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Who does not love and appreciate a lake full of bright, hard fighting wonderfully delicious landlocked sockeye salmon? Out West we call them kokanee, or silver “trout”, by any name when May comes around it’s prime time for light tackle and kokanee trolling. Finding kokanee in spring is far easier than in summer. Lakes are slowly warming, and kokanee in majority of lakes may be found from on the surface to approximately 30 feet. Whether you are a downrigger person or sliding lead/dropper kind of angler, this means setting your gear shallow and a bit further back away from your boat. Speaking of gear, through all the different sizes, styles, colors, finishes and actions of kokanee terminal gear, one style setup is the meat and potatoes…a dodger, short leader and a lure that spins and/or wobbles of some sort. Every variation and combinations begins and seemingly ends with dodger/lure. Yakima Bait Co. has done some overtime with their dodgers/lures for kokanee, and that’s where we’ll begin our tour. Start with a dodger. Look closely at it from the side. If the dodger is, say, a long teardrop shape with only one short bend in the wider end, that dodger is designed for faster trolling speeds. (Ideal trolling speed for kokanee is normally 1.1 to 1.6 mph), 1.5 to 2.3 mph. Rectangular dodgers are shorter with two bends (waves) and work at slower speeds, from 0.6 to 1.5. Both are designed to swing at a smooth tempo. The Fast Limit dodger has three waves, imparting not only a swing tempo but an occasional erratic dart. This gives your lure a very “wounded” action, and gets bit…a lot. Optimum speeds for the Fast Limit dodger are 1.1 to 1.8, with 1.4 being the best for the regular size (3-3/4” long) and the 5” model works best at 1.5. Note that when dodgers are trolled beyond there “speed threshold” they will cease side to side action and rollover rapidly like a flasher. My favorite dodger this season is the 5” Fast Limit. I had it already rigged on a light rod left over from sockeye season last summer (Alert: These 5” models are killer for sockeye, too…) and it out performed my rectangular dodgers so well I stuck with it. There are 10 different colors/finishes of fast Limits, these were our best producers last spring and so far this season: For the 3-3/4” dodger, Nickel (NIC); Glo & Pearl (GLO/PL); Ice Pink (IPK) and Glo & Ice Pink (GLO/IPK). For the 5” Fast Limit, Morning Glory (Nickel body w/glow, moon jelly tape) is the all star this year with plain Nickel (NIC) second. Try to use a quality ball bearing swivel on top of your dodgers to allow maximum freedom for action. For lures, think mini squid bodies, dual #4 tandem red sharp hooks with some sort of rotating attractor above it. Begin with the standard issue spinner blade/ squid body kokanee lure. The Tight Lines Kokanee Rig feature a 1” Colorado style blade on top of a 1-1/2”Yamashida (the best!) mini squid body. All Yakima bait kokanee squids have a glow Lil’ Corkie placed in the head of the squid for extra translucent glow under the colors, the Corkie also adds flotation which makes the squid lure travel not only side to side but slightly up and down as well. All blades are UV coated and rigs are tied (all Yakima Bait kokanee lures are tied with a lengthy section of 10# fluorocarbon leader material) with a long length of 10# fluorocarbon leader which allows you to easily tie the leader length you want. Trials have shown the best leader length for average speed trolling is 12”, measured from the bottom of the dodger to the top of the lure. Favorite colors are: Brass (BR), brass blade/hot pink squid; Candy Wrapper (CRW), metallic pink blade, hot pink squid; Glitter Red (GRED) “Candy Corn’, orange blade/ pink, chartreuse and glow squid and Nickel (NIC), nickel blade/ hot pink squid. Replace that blade on top of the squid with a lure that Yakima Bait (Wordens) developed for trout and kokanee trolling over 60 years ago and you have the Spin-n-Glo Kokanee Rig. Two sizes of SNG to choose, either #12 (smaller) or #10, in 10 different colors. My favorites are the #12, as they seem to have a bit more action at slower speeds, due to their smaller profile. The SNG squid rigs wobble a