, the Mag Lip is hands down the plug choice of guides, charter captains and other professionals who make a living catching fish day in and day out. ROOSTER TAIL SPRAY SCENT Every Yakima Bait fishing lure is a fish catcher, but when these lures are treated with a couple squirts of Rooster Tail Spray Scent, they become even more effective. Rooster Tail Spray Scent is designed to provide a natural scent stream in the water plus concentrated amino acids and bite stimulates that fish simply can’t ignore. Available in Trophy Bass, Panfish, Garlic Plus, Garlic Nightcrawler, Shad, Shrimp, Trout/Kokanee and Trophy Trout formulas, there is a Rooster Tail Spray Scent ideal for every fishing application. This year make it a Merry Christmas by making sure Yakima Bait Company is a part of your family fishing traditions. From everyone at Yakima Bait Company, may you enjoy a Merry Christmas a Happy New Year and great fishing throughout the year.

By Bill Herzog Whenever discussions are started about which techniques produce the biggest steelhead, winter after winter, three lures always rise to the top: Plugs, spoons, and Spin-N-Glo. The reasons those three styles of lures get big fish is they have more imparted action than all others. The Spin-N-Glo, however, is the most versatile. Spin-N-Glo have been getting bit by state record fish for 60 years in both the U.S. and Canada. Spin-N-Glo, unlike other trophy steelhead lures, can be fished in any type of water due to their terrific buoyancy. An expanded polystyrene body gives the Spin-N-Glo tremendous lift, so when baits, beads and heavy hooks are added there is zero decline in action, attraction or staying well off the bottom, right in the line of sight of resting/traveling fish. They can be slipped through narrow, deep slots, under structure like tree limbs, can be swung like a spoon across wide sections of tail-outs and side-drifted from jet sleds and drift boats. My favorite trophy presentation is drift fishing. Quartering the Spin-N-Glo on a tight line swing below and across right along the bottom has produced more giant steelhead than any other technique, personally, than any other. Large male steelhead- the real big boys- are territorial and the Spin-N-Glo with its noisy, spinning, bright wobble is just the ticket to trigger an aggressive strike. Classic terminal riggings for Spin-N-Glo start with a weighting system like Slinkies or pencil lead off a 3-way swivel. From there, adjust weight to keep the Spin-N-Glo lightly touching bottom but still able to smoothly travel along downstream with current. Clear monofilament or fluorocarbon leaders from 24 to 36 inches are ideal. Choosing the right size and color of Spin-N-Glo goes a long way to attracting steelhead. Water conditions tell which colors and sizes to use. Here are some guidelines when choosing rigging options/sizes/colors I’ve followed for 40 years hunting oversized steelhead. For low, clear/unlimited visibility, choose #14s (smallest) or #12s in PLR (pearl-pink); PPT (pearl-pink tiger); GPUR (glitter purple) in white standard wing or PLR-BL (pearl pink) and BMAG-BL (Black Magic) in black wing. For that “dialed in” green dropping condition we all love (visibility from 3 to 6 feet), when steelhead are moving and at their most aggressive, choices become wider, but some excellent pics for “perfect” water are #10s and #8s in: MSPK (metallic silver pink); CER (cerise); FL (flame red); RR (rocket red); PLUM (peach luminous); FLCH (half flame red/half chartreuse) and CL (chartreuse w/red spots). When rivers run high or feature limited visibility (from 1 to 2-1/2 feet) now is the time to go up in size and brightness. Try #6 or #4 in: LUM (glow); LUSL (luminous/hot red); BGFT (blue glow/flame tiger) or the Original Color of the first Spin-N-Glo, the LUSP, Glow with flame orange spots. Under low, clear (unlimited visibility) conditions, rig #14s and #12s with 8 to 10-pound test and #4 to #2 octopus style hooks. Under “dialed in” conditions, with sizes #10 to #8, rig 12 to 15-pound test and #1 or #1/0 hooks. When choosing the larger Spin-N-Glo for limited visibility, pick 15 to 20-pound leaders. Because Spin-N-Glo rotate, bearings like plastic beads are the only option to prevent leader twist and allow optimum imparted action to your lure. Two to 3mm beads for smaller sizes; 3mm to 4mm beads for #10s and #8s and 4mm to 6mm beads for the larger Spin-N-Glo. Bead colors are can be no more than good ol’ plain red but luminous (glow) beads add some attraction in limited visibility. One to two beads added between the Spin-N-Glo body and the eye of the hook are all you need. Spin-N-Glo don’t just twirl, give off vibrations and pop with color, they do something most drift bobbers cannot. Like their trophy steelhead attracting friends the plug and spoon, they wobble. Not wildly, but a subtle wobble that compliments and draws additional attention to an already superstar steelhead lure. And hang on tight when a steelhead decides to strike your Spin-N-Glo, takes are never subtle and qualify for some of the most ferocious grabs in steelhead fishing! Worden’s Spin-N-Glo has been the gold standard not only for trophy steelhead, but for all steelhead fishing since Elvis first entered the building. Make the Spin-N-Glo your first choice for cold water steelhead fishing this winter!

