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Of the six trout and salmon game fish species found in the Great Lakes, only one is indigenous. Species like king and coho salmon, steelhead, brown trout and Atlantic salmon were introduced so long ago, most people think of these species as native. The lake trout is the sixth species of trout and salmon found in the Great Lakes and the only one that is indigenous. On those humid day lake trout love a Spin n Glo near bottom fished 18 inches behind a dodger. This fish from the Niagara Bar of Lake Ontario came during an epic bug hatch! To confuse things a little more, lake trout aren’t even members of the trout family. Instead, the lake trout is the largest member of the char family. Lake trout in the Great Lakes grow big and that’s part of their charm. Currently, the largest lake trout caught on hook and line was taken back in 1997 in Lake Superior. This particular denizen of the deep weighted an amazing 61.5 pounds and stretched 49 inches long. It’s also interesting to note that as the Great Lakes evolve, lake trout are one of the species that seemingly have found a niche among these environmental changes. The most noteworthy environmental change centers on the plankton levels of the Great Lakes. Slowly over a time a couple of siphon feeders known as the zebra and quagga mussels, have been responsible for consuming massive amounts of plankton from the Great Lakes. As plankton levels drop, so have the populations of important forage species that feed on plankton such as smelt, alewife and gizzard shad. As these pelagic forage fish have in turn declined, popular species like king and coho salmon have found it increasingly difficult to find enough to eat. Fisheries biologists have been forced to reduce stocking efforts of king and coho salmon in places like Lakes Michigan and Huron and also other popular species such as steelhead and brown trout to avoid doing permanent damage to these critically important forage species. As plankton levels have dropped and also the population of plankton feeding forage species, a new niche has been created for another evasive species known as the round goby. Ironically, goby feed primarily on mussels and some game fish species like the bottom loving lake trout have taken to eating goby at every opportunity. BOTTOM FEEDERS It’s no secret that lake trout love to feed on the bottom. An iconic trolling presentation known as the dodger and Spin-n-Glo has been catching lakers in the Great Lakes for decades. Dodgers are a popular attractor produced by several manufacturers and they also come in several different sizes. Overwhelmingly the most popular dodger for lake trout fishing are models that are just under six inches in length. The most popular dodger finishes for lake trout fishing include trash can or buffed silver, chartreuse, chartreuse/lime green and chartreuse silver flash combinations. Lots of different rigs are fished with dodgers for lake trout, but the Spin-n-Glo rig is hands down the most productive set up. A No. 4, 2 or 0 size Spin-n-Glo body is rigged onto a 18 to 24 inch leader of 25 pound test fluorocarbon line. A No. 4 treble hook is first snelled onto the leader, then a couple of beads threaded onto the line to act as a bushing for the Spin-n-Glo to spin against. The Spin-n-Glo body is then threaded onto the leader with the blunt end pointing towards the dodger. A loop knot is tied in the end of the leader and this loop is threaded onto the pig tail mounted to the back of the dodger. The dodger and Spin-n-Glo combination has caught legions of lake trout in the Great Lakes and beyond. The most popular dodgers are about six inches in length and No. 4, 2 and 0 size Spin-n-Glo bodies are productive on lakers. Spin-n-Glo bodies come in hundreds of color and wing configurations. A few of the most popular choices for lake trout include the clown/white wings, double trouble green/white wings, lime/chartreuse/white wings, metallic chartreuse/lime/silver wings, luminous spot/silver wing, clown/chartreuse wing, lime/chartreuse/chartreuse wing and pearl clown/glo wing. GETTING DOWN WITH DOWNRIGGERS The dodger and Spin-n-Glo is most commonly fished near bottom using a downrigger. Set the dodger and Spin-n-Glo 20 to 30 feet behind the boat, attach the line to the downrigger line release and lower the downrigger ball and trailing dodger rig until it makes contact with the bottom. Downriggers are critically important to targeting lake trout that are often found near bottom in deep water. In this photo another piece of invaluable equipment, the Fish Hawk X4D is displaying important information