bit more than the bladed ones. Also try a 12” leader for these. Favorite colors are: Double Trouble Pink Glow (DTUP-GL); Nightmare Pink (NMP-MP); Cerise Candy Wrapper (CER-MP). Best times to be kokanee trolling? First thing in the morning is usually best, how long the bite hold up depends on the weather. If the forecast is for bright sun and zero wind, be very early. If it is cloudy and a bit breezy, the bite usually lasts longer into the morning. Kokanee have huge eyes and are light sensitive- the darker the day usually means a better biting day. A few more tips? After the morning bite slows down, wait for the mid day/afternoon wind to chop up the water. The bite will usually pick up then. Bring your gear up five to ten feet rapidly, then stop and resume trolling. This sudden rise can trigger a “follower” into a biter. Some good baits, scents for those terminals? A single kernel of cured white corn on each hook always does the job, but don’t overlook Berkley’s Gulp maggots in pink or natural white. Soak both cured corn and those Gulp maggots in the newest hotness for kokanee scents: tuna/garlic running off with the blue ribbon with tuna/anise a close second. Give your dodgers/squids/spinners a spray of New Rooster Tail spray scent in Trout Kokanee Magic. With so many effective lure color, size, action and scent combinations you may put together with Fast Limit dodgers, Tight Lines and Spin-n-Glo kokanee rigs a bite is an experiment away. Don’t shy away from trying something new when kokanee trolling. Find your new favorite producers on your home lakes!

Spring greens and sharp cheddar cheese sandwiches. First thing first - keep in mind, all ingredients can be improvised or substituted for others. Now let’s go - “Winter in my UpperLeftUSA kitchen!” As always fresh is best - but properly vacuumed sealed salmon, steelhead, laketrout, kokanee etc. will all work nicely! As you can see I’m starting with great ingredients! A. White onion ( red, Walla Walla, or Green etc can be substituted ) B. Box or bag of fresh spring greens aka mixed baby greens - in most areas they can be found at your local health food stores good healthy stuff C. Torta bread or any quality bread personally I like the Torta because it wholes up well - but sour dough, french bread or Italian will work just fine - butter yet, use your imagination!!! D. Sharp cheddar sliced placing on your bread in the over until grilled to your liking - or any other cheese to your liking E. Season your salmon or steelhead and fry into golden in your favorite cooking until done. F. Now the fun part - let everyone make their own sandwiches with all the ingredients provided - as you can see I add dill pickles for an added kick & the potato chips are just an easy alternative to frying french fries. Enjoy!!!

April means Opening Day for trout anglers. Lakes are starting to warm, trout are becoming active and anglers are there for this exciting time. Choices for taking trout are many- dough baits, spinners, spoons, plugs and good old worms and salmon eggs. All work. But none have the versatility, all around effectiveness and reputation as well known as the Rooster Tail spinner. Rooster Tails can be cast or trolled. Trolling is an excellent way to cover water and find aggressive trout. The flash of the Rooster Tail blade creates a greater attraction radius than most lures, bringing in more trout to strike. Early season trout frequently hang out in the first 10 feet of water, where it is warmest with the most feed. The weighted body of the Rooster Tail keeps the lure in the perfect depth while trolling, no need to add weight. When trolling Rooster Tails, try a thin diameter braid with a 6 foot section of 8 pound natural toned mono tied with a Uni knot at the end of the braid to the lure. Even at slow trolling speeds, you may see the vibration and blade spin easily on the rod tip due to the non stretch properties of braid. Rooster Tail blades are tuned to rotate even at the slowest trolling speeds. Favorite sizes and colors? Well, there are 10 sizes, 100 colors and 135 finishes to choose from. Try the 1/16th, 1/8th, 1/6th and ¼ ounce for the perfect balance of casting/trolling. For trout trolling and casting in lakes, here are some