By: Buzz Ramsey If you crave big fall chinook, one that might tip the scales at 50 pounds or more, now would be a good time to plan a trip to Oregon’s Chetco River. Located on Oregon’s southern coast (near Brookings) the Chetco hosts a run of fall chinook that peaks in early to mid November, making it a destination for anglers from throughout the Northwest and beyond. Jackie Howe of Bend, Ore., holds a Chetco River king that hit a 5.0 Mag Lip during the 2017 season while fishing with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. According to professional-fishing-guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing, 206-388-8988, the majority of the salmon returning to the Chetco River consist of 4-year old chinook which average 20-to-25 pounds. However, twenty percent of each out-migrating year class of salmon return as 5-year old fish that average 35-to-40 pounds; with some bouncing the scale at 50 pounds or more. For example, while guiding clients on the Chetco River over the last dozen years Andy has netted at least one salmon at, approaching or above 50 pounds each and every season. His largest to date is a 65-pound monster taken during the later portion of the 2011 season. Originating in the Siskiyou National Forest, the Chetco flows for 55 miles before reaching the Pacific Ocean. The Chetco is unlike many other Pacific Northwest rivers as there are no dams obstructing the salmons’ pathway to their spawning sanctuary. The river hosts a strong, self-sustaining wild run of fall chinook that according to ODFW can number as high as 15,000 returning adults. In addition, the Department of Fish and Wildlife supplements the wild run with an additional 125,000 fingerling size chinook that are liberated in the lower river. Being of hatchery origin these fish are fin-clipped prior to release and tend to stage low in the river, where released, upon their return as adults. The Chetco offers excellent access for bank anglers thanks to the City of Brookings and state of Oregon owning a large section of the lower river. Called Social Security Bar, this nearly two mile stretch offers free public access to bank-bound anglers that plunk Spin-N-Glo lures, sometimes in combination with bait, from shore when the river is running 3,500 CFS or higher, and drift and float fish for salmon when the water is lower. Shannon Lemieux of Junction City, Ore., holds a 48-pound Chetco River king salmon that hit a HawgNose FlatFish during the 2018 season on the Chetco River while fishing with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. In addition, the Chetco offers drift boat anglers’ excellent access with several put-in and take-out sites available. The most popular drift is from Lobe Park to Social Security Bar, a 5-to-6 mile float, which according to Andy Martin contains about 15 deep salmon holes. The next launch site is a private, pay-to-play launch called Ice Box. There are two launch sites above Ice Box that are located within the National Forest and go by the name of Miller Bar and Nook Bar. Nook Bar is the upper most launch and marks the upper deadline for the keeping of salmon. The two fishing methods that dominate the drift boat fishery include back-bouncing bait and back-trolling plugs. Salmon egg clusters rigged in combination with a Corky Drifter are what the back bouncing crowd use. According to Andy Martin, the most popular Corky colors on the Chetco include rocket-red and green-chartreuse. When the water is on the high side those bouncing bait will switch out their Corky for a Spin-N-Glo threaded on their leader above a bearing bead and baited hook. A selection of 1-1/2 to 4 ounce sinkers is what’s needed if you are planning to back-bounce bait on the Chetco. The other popular fishing technique is to back-troll salmon plugs. According to Andy Martin, salmon size plugs work especially well on the Chetco and account for the majority of the giant salmon taken in his boat. The plugs Andy employs most often are the 4.0 through 5.0 sizes Mag Lip, size M-2 FlatFish, and 5.5 Hawg Nose FlatFish. When it comes to determining what size plug to choose, it’s all about the water conditions. The Chetco, like other rivers up and down the coast, is heavily influenced by rainfall. It’s the onslaught of storms originating over the Pacific and later hitting the coast that causes rivers to rise and subsequently drop when the rain subsides. Salmon, smelling the fresh water, migrate into rivers from the ocean each time the rivers come up and bite best as water levels drop and clear from each rain storm. A big rain event can make the Chetco River unfishable and not clear enough to fish for four or five days. When the water first drops and clears is when the catching is at its best. Jackie and Carl Howe of Bend, Ore., hold a pair of king salmon caught Oct. 23, 2017, on the Chetco River while fishing with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. They were using 5.0 MagLip plugs. According to Andy, the ideal height for the Chetco is 3,000 CFS (Cubic Feet per Second) and the river is considered low when it drops down to 1,200 CFS or less. What Andy has learned over his many years of guiding is that he can catch salmon using plugs when the river is as high as 5,000 or at times even 6,000 CFS, providing the water is clear enough to see two feet or more into it. When the Chetco is dropping from a high water event, it’s the clarity of the water Andy closely watches. This is a time when he employs the large salmon plugs that dive deep like the Hawg Nose or 5.0 size Mag Lip. The fast actions these plugs provide when back-trolled not only catch fish but their frantic action can shake the leaves off that strong winds can sometimes blow into the river. As the river continues to drop and clear, all the way down to 1,200 CFS, Andy reduces his plug sizes down to an M-2 size FlatFish and/or 4.0 size Mag Lip. Although you can take your own drift boat, fully guided salmon fishing trips are available from guides should you decide to try your salmon luck from a boat. While the number of guides residing in Brooking is somewhat limited, this popular fishery draws professional guides from surrounding towns like Grants Pass, Medford and Gold Beach. There are several guides from California that work the Chetco too, so don’t limit your guide search to just the Brookings area. The chinook limit on the Chetco is currently one salmon per day, and no more than five per year. Current regulations require you to stop fishing after catching your one adult salmon. And while your daily limit can include up to five jack salmon (salmon measuring between 15 and 24 inches) you must catch them prior to retaining an adult salmon. Tackle, bait, shuttles, and fishing info can be obtained at Riverside Market, 541-661-3213, which is located along the lower Chetco near Social Security Bar.

by: Bernie Schultz Ask any inshore-saltwater angler in the south which is their favorite fish to target and snook will likely to be among the top three. Snook are a special species of gamefish. They can live comfortably in fresh or saltwater, and due to climate change, they’re now found throughout north Florida, south Texas, even into Georgia and South Carolina. They can be caught from inlets, beaches, estuary creeks and flats, and throughout the Intracoastal Waterway. They relate to piers, jetties, shoals and sandbars — wherever a food source attracts them. And they will eat just about anything they can get in their mouths — including shrimp, mullet, shad, pinfish, menhaden … even crabs. There are numerous varieties of snook, some of which can exceed 30 pounds. The biggest specimens are usually found on near-shore wrecks, along beaches and inlets, and occasionally on shallow-water flats, around mangroves and sand holes. And those are the ones I try to target. There’s something about stalking a trophy fish in shallow water that adds to the challenge, especially when using light tackle. Everything is amplified. The presentation, the strike … and especially the battle. Snook are incredibly strong and violent once they are hooked, and they can be acrobatic as well. For these reasons, your tackle better be up to the challenge. The Proper Tools My typical setups consists of a 7-foot Shimano Expride casting or spinning rod in a medium-heavy action. For the baitcaster, I spool 30-pound Sufix 832 braid with a 30- to 40-pound Sufix Advance fluoro leader unless I’m throwing topwaters, in which case I’ll opt for the buoyancy of 15 to 17-pound Sufix Superior monofilament with heavier leader. On the spinning outfit, I use 10-pound 832 braid and 30- to 40-pound Advance fluoro leader. The leader size may sound excessive, but snook have very abrasive mouths, and they shake violently when hooked. Anything less will break. My preferred lure of choice for most situations is the Hildebrandt “Drum Roller” swimbait … for several reasons. First and foremost is that it’s made of pure tin, not lead. And that’s a huge advantage when fishing skinny water, especially when grass, marl or oysters are present. By volume, tin is approximately two-thirds the weight of lead, so it stays higher in the water column during the retrieve. It’s the perfect sized profile of the baitfish I want it to match and, even though it’s lighter, it’s still very castable … even into a stiff sea breeze. Another reason I like the Drum Roller swimbait is that it has lifelike attributes, like pronounced gills and 3-D eyes. Add to that the nearly indestructible Z-man MinnowZ body that comes with the tin jig-head and stout, ultra-sharp hook, and you have the perfect package for fooling even the wariest of gamefish. The Proper Technique The Drum Roller Jig has a subtle, seductive swimming action and it skips well beneath docks, piers and overhanging mangroves — places where many other lures can’t go. The retrieve is simple; just chunk and wind. About the only thing to consider is the depth you’re fishing. In super shallow water, simply raise the rod tip slightly and reel at a normal pace. The lure will glide cleanly over most bottom features — attracting predators as it swims. For deeper presentations, slow the retrieve or count the lure down before beginning the retrieve. On certain occasions, you may want to speed up the retrieve. No worries there either, as the Drum Roller will track true at any rate of speed. If a snook sees the lure, chances are good it will engulf it. And the strike will be vicious.