including water temperature at depth and also trolling speed at depth. Catching lake trout with the iconic dodger and Spin-n-Glo rig requires maintaining a very specific trolling speed that ranges from 1.7 to 2.0 MPH. Ideally the downrigger ball should make contact with bottom every few feet while trolling, stirring up sediment that simulates trout feeding on the bottom. The trailing dodger and Spin-n-Glo in turn snaps side to side kicking out fish attracting flash and fishing directly in this sediment cloud. A couple common mistakes are made when fishing the dodger and Spin-n-Glo. Many anglers are reluctant to fish their downrigger balls in contact with the bottom, fearing they will snag and lose valuable gear. It’s important to make contact with the bottom to generate the sediment cloud that simulates feeding trout. Trolling speed is the next most commonly made mistake. A dodger is designed to be fished slowly to bring out the side to side snapping action. For lake trout fishing the ideal dodger speed is a rather narrow window that ranges from 1.7 to 2.0 MPH. At slower speeds the dodger doesn’t have much snap and at faster speeds the dodger snaps too aggressively. GETTING DOWN WITH DIVERS The dodger and Spin-n-Glo rig can also be fished near bottom with the help of popular diving planers like the Slide Diver. The larger sizes of these divers with the dive rings installed and the diver set on the No. 1 or 2 outboard setting are most commonly used to target bottom hugging lakers. The same dodger and Spin-n-Glo rig used with downrigger fishing can also be used with the Slide Diver. The main line slides through the Slide Diver allowing anglers to fish any combination of leads behind the diver. When a fish is hooked, the Slide Diver releases and slides down the line to a barrel swivel located just in front of the dodger. A common set up when targeting trout with the Slide Diver is to fish the dodger and Spin-n-Glo about 20 feet behind the diver. Let out enough line that the Slide Diver makes contact with the bottom, stirring up a sediment cloud similar to the downrigger set up. The Slide Diver set on the No. 1 or 2 outboard setting doesn’t dive straight down, but rather dives down and planes out to the side of the boat a few feet. The unique planing ability of these divers allows them to be used in combination with other trolling gear like downriggers. DOUBLING DOWN By combining lines fished on downriggers and other lines fished with Slide Divers trout fishermen can set up a four or five rod trolling pattern that puts a lot of gear in the water. Lake trout are notorious for hanging out right on the edge of drop offs, forcing anglers to fish key edges of structure to be successful. It’s also common for lakers to be found on flats where soft bottom areas merge with firmer gravel and rock strewn bottoms. Monster sized lake trout like this are routinely caught in the Great Lakes by anglers who know the magic of using a dodger and Spin-n-Glo body. The Spin-n-Glo is a spinning float manufactured by Yakima Bait that has become iconic in it’s ability to catch bottom hugging lake trout. Jake Romanack caught this impressive fish using a dodger and Spin-n-Glo fished near bottom using a downrigger. All five of the Great Lakes have abundant populations of lake trout just waiting to be caught. SPEED REFINEMENTS As mentioned previously the ideal trolling speed when fishing a dodger and Spin-n-Glo is a narrow window ranging from 1.7 to 2.0 MPH. Boats that do not have a gasoline kicker motor will need to deploy sea bags to get the trolling speed in order. Maintaining these rather precise trolling speeds is difficult without incorporating the help of a sub-surface speed and temperature probe that is deployed with the downrigger. The Fish Hawk X4D uses a transducer based signal to provide critically important water temperature at depth and also trolling speed at depth. Lake trout prefer to hang out in water that is cooler than 55 degrees and confirming trolling speed at depth lends tremendous confidence when fishing speed dependent rigs like the dodger Spin-n-Glo. SUMMING IT UP As salmon numbers decline in the Great Lakes, it’s the lake trout that is picking up the slack. To anglers who routinely troll the dodger and Spin-n-Glo for lake trout it comes as no secret that this simple presentation is deadly effective. To say this rig is the “go to” of most captains and serious anglers in the Great Lakes would be an understatement. The hardest part about catching a limit of lake trout with the Spin-n-Glo is settling on a size and color from the hundreds of fish catching patterns to choose from.