top choices that keep rising to the top of most effective: Red (R), red body/hackle/silver blade; Clown Coachdog (CLCD), olive/yellow/orange body/hackle/silver blade; Fire Tiger (FRT), yellow/olive/red body/hackle/brass blade; Frog (FR), green/olive body/hackle/brass blade; White (WH) white body/hackle/silver blade and Yellow (YL), yellow hackle/body/silver blade. My absolute favorite is the new Cheese Fly (CHFY), with an orange/yellow tail and body, brass blade. Last spring, more trophy sized rainbows, browns, brookies and especially cutthroat fell to that color combo than any other. Tipping is not just for good service in restaurants, it can be the difference in an interested trout follow into a vicious strike. A small 1 inch piece of nightcrawler or single salmon egg on the treble/single hook on a Rooster Tail makes a great lure unbeatable. No bait, no problem…spritz a pump of Rooster Tail Scent Spray on the lure. Rooster Tail Scent Spray is loaded with amino bite stimulants and UV to really pop visually as well as smell. Best of all the spray will not matte down the attractive movement of the hackle tail. Best flavors? In this order, but know that each one was flat deadly the last two seasons: Garlic Plus, Trophy Trout and the leader going into the clubhouse Trout Kokanee Magic. If trolling is not your thing, no problem. Rooster Tails can be cast easily on light line. Position yourself (boat or bank) near where trout may be found and fan cast your Rooster Tail, covering the area. Start your presentations near the surface, then with each “round” of casts, let the lure sink a few seconds more, until bottom is reached or strikes become consistent at a certain depth/area. Retrieve the Rooster Tail just fast enough for a 4 to 6 time “blade thump” per second. To ensure a good blade spin, retrieve the lure quickly at the beginning of the presentation until you feel the “thump” of the rotating blade. Reel ‘till you feel, as they say! Great sizes/weights for casting are the 1/8ths for shallower water/close to your position; the 1/6th for ideal all around size for distance and depth and the ¼ ounce for breezy conditions or when you have to get the lure down quicker. A great tip that needs to be put out there is Rooster Tails are not just for trolling or casting/retrieving, they can be jigged also! When trout get finicky- and if you spend any time on the water there is a guarantee there will be times when bites are hard to come by- try this trick. After casting and beginning your retrieve, sharply drop your rod tip approximately six inches, creating a nano second of slack line and allowing the Rooster Tail to drop a foot or so. Many salmonids (trout, salmon) key on falling prey, mimicking a wounded/dead/distressed creature of sorts. This swift, short dropping action can trigger an aggressive grab from a trout that may have been on the fence if it was to bite or not.

Winter in my UpperLeftUSA kitchen. Start with fresh winter steelhead of quality blackmouth salmon for this winter version. Recipe depends on the amount of people you’ll be feeding. Let’s go ( lots of people will tell you fresh it best and their correct - but vacuumed seal salmon or steelhead will work just fine ) not that said - let’s get busy If using fresh - 1. Cut into fillets 2. Remove skin followed by all bones 3. Cut your fillets into 1 inch strips 4. Season to your liking 5. Coat with your favorite tempura ( if homemade I use either Cornstarch or Tapioca starch 2 egg whites do not use the egg yoke. 6. Ice cold water - mixing all ingredients slowly adding water to your liking - if to thin add more starch an if to thick add more ice cold water. 7. Fry in your favorite cooking oil until golden - still part shouldn’t take to long. 8. Add chips, fries with a healthy salad. Well there you have it - enjoy! ~Calvin