By: Buzz Ramsey Spinners can produce salmon just as well and sometimes better than bait, especially in the eastern half of the estuary. The 5-1/2 or 6-1/2 Toman or Mulkey branded squid spinners are popularones. My go-to spinner colors include Red & White, Chartreuse/Green Dot, Pearl Red Dot,and Mexican Flag. Keep in mind you will need to set the hook when your rod first bottoms out when fishing a spinner. This year’s chinook salmon season at the Columbia River mouth (known as the Buoy 10 fishery) is going to be a short one. The fishery is not scheduled to start until August 14 as opposed to the usual first-of-the-month start date. Since the last two weeks of August is when limits are pretty common at Buoy 10, with many of the 431,000 chinook predicted likely to return then, the delayed opener is sure to be a busy time for Astoria, Ilwaco and other nearby communities. Rigging for Buoy 10 Use of the Free-Sliding Spreader and Rigging Wires can significantly reduces the chance of a line tangle when trolling at Buoy 10. By using a Rigging Wire as my weight dropper line and the first portion of my leader I no longer have to space my Fish Flash 20 or so inches away from my spreader. Although my total leader length (from Fish Flash to bait or spinner) is 50 or so total inches, the monofilament portion is only 36 inches long as the Rigging Wire complete with a snap and swivel makes up the first 18 inches. This short section of monofilament is much easier to untangle, should one occur, as compared to one totally made up of mono. The one chinook or fin-clipped coho season is scheduled to last only through Thursday August 27. However, the fishery will remain open in the area extending from the Buoy 10 Channel Marker to Puget Island after the 27th but only for fin-clipped coho. As of this writing the daily limit for coho is one fish and expected to last through September 22. While the chinook fishing should be pretty good anytime during this 14 day window ocean tides, as always, will determine the peak times to be on the water and where the salmon might be the most numerous, and biting. For Buoy 10, the basic concept of where salmon can be found is pretty simple; fish wanting to enter the river each day collect at the mouth of the river when the tide is outgoing (ebbing) and simply allow the flooding water to carry them into the estuary. Many anglers wait for this pulse of fish near the western boundary at the beginning of the incoming tide. How far each wave of salmon will flood into the estuary just depends on how big the tide is. A tide book or smart phone app (Ebb Tide is a reliable phone app) can provide you with the timing of the daily tide swings at various locations and tell you the amount of water being exchanged with each in-and-out tidal movement. This is important because a big tide will push more fish farther into the estuary in which case you will need to move upriver with the school, while a low exchange will cause fish to accumulate in the mid estuary, near Hammond, the west end of Desdemona Sands, or along Baker Bay, where they may linger until building tides move them eastward. SpinFish is a new concept in combining lure and bait as the lure body can be pulled apart and filled with any bait. What we did last season at Buoy 10 was to fill the back half of the lure with chunks of anchovy and/or herring. When trolling SpinFish you will likely enjoy a better hook-to-land ratio if you let salmon pull your rod down a time or two before setting the hook. While the 3.0 and 4.0 sizes work for salmon, we had better success with the 4.0 size last season at Buoy 10. Given reasonable water exchanges, of say seven feet or more, you will find most fish in the area extending from the west tip of Desdemona Sands eastward past the Astoria-Megler Bridge in both the north and south channel. Given these larger tides the best bite will likely occur during the last half of the flood and first half of the outgoing tide. The Desdemona Sands Island separates the dredged, south channel from the north, false channel. Although much of the island is submerged, even at low tide, the western tip of Desdemona Sands is located two miles west of Hammond and extends eastward all the way to Rice Island. The North Channel, although ultimately a false one, maintains good depth over three miles above the Astoria-Megler Bridge and can offer success equal to the south, which is a well maintained, dredged shipping channel. Given a decent exchange of water, your trolling strategy should be to troll upstream (the same direction as the flooding water) during the latter half of the flood and switch directions, going westward, when the tide begins to ebb. The trolling strategy here is to make mile long tacks before picking up your gear, and running back to make another pass. What many anglers do when trolling the North Channel, is to parallel the island in 20-to-30 feet of water and make their upriver troll well past the bridge as the flood tide is nearing its peak. Once the tide changes direction and begins to ebb, they turn their boats around and troll westward. In the south channel, since it is mostly deep water, anglers will let their lines out 20-to-30 feet on their line counter reels as many salmon will suspend at mid depth over deep water. The daytime tides leading up to and during the August 14 opener are mild with only two feet of exchange. These soft tides will likely fill the mid estuary with salmon and given the mid-morning peak, make for pretty good fishing for those plodding this area. However, decent numbers of salmon might also be found at the top end of Blind Slough first thing in the morning as the nighttime tide is the bigger one that day and may carry salmon above the bridge where they could linger for a time. This begins to change on August 15 as tides begin to build (5.7 feet of daytime exchange) that will likely push salmon toward the Astoria Megler Bridge resulting in some pretty good mid day catches given the 12 noon high tide. These mid day tides will continue through August 19 with each high tide occurring later in the day to the point where there will be eight feet of exchange with a 5 PM high on Saturday August 22. This will likely make for some decent afternoon catches at or above the Astoria-Megler Bridge. One strategy that has become popular at Buoy 10 is to hold your boat into the incoming water and allow the flooding tide to push fish into your gear as you hold steady into the current - it's back-trolling but with the bow of your boat facing westward. Realize too that an afternoon wind coming from the west can make the water particularly rough when the tide is outgoing as compared to when it’s flooding. To avoid the big waves, try timing your afternoon trip back to Oregon when the tide is still flooding or goes slack at its peak. In addition, if you fish the evening tide east of the bridge, you may be able to escape much of the rough ride back to port (presuming you’re returning to Oregon) by launching at the East Mooring Basin or John Day boat ramp, rather than Hammond or Warrenton. The PM high tide will flip to an AM high on August 23rd with a 5:30 high, which will mean getting on the water at the crack-of-dawn as the best AM bite will likely be during the first half of the outgo. This could result in a lot of early morning limits as the bite could begin to fade by mid morning. Keep in mind that the evening high, at 5:30 PM, is the biggest tide of the day and will likely carry a lot of salmon in with it too. Although the AM high tides will continue until the last day of the chinook season, when we will see a 10 AM high, the amount of exchange during the morning is several feet less as compared to the evening tide. Depending on what kind of success you find during the morning high, this might be a time to catch a mid-day nap before trying your luck near or above the Astoria-Megler Bridge by trolling before and after the peak of the evening flood.