Steelhead are synonymous with bad weather and tough fishing but thankfully this trip to Alaska the crew only had to deal with one! Yakutat, Alaska is home to some amazing fishing but in April and May the Steelhead fishery on the Situk is what you’re after. The folks at Leonard’s Landing had the accommodations, drift boats and van ready for the crew when we showed up to film and all we had to do is bring the food and figure out how to catch fish. Guides are available but we were excited for the challenge of trying to figure out these fish on a new river …… but that might have been a mistake! The Situk River is a small, windy and tree infested river with 14 miles of floating from the top launch to the takeout near the ocean and only 18 miles long in total. The first day we decided to run a float rig setup with a Maxi Jig thinking we could run it near the edge of the lumber as well as make some good time while learning the river. After about 3 hours of nonstop snagging and losing about half of the jigs we brought, it was clear we were going to have to change up tactics before I snapped like a dry twig! With over half the float done and a handful of ideas scrapped, I decided to try running a Mag Lip 2.5 in Gold. As we were still trying to make it down the river in good time we started working the Mag Lip more like bass fishing throwing it into the timber and swimming it out while the person rowing kept the boat going just slightly slower than the current. Only about 20 minutes into this technique we landed our first steelhead of the trip to the camera! We finished the day with the Mag Lip technique and were successful landing 8 steelhead, which for the first day on a new steelhead river, we felt pretty good about. The next few days we juggled around different styles and presentations from fly fishing, beads, more jigs, yarn, spoons and spinners with some success but couldn’t quite “crack the code.” The Situk river has potential to give up 50 fish days and we had only been hitting the single digits every day, which for every other steelhead river in the world is a great day but we knew we could do better! The last day we got a late start due to filming obligations and put in around 9:30 which actually turned out to be a good thing as the Spanish Armada of boats and guides were well in front of us by this time and we had the river to ourselves. It was raining buckets of water so Dreu decided to start with fly fishing using an indicator and a bead, but this is where the day got interesting. About 100 yards into the float I drifted a little close to the bank and an overhanging limb jumped out of nowhere and hooked the two spinning rods out of the back and ever so graciously placed them at the bottom of the river! So now we are down to two 10 foot 8 weight fly rods and stuck to fly fishing. Or were we? About 2 hours in with no sign of fish with the fly rod I rigged up an 8 wt fly rod with a spinning reel and a Mag Lip 2.5 gold color (oh yeah that happened) and asked Dreu to row for a few but this time back row fairly aggressive as to present the plug in a true “back troll” style. We found a long mid depth stretch and sent the Mag Lip down the middle of the river instead of on the lumber line. Less than 5 minutes and Bam, fish on! Dreu back rowed into a bank we could land the fish, took some pics and immediately tried it again. Right away “fish on” and Dreu was playing the fish to the boat with yet another beautiful steelhead landed. The next two hours it was pure craziness with fish after fish slamming the plug with reckless abandonment and the ole Hardy fly rod holding strong. To think, if we had only figured out this plug fishing technique a little sooner in the trip!

There are many ways to make a great Salmon Spread. I make a lot of difference styles of smoke salmon spreads for my family & close friends - so my personal advice is to start out by substituting the type of tuna you would use for your favorite tuna spread with smoke salmon just to start out with. My wife and kids love having celery, clive’s, green onion, dill pickles ( or sweet pickles for those who like them ) plus boiled eggs added in their mix as well 😄 Just like with tuna spread I add mayonnaise - you can add miracle whip or cream cheeses if you wish instead of mayo or whip. ~Calvin Sampson

A family secret recipe, you will be please with the results. Brine your fish this way for great tasting smoked fish. 1 cup Brown sugar 1 cup kosher salt 1/2 cup white sugar 2 cups soy sauce 1tsp garlic powder 1 tsp pepper 1 tsp Tabasco sauce 1c cup dry white wine 1 gal water Mix well and use plastic or ceramic crock. Do Not use a metal container to brine in. Brine for 8 - 12 hours in fridge. Smoke fish as desired.

The popularity of kokanee fishing in the western United States has been growing by leaps and bounds over the past several years. There are plenty of reasons for all the new kokanee fishing enthusiasm. First is, kokanee can be caught almost year round. They are willing biters and are excellent eating. And, with many salmon runs dwindling kokanee fishing offers anglers another viable option. These happy anglers caught these really nice kokanee trolling on the surface with Tight Line Kokanee Rigs and Fast Limit dodgers. Kokanee are a land-locked sockeye salmon that are native to some lakes in the West. Many other lakes and reservoirs have received plantings of kokanee, which adapt well to large, cool reservoirs. Lakes and reservoirs in Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Montana, Wyoming and Nevada all offer anglers a chance to catch these popular fish. While the kokanee in most lakes might run from 