"Still-Fishing" (also known as dead-sticking or plunking) dough bait for trout is a popular and productive method for catching trout from lakes, reservoirs and rivers, many of which are frequently stocked with hatchery trout. It’s so Easy:Cast out, allow your outfit to sink to the bottom, wait for a bite, and set-the-hook when your rod tip dips toward the water. It’s important to leave some slack in your line, so trout can swim off with your bait and swallow it without feeling line resistance before you yank back on your rod tip to set the hook. Important! When using PowerBait you can greatly increase your success by using the right amount of dough trout bait in combination with a Lil’ Corky single-egg-imitation such that your bait will float above bottom so cruising trout can quickly see/find it. This is fundamental to success and often results in quick limits! The buoyancy of your Lil Corky single-egg-imitation will take the guess work out of how much dough bait is the right amount to float your bait. When rigging a Lil’ Corky/PowerBait combination, use a ball of PowerBait slightly larger than your Lil’ Corky. We can tell you, based on extensive testing and observation of underwater video footage, that you will catch far more fish if your Lil’ Corky and PowerBait combination floats side-by-side in the water column. Selecting the Right Leader Length: Leader length is important because, after all, you want your bait floating at the depth the fish are cruising, which might be close to the bottom during times when the water is clear and sun bright, higher in the water column during the spring - when water temperatures begin to warm - early and/or late in the day, or on overcast days. And while the average leader length should be 18-to-24 inches, a leader long enough to extend above bottom-growing vegetation might be the ticket to success when trout are swimming just above the weed tops. Rigging is Easy: Simply thread your main line (extending from your rod tip) through the hole in an oval egg sinker, add a small plastic bead, and tie your line end to a size ten (10) barrel swivel. Then attach your leader (18-to-24 inches), complete with Lil’ Corky threaded on leader above hook, to the free end of your swivel end, then mold a ball of PowerBait around your hook. Note: A size 12 treble hook should be used in combination with a size 12 Lil Corky, and size 14 treble with size 14 Lil Corky bait floater. Terminal Tackle You Will Need: 1) Selection of size 12 and 14 Lil’ Corky floating egg imitation/bait-floaters; the most popular colors being pink pearl, red, orange, pink, sherbet, clown, and (for night fishing - where legal) luminous flame. 2) Selection of size 12 and 14 treble hooks. 3) Selection of ¼, 3/8 and 1/2 ounce “Oval Egg” free-sliding sinkers. 4) Size 10 barrel swivels. 5) Size 4 and/or 6mm plastic beads 6) Spool of four (4) or six (6) pound test monofilament or fluorocarbon leader material. Fluorocarbon leader material is less visible to fish. Prepared Bait The most popular and productive dough Trout Bait is Berkley PowerBait with the garlic flavors being top producers. The most popular dough bait colors include Rainbow, Sherbet, Chartreuse, Peach, and Flame Orange. Rods, Reels and Fishing Line Anglers specializing in still-fishing PowerBait employ 6 to 7 foot soft-tipped spinning rods rated for 2-to-8 pound test fishing line. Your spinning reel should be one with a quality drag, like an Abu Garcia or Pflueger brand. Purchasing a rod and reel combination, like one offered by Shakespeare and sized for trout, can represent an affordable option. The most popular fishing line is six (6) pound test monofilament. You should know that Berkley Trilene or Stren brand monofilaments are soft enough to cast far and hold up to fish pounding strikes- even from trophy-size trout.

One of my favorite is called “Hot-water Cornbread!” Made with cornmeal butter and hot water. Traditionally! Louisiana Soul Food. . Followed by shaping into 1 inch or smaller thick patties ( my average patty is about 3 to 4 inches - still being around 1 inch in thickness ) fried lightly in your choice of healthy cooking oils - personally I like real 100% ghee made by @tinstarfoods aka #yum ( additionally it’s only made with those several ingredients I named above ) But one day I thought to myself why can’t I put #onion #shrip #crab or whatever in it well guess what? It works and it super easy to make but most of all super tasty! . Great with #soups #chowders or #salads use your imagination making many wonderful things possibly. . This southern tradition is similar to what a lot of people call “Hush Puppies!”

