Freshwater Sport Fishing: the Lifetime Enjoyment by David W. and Cheryl Young Copyright 2008 by David W. and Cheryl Young. First published in 2008 by Honeybear Press, LLC. 697 Shepherds View Trail, Corvallis, Montana 59828. ISBN 0-9776703-2-5 All rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the consent of the authors, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews. All inquires should be addressed to:
[email protected] Special thanks to Dawn Fox for editing.
David W. Young, D.M.D. David has enjoyed a lifetime love affair for fishing. His first trip was on a stream in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains when he was only 3. His Mom baited up a steel telescoping rod with a leaf hooked on a closed safety pin. Dave put that leaf in front of every trout he could reach. But none of them showed any interest. Ever since then David has worked on better ways to catch fish. The purpose of this book is not only to introduce you to the sport but to help make you an accomplished angler. Fishing is one of the best outdoor activities for individuals and families alike. Enjoy the time spent with the significant people in your life. Take them fishing!
Cheryl Young
Cheryl has loved the outdoors ever since she met Dave. Taking in all the sights and sounds of nature is just breathtaking. There isn’t anywhere she won’t go with Dave to experience a new adventure. The peace and quiet and getting back to nature are a real privilege and pleasure. She especially loves the changing colors of the seasons and the different activities they bring. Cheryl really likes to take still pictures or video while Dave fishes because he gets so excited and enjoys it so much. Bringing friends and family or just with themselves and their tiny Yorkie Lexie brings lots of fond memories and new experiences. We hope all of you enjoy fishing and all the adventures it can bring!
Table of Contents Tackle............................................. 8-25 Casting......................................... 26-31 Approach..................................... 32-39 Aquatic Environment................... 40-57 Still Water Characteristics............. 58-79 Stream Characteristics.................. 80-99 Hooking & Fighting Fish......... 100-103 Bait Fishing.............................. 104-121 Spinners................................... 122-131 Spoons..................................... 132-139 Crank Baits.............................. 140-147 Jigs........................................... 148-153 Plastic Worms.......................... 154-159 Swim Baits............................... 160-163 Trolling.................................... 164-171 Angler Etiquette....................... 172-177
Tackle Hooks..................................10 Lines....................................12 Sinkers.................................15 Swivels.................................18 Rods and Reels.....................18 Tackle Care..........................22 Hooks...........................22 Lines.............................23 Rods and Reels..............23
Hooks There are over 800 styles and sizes to choose from. The major styles are regular wire, light wire, heavy wire, single, double, treble, bait, worm, circle, octopus, Kahle, Aberdeen, Siwash, drop shot, weed less, fly hooks, Limerick, and O’Shoughnessy. The sizes are likewise confusing. There are no set standards between manufacturers. But there is consistency within a manufacturer. The hook size range runs from a 32 to a 19/0. The smallest size is the 32 and the largest hook is the 19/0. From hook size 32 to size 1, the larger the number the smaller the hook; from 1/0 to 19/0, the larger the number, the larger the hook. For most of my sport fishing needs, a size two to a size twelve hook fits my demands. These sizes match the bait size to the fish species and size. The anatomy of a fish hook includes the eye, shank, bend, point, barb, and gape. The eye can be an up-turned, down-turned, or
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straight eye. The shank can be a short, regular, or long shank. The gap can be standard or wide-gaped. The barb can be a regular barb, mini barb, or barbless. The barb’s function is to hold the fish on the hook once the hook has been set. The size of the barb also determines how much pressure is needed to set the hook. The barb-less hook sets the easiest while the regular barbed hook is the hardest to set. The point of the hook can be honed (filed) or chemically sharpened. Needle point, rolled point, hollow point, spear, knife edged, and triangulated points are available. I prefer the sharpest one. That is, in my
opinion, the chemically sharpened one. Once it becomes dull, I sharpen it by honing the hook into a triangular or rounded point. It is imperative that the point be as sharp as possible. A sharp point catches more fish than a dull point. Deciding the correct hook to use is one of the many choices to make when fishing. My preference is a light wire, wide gaped, barb-less hook that is as sharp as possible. When fishing bait that may be swallowed, I prefer the circle hook. Perhaps the circle hook is one of the best inventions in fish hook design. It does away with gut hooking a fish. Its unique design sets it in the corner of the fish’s mouth. If you try to set the circle hook by striking back it is likely to come out of the fish’s mouth. All you have to do to set a circle hook is to start reeling slowly and smoothly, and then exert more pressure by reeling faster as the fish swims away. I like the treble hooks
that come on the Mepps and Panther Martin spinners. They are light wire and genuinely sharp. Their gape is wide for their shank’s length. With these, I lightly hook the fish and they are easily removed, especially if you have pinched down the barb. You can make any fish hook barb-less by pinching down the barb using forceps on small hooks or a pair of pliers on larger hooks. Once the barb is pinched down, a smooth bump is created. This bump allows the hook to be set more easily than a hook with a barb but still acts somewhat like a barb by holding the fish. Most important, it makes the hook easier to remove. That’s what you really want--a hook
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that removes easily without trauma to the fish. I once thought that I’d lose too many fish by using barbless hooks, but that isn’t true. I can see little difference in the number of lost fish. Smooth, even, sustained pressure is the best way to fight a fish. I’ve landed very energetic steelhead that have leaped, twisted, ran, and even created slack line conditions. Also, an unseen advantage is that barb-less hooks are easily set and by using them, the number of fish I do hook has increased. I’m convinced that fishing barbless has increased the number of fish that I hook and land. If I do resort to a barbed hook I prefer the mini barb that comes on fly hooks. It sets easily, holds well, and is somewhat easy to remove. In conclusion, I try to choose between the 800 styles and sizes by selecting a light wire, barb-less one that matches the bait and fish size that I’m fishing for. I usually select a size two to a size twelve. For bait fishing, I choose a circle hook.