10- to 16-inches in length, there are some lakes that will put out much bigger kokanee. And many of those bigger fish have been caught in the last few years. The current world record kokanee was caught in Oregon’s Lake Wallowa back in 2010. The monster fish weighed 9-pounds, 10-ounces. A bigger fish was actually caught last year in British Columbia, but the angler didn’t determine it was actually a kokanee until after he had eaten some of it, thinking it was a rainbow, not a salmon. In Washington State, Lake Roosevelt has been putting out some large kokanee the past few years, with fish running from 3- to 6-pounds in size. The big reservoir above famous Grand Coulee Dam seems to be perfect for growing big fish. A fat kokanee taken on a Tight Line Kokanee Spinner and Fast Limit dodger. Depending on the time of year, and where the food is in the lake, kokanee can be found anywhere from the surface to depths of 200 feet or more. In the colder months the fish will often times feed right on the surface. When that occurs it is crucial that lures and bait get put way back behind the boat because the fish will spook when the boat goes over them on the troll, but will filter back to where they were after a short time. For example, at Roosevelt earlier this year we were running our flat lines 200 feet off the stern, with the lines on the downriggers out 80 feet. We also had good luck running some lines on side-planers, putting them out 120 feet behind the planers. When the fish are deeper, then it is time to deploy the downriggers. A good fish finder will help spot schools of fish, and that will tell you how deep to run your lines. The author with a nice kokanee taken from Washington’s Lake Roosevelt. The big reservoir above Grand Coulee Dam is one of the West’s premier kokanee fishery. As fishing for kokanee has become more popular there have been many new lures created to help catch them. Back in the day you could use a small spinner tipped with a maggot behind some gang trolls and catch fish. Today there are all kinds of kokanee specific lures and attractors. Over the past few years one of the most productive combinations has been a Fast Limit dodger placed anywhere from 12 to 36-inches ahead of a Tight Line Kokanee Rig tipped with shoe peg corn. The Fast Limit dodger is made by Yakima Bait and comes in a variety of color combinations. The dodger swings back and forth giving a seductive swimming motion to the spinner trailing. Other good attractors are Worden’s 0000 and 000 dodgers. Again, these dodgers give a good swinging action that attracts the kokanee in, and then gives an alluring motion to the lure behind. The Tight Line Kokanee Rig features a UV-coated, hammered Indiana blade, and a 1-1/2” Yamashita squid body with two extra sharp red hooks tied on 10-pound test Fluorocarbon leaders. It comes in two blade sizes and 15 color combinations. Veteran kokanee anglers have been adding a small Spin-N-Glo ahead of a fly or hoochie/squid for a long time, and now Yakima Bait is building a special Spin-N-Glo Kokanee Rig that includes a Spin-N-Glo ahead of a UV impregnated Yamashita squid body on a pre-tied Fluorocarbon leader. The rig comes in 10 of the most popular kokanee color combinations. The Spin-N-Glo Kokanee Rig comes in two sizes with a size 10 or a size 12 Spin-N-Glo. Most kokanee anglers will tip the rigs with shoe peg corn, maggots, Berkley grubs or a combination of those. The latest rage is to die the shoe peg corn red, or pink, or chartreuse, and some of the top kokanee guides are also adding a variety of scents to their baits. Trolling speed is another factor on catching kokanee. Normally a slow troll is preferred. Trolling speeds of 1 to 1.75 miles per hour is good. And, trolling in an “S” pattern will help to get strikes too. Kokanee have very soft mouths, so they are notorious for jumping and spitting the hook. On bad days a hook-to-land ratio might be 50%. The best advice to having fish stay on is us a long, light-tipped limber rod and keep the pressure on them. A long-handled net will help save some of the fish that want to jump and spit the hook right at the back of the boat. Kokanee are fun fish to catch, and they are fantastic eating. Just about every one of the western States has lakes and reservoirs offering kokanee fishing. And some have some really big fish. When the big kokanee are biting it is all smiles. These nice fish (all kokanee and one smaller rainbow) were caught in Lake Roosevelt in Northcentral Washington State. There’s never been a better time to try for a trophy kokanee. Fish measured by the pound, instead of the inch are being caught every year. Just make sure you know how to identify a kokanee if you do catch a big one, because you don’t want to be grilling a potential record fish. # # #

This is one of our favorite salmon recipes, and works with steelhead too. The first thing you will need is two to three pounds of boneless, skinless fillets; we like these cut in strips about 6 to 8 inches long (so they will fit in a baking pan). Your fillets should be no more than an inch or so thick. Mix the following ingredients: 4 to 5 cups sour cream One medium size diced onion 1-1/2 tablespoon white vinegar ¾ teaspoon celery salt 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper Mix ingredients, pour into baking pan and immerse fish into the mix. To add color, sprinkle before placing in oven with paprika spice. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. If more fish, you can double or triple layer but will likely need more ingredients and cooking time. We like this dish served over rice! ~Buzz Ramsey