BY Mark Romanack For those who like to catch big fish, lots of fish and hard fighting fish, the lake trout is the most abundant salmonid on the planet. Technically speaking the lake trout isn’t a trout at all, but rather a member of the char family. Despite this common confusion, lake trout are widely distributed across the northern latitudes and are heavily stocked in many fisheries. In part, lake trout are so revered because they grow big, really big. The world rod/reel record is currently 72 pounds and was caught on Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories. It’s also interesting to note that lake trout over 100 pounds have been caught in commercial nets, proving that it’s only a matter of time until the hook and line record is broken again. TROLLING SPIN-N-GLO WITH DODGERS Anglers all over the world target lake trout and without question the most popular presentation is a slow trolling technique that marries up a Yakima Bait Spin-n-Glo body with a popular attractor known as a dodger. This set up starts by snelling a pair of No. 2/0 octopus hooks on an 18 to 24 inch leader of 20 to 25 pound test fluorocarbon leader material. The next step is to thread a couple of colorful beads onto the line to act as a bushing that allows a No. 2 Yakima Bait Spin-n-Glo body to spin freely. The No. 2 Spin-n-Glo is hands down the most popular size among anglers who routinely target lake trout. The Spin-n-Glo leader is then married to a 5-3/4 inch dodger that snaps the Spin-n-Glo side to side at trolling speeds ranging from 1.7 to about 2.0 MPH. Dodgers come in a wide variety of colors, but avid lake trout fishermen favor two colors including chartreuse and also brushed stainless or what is commonly called “trash can” by those who fish lakers often. A dodger and Spin-n-Glo can be fished a number of ways, but most anglers use a downrigger to deploy this rig to bottom. The Dodger and Spin-n-Glo combination works best then fished in contact with the bottom. The trick is to set this rig about 10 feet behind a downrigger weight and to position the downrigger weight so it comes in contact with the bottom every few feet while trolling. As the downrigger weight skips along bottom it kicks up sediment that imitates other lake trout feeding on the bottom. To insure the downrigger weight is coming in contact with the bottom, it helps to stand right next to the downrigger where small and repeated depth adjustments can be made as necessary. TROLLING SPIN-N-GLO WITH ROOSTER TROLLS Using downriggers to deploy cowbells or lake trolls like the Yakima Bait Rooster Troll is another popular way to put the Spin-n-Glo to use. Simply attach the main line to the swivel on the Rooster Tail near the rudder, then attach a Spin-n-Glo on an 18-24 inch leader to the back of the Rooster Troll. Rooster Trolls come in two different sizes. The smaller size blades are popular when fishing inland lakes. The larger size blades are a good option for targeting lake trout in the Great Lakes or places that routinely produce trophy class fish. A Rooster Troll armed with a Spin-n-Glo works best when trolled from 1.5 to 2.0 MPH. The Rooster Troll and Spin-n-Glo rig can be fished near bottom or also used to target trout suspended in the water column. The size of the Spin-n-Glo used depends on the size of trout found in different bodies of water. Where trophy sized lake trout are found the No. 2 and 0 Spin-n-Glo sizes are the most popular. In bodies of water that feature lots of smaller lake trout, the No. 4 and No. 6 size bodies routinely produce best. POPULAR COLORS Spin-n-Glo bodies come in countless body color and blade finishes. Some classics that catch lake trout routinely include the Lime/Chartreuse/White Wings, Pearl Clown/White Wings, Yellow Clown/White Wings and Luminous Spot/White Wings. Other great lake trout colors include the Clown/Silver Wings, Chartreuse/Silver Wings, Lime/Chartreuse Tiger/Black Wings, Clown/Chartreuse Wings and Lime/Chartreuse/Chartreuse Wings. HOOK RIGGING OPTIONS Spin-n-Glo can be rigged with single octopus hooks, tandem octopus hooks, single treble hooks and also using an octopus hook on the front and a treble hook on the rear. Barbless hooks are also popular in areas where catch and release is mandatory or strongly encouraged. SUMMING IT UP The Spin-n-Glo is so closely associated with lake trout, many anglers couldn’t imagine fishing anything else. Fished either in combination with a dodger or the iconic Rooster Tail attractors, Spin-n-Glo flat out catches lake trout like nothing else. Editor’s Note: Mark Romanack is a veteran outdoor writer and the executive producer of the Fishing 411 TV series. A big fan of lake trout, Mark has caught countless trophy class fish using the Yakima Bait Spin-n-Glo.