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Lines I use several line types. They are monofilament, fluorocarbon, and super braids. My favorite mono is Maxima Ultra Green. It’s been around for some time and it has proven itself to me in knot strength, abrasion resistance, and cast ability. It casts well on spinning and bait casting tackle. I like the advantage of fluorocarbon. My favorite is P Line. It casts well on my spinning and bait casting reels. It seems to disappear underwater. Its knot
strength and abrasion resistance are fair, but I have more confidence in the Maxima Ultra green when it comes to knot strength and abrasion resistance. I dislike fluorocarbon for bobber fishing because it sinks, making it difficult to control the bobber. But I like this line’s endurance. Sunlight, heat, and the like do not deplete the line’s strength as they do to monofilament. I find I can get several seasons of use out of a single fill-up of fluorocarbon line, but I have to change mono lines after a week of fishing. The sunlight and heat seem to destroy the mono line’s strength. The super braids have little stretch and are very small in diameter compared to their strength. I like the Fire Lines and use them on both casting and spinning reels. The no-stretch feature allows you to easily set the hook, but this loss of elasticity can cause a lost fish if you pull too hard and tear out the hook. The super braid’s thinness allows crank baits to dive deeper. On a long line you can set the hook more easily. It is impervious to sunlight and heat related deterioration, so it has a long life expectancy. My reel spool holds much more line for the pound test in comparison to
monofilament and fluorocarbon lines. The pound test is important. For small fish, the lightest I use is four pound test. With a butter smooth drag, large fish can also be landed. I lose more tackle to snags when I use such light line because I cannot pull them loose without breaking the line. But four pound test casts light baits and lures far. I most often use six to eight pound test on my spinning tackle. This casts well and is strong enough to pull loose some of my snags. My favorite fluorocarbon size is ten pound test. It still casts well and is strong enough to land large fish. I use fluorocarbon for leader materials. My most commonly used super line is thirty pound test Fire Line. I also use fourteen pound test Fire Line for ice fishing and whenever I need a very thin line. There is a wide variety of lines on the market. It can become very confusing. I can’t buy and try them all, but the three that I have mentioned work very well for me. I purchase the mono in bulk spools and change out the last 50 yards after about five fishing trips. I buy the 250 yard filler spools in fluorocarbon and the standard spool size in Fire Line. These last two lines will serve me for several seasons.
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Mono lines must not be exposed to light when stored or not in use. I think that the UV radiation causes these nylon monofilaments to deteriorate. Store them in a dark place. Once a line has become twisted, it’s easy to unravel. Just pull out a hundred feet or less and allow the current to untwist the line. Use no weight but just the current’s flow to untwist it. If the line has cork screwed, tie the end to a post, walk out a hundred feet or so, and pull the line to stretch out the coils. Always feel the last few feet of the line for abrasion. If it feels rough instead of slick and smooth, cut it back. Use only line that is smooth. Abrasions weaken the end of the line. This abrasion comes from rubbing the line over sharp objects such as rocks. Spool your reels carefully so that you do not introduce line twists. Also spool the reel so the line is taut on the spool. Loose coils can cut down on the line’s casting ability. A conventional bait cast reel is spooled by allowing the line spool to rotate out the line. Simply place a pencil in the line spool. Put pressure on this spool while you reel in the desired quantity of line. Having a helper is an aid. A spinning reel would twist the line if you spool it in the same way as a bait casting reel. Watch the way the bait rotates as it reels in the line. When spooling a spinning reel, place the filler spool flat on the floor and let the line rotate out of the spool while you are reeling it in. Now the direction of this rotation is vital. You want to match up the bail’s rotation with the same
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rotation of line off of the filler spool. Spin reels spool on the line with a clockwise motion as you view the rear of the reel. The filler spool should be unwinding in this same clockwise direction as you view it while
it’s lying on the floor. This way you will not introduce line twisting when spooling. If you mix up the direction, you will suffer twisted line which is not only difficult to cast but easy to foul up on the rod tip and reel. Now completely fill up both the bait casting and spinning reel spools, leaving about 1/16 inch of space between the lip of the spool and the level of the line. Full spools cast more easily and farther. If you over-
fill, you will suffer some line tangles as you cast. Simply cut back the line to the proper level. I have a tendency to overfill my reels. It’s easy to correct. But under filling the reels is difficult to fix. You don’t want any knots that even come close to your maximum casting distance. If you under filled, you must take out at least 150 feet of line, cut it, and spool on enough to fill the spool. Re tie the cut off line and spool it with the hope that you have estimated it correctly. Always discard old line properly. Don’t leave it afield where a small animal may become entangled. Discard the line directly into the garbage, although the new fluorocarbon’s life expectancy may be longer than those disposable diapers and Styrofoam cups in the land dump. Perhaps it would be better to burn the old line.