It seems that every fishing lure has it’s niche. The iconic Worden's Original Rooster Tail made by Yakima Bait is no exception. While this timeless fishing lure literally catches just about everything that swims, it’s ability to fool the various species of trout and salmon into striking is legendary. Distinctively different than other in-line style spinners on the market, the original Rooster Tail features a unique modified willow leaf style blade that is produced in hundreds of plated and also painted finishes. A premium metal clevis allows the blade to spin even at slow retrieve speeds and in sluggish moving rivers. A hand-tied pulsating hackle drives trout crazy and the Rooster Tail is available in nine different sizes including 1/24, 1/16, 1/8, 1/6, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 and one ounce versions. Brown trout like this one are readily caught on the iconic Worden’s Original Rooster Tail Spinner. CASTS LIKE A BULLET Made for the angler who enjoys casting, a slow and steady retrieve is usually the best option when fishing the Rooster Tail. When casting in rivers it’s best to cast across and slightly upstream and allow the spinner to sink to bottom before starting the retrieve. Trout simply can’t resist a steady retrieve that keeps the spinner near bottom and the blade thumping out flash and vibration. Most strikes will occur as the Rooster Tail starts to swing downstream and angle across the current. Making long casts is also important when fishing the Rooster Tail. Not only do long casts cover more water, trout are often found in clear water and these fish are easily spooked. The angler’s ability to present a bait before the trout spots the angler is an important key to success. For casting the smaller size spinners to trout living in streams, creeks, natural lakes, beaver ponds and stock dams, select a light action or medium light action spinning rod/reel combination equipped with four to six pound test monofilament or fluorocarbon fishing line. The author caught this impressive brook trout casting the Worden’s Original Rooster Tail Spinner. When it comes to catching trout, salmon and steelhead, the Rooster Tail rocks. When targeting larger trout, steelhead and salmon with spinners, longer “steelhead style” spinning rods are important not only for making longer casts, but also for fighting powerful fish. Gearing up with a little heavier eight or 10 pound test line allows the angler more control of hooked fish when targeting powerful salmon and steelhead. TIE DIRECT To avoid line twist many anglers tie a ball bearing swivel to their fishing line and then attach the spinner directly to the swivel. A more stealthy approach is to tie a small barrel swivel to the main line and then add about 12 to 18 inches of fluorocarbon line as a leader. Tie the fluorocarbon line directly to the spinner. Rigging a barrel swivel in-line eliminates any issues with line twist, but allows the spinner to function perfectly and keeps hardware to a minimum. Using an in-line barrel swivel also opens up the option of using a light braided or fused line as the main line. If braided line is selected, stick with an eight or 10 pound test and choose a low visibility green or smoke colored line. TIPPING HELPS Spinners are one of those lures that call in fish from great distances. Often a trout will see or feel the spinner and rush over to investigate only to follow the bait without biting. Tipping the spinner with a piece of worm or nightcrawler or a chunk of scented soft plastic like Berkley’s PowerBait creates an important scent trail in the water. The enticement of scent is often the key to triggering reluctant fish into striking. Trout fishing legend Buzz Ramsey recommends breaking off a small chunk of Berkley Powerbait Power Honey Worm for tipping. Buzz uses about a 1/4 inch piece of Powerbait and pierces it on one of the treble hooks on the Rooster Tail spinner. Another good option for creating scent trails when using Rooster Tail spinners requires dipping the spinner in a water soluble fish oil such as Pro Cure’s Herring formula. Most fish oils, pastes or gels are sticky and will prevent the hackle from being able to pulsate naturally in the water. Water soluble oils create a great scent stream, but they won’t gum up the spinner hackle. HOOKING OPTIONS Most Rooster Tail spinners are available with either a factory supplied treble hook or a single hook option. The single hook option makes it easier to land and unhook fish without harming them. If the hook on a Rooster Tail gets damaged from hooking and landing lots of fish, the hook can easily be replaced by simply cutting off the factory hook with a side cutter, adding a small split ring and new hook. Many anglers favor Siwash style hooks when re-hooking spinners because they feature an open eye that can be easily placed on the wire shaft of the lure and then pinched closed with a pair of pliers. Pinching down the barb on hooks is also a great way to aid in conservation. A pair of needle nose pliers is all it takes to pinch down the barb and make any Rooster Tail catch and release friendly. A hook barb that is pinched down with a pliers is usually legal where “barbless” hooks are required, but it is always best to consult local fishing regulations to be certain. Big stream browns like this one feed heavily on minnows and the Rooster Tail Spinner does an excellent job of imitating this forage. SPINNER SIZE CONSIDERATIONS The smaller 1/24, 1/16 and 1/8 size Rooster Tail spinners are ideal for fishing small streams and beaver ponds. For larger rivers and natural lakes the 1/6 and 1/4 ounce sizes are the most popular choices. When targeting trophy trout, steelhead and salmon the 3/8 and 1/2 ounce spinners are the hot baits. Shop all sizes: Original Rooster Tail® OTHER GREAT SPINNERS The original Rooster Tail Spinner is wildly popular everywhere anglers target trout and salmon. With hundreds of color and size options to choose from, the Rooster Tail should have space in every tackle box. Other great in-line spinners produced by Yakima Bait include the Vibric Rooster Tail®, Undressed Vibric Rooster Tail®, Super Rooster Tail®, Sonic Rooster Tail®, Rooster Tail Minnow®