It was co-worker Jarod Higginbotham who turned me onto the Two-Timing Steelhead Rig when he hooked two fat steelheads, in just a few casts, on this double rig suspended under a float while drifting his outfit through a pool where fresh steelhead were holding. The double set up works for more than just steelhead as we’ve caught trout, cutthroat, whitefish, and coho salmon while using it. Besides being effective for nearly every river species, the Two-Timing rig is easy to tie up and use. It’s float fishing with a steelhead jig suspended under a pencil shaped bobber with a leader, 18-to-24 inches works, extending from your jig to a LiL’ Corky single-egg-imitation and hook. The Corky is pegged, held in position on your leader, a few inches above the hook by wedging a tooth pick where the leader threads through your Corky and breaking it off flush with the imitation egg. The sizing of the hook and Corky are important because your goal is to offset the buoyancy of your Corky with a hook large enough to make it sink below your jig, but not so heavy a hook that it inhibits the Corky’s ability to look natural as it drifts along. In addition, you can increase your odds of success by setting your bobber such that your Corky will nudge bottom occasionally as it drifts downriver a few feet under your jig. I remember Jarod being more than a little excited as he explaining to me how the buoyancy of the Corky helps float the hook point up (meaning you get hung on the bottom at lot less often) and how the larger/heavier hook required for this set up produces more-hookups-per-strike due to the bigger point-to-shank gap as compared to that of a smaller hook. The first time we tried it together we landed four steelheads; three came on the Corky as compared to one on the steelhead jig located just a few feet up the line. With success like this, it’s like: why not add a leader and Corky to your steelhead jig when float fishing? The Basics of Float Fishing Float fishing is similar to the drift fishing method in that you cast out, across and slightly upstream, pick up the slack line between you and your float, and allow your float, jig and Corky (suspended below your jig) to drift downstream and through the holding water. 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’ll need to reel in and cast again.Float fishing consists of a series of casts, drifts, and retrieves. Because you’re fishing with your eyes rather than by feel, you’ll need to keep close tabs on your bobber at all times. When/if your bobber goes down/disappears (signaling a fish has taken youroffering) you must quickly and 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, that is, where slack and moving water meet, 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 river current, especially a strong one, can grab your main line the moment it hits the water’s surface and push it downstream faster than your float is moving. One way to reduce or momentarily eliminate line belly and its effect on maintaining a natural drift is to mend your line. Line mending is something fly anglers do, for the same reason, to prevent their fly from skating across and downstream too fast. To mend your line, start with your rod tip at a low angle and pointed at your float, progressively pull your rod tip 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. Given a strong current combined with a cross current cast, you may have to mend your main line several times during a single drift. 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 or at a 45-degree angle downstream 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 directly downstream from your anchored boat. Float fishing works best when the rivers are medium to low in height and the water is clear. And although float fishing will work anywhere fish hold, it’s especially effective for fishing current edges, where fast and slack water meet, a place where steelhead often hold. Most anglers will suspended their jig half to three quarters of the way to the river bottom when fishing areas where the water is eight feet or less in depth and within a few feet of bottom where it’s deeper. The two-timing rig means adding an 18-to-24-inch leader to your jig – just tie the leader to the bend of your jig hook and slide the knot up the hook shank toward the jig head, which will allow your jig to suspend below your float in a horizontal position (the fish like this jig presentation best). Lil’ Corky single egg imitations are buoyant so it’s important when fishing one under a jig to offset the buoyancy of your Corky with a single hook large enough to make your Corky sink/drift below your jig. For the right amount of buoyancy, what works is a size 12 Corky rigged in conjunction with a size #1 single hook –(what I use is the needle point hook made by Owner.) In more turbid water or at times when fish might respond to a larger egg imitation, try a size 10 or 8 Corky rigged in combination with a size 1/0 single hook. The key here is to peg your Corky 2-to-3 inches above your single hook with a round tooth pick. The buoyancy of the Corky floats the hook point up so you get hung up less with it as compared to using a bead or other non-buoyant egg imitation. Although any hook color will work there are times when a red colored hook might out-produce a bronze or nickel colored one. This outfit can be even more effective if you set your bobber such that the hook pegged a few inches below your Corky taps bottom occasionally as it drifts downstream in the river current.

Another great seafood lovers story 😁 Today I’m starting out by using fresh Dungeness crab 🦀 outta my home waters of Puget Sound located in Western Washington that I steamed for 12 minutes 😁 followed by cooling in a ice and water bath ( yeah Baby ) Prior I started my Louisiana Creole style rice. 1. 2 cups of rice - soaked then rinsed. 2. Sautéed in real butter, garlic, celery and bell pepper - I like 4 oz. of butter for this super tasty recipe (go big here - real butter absolutely is awesome) for five minutes. 3. Add twice the amount of water of rice added - our amount for this recipe will be 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil followed by cooking on low with lid covering pot for 25 minutes. Vegetables 🌽 🌶 For aesthetic’s and color I prefer your standard classic American mix vegetable with peas, carrots, sweetcorn and green beans - also I add sliced avocados on the side. For presentation after my rice, vegetables and crab are all put together I mix everything together in one bowl then I take those portions - add them to cups ( packing somewhat tightly ) then just turn them over and that’s how you get that really cool looking shape once removed from cup.