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Sinkers I prefer an assortment of removable, soft split shot. My favorite manufacturer is Gremlin. They come in a rotating plastic box where the sizes are well organized and easily dispensed. They are removable, so it is relatively simple to change the sinkers quickly. You can take them off the line and re-use them. They come in size B up to the much larger size of 2. Their sizes are B, BB, 3/0, 7, 4, 3, and 2. Their removability is due to the “ears” on the back of them which, when squeezed together, splits them open for line removal. I prefer Water Gremlin because of the ease with which their hinge opens and closes. I can pinch them on with only
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my fingers, but I use forceps to pinch them off. Now there is a concern for the toxicity of lead. Use of lead is prohibited in some waters. Water Gremlin also has a non-toxic shot which has a soft hinge that works similarly to the lead ones. I demand a soft split shot that can be easily pinched onto the line without damaging the line, although I usually place the shot on a dropper so it won’t weaken my direct line to the hook. Also, if I’m snagged by the sinker, I will usually only lose the sinker. I use split shot when fly fishing, bait fishing, stream fishing, and placing in front of some plugs like flatfish. Wherever I need a little extra weight for sinking or casting, split shot fills that bill. A split shot attached to a single hook makes a fast jig head. The next sinker I like is a slip sinker
egg or oval shape. A hole runs through the middle axis of the sinker. I simply run my line through the hole, place a small bead, and tie on a swivel. To this swivel I tie my leader and hook. The slip allows you to feel light bites. Fish usually don’t want to drag the sinker around with them. When they feel the resistance, they spit it out. Egg sinkers are compact and an excellent weight for casting. Their shape discourages most snags. They are useful for bottom fishing with bait and added to plastic worm rigs. Pencil lead is a favorite for drift fishing. It allows you to inexpensively place heavier weights where the river’s heavy flows would call for too many split shots. The pencil lead is attached by a one inch section of surgical tubing. The pencil lead slides inside the tubing and the elastic friction keeps the line, tubing, and pencil lead in place. This means that it’s not only easy to rig but there are no knots to weaken the rigging. It’s a favorite for steelhead and salmon fishing. The Slinky takes this one step further. It’s made up of lead or a non-lead shot placed inside a sleeve of parachute cordage. The nylon cord is burnt off and clamped down on both ends. A hole punch is used to make a hole on one end to attach it by a snap swivel. The advantage is that the slinky is flexible like a toy slinky. It is more difficult to snag and is a favorite weighting system to fish over rocky and snaggy
bottoms. The diameter and number of shot can vary so you have an assortment of weights. I like to rig this by running the line through the swivel, placing a bead, and tying it to a plain barrel swivel. The leader and hook is attached to this swivel. The slinky easily slides up the line and you have a good feel for light strikes. Adding a buoyant corky just above the hook helps make the hook float over the snag tops. The slinky is difficult to snag because of its flexibility. I use bank sinkers for back bouncing for salmon. I simply loop to the sinker. I can quickly change sinkers to adjust for the river’s flow. Back bouncing is done from an anchored boat in a large river. The rig is lowered and bounced back downstream by raising the rod tip to straight-up and lowering it while you release line. This way you walk or back bounce the terminal tackle to the portion of the hole that you want to fish. Usually minnows such as sardines or herring are used, but cured salmon egg clusters are also used. Keel and banana sinkers are useful for trolling. Their shape prevents line twisting. The sinker rides through the water at an even plane. This forces the swivel to work. All sorts of lures
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and baits can be trolled behind these types of sinkers. Adjust the sinker’s weight and your trolling speed to place the lure just over or under the fish. There are other sinkers designed for specific purposes, but the ones I’ve mentioned are my top picks.
Swivels Swivels are useful in preventing line twisting. I’ll use one whenever I use a bait or lure that may spin my line. Trolling is a constant movement that can cause the most line twists. I use plain barrel swivels, snap locking swivels, ball bearing swivels, and snaps. The plain barrel swivels are for attachment purposes. They make an excellent junction for line and leader. The swivel also helps reduce line twisting.
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This attachment is as strong as the knots used. The locked snap swivel makes it so one end can be quickly removed or locked into place. The snap makes it possible to attach lures quickly. The snap swivel also allows slinkies to slide up and down the line easily. This helps in strike detection. The snap must have a bent-up portion which locks it into place. The ones without this can fail and pull out under heavy pressure. The ball bearing swivel is supposed to be the most efficient at preventing line twist. I use them to connect lures that spin around in complete circles. I like them for spoon fishing. A plain snap without a swivel is a simple attachment for a plug’s eye. This allows a loose attachment which doesn’t restrict the wobble of the plug. I use them whenever plug fishing.
Rods and Reels For most of my fishing, I rely upon three spin rods: a 6 ½ foot light action, a 7 or 7 ½ foot medium light action and a 9 foot medium action. I own and use many spin rods from 4 ½ to 10 ½ feet. But these other rods are for specific uses. The 6 ½ footer is used for 1/32 to 1/4 ounce lures. The line size is 4, 6, or 8 pound test. I use it for freshwater fish--panfish, trout, and bass. With care, it can handle fish up to ten pounds. The 7 footer is used for casting rigs from 1/4 to about 5/8 of an ounce. I use 8 to 10 pound line. It can
fish up to about 12-15 pound fish with ease—such as large trout, northern pike, bass, and steelhead. My 9 foot rod gives me the length to effectively fish large rivers. I use it with 12 pound test line and cast lures from ½ to ¾ of an ounce. It is a fine salmon/big trout/and steelhead rod. Now I have a closet full of favorites. I love my ultra-light rods, my walleye rods, my eye crosser ones, and my long bobber rods. But the three that I’ve mentioned are the ones I most commonly use. For spinning reels, I own and use both vintage and the latest reels. My favorite two reels for my 6 ½ foot rod are an old Zebco Cardinal #3, and a Mitchell 308. These two reels are classics, but they are no longer made. To substitute, I’d go with a 2000 series in Shimano.