By John Keizer, Salt Patrol Connected to the ocean, Puget Sound is a massive inland sea that at its beginning marks the northern boundary between Washington State and Canada before turning southward past Seattle-Tacoma all the way to Olympia. And while Puget Sound’s many rivers support salmon that migrate to the ocean and back again years later, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife manipulates the release timing of some hatchery salmon (referred to as Blackmouth) such that they stay within Puget Sound their whole lives. The name Blackmouth comes from the black gum line that identifies the fish as a chinook salmon. Resident Blackmouth salmon range in size from the just legal 22 inches up to fish nearing the twenty pound mark. have all heard the line, “Find the bait and you will find the fish.” It sounds so easy but many anglers ignore this simple advice when trying to locate salmon. Blackmouth salmon are voracious feeders and will be constantly on the search for Sand Lance (candlefish) or Herring to fill their bellies. And while food sources are a big draw for Puget Sound Blackmouth, where these salmon might be lurking and when they’re willing to bite has a lot to do with bottom structure and what the current is doing based on the in-and-out flow of daily ocean tides. The Sand Lance, also known as “candlefish,” because pioneers used them to make candles due to their high oil content is an ecologically important forage fish for salmon throughout Puget Sound. As you might guess the salmon crave the high oil content of these small forage fish. According to recent studies 35% of juvenile salmon diets are composed of Sand Lance and Blackmouth salmon depend on them for 60% of their diet. Herring tend to linger in resting spots that are dictated by the ever changing current. As in river fishing, the bait and following salmon will be pushed into the lee (downstream) side of a current flow behind points of land and islands. The same is true in Puget Sound, knowing the position of the tide will allow you to find the best locations where baitfish are likely to linger and salmon congregate. Trolling your gear in combination with a downrigger is in my opinion the best method for consistently catching Blackmouth from Puget Sound. I spend much of the winter fishing season employing this fishing method. So much so that I run three Hi Performance Scotty downriggers onboard my 27 foot “Salt Patrol” North River boat. Being able to cover lots of water with your tackle at a controlled depth is an extremely effective way to fish for Blackmouth salmon in the deep waters of Puget Sound. For salmon trolling my rod and reel outfits include Shimano Tekota-A 600 line-counter reels matched with a G. Loomis E6X 1265 moderate action rods. The reels are spooled up with 30-pound test monofilament line. And while we have used many different lures to catch salmon over the years the all-new SpinFish bait-holding plug has been a game changer for us. In addition to its unique vibrating, spinning, wounded-baitfish action the SpinFish features a pull-apart bait chamber design that disperses scent as it’s pulled through the water column. I was lucky to get to test prototypes of the SpinFish last fall. My first experience with the SpinFish started with targeting winter Blackmouth out of Port Townsend located on the northern part of Puget Sound. To attract salmon to our gear we ran the SpinFish in combination with 11” rotating flashers and medium size Fish Flash. This combination produced immediate results for Blackmouth up to 15 pounds. The first thing we noticed was that the strikes on the SpinFish were vicious as compared to using just bait. The Blackmouth hit the SpinFish hard, running a bunch of line off the reel before racing to the surface. Several times the rod tip would be in the water and the fish pulling line right from the get go. To add bait to the SpinFish you just pull apart the lure body and fill with any bait. What we often use is herring or sardine cut bait. But what seems to work best on Puget Sound is canned Chicken of the Sea Tuna packed in oil. We just mixed the canned tuna, making sure to include its natural oil, with Pro-Cure’s Bloody Tuna scent and fill the bait chamber with it. We rigged our SpinFish 25 to 40 inches behind a Fish Flash or 35 to 45 inches behind our rotating flashers. While SpinFish come pre-rigged from the factory when re-rigging we snelled two 4/0 size Mustad octopus hooks close together using 30 pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and add one glow bead above the top hook to act as a bearing for the SpinFish. We then slid the SpinFish down the leader and attached a swivel to the lead end before attaching to our flashers. The SpinFish can be rigged to spin clockwise or counterclockwise and unlike other bait-holding lures, it needs no rubber bands to keep the lure together. The holes in the SpinFish will disperse the scent into the water and salmon will follow the scent trail back to the lure. Because there is undersize Blackmouth around, we check our gear every 30 minutes or so to make sure we are not pulling around an undersized fish. My routine is to have four or five SpinFish pre-loaded with bait and ready to swap out each time we catch a salmon or conduct a gear check. Blackmouth bite windows are short and you don’t want to waste time rigging tackle when the best bite of the day is happening. The new SpinFish comes in two sizes, a three inch and a four-inch version. And while we have had the best success using the three incher early in the season, the four inch model will likely be the go-to sizes as the baitfish get larger. Blackmouth are aggressive feeders and tend to feed when the current is minimal to expend as little energy as possible. That means the best time to catch them is when you’re fishing in the right current flow. You may have heard that the best fishing for salmon is one to two hours before or after a tide change. What we have found is the very best bite is right before or right after the change, when currents are soft. While trolling I spend a lot of time with my eyes glued to my Lowrance HDS Live sonar screen watching for where bait or salmon are congregating and adjusting my rigger depth accordingly. I often bracket the water column by adding depth on each pass until I hook a fish or locate where the bait and salmon are holding. And while I do change depth based on what my electronics reveal my go-to depth, when all else fails, is to run my SpinFish tight to the bottom. As you might guess, my early success using this all-new lure has me jazzed up for fishing it more and more. I know how well it works for Puget Sound Blackmouth and got to believe it will work for other fish too. For more information on the Yakima Bait SpinFish visit: www.yakimabait.com Capt. John Keizer SaltPatrol.com