This is one of our favorite ways to prepare salmon but works with any medium to large size fish, say of seven pounds or more. The best cut for this is a side fillet taken from the tail section/half of the fish because this area is fairly thin and, once filleted, has no bones. To make clean up easy, place a section of aluminum foil over your broil pan and place your fillet onto it and under your broiler for 8 to 10 minutes; the exact timing will depend on the thickness of your fillet. The goal here is to not overcook the fish. Then, using a spatula, break up the meat. Now is the time to season your fish; what we do is sprinkle the meat with black pepper, garlic and onion seasoning. Then spread mayonnaise (the real stuff and not the low fat variety) onto the meat and place back under the broiler until the mayonnaise begins to brown, which should only take three-to-five minutes – it’s then ready to serve. It won’t take long for the mayonnaise to bubble, turn brown and melt into the meat, so keep a close eye on it and don’t leave the kitchen. We like fish cooked this way served over white rice that has been sprinkled with a little celery salt. Ingredients: Skinless, boneless section of fish no more than 1 inch thick. Mayonnaise Black pepper, celery salt, ground onion and garlic. ****Instructions For Filleting Salmon**** Just fillet one side off the fish making sure to remove the belly bones from the side fillet. Then fillet the skin off the section you wish to cook this way. This is best accomplished by placing the fillet on a flat surface, skin side down. A long, thin, straight-edged knife work best for skinning but can be accomplished with any standard fillet knife, providing it’s a sharp one. Begin your cut halfway down the side fillet just past the row of lateral bones that extend from the head end of the side fillet. Just cut down through the fillet to the skin and turn the blade of your knife parallel to the skin and, using a seesaw motion, remove the skin all the way back toward the end of the fillet. Once you have the meat separated from the skin, flip it over and cut any skin left hanging on the fillet away. Now is also the time to remove what I call the mud line from the fillet which is a thin layer of brown fatty tissue which is the thickest along the center line of the fillet. The cooking is easy once you have the boneless skinless fillet removed from your trophy.

Although not the only way to catch a quick limit of trout, the popularity of still-fishing dough bait on lakes and reservoirs is undeniable; especially in states having put n’ take fisheries for catchable-size trout. Here, you will find not only a description of the basic still-fishing method, but a simple way you can increase the effectiveness of your presentation by adding a Lil Corky single-egg-imitation to your trout offering. Dough bait is the generic term used to describe any brand (there are several) of prepared bait formulas designed to be molded around a hook and mostly still fished for trout. And while I’m using the term “dough bait” to describe this product type you should realize the most recognized and effective brand (in my opinion) are the PowerBait or Gulp! products marketed under the Berkley label. PowerBait is a prepared bait formula designed to attract trout as well or better than real bait. The fact that Berkley PowerBait outsells worms and single salmon eggs, which once held the number one position as the most popular bait for trout, is a testament to the effectiveness of this product. Once your outfit is rigged and baited, the basic method is pretty simple; just 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 a good idea 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. By leaving a few feet of slack in your line you can see the line begin to tighten up as the trout swims away with your bait; signaling it’s time to set the hook. To enable trout to quickly find your bait is the ticket to quick fishing success. 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! And while using a Lil Corky to help float your already buoyant bait above the bottom may be new to you, its effectiveness is undeniable. In addition, 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 baited hook above your sinker. 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, you will catch far more fish if your Lil’ Corky and PowerBait combination floats side-by-side in the water column. 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. To rig, 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 and 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. A few of the most popular and productive dough colors and flavors available in Berkley® PowerBait include Rainbow, Sherbet, Chartreuse, Peach, and Flame Orange; with garlic being a favorite scent enhancer. Terminal Tackle You Will Need: 1) A few jars of the most popular PowerBait and/or Gulp! colors along with a selection of size 12 and 14 Lil’ Corky floating egg imitation/bait-floaters; the most popular Corky colors include 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 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.