Most presentations used to target river steelhead require the angler to cast or drift a bait, rig or attractor to waiting fish. Back-trolling in rivers is a rather unique steelhead fishing method that uses the boat to present wobbling plugs to fish holding in runs and shallow holes. Popular with steelhead guides, back-trolling allows the guide to skillfully position the boat and deploy an assortment of wobbling plugs immediately downstream of the boat. Rod holders are used to space out the rods and allow the plugs to fish without tangling among other lines. Meanwhile, the clients wait patiently in comfortable chairs positioned near the back of the boat. Back-trolling plugs for steelhead is a peaceful and relaxing experience until a strike occurs. When steelhead decide to strike a plug they do so with the kind of aggression anglers who target other species rarely get to experience. The rod hammers down and while the angler struggles to free the rod from it’s holder, a screaming mad steelhead takes to the air cartwheeling across the surface again and again. After a few heart pounding leaps, a hooked steelhead settles down and begins to use it’s power and the current to strip line from the reel. The power of these fish is simply amazing. Like a smallmouth bass on steroids, steelhead put on a show unlike anything else in fresh water. The author lives in Michigan where there are several world class streams that dish up back-trolling action for steelhead all winter long. This fish was taken on the Muskegon River while filming an episode of Fishing 411 TV. BOAT CONTROL Back-trolling with plugs in rivers is a game of boat control. Anglers who are skillful at moving the boat in such a way as to steer their plugs into productive water are treated to explosive strikes. The traditional way to control a boat for back-trolling is to use oars to manually slow down the boat’s drift while allowing the current to bring wobbling plugs to life. Anglers who are skillful at rowing a drift boat or small skiff can also move the boat laterally in the current, moving lures across fish holding water in the process. The combined process of holding the boat in the current and also moving the boat laterally causes the trailing plugs to speed up and slow down enticingly. In addition to using oars to control the boat, many boats particularly in the Great Lakes region set up for back-trolling are also equipped with an electric anchor that allows the anchor to be raised and lowered remotely. Mounting the anchor switch on the oar handle makes it easier to raise the anchor as needed and then immediately use the oars to take over boat control. When a fish is hooked, in many cases the angler will lower the anchor to hold the boat in place while the fish is played out. This method works nicely for most steelhead, but when an exceptional fish is hooked, often the anchor must be raised and the boat allowed to drift naturally with the current. Drifting downstream while fighting a stubborn fish makes it much easier to get the upper hand on a powerful steelhead. Oars and electric anchors are the bread and butter of back-trolling for steelhead, but a growing number of anglers are discovering the same presentation can be duplicated using a bow mounted, GPS guided, auto-pilot style electric motor. Auto-pilot electric motors are controlled using a key fob that allows the operator to control the direction of travel, speed and even to hold or hover the boat in one spot. Recently on the St. Joe River in southwestern Michigan, plug fishing enthusiast Josh Crabtree and yours truly used a MotorGuide Xi5 electric motor to expertly back-troll plugs. We started just upstream of the runs we wanted to fish by putting the electric motor in the water and engaging the “anchor” mode which essentially holds the boat in place. With the boat hovering in the current we then deployed our plugs far enough downstream that they would dive down and make contact with the bottom. Once our plugs were set and working nicely, we used the “jog” feature on the key fob to move the boat left, right or backwards in five to 10 foot increments. Using the “jog” feature made it easy to simply touch a button on the key fob and move the boat laterally while at the same time moving our lures across prime steelhead water. Holding a 18 to 20 foot boat effectively in strong river current requires using a 24 or 36 volt electric motor. BACK-TROLLING PLUGS When back-trolling plugs the water depth to be fished dictates the best plug options. The Mag Lip family of wobbling plug come in seven different sizes including the 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0. The most popular sizes for steelhead fishing in most rivers are the 3.0 and 3.5 sizes. These baits easily dive down six to 10 feet making them ideal for most steelhead rivers. Gabe Dennison is an avid plug fisherman and the founder of the Yeah Pluggin’ Facebook site. Gabe caught this beautiful hen pulling a 2.5 Mag Lip.