By Mark Romanack In recent times crankbaits have ruled the roost on the Great Lakes and other bodies of water popular with walleye fishermen. Population explosions fueled by unprecedented high water levels and several successful spawning year classes have countless fisheries literally crawling with catchable fish. Natural reproduction can be a fleeting gift, but fortunately for those who enjoy targeting walleye, the fish Gods have shined brightly on these fisheries. To say recent fishing success for walleye has been excellent is an understatement. Limit catches have been the norm and anglers who have historically targeted walleye using traditional methods like nightcrawler harnesses are putting away the “meat” in favor of trolling with less labor intensive crankbaits. TRADITIONAL CRANKBAITS Crankbaits have always been a popular and productive choice for walleye. In the past, most anglers have depended heavily on traditional minnow style crankbaits early and also late in the year when the water temperature is cool to cold. It’s clear to see that crankbaits fished in combination with planer boards have become the fast track to limit catches. CRANKBAITS OF A DIFFERENT FLAVOR Most anglers would agree that a handful of popular minnow diving crankbaits dominate on the walleye scene. Slowly anglers are discovering there are other noteworthy baits worth exploring. In the Western Basin of Lake Erie where white perch and white bass often get in the way of catching walleye, charter captains have quietly turned to a different class of crankbait to save the day. “When I was in high school and my college years, I worked as a first mate for several charters working out of the Western Basin,” says Jake Romanack, co-host of Fishing 411 TV. “As soon as the water temperature warmed up to about 60 degrees abundant populations of white bass and white perch feed so aggressively it becomes challenging to keep these non-target species off the lines long enough to catch walleyes! A typical Lake Erie walleye charter runs 12 to 15 lines and it wasn’t uncommon for every line to be dragging a white perch or silver bass!” “You haven’t experienced frustration until you’ve worked the back of a charter boat in 85 degree heat, setting lines as fast as humanly possible only to catch a handful of walleye mixed into bucket loads of trash fish,” explains Romanack. “Increasing trolling speed and switching to high action crankbaits was the solution to this annual problem.” The only practical way to avoid silver bass and white perch is to troll fast enough to mitigate how many of these undesirable fish are caught while trolling for walleye. “Only a handful of crankbaits are up to the challenge when it comes to high speed trolling,” adds Romanack. “The problem is that charter captains stack so many lines per side of the boat, a bait has to run perfectly true in the water or adjoining lures will wander and foul each other.” A NEW CLASS OF WOBBLER These days a new class of high action wobblers are finding success on Erie and many other fisheries coast to coast. The Yakima Bait Company Mag Lip was designed by Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame angler Buzz Ramsey as a wobbling plug aimed at the salmon, steelhead and trout markets. The Mag Lip is a banana shaped lure that features a built-in “skip beat” action. “It only took a few years and the Mag Lip was dominating plug sales among steelhead, salmon and trout fishermen on the West Coast,” says Buzz Ramsey. “Word about the Mag Lip and how many fish it catches quickly spread to the Great Lakes. The demand for more sizes and colors of Mag Lip soon reached a fever pace.” Currently Mag Lip is available in seven different sizes and over four dozen different factory standard colors. Many retailers are also offering their own “custom color” options that continue to feed the growing demand. “It has taken a few years, but walleye anglers have finally discovered that Mag Lip is deadly effective when trolling at high speeds and in warm water conditions,” says Captain Eric Hirzel of Erie Gold Walleye Charters. “I first used the 3.5 size of Mag Lip on spring salmon trolling trips at Lake Michigan. I was so impressed with the Mag Lip, I started using the 3.5 and 3.0 sizes on my Lake Erie walleye charters.” Mag Lip is the perfect niche lure for a number of reasons. Each lure is perfectly tuned and runs true right out of the package. Mag Lip features a wide wobble, loud rattle and aggressive action, but these baits can also tolerate trolling speeds up to 4.0 MPH without blowing out. The “skip beat” or hunting action of the Mag Lip generates explosive strikes and these baits come in a host of productive color options. “Most of the factory colors on Mag Lip are admittedly trout and salmon colors,” says Jake Romanack of Fishing 411 TV. “Our staff has worked closely with Yakima Bait to introduce several new “walleye specific” colors that are going to be popular on Erie and Saginaw Bay. “Our crew has had had the opportunity to fish these new colors in the spring and summer of 2019 and they are lights out for walleye. Our favorites include Metallic Silver Clown, Metallic Silver FireTiger, Metallic Gold/Black Red Lip and Rosemary.” Other factory standard colors that produce consistent results on walleye include Metallic Silver Rainbow Trout, Mad Man, Grinch, Double Trouble, Metallic Gold/Flame, Keeper, Metallic Perch and Metallic Gold Green Pirate. “The first thing I noticed about Mag Lip is fish T-bone them,” says Captain Hirzel. “When walleye hit most crankbaits they tend to be hooked on the back hook. With the Mag Lip a majority of the fish are hooked on the front treble or they have the bait right down their throat.” Buzz Ramsey says that it’s the unique hunting action of the Mag Lip that causes fish to react with explosive strikes. “Most crankbaits have a rhythmic and consistent action,” says Ramsey “Crankbaits with a hunting action tease fish into biting. Think of it like playing with a cat using a ball and string. Eventually the cat can’t stand it anymore and pounces. The same thing happens when fishing with Mag Lip.” Mag Lip has great action at a wide variety of speeds, but the skip beat action is more distinctive at faster trolling speeds. “On Lake Erie we did best trolling 3.5 Mag Lip at between 2.2 and 3.0 MPH,” says Jake Romanack who recently filmed a TV episode focusing on the virtues of high action crankbaits. “Walleye pounded the Mag Lip and it was a struggle just to keep our legal number of lines in the water!” THE FINAL WORD The good news is that walleye populations on Lake Erie and countless other fisheries nationwide are at epic levels. The future looks bright for these fisheries despite heavy fishing pressure. Crankbait trolling is obviously not the only way anglers can catch open water walleye, but it’s clear that no other fishing method is as consistently productive as board trolling with crankbaits. It’s true that minnow/diver style crankbaits are the baits most walleye anglers have faith in, but these days high action plugs like the Yakima Bait Mag Lip are delivering impressive catches. For those who haven’t tried fishing high action plugs, in the late spring and throughout the summer when water temperatures are warm, it’s hard to beat these loud and proud crankbaits.