Sedona, Spirex and Stradic models are also well made and good values. My 7 footer has a #2500 Shimano Stradic most commonly connected to it. My 9 footer has a Shimano Stradic #4000 or even the #2500. These hold 12 pound or 10 pound mono/fluoro. They serve me well. What I look for in a spinning reel is, first, a smooth drag. The bail against the spool design calls for the smoothest drag possible. I clean and
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lube my spinning reel’s drag washer often. When the reel is not in use, I adjust the drag to the lightest adjustment possible. That way the washers will not be clamped down so hard that when you do finally fish them, the lube has been squeezed out and the softer, felt-like washers are dried out. So loosen the reel’s drag when the reel is not in use. Next, I look for the proper fit for my hand. I place my index finger on the spool’s lip for casting. I don’t want to stretch to reach it, but I don’t want to curl up my finger to reach it. Next I look for a quality bail that trips instantly into the right place every time, and that is simple in design so it won’t catch a wind blown line coil onto its side. Finally I want the reel to smoothly and easily reel. I dislike excessive wobbling. The reel must be well
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balanced. The rod and reel should work like an extension of your hand.
There are a lot of quality reels on the market. There are many others that I own and use. Lately I’ve been impressed by the Shakespeare and Pfleuger reels. But the ones I’ve mentioned have served me well. Bait casting rods that I use are all on the long side. My shortest is a 7 ½ foot light action rod made by Berkley as a Im7 Model. With it I can easily cast size 4 Mepps spinners for silver salmon and steelhead. It is well balanced and accurate casts are easy to come by. It’s rated for 8 to 12 pound line. My next two casting rods are medium-light 8 ½ footers made my Loomis. One is the half ounce model and the other is a three quarters ounce model. I use these for steelhead, silvers, and Chinook salmon. They are also excellent trolling rods. I cast size 4 and 5 Mepps spinners with them. I can also drift fish with them. My last rod is a medium-heavy 8 ½ foot rod made
by Loomis. It’s rated for weights up to 4 ounces. I use it to back bounce and bank fish for the largest species of freshwater fish. I own four Shimano Calcutta casting reels. Two are the same 2500 models, one is a 4000 model, and another is the 7000 model loaded with 50 pound test super line. It holds lots of it and is suitable for the biggest king salmon and sturgeon. Again, there are lots of casting reels on the market. Some are good or perhaps better than the ones I have mentioned. But with tough usage over the last twelve
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spool’s face must be screwed off and a narrow spool hides the line end. It must be found and threaded back through the exit hole and then the closed face must be screwed back down. Kids tend to cross thread the face and then the outfit doesn’t work well The spool’s design is very narrow and the line must pass up and over a steep lip to be cast. This robs casting energy from the outgoing line. I have fond memories of my green, Johnson Century spin cast reels. They were the epic of the modernization of the 1950’s. They now adorn my office as book ends.
Tackle Care Hooks
years, my Shimano Calcutta reels have impressed me very much. Their drags are super, and better yet, they are the best casting reels that I’ve used. With care they bring many good years of service. Closed-face, push button reels are a good way to get youngsters started. They are simple to use and are not intimidating to a beginner, although they are inefficient and not nearly as effective as spinning or casting reels. Once the line is inadvertently reeled past the closed face, they become more complicated. The
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Hooks are made of tempered steel and are subject to rust. Rust not only corrodes and weakens the hook but it starts by dulling the hook point. A dull point makes the hook worthless to fish with. To prevent rust, make sure hooks are never stored where they are subject to moisture. Rust is caused by water and air which cause corrosion. Keep them inside their plastic box or envelope. Don’t lay them loose in a tackle box tray. After fishing a lure, make sure it
is dried off completely before storing it. The hooks must be dry. Place rust inhibitor strips throughout the inside of the tackle box. If the inside of the box or storage container is opened during a rain storm, make certain that it’s dried completely before storage. A hair drier can quickly dry off the inside of the box. Otherwise, the hooks on those spinners, spoons, crank baits, jigs, and spinner baits may become corroded. Hooks must be sharp to be effective. Hook points are easily bent or dulled by use. They are easily sharpened. I can sharpen a hook with a small Arkansas stone, diamond grit hook file, or a small steel hook file. The abrasive grit must be superfine on all of these tools. Perhaps the easiest method for sharpening a hook is triangulation. The point is filed in three distinct directions that form a triangle shape at the point. Once all three areas are lightly honed, the point is sharp. The stone or file is filed at a 45° angle to each other. Only a few strokes are needed but the same angle must be maintained when filing. Needle point sharpening is done by gently rotating a small Arkansas stone evenly around the point. Only one or two revolutions are needed. Always test your sharpened points. I want mine to stick on my fingernail with slight pressure. Hooks are made barb-less by pinching down the
barb with a pliers or a forceps. Take care of those hooks--they are an essential tackle item.
Lines Nylon deteriorates when exposed to the UV radiation in sunlight. Heat seems to speed up this process, so never leave your reel on a car’s back window or on a gun rack in back of a pick-up. The nylon monofilament will quickly lose its strength and remain in unmanageable coils like a spring. I even worry about indoor lighting causing deterioration. I store my bulk monofilament spools in a dry, dark, cool place. The dye stains of the super lines fade and turn grey when exposed to sunlight, but they don’t seem to lose their strength as compared to nylon. Fluorocarbon is the most stable line. It is not affected by sunlight and it doesn’t seem to lose its strength like nylon does. Carefully store all lines out of sunlight, moisture, and heat. A dry, cool, dark place is best.