Since this is the time of year when we are clearing out our remaining freezer stores here is a tasty suggestion. Any walleye, bass, or ocean caught fish like halibut, cod, rockfish, etc. that you remove from the freezer should be thawed in cold water, then soaked in either milk or 7 UP soft drink for at least an hour to remove off taste. This really helps! Use white meat fish in chowders or turn thicker fillets into Mock Lobster. (see below) Chowder: 2 Tbsp butter ½ onion minced 4 or 5 strips of bacon 4 or 5 fresh mushrooms sliced or chopped 1 stalk celery 4 cups chicken stock 1 cup clam juice Old Bay seasoning, about 1/8 tsp or to taste; plus salt and pepper to taste 4 small potatoes diced, 2 cans (12 oz) evaporated milk ½ cup flour to thicken 2 lbs cod, or any thicker white fish fillets Cook and crumble bacon. Saute onions, celery, mushrooms in butter. Cook potatoes in clam juice for 10 minutes then add to sauteed onion/celery/ mushrooms. Add 1 can evaporated milk to potatoes and then add fish. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Add flour slowly to remaining evaporated milk then add Old Bay seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Heat for 8 to 10 minutes on low heat until hot. Top chowder with crumbled bacon and parsley. Serve with crustini bread or French bread. Mock Lobster --- Cut fish fillets that are 1 inch or more in thickness into 1 ½ inch or 2 inch pieces. Bring to boil 2 ½ quarts water with 1/3 c salt plus ¼ cup sugar plus 1 can of Sprite or 7 UP. Once boiling add 5-6 pieces of fish. Fish will sink and then begin to rise to surface. At this point remove floating pieces to paper towels. Serve hot with drawn butter and lemon. Yummy! catchingmorefish.com Going Fishing Guide Service Bruce Hewitt Washington and USCG licensed and insured 326 E Humorist Road Burbank, WA 99323 509-542-1266 509-430-6448 goingfishing@catchingmorefish.com

Every year hundreds and hundreds of steelhead are caught around the Pacific Northwest by anglers fishing with jigs. In rivers big and small, steelhead will take a brightly colored jig, usually fished below a bobber. And, while late fall, winter and early spring tends to be the best time of year to try to entice a steelhead strike on a jig, they will work pretty much wherever steelhead hold no matter what time of the year it is. I caught my first steelhead on a jig almost 30 years ago in the famous Blue Creek hole on Washington’s Cowlitz River. Since then I have had good luck with them on a number of other rivers including the Snake and the Columbia. Kyle Phillips lands a late summer run steelhead on Washington’s Snake River. The fish took a ¼ ounce Maxi Jig tipped with a piece of dyed prawn. In the upper Columbia River during the colder winter months the preferred fishing method is to drift along through likely-looking fish-holding spots and throw out a jig tipped with piece of prawn or shrimp. Guide Shane Magnuson has really good luck putting clients on fish with this technique and has had huge success fishing with Worden’s Maxi Jig. My son Kyle and I fished with Magnuson a few years back and had good luck using 1/8th ounce Maxi Jigs tipped with a small piece of dyed coon-tail shrimp. “We’ve had our best luck on jigs that are orange or pink,” said Magnuson as he stuck the tail end of a bright pink dyed shrimp on the tip of one of the Maxi Jigs. Depending on the depth of the holes we fished, we set our bobber stops anywhere from 14 to 23 feet. “You want that jig and bait right on the bottom,” Magnuson instructed as Kyle and I got ready to make a cast out into the surprisingly warm Columbia. On the day we fished with him in mid-December the water temperatures were a balmy 48 degrees. “It is better to have your jig bouncing on bottom than not low enough in the water,” Magnuson continued. It didn’t take us long to figure out where the steelhead were. We made a couple of drifts at one of the guide’s favorite holes and on the third drift my bobber dipped below the surface. I set the hook and in an instant I was doing battle with a beautiful 11-pound steelhead. Two more rosy-cheeked steelhead were enticed to bite our jig-and-bait offerings in a couple of hours of fishing. All-in-all, not bad for a day of fishing on a late fall day, when most anglers have given up on fishing for the year. Fishing jigs just below some of the dams on the Columbia, or on the Snake will work just as well. A couple of years ago my two sons and a brother-in-law and I hit the Snake River on the day after Christmas. Using a similar set-up as on the Columbia, we drifted a mile stretch of fairly soft water that was no more than 30 feet deep. It was one of those cold, knock-the-ice-out-of-your-eyelets but we kept warm by landing several nice steelhead. Bright orange Maxi Jigs in ¼ ounce size were the hot color and size, and we tipped the jigs with a tiny piece of dyed shrimp. We were fishing from my 20-foot jet sled that day, but bank anglers can get in on the jig fishing action too. Above and below some of the dams on both the Columbia and Snake anglers fish from the rocky shorelines with bobbers and baited jigs and have good luck on steelhead migrating up the river. The secret here is to not set your bobber stop too deep. Even though the water might be over a hundred feet deep, most of the steelhead are caught in the top 10 to 12 feet of the river. Fishing bobbers and jigs in fairly shallow, smaller rivers will work too. On Oregon’s John Day River guide Steve Fleming will use smaller 1/16th ounce jigs fished only a few feet below a bobber and let the outfit drift from one hole to another as he works the small river from a drift boat. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I first saw how low the river was when I fished with him a few years back. And I was even more stunned a bit downstream when my small bobber slurped below the surface indicating a late summer run had sucked up the small jig I was fishing. A few minutes later when I released the little five pound steelhead back into the river I was again reminded why fishing jigs is such a productive way to go. Sidebar: There are several brands of steelhead jigs on the market. Worden’s Maxi Jig is designed with super strong and super sharp 2X Owner Hooks. They come in five sizes from 1/32 up to 3/8 ounce and are available in over 35 different color combinations. One tip for success is to use the correct size of slip bobber with your jigs. There are a number of good bobbers on the market, just make sure the bobber is rated to the size of jig you will be using. # # #

Just as important as catching fish, the always popular "fish fry" has motivated countless anglers to keep a few for the table. THE GREASE Not all cooking oils are ideal for frying fish. The best options are vegetable oils that have an exceptionally high flash point, or what some cooks call a "smoke point". The smoke point of cooking oil is the temperature at which the grease starts to vaporize and is in jeopardy of bursting into flames. This temperature varies from 360° to about 510° depending on the oil in question. Safflower, peanut and corn oil are among the best options for frying fish because these oils all have a very high flash point. Oils to be avoided for frying include: butter, margarine, olive oil and believe it or not lard or animal fat. The ideal frying temperature for fish is about 375° and the best way to maintain this temperature is with the help of a grease thermometer, available anywhere cooking supplies are sold. CAST IRON A cast iron pot isn't the only way to fry fish, but it most certainly is one of the best options. Cast iron transfers heat better than other frying pan types, eliminating hot and cold spots in the grease. This goes double when frying over an open fire as a heat source. BREADING OPTIONS The options for fish breading are almost endless and it seems everyone has their favorite commercially produced or home-made breading mix. Seasoned cracker crumbs, bread crumbs, wheat flour and corn flour are among the most common fish coatings. Bread, cracker and wheat flour yield a softer breading and corn flour yields a crunchy batter when fried. DOUBLE DRY BREADING Some would argue that it's the breading that gives most fish flavor. It's true that popular species like walleye are so mild in flavor, that a little extra attention to how a breading is seasoned makes sense. Some even go so far as to bread the pieces of fish not once, but twice. Double breading gives the pieces of fried fish a little extra flavor. To double bread, simply roll moist pieces of fish in a favorite dry breading and set the pieces on a cookie sheet. Set the breaded fish aside for a few minutes until the breading starts to get sticky then roll the pieces of fish a second time in the dry breading mix. BEER BATTER BREADING A "beer batter" breading also gives fried fish a more pronounced coating and flavor. One of the most popular options is to take a commercially produced dry coating mix like "Drakes" and mix it with a little beer to create a batter about the same consistency as pancake batter. A standard package of Drakes breading mixes up perfectly with one 12 ounce can of beer. How perfect is that? When using a beer batter breading it's important that the fish fillets be perfectly dry before they are dunked into the "beer batter". If the fillet is wet, the batter won't stick well to the fish. OTHER WET BATTER OPTIONS Beer batter is great, but there are other popular wet batter options for frying fish. A mixture of raw egg and milk whipped together makes an ideal dipping solution. Simply drop the pieces of fish into the egg and milk mixture and then roll the fish in a dry batter mix. IS IT DONE YET? When the fillets hit the hot grease they should start bubbling aggressively. When the bubbling starts to ease and the fillets float to the top, the fish is cooked and ready to serve. EXTRA SPECIAL TOUCHES A couple ways to add an extra special touch to any fish fry is to drop a spoon full of butter into the grease when the fillets are almost completely cooked. The melting butter will impart of nice flavor to the fillets and brown them up perfectly. Also, when the fillets are cooked, drain them over the grease for a couple minutes and then dunk them back into the hot grease for about 30 seconds to a minute. This second dunking will help the fillets firm up and come out with a nice golden brown color. SUMMING IT UP Fried fish is always a treat but fish never tastes better than when it is fresh caught, cooked and eaten with friends and family. This year, take time master the "fish fry" and share the wealth with those you care most about.