By: Buzz Ramsey Rainbow and other trout (brown, brook and cutthroat) offer anglers fishing success in lakes and reservoirs where trolling is a popular way to catch them. Some water bodies host wild fish populations that sustain fisheries. But what populates most trout waters across America, from New York to Oregon, are millions of hatchery fish raised by State Fish & Wildlife and Federal agencies before release into local waters - all for you and me to catch. Living in the Pacific Northwest, we spend much of our fishing time chasing salmon and steelhead, but pursue trout and other fish each-and-every year too. And while the trout planted in the lakes near our home are not always big, usually averaging 12-to-14 inches, we sometimes catch fish nearing the ten pound mark. These trout are fun to catch on light tackle and a challenge when bigger than expected. Whether you move your boat along with a pair of oars or motor, what makes trolling affective is the amount of water you can cover, which pretty much guarantees the lures trailing behind your boat will come in contact with hungry fish. The uses of oars or an electric trolling motor are popular means of propulsion when trolling because they facilitate slow going. For example, electric trolling motors are designed with a variable speed control that starts at zero. If your method of propulsion is a gas outboard, getting it to idle down may require a fresh tank of gasoline and, perhaps, a pre-adventure tune-up for it to run smoothly at low idle. While trolling slowly is important, so is trolling in an erratic pattern. Fish that are initially attracted to your gear may lose interest if your offering doesn’t run away or swim erratically when approached. You can somewhat mimic a injured-prey reaction from predatory fish by zigzagging or changing your boat speed, which will often trigger following fish to striking before they lose interest. The one lure that has changed our trolling success more than any other is a plug called Mag Lip. Mag Lip is distinctive due to its ability to dive extra-deep while yielding an erratic, darting “skip-beat” action that produces savage strikes from fish. The “skip-beat” action produced by Mag Lip adds tremendously to what we can achieve by changing boat speed and direction. The strike response due to the “skip-beat” action can be compared to how a house cat pounces when coaxed with a ball-and-string. Many guides and anglers report a higher hook-to-land ratio when using Mag Lip as compared to other lures and credit the savage strikes and better hook-to-land ratio to the unique action produced by this relative new to-the-market lure. Determining the correct trolling speed depends on what lures you employ combined with the pace trout might respond to best. For example, you might troll a small FlatFish somewhere between a half and one (1) MPH, since this plug was designed to produce frantic action when pulled slowly. Trolling FlatFish at the speeds where they perform best can be especially effective when water temps are cool, fish are less aggressive, or when the forage they seek matches the size and color of this high-action plug. For spinner, spoon and plugs, like Mag Lip, the right trolling speed is usually in the range of 1 to 1-1/2 MPH, with 2 MPH considered fast on most waters. When forward trolling, try positioning your lines at different distances behind your boat. Although the most productive distance might vary depending on water clarity and how boat shy fish might be, a good place to start is to run your lines from 50-to-100 feet out. Staggering the distance of each line means your gear will make multiple passes by the fish, increasing the chance of an encounter. Another thing to keep in mind when trolling is the depth you position your gear. For example, trout might be found near the surface when the light is low, like early or late in the day and when overcast, but go deep when the sun is bright. Therefore, positioning your lines deeper during the middle of the day might keep the bite going. Water temperature can also affect where fish might be found as they will likely go deeper or suspend at a preferred temperature zone when surface temperatures get uncomfortable from summertime heat. While Mag Lip dives deep the depth achieved varies based on line test (diameter), and distance out. For example, all according to Mark Romanack of Fishing 411 TV fame’s Precision Trolling Data App, the 2.5 (2-1/2 inch) size Mag Lip will dive eight feet with 50 feet of let out and ten feet with 75 feet of let out – this data is based on ten-pound test Berkley XT monofilament. You can add another foot of dive if using ten pound test Fireline, as this high-tech line is thinner than monofilament of the same test. And while Mag Lip is our favorite plug for trout, we make use of other lures too. For example, there are times when a slow-trolling presentation produces best, which is when we employ the wild action produced by small FlatFish (sizes F-3 to F-7 for trout) at speeds ranging from a half to one mile-per-hour (MPH). Perhaps due to when trout are feeding on minnows, thin bladed spoons, like a Triple Teaser, sometimes produce best when trolled from 1-to-2 MPH. The vibrating/fish-calling action of a spinner, like a Rooster Tail, works when forward trolled too. If you troll a spinner, keep in mind that their action can twist fishing line. Therefore, it’s important to rig a ball-bearing or other quality swivel twenty or so inches from your spinner or halfway down your leader when rigged in combination with a sinker, attractor or downrigger. Adding a fish attractant to any lure can increase its effectiveness. You’ll find an innumerable array of scents available for this purpose. In addition to spraying my lures with an attractant, like Rooster Tail Scent Spray, I often add a short section (usually a half inch or so) from a scent-filled worm, grub or maggot (PowerBait or Gulp!) to the hook of my plug, spinner or spoon - just rig it to hang straight back. If you tip spoons, be advised that employing too large a tip can deaden their action – so keep tipping baits extra short on spoons. Although the above tipping baits are available in different colors, we’ve found the white or black colors often produce best, at least on the trout lakes near our home.

by: Jarod Higginbotham Successful fishermen all have one thing in common. Those who routinely catch fish are the anglers who are skillful at finding fish. The art of finding fish has many facets, but selecting lures that do a good job of covering water efficiently is one of the most important. Iconic lures like the Worden’s Rooster Tail spinner are exceptional for not only the ability to cover water quickly, but these in-line spinners are also deadly effective at attracting fish and also triggering strikes. Rooster Tail Spinners cast like a bullet making them ideal for covering water. Avid spinner fishermen routinely use longer rods and light line to maximize their ability to make long casts. The Rooster Tail blades are manufactured featuring genuine silver, gold and copper plating which provides the maximum amount of fish attracting flash. These lures also come in a host of painted finishes making them ideal for nearly any fishing situation or water clarity. Last, but certainly not least the Rooster Tail can be fished literally anywhere in the water column, making it exceptionally versatile for catching just about any species and at any water depth. Because Rooster Tail spinners come in sizes ranging from 1/32 ounce all the way up to one ounce models, these lures can be used to target all common fishing depths and popular species. THE COUNT DOWN METHOD Lures such as the Rooster Tail spinner sink at a rate of approximately one foot per second. Knowing this an angler can make a long cast, then pause and count “one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three,” etc., until the spinner has reached the desired depth. Once the spinner is at the desired depth, a quick sweep of the rod will get the blade spinning, putting out flash and fish attracting vibration. A slow and deliberate retrieve helps to keep the blade rotating and the spinner in the desired depth throughout the majority of the retrieve. This simple strategy can be used to target fish near the surface, fish that are suspended in the water column or fish that may be holding belly to bottom. The count down method makes it easy to control the depth a spinner is working, much like the way a line counter reel is used to help monitor lead lengths and lure depth when trolling. TIMES OF DAY Generally early and late in the day, I like to fish my spinners near the surface using a modest four or five second count. As the day progresses and the sun rises in the sky, fish often move deeper in the water column making it necessary to fish deeper. On heavily overcast days fish are also likely to be high in the water column. Windy weather that creates disturbance on the water surface and reduces light penetration will also cause fish to use the upper water column. BLADE TYPES Rooster Tail spinners are available in a wide variety of blade styles including the iconic modified willow leaf blade on the original Rooster Tail. Anglers can also choose from a French style blade on the Sonic Rooster Tail, an in-line style blade on the Vibric Rooster Tail and also a prop style blade on some ultra light models. Collectively between the different sizes, blade types and color and blade finish options, no one makes more or better fish catching spinners than Worden’s. HOOK and HACKLE OPTIONS Rooster Tail spinners are available with clean treble hooks, hackle dressed treble hooks and hackle dressed single hooks making them ideal for every fishing situation. The pulsating hackle gives life to the spinner and is also ideal for absorbing and holding a fish attracting scent such as the new Rooster Tail Spray Scent. This new spray scent will not mat down the hackle and gives off an attractive and long lasting scent stream in the water. Currently Rooster Tail Spray Scent is available in eight scents including Trophy Bass, Crappie/Panfish, Garlic Plus, Garlic Nightcrawler, Shad, Shrimp, Trout/Kokanee and Trophy Trout. CONCLUSIONS Catching fish is all about finding them and then determining what depths are producing the most bites. Casting spinners using the count down method is the ideal way to cover water and quickly determine where the most active fish are holding. Besides being efficient, casting spinners is a ton of fun and one of the best ways to get “your string stretched” on that next fishing trip.