Rods and Reels Keep the reel’s surface clean. If it becomes soiled after use, brush it down with a soft bristled toothbrush and a little soapy water. Rinse thoroughly and dry. Occasionally, take a spinning reel apart and run it under very hot water. Brush out the gears with a toothbrush. Hot water gets the reel warm and the
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moisture will quickly dry after being blotted with a soft cotton cloth. Replace the gear lube, and oil the small areas that are subject to friction. Wipe down the metal like you would a fine firearm. A very slight amount of oil is best. You don’t want dirt and grime to collect on the reel. Carry the reel in a reel bag. This will protect it from bumps and scratches. Casting reels are more complex to clean. Some require an authorized reel repair place to properly clean and lubricate them. These reels have oil ports that must be maintained with the recommended oil. Keep the surfaces clean with a soft tooth brush and dry cloth. Place a slight amount of oil and rub it into the finish. Give your reels the care that they deserve. I have an Alcedo Micron spinning reel that is over fifty years old. It
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works as well as new. It was one of my first quality reels. It retailed for $42.50 in 1957, which was a lot of money back then. I’ve given it the care that it deserves. Rods All rods are subject to breakage. Use them for what they are designed to do. Never pick up a rod and reel by the tip section. It was never designed for the leverage applied this way, and it will likely snap off the tip. Use care around car doors and trunks. They have broken more rods than a sixty pound king salmon. Rods are best stored inside their rod tubes. Don’t over pull a rod past its vertical inclination. The acute angle will likely fracture the rod. Be careful not to hit a rock or other hard object with the tip when casting. A micro fracture may occur, and with use it will break. Avoid dropping rods down on hard surfaces like gravel bars. After fishing, wipe down the rod and store it in a safe place. The cork can easily be cleaned with soft tooth brush and hand soap. Scrub the guides to
remove moss debris. Graphite and glass ferrules need a thin coating of paraffin wax. That will make them fit tightly. Metal ferrules need to be kept clean. An extremely light oil rub keeps them from rusting. Treat with gun oil and rub the oil off. Rods well cared for can last a lifetime. I have vintage Harnell, Fenwick, and Browning Silaflex glass rods that are as functional as new ones.
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Casting Spin Rod............................ 28 Bait Casting....................... 29 Closed Face Reel................ 30
Spin Rod I spin cast differently from nearly everyone else. I open the bail and immediately place my index finger on the lip of the spool. This finger allows an exact release of the line and can be used to feather the flow of line off the reel. It also can break the cast instantly by placing the finger tip back onto the lip. The closer the finger approaches the spool’s lip during the cast, the more it slows down or feathers the cast. I do this because it helps me cast farther and more accurately than gripping the line inside the curled up index finger. I suggest you learn to cast this way too because it’s an advancement over the traditional way. It also instantly releases the line without the line sliding or jumping along the curled finger. Also, I can increase the drag pressure on a fish by lightly pressing down my forefinger to the revolving spool lip. My basic cast with an optimally weighted lure begins by bringing the rod progressively fast backwards
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from two o’clock, then quickly reversing the direction forward to ten o’clock. This backwards cast motion helps load the rod. Most of the progressive speed is in the forward cast. Simply point the index finger by straightening it out at the appropriate time just before the rod stops at ten o’clock. Progressive speed of rod means that it’s a smooth acceleration. When the rod is suddenly stopped, the stored energy in the rod is released to the lure. This action uses primarily wrist motion with some elbow movement to coordinate the cast. It is vital that your acceleration is smooth and progressive. That means you start out with a slow acceleration and increase it throughout the cast until the sudden stop of the rod. The peak acceleration is at the end of the cast before the stop. The faster you stop the rod, the more kinetic energy will be transmitted to the lure. Fragile baits are cast with a longer rod arc on the forward cast only. Try to get that rod to load smoothly so when the line is released the bait will not be lost. There are other useful casts. The pendulum cast is an underhand one which is effective for short, accurate casts which splat down quietly. There is an effective and efficient way to cast optimally-weighted lures. The distance between the rod tip and lure is about six to eight inches. When fishing lighter lures, I increase this distance to twelve to eighteen inches. For extremely light lures, I omit the back cast and use a forecast with 36-48 inches of line out between rod tip and lure. When fishing delicate baits which would be flipped off on the back cast, I use the same method as casting the lighter lures. The purpose again of the back cast is to load the rod with potential energy, then accelerate the forward cast with an already loaded or flexed rod. I find it easy
to cast one hundred feet or more with this method. The pendulum cast is made by swinging the lure with about four feet or more line out between the rod tip and lure. Swing it back towards you and then swing it towards the target. Again smoothly accelerate the rod speed on the forward swing. Release the line at the right moment. Accuracy is accomplished by speeding up the rod in the direction that you want the lure to go. It’s the speed up just before the sudden stop that determines the direction the lure will be cast. Feathering the line flow can slow the flight of the lure. I like to purposefully cast too long and feather the line to make the lure drop on the target. This feathering also slows down the lure and aids in making a soft delivery. Practice casting to targets on your lawn. With practice you can become an accurate caster. The ability to present the lure to the right spot the first time catches the most fish.