​ Recently while back-trolling plugs with Gabe Dennison of the Yeah Pluggin’ Facebook site, we enjoyed excellent success using the smaller 2.5 Mag Lip. “I find that the smaller 2.5 Mag Lip works best in low and clear water fishing situations,” says Dennison. “The 2.5 Mag Lip only features a tail hook which also allows this bait to fish among snags much better than the larger sizes of Mag Lip which feature a belly and tail hook.” CUSTOM PLUG OPTIONS Back-trolling enthusiasts are always looking for ways to improve this presentation. One way to get the most from wobbling plugs is to experiment with different hooking options. The Mag Lip family of baits feature great action in both slow and fast moving water, making them ideal for custom hooking options. “When fishing the 3.0 and 3.5 Mag Lip, I remove both the belly and tail hooks and then install a larger tail hook,” says Josh Crabtree. “Steelhead are one of the hardest fish to keep hooked up. Using just one hook on the tail of the Mag Lip prevents hooked fish from gaining leverage and tearing free. Also, because the Mag Lip has such good action, the bait can support larger hooks with a better bite than the hooks which come standard on the baits.” TIMING FISHING TRIPS Back-trolling with plugs is a presentation that is popular among anglers who target steelhead in the fall, winter and spring. In the dead of winter, when other popular steelhead fishing methods simply don’t produce consistent results, back-trolling plugs is the “go-to” presentation of countless guides and fishing enthusiasts. OTHER PLUGS TO CONSIDER The aggressive wobbling action of a plug seems to drive steelhead crazy even when the water is icy cold. In addition to the Mag Lip family of plugs, the U20 and T4 FlatFish are also noteworthy plugs for back-trolling steelhead. The 1/4 and 1/2 ounce sizes of the Fat Wiggler are also good choices for back-trolling. All of these plugs are produced in a wide variety of popular steelhead colors including both painted and metallic finishes. SUMMING IT UP Back-trolling plugs for steelhead works anywhere that steelhead run rivers in the fall, winter and spring. Back-trolling is not only effective, it’s a very comfortable way to fish especially when ole man winter comes a calling.

This year, the area extending from the Buoy 10 navigation marker to Tongue Point, at the Columbia River mouth, opens to salmon fishing August 1 and extends through August 24 for chinook, with a one per day chinook, fin-clipped coho or fin-clipped steelhead daily limit. To be clear, that means one fish only per day during this time frame. After August 24, no chinook can be kept (fin clipped or not) but the salmon season will continue west of Tongue Point for hatchery coho salmon with a two fin-clipped coho daily limit. When it comes to catching salmon or the best time-of-day to fish, it's all about the tides at Buoy 10. Every year, well in advance of the fishery, I write the time and height of each daytime high on my monthly calendar. The reason: the majority of the time the best bite will occur two hours before and three or more hours after each daily high tide. Obviously, the time of the high tide is important because it’s the incoming tide that pushes salmon into the estuary. In addition, knowing the height of the tide is essential as a big tide will generally push larger numbers of salmon near or above the Astoria-Megler Bridge while a small tide exchange may only push them midway into the fishing grounds. My favorite time to troll is when the high tide occurs in the AM, say before 10 in the morning. When high tides occur during the middle of the day, from 10AM to 2PM, getting on the water early isn’t nearly as important as when the high occurs at or just after daylight. And although strong afternoon winds can make you hate Buoy 10, when they aren’t blowing the fishing can be pretty good when a PM high tide occurs during the late afternoon and or evening time period. It’s likely the most productive morning (AM) tide will begin August 2 through 5 and 16 through 20 when the flood will likely produce the most salmon for those trolling areas where the high water left them. Given that the tides are minimal early in the month the salmon may not push very far into the estuary, meaning the best fishing might be near Baker Bay, Chinook, or Hammond. The tides are a little bigger during the August 16 through 20thtimeframe when the fishing might be best near or above the Astoria-Megler Bridge, which is where I’ll be starting my early-morning-day when participating in the NSIA Buoy 10 Salmon Challenge tournament on August 17. During times when the high tide occurs between 10AM and 2PM, like during the August 6-to-10 and 20-to-24 timeframes, a more leisurely morning that includes breakfast might be in order. In addition, it opens up the opportunity to make day drips to Buoy 10. For example, a person living in the Portland or Seattle-Tacoma area would have time to drive to Astoria in the morning, launch two to three hours before high tide, and troll from then until half way through the outgo before heading home. The evening high tides can produce salmon results at Buoy 10 too, providing you’re spending the night in the area. According to my calendar, the best evening tides will occur during the August 11-to-15 time period, when you might think about skipping the early morning bite all together and instead launching late and fishing into the evening. Since afternoon winds can make for rough conditions, you should think about launching at the East Mooring Basin or John Day boat ramp. Keep in mind that the Astoria Megler Bridge blocks an amazing amount of west wind, at least on the north end, which might be the place to be trolling when high tide occurs late in the day.