So how do you find Puget Sound winter blackmouth? The answer is don’t look for the blackmouth but rather look for what attracts blackmouth. Blackmouth are a delayed released hatchery king salmon that don’t migrate to Alaska but instead inhabits the waters of Puget Sound after being released. The name blackmouth comes from the black gumline that identifies it as a resident chinook salmon. Blackmouth range from the legal size of 22 inches up to fish taken in the upper teens. In the many years I have fished Puget Sound I have found that Puget Sound blackmouth relate to three things, structure, current and food. We have all heard the line, “Find the bait-find the fish.” It sounds so easy but so many anglers ignore this simple advice in locating blackmouth. Blackmouth salmon are voracious feeders and will be looking for sand lance (candlefish) or herring to fill their bellies year around in Puget Sound. The sand lance, which are also known locally as “candlefish,” because pioneers used to dry them and make candles out of them due to their high oil content are an ecologically important forage fish throughout Puget Sound where they school in many bays, banks and inlets. Sand lance are important food for young salmon who crave the high oil content; 35% of juvenile salmon diets are composed of sand lance and blackmouth salmon depend on sand lance for 60% of their diet. Sand lance spawning occurs at high tide in shallow water on sand-gravel beaches. Sand lance will also use sandy beaches for spawning. Knowing when and where this food source is will directly reflect on locating winter blackmouth. Herring can be located at resting spots that are dictated by the current. As in river fishing, bait will be pushed into the lee of a current flow behind points, islands and land masses. The same is true in Puget Sound, knowing the position of the tide will allow you to find the best location to find baitfish and salmon feeding on it. Trolling a downrigger is in my opinion the best method for consistently hooking blackmouth. I spend much of the winter season employing this method of fishing. I run 3 Hi Performance Scotty 2106 downriggers onboard Salt Patrol my 27ft North River O/S. Being able to cover lots of water with your tackle at a controlled depth is an extremely effective way to fish for winter chinook that like to inhabit the deep waters of Puget Sound. My rod & reel setup is a Shimano Tekota-A 600 Line counter reel matched with a G. Loomis E6X 1265 moderate action rod. The reels are spooled up with 30-pound test mono main line. Yes, downrigger fishing is the one fishery that I still run mono line for. New from Yakima Bait is the Spinfish bait-holding lure, representing a new design in combining lure-and-bait to produce more and bigger salmon. The SpinFish features a pull-apart fillable bait chamber with a scent-dispersing design. When trolled behind a downrigger this lure will produce a vibrating, spinning, wounded-baitfish action that salmon can’t resist. I was lucky to get to test the prototypes for the Spinfish last winter. My first experience with the Spinfish started with targeting winter blackmouth out of Port Townsend located on the northern part of Puget Sound. We ran the Spinfish behind 11” rotating flashers and medium size Fish Flash and had very good success on blackmouth up into the mid-teens. The strike on the Spinfish is not like on light tap on a bait bite. The blackmouth will hit the Spinfish hard, run a bunch of line out of the reel and then race to the surface for the rest of the fight. Several times the rod tip would be in the water when we went to take the rod out of the holder. To ready the Spinfish you just pull apart the body and fill with any bait including tuna, herring or sardines. I had the best results using canned Chicken of the Sea Tuna (packed in oil). Pour the canned tuna into a plastic container with the all the oil in the can. At this point I will add scents from Pro-Cure. Mix in some Bloody Tuna or your choice scent and mix and you’re ready to charge the Spinfish body. Pack the Spinfish body with tuna and put the two parts back together. I rig my Spinfish 25-40 inches behind a Fish Flash or 35-45 inches behind rotating flashers. My setup last year was to tie two 4/0 Mustad octopus hooks close together on 30lb Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and add one glow bead above the top hook to act as a ball bearing. Slide the Spinfish on the leader and tie to swivel and then attach to the Fish Flash or rotating flasher and you’re ready to fish. The SpinFish can be rigged to spin clockwise or counterclockwise and unlike other bait holding lures, it needs no rubber bands to keep the lure together. The precisely drilled sent holes in the Spinfish will disperse a sent pattern into the water and salmon will follow the scent trail back to the lure. Just like any lure bring your gear up every 20 minutes and check it for shakers (undersize salmon) and re-charge the Spinfish body with fresh tuna. I normally have 4-5 Spinfish loaded with different bait scents and ready to swap out each time I check my gear. Blackmouth bites windows are short and you don’t want to waste time during the prime bite times rigging tackle. The new SpinFish comes in two sizes, a three inch and a four-inch version, that now both come fully rigged and ready to fish. The three-inch size comes in 20 of the hottest colors Yakima Bait producers. The four-inch version comes in 10 proven fish-attracting colors. All the Spinfish colors are coated in UV blackmouth catching finishes. Blackmouth like to do their feeding where the bait is. They are aggressive feeders and tend to feed when the current is minimal to expend as little energy as possible. That means the best time to catch them is when you’re fishing in the right current flow or lack of current movement. You may have heard that the best fishing for blackmouth is one to two hours before or after a tide change. Really its right before or right after a current change as that’s when the water goes slack and the fish will expend the least energy finding baitfish. Trolling downriggers I spend most of my time eyes glued to my Lowrance HDS Live sonar screen watching for bait or fish feeding near the bottom and adjusting my rigger depth to match what I’m seeing on the screen. I like to run my Spinfish about 1-2 ft. just off bottom where blackmouth generally feed. I troll bracketing the water depth in the area I’m fishing by adding depth on each pass until I hook a fish or locate bait holding. I then I try to stay with the bait or fish marks and keep pounding them with the Spinfish until I get a hookup or run the fish off the bait. Then its back on the troll, eyes again glued to the sonar and the rod tips. Add the new Yakima Bait Spinfish to your blackmouth tackle arsenal now so you’re ready for the upcoming winter season. For more information on the Yakima Bait SpinFish visit: www.yakimabait.com Capt. John Keizer SaltPatrol.com