Bait Casting Bait casting tackle calls for more skill in line and spool control than spin casting. Backlashes have been a problem since the advent of bait casting reels. They arise when the spool revolves faster than the outgoing lure. What a mess it is to untangle. I seem to backlash right at the wrong time. To prevent or minimize backlashes, fine tune the spool adjustment knob to the weight of the lure to be cast. Do this by raising the rod with the lure about six inches from the tip. Engage the free spool and gently remove your thumb from the spool. The lure should slowly and smoothly drop to the floor without over running the spool. Loosen or tighten this anti-backlash knob until it does so. Now you’re ready to cast.
The same casting stroke is used in bait casting as in spin casting. The only difference is that I like to use a longer arc that more smoothly accelerates the rod. Of course the free spool button is engaged and your educated thumb is pressed to the spool. Once the rod makes the sudden stop to cast the lure, this thumb gently releases the pressure off of the real spool. I don’t want it to jump the spool into high speed, so I gently release the thumb pressure. Once the lure is in flight, I watch the outgoing line and the cast lure. I want the line to go out at the same speed as the lure. Towards the end of the cast, the thumb gently and progressively slows down the revolving spool. The proper spool anti-backlash adjustment and the smart thumb pressure eliminate the possibility of a backlash. Again, with light lures and fragile baits, I eliminate the back cast motion of the rod. All wrist and elbow motions are progressive accelerations. That is they start out slowly and increase until the rod stop portion of the cast. The same variety of casts is possible in bait casting as in spin casting. I like to overcast my target and use light thumb pressure to slow down my lure. That way I can pretty will eliminate the bird’s nest of line in a backlash. I like to use casting tackle for heavier lures and baits. I also love to free spool the line out as my bait drifts down stream. I simply put it in free spool and
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allow the line to flow from the light pressure of the thumb on the revolving spool. Casting reels have very smooth star drags and all you have to do is to add a little thumb pressure to the spool when you want to increase the drag. You can also crank in while the line is being pulled out by a fish without twisting the line. If you were to reel in while the fish was pulling line off a spinning reel, you would cause about four new line twists for every reel handle rotation. Practice bait casting on your lawn or neighborhood park. Make yourself fish exclusively with a bait caster on a weekend trip. Take the time to master the bait caster. You’ll be glad that you did
Closed Face Spin Casting Closed face, push button reels are good to get youngsters started in fishing. But once they can use one, it’s time to move on to the open faced spin reel. The closed face reel is cast just like the spinning outfit except your thumb is pressed completely down on the push button. This button is released when it’s time to release the lure or bait at the end of the cast. I have little need for a closed face reel other than to get grand kids started in fishing. The closed face gets in the way of the outgoing cast by causing undue line friction. All of that un-spooling line is funneled into a bottleneck of a hole. This expends needed energy and limits ones casting ability. Your youngsters will only use short casts. Whereas a spinning reel may complicate the issue and intimidate them.
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Approach Fish’s Position................................34 Water Clarity.................................34 Light Intensity...............................35 Hatch Variables.............................36 Current Speed...............................36 Wind.............................................36 Cover............................................37 Casting Obstructions....................37 Current Maladies..........................37 Sound Vibrations..........................38
The approaches’ goal is to place an angler you into the best position to present the fly without alarming the fish. The following variables influence your approach: fish’s position, water clarity, light intensity, hatch intensity, current speed, wind direction, cover placement, casting obstructions, and current maladies and sound vibrations. After examining these factors the anglers’ choice of position is made; next, the actual approach takes place.
tions sensed by their lateral lines. However, shallow holding fish may be more alert because they are more vulnerable to predators and will streak for cover at the slightest provocation.
Water Clarity Fish’s Position In moving water, fish face upstream. Before planning an approach take into account the fishes’ location in terms of its exact position and depth. Its’ depth determines the window size that a fish views the outside world. A fish holding close to the surface has a much smaller window to see through than a deeply holding fish. Approaching a shallow fish is easier than a deep one. The smaller the window the less likely a fish can see you. Try hiding from the fish by staying outside of its vision window. They are overly cautious to vibra-
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Clear water improves the fishes’ vision; stained water obscures its’ vision. In addition, fish are more alert in clear water as compared to stained water. Most predators use their eye sight to find fish. An
of it is subject to refraction. That’s why it is easier to approach fish at dawn and dusk rather than at midday. Consequently, it is easier to approach fish during the seasons with lowered sunlight angles, (winter, spring and fall). Likewise, it is more difficult to approach fish during the summer season. The high sunlight angle illuminates the water and improves the fishes’ vision. As a result, with more light present the more observant the fish will become. A bright sun over your back may conceal your position from the fish because the glare makes it difficult osprey must first see a fish before it can catch one. A cloak of stained water simplifies the approach; likewise, clear water complicates the approach.
Light Intensity Light intensity plays a vital role. With increased light the fishes’ vision improves, and the more wary they will become of predation. The sun’s angle determines the amount of light entering the water. Low light angles penetrate the surface less because more
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to detect your presence. You are hidden by the sun’s brightness. Although, if you cast a sudden shadow over the fish you may alarm them because they fear that this shadow might be a bird swooping down upon them.
HatchVariables During heavy hatches the fish may hold just below the surface; consequently, this restricts their vision window. When hatches are sparse fish can hold deeper so that they can view a wider area looking for insects. Moreover, deeper holding fish can see you better. Also, during heavy hatches, fish become less cautious because they are preoccupied feeding. The longer a hatch persists the less wary the fish becomes. It can be easier to closely approach fish late in a heavy hatch than earlier in the same hatch.