When fishing legend Buzz Ramsey first showed me the prototype of the free sliding spreader at ICAST last year it was still a crude representation of what the product would soon turn out to be. Buzz explained the benefits and uses of the spreader in terms of salmon fishing and what the design was originally developed for along with what he thought would be other uses for the trout trolling population and more toward what I do most of the time. Buzz wanted me to take one of these first prototypes to Canada and use it for lake trout since the style of laker fishing we do is usually 60 to 80 feet deep, flat lining and a very controlled bottom drag with heavy weights. When using them in Canada I got a little taste of the benefits of the spreader but when I got home I really started using the spreader a lot, every time I fished Pyramid Lake actually. How I am using the Free Sliding Spreader: When I troll flat lines I am using banana style trolling weights and usually swapping sizes back and forth. I am able to swap out weights to achieve different depths as well as changing lures and keeping the same weight that dive deeper or not as much to get the most accurate depth. An example would be changing a flatfish to a spoon. I am clipping a big swivel to the bottom portion of the spreader which allows me to switch out weights quick and easy. The Free Sliding Spreader allows you to connect solid to each end or run the line through the unit which allows it to move up the line and out of the way when netting fish. This aspect is especially helpful for the salmon guys. The spreader also acts a rudder in the water keeping your plugs from wondering into your other trolling lines. I have not had one single tangle on my lines since using the spreader! Another feature of the spreader is the option to add a heavy piece of fluorocarbon and a ball style weight like a dropper to the bottom connection point. This allows you to work it almost like a bottom walker, dropping until you hit bottom and reeling up, constantly staying in contact but also maintaining the strike zone. One more benefit is the color, the spreaders come in different colors and everyone needs a little more attraction in their spread!

Fillet one coho, chinook or Atlantic salmon, remove the skin, rib bones and lateral line bones. Trim off as much of the gray lateral line flesh as possible and cut into serving sized pieces. Place in a plastic bag and squeeze the juice of one large lemon into the bag, add seasoning salt, lemon pepper and black pepper to taste and set in a refrigerator to firm up. On a hot charcoal grill put a couple layers of aluminum foil down and lay the fillets on the foil. Top each fillet with a pat of butter, close the grill lid and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the fillets are easily flaked with a fork. Thin fillets will cook faster and thicker fillets may take a little longer to cook. Remove from the grill and place on a platter in the refrigerator to chill. When the salmon is cold, break up the fillets into small pieces and place in a bowl. Add chopped dill pickle and chopped sweet onion (onion optional) and mix in a couple big spoons of Miracle Whip to create a creamy sandwich spread. Taste and add a little more pepper and seasoning salt if needed. Mayo can be substituted for Miracle Whip for those who like that flavor better. Spread on a good fresh bread coated with butter and add a slice of Coby Jack cheese. For a different twist, toast the bread and use a micro wave to melt the slices of cheese for a few seconds before serving warm.