Current Speed Current speed influences the vertical position that a fish can hold. The faster the current the less likely a fish can hold close to the surface. It must seek a place resting in the slower deeper currents; consequently, its vision window is enlarged. The slower the current the shallower a fish can hold, and its vision window is diminished. Although, the faster currents have a more broken surface that obscures the fish’s vision; therefore, its outside world is more distorted in faster flows.
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Slower currents have calmer surfaces which are easier for the fish to see through
Wind Breezes cause the surface to be broken up, and this impairs the fishes’ vision. Calmer water presents the fish with a clearer vision field. Additionally birds of prey have difficulty spotting fish under a broken surface. Fish are easier to approach in a windy day
as compared to a calm one. Also, the wind moves the riparian growth and fish have trouble spotting your movements.
Cover
Current Maladies Current eddies and seams can perplex your presentation by causing undue drag. Whirlpools and conflicting currents play havoc on your flies drift.
Bank side and aquatic cover can impair the fish’s vision; consequently, use bank side brush to conceal you during your approach, and to hide your position. Although light refraction can sometimes allow fish to see around corners, fish can see you when you cannot see them. By taking the fishes’ vision window into account, mask your approach by placing cover between you and the fish. But watch out for the light refraction phenomenon that permits fish to see around corners. Usually, your presentations goal is a natural drag-free drift; furthermore, the need for excessive line mending may alarm fish. Select a position that best simplifies your presentation.
Angler can not see fish
Fish can see Angler
Casting Obstructions Design your approach so that your final position is not complicated by casting obstructions. Bank side cover may impair your casting stroke making it difficult to make a presentation. It is best to avoid false casting over a fish, and roll casting often bothers the surface too much to be useful. With planning, your approach can place you into a position relatively free of casting obstructions.
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Sound Vibrations Fish have a special sensory organ located in its’ lateral line. With this organ fish can detect underwater sounds and disturbances. This lateral line is so sensitive it can detect a fishes’ prey. An injured minnows struggle is readily perceived. Sound and other vibrations carry better underwater; therefore, be cautious to eliminate vibrations that may be detected by the fish. Heavy footsteps while walking or wading are to be avoided. Careless wading can cause the gravel to strike each other alarming the fish. Boat noises are to be avoided; consequently, an aluminum boat can sound like a bass drum. Carpet the boats floors and storage areas to dampen the noise. Talking is poorly transmitted underwater, although very loud noises can be conveyed. So, go ahead and talk but don’t vibrate the water. The basic rule is to avoid all motions which cause underwater vibrations.
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ing. Move stealthy like a blue heron. Herons are professional fish stalkers, and much can be learned by observing their methods. Make motions slowly, and deliberately; likewise try to blend in with the environment. Dress accordingly with colors and patterns that intermix with the background. Once in position stop and rest the fish; subsequently, the fish may accept the angler as part of the landscape. Make your first presentation your best one.
In summary after judging each of these variables plan your approach carefully. Perhaps so many of these variables are stacked on the fishes’ side, a successful approach may be just too complex. It would be better to find another fish. When these variables are stacked in your favor, the approach may be as simple as walking or wading directly to the spot that you want to fish. Moreover, the approach plan should be to remain out of the fish’s vision and hear-
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Aquatic Environment Aquatic Plants................................................. 42 Light............................................................... 44 Oxygen........................................................... 46 pH.................................................................. 48 Surface Film.................................................... 49 Temperature.................................................... 51 Background..................................................... 51 Using Water Temperature in Finding Fish.............................................. 57
The aquatic environments components relate to the fish are aquatic plants, temperature, light, oxygen, pH, and the surface film. Each will be discussed so that the angler has a better understanding of the factors that influence a fishes’ behavior.
Submerged plants are rooted on the waters bottom but do not extend all the way to its surface. Eel grass is an example of a submerged plant. Floating plants are not rooted and are free to move about the waters surface. Duckweed is an example of a floating plant. Emergent plants are rooted on the waters bottom and extend to its surface. The water lily is an example of an emergent plant. The most important plant classes are the submerged variety because it allows an abundance of aquatic feed on the lake or streams bottom. It is also easier to fish than the other two because it produces less plant clutter and snags. Plants require sunlight for growth and photosynthesis to occur. Plants are restricted to waters receiving sunlight. In most waters, a depth of ten to thirty feet is the limit that sunlight can penetrate. This means that plants are most abundant in the shallows and decrease in quantity as the water deepens. Shal-
Aquatic Plants The presence of aquatic plants is one of the best indicators of whether a lake or a stream will be a good producer of fish. Most aquatic life which fish feed upon requires these plants for food. Plants also provide a fishery with protective cover and life-giving oxygen. Aquatic plants are classified into submerged, floating, and emergent varieties.
low shorelines protected from floods and wave actions favor the most abundant growths. In general there are three zones of aquatic plants. The first zone consists mainly of rooted plants with their tops distended to the surface air. These consist of emergent plants. They occur in depths from the edge of shorelines to about the six foot depth. Cattails, reeds, and others are common plants found in this first zone.
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The second zone is made up of rooted plants which shelter floating portions on the surface. This zone is deeper than the first zone and spreads to about the ten foot depth. Water lilies and pond weeds are examples.
plant growth and in some of these areas plants may be absent. The most desirable plants to locate are the submerged growths of zone three. These support adequate depth for protective cover and an ample food supply. Specific plants favor different aquatic life forms. Callibietis mayflies, dragonflies and damselflies are found in certain plants such as the submerged varieties. These insects are stalking and lie in wait to prey upon their victims. Fish forage the aquatic plants looking for food. It is these plants that generate most of the fishes food supply.
The third zone lies in the deeper areas beyond the first two zones. It includes submerged plants such as eel grass, Anarcharis and others. This zone advances close to a ten foot depth. In very deep clear waters where sunlight can penetrate deeper this zone may extend to about the thirty foot depth. Large dense growths of submerged plants are frequented by feeding fish. Submerged plants the deeper areas are difficult to see and to determine their presence. These three zones somewhat overlap. In areas of heavy currents, flood and wave action can dismantle
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Light Light influences fish’s activities. A photo period is defined as the amount of day light in a twenty four hour period. It is influenced by the amount of cloud cover on a daily basis. Seasonally, summer months have longer photo period days; plus, the sunlight’s angle is more direct. The fall, winter and spring months include both shorter daylight periods and lowered sunlight angulations; In addition, they have longer shadows than during the mid summer times. Seasonal variances influence the amount of light entering the water. Fish are more alert during bright sunlight conditions because they are more visible to animals of prey. The fish’s food supplies are most abundant in the shallow littoral zones which are located in areas of more intense light penetration necessary for photosynthesis. Fish may only feel safe in these shallow zones during subdued lighting conditions. Moreover, fish will be in
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these shallows during times of low lighting also, this is usually early and late in the day or at times of seasonal low light conditions, occurring in the fall, winter and spring. During mid summer a fish’s presence in the shallows may be restricted to times of dawn, dust or overcast days. Consequently fish collect during bright light conditions into the darker areas adjacent to the littoral zones.
With present lighting condition taken into consideration select your fishing site accordingly. During the winter, spring and fall you will most likely find fish spending more time in the shallows than they do during the summer season. Dark overcast and rainy days can draw an abundance of fish into the shallows to feed; furthermore, dusk and dawn are also prime times for fishing these shallows. As the light intensity
increases the fish converge into the darker depths of adjacent channels and drop-offs. Light affects insect’s activities. Usually, they are most dynamic during low light periods. Similarity, during intense lighting periods, insects search out shaded areas deep in protective cover. The evening rise happens as insects lay their eggs upon the surface at dusk. Overcast days prolong surface feeding because both the insects are more active and the fish are safer feeding in the shallows. With little knowledge of optical physics the seasonal and dusk/dawn light phenomenon is explained. Light rays striking the waters surface at a right angle travels through it with little deviation. The angulated sunlight is less illuminating underwater because some of it is reflected away at the surface and there rays penetrating the water were bent upwards; thus, the net result is diminished light penetrating the aquatic environment. Other light physics phenomenon such as infra-red rays, are elongated and penetrate cloud cover more readily. This red light from the visible spectrum is noticed more by the fish. Adding the color red to a fly improves its effectiveness especially in bait fish imitations. Red is more visible. In conclusion, lighting affects both the insects and the fish’s activities; it’s an important factor in finding actively feeding fish.
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Oxygen Oxygen is essential to all aquatic animal life. Because the distribution of oxygen throughout a body of water without it respiration is impossible. Can vary widely, it is important to find the specific areas which hold optimal amounts to support fish life. Oxygen concentration is a prime factor in locating where specific fish species are found. It’s self evident that air accommodates an abundance of oxygen; however, water holds a much smaller amount. For example, one liter of air contains about 210 cubic centimeters of oxygen; while, one liter of water has only about 9 cubic centimeters. In air the lack of oxygen is rarely a problem, but in water its effect is more apparent. Water harbors a tenuous margin of safer because its oxygen content is small, and varies widely. Insufficient oxygen supplies will result in animal death. Two physical factors affecting waters oxygen content are altitude (atmospheric pressure) and temperature. Oxygen solubility in water increases with decreases in both temperature and altitude. Conversely, oxygen solubility decreases with rises in temperature
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and altitude. Atmospheric pressure is inversely proportional to altitude. That is, a rise in altitude lowers the atmospheric pressure, and a decrease in altitude raises the atmospheric pressure. On the other hand, atmospheric pressure is directly proportioned to oxygen water solubility. That is, a rise in atmospheric pressure increases to waters oxygen content; while, a decrease in atmospheric pressure lowers the waters oxygen content. Oxygen diffusion occurs at the water’s surface, and its mixing throughout happens during a lake’s spring and fall turnover times. Oxygen diffusion process is very slow. Both wind and wave action mixes oxygen at the surface, while, plant photosynthesis generates oxygen. Since plants are present. In deep water, where light cannot penetrate, oxygen cannot be produced by plants. Hence, a lakes hypolimnion only receives its limited oxygen by spring and fall mixing turnovers. This is why a lakes greatest depths can become so oxygen poor. The stratification of water layers seals the hypolimnion from the surface air supply; furthermore, this seal is only interrupted at spring and fall turnover. An increase in water temperature lowers the amount of oxygen it can contain. During hot conditions a lakes shallows may become too warm to hold sufficient oxygen, and the animal life forms must migrate to cooler oxygen richer regions. Inlet streams and underwater springs can supply the needed oxy-
genated water. The deeper shaded areas just above the thermocline can be cool enough to hold sufficient oxygen. Fish concentrate in these limited areas when such conditions prevail. Since a lake depends upon wave action, photosynthesis, and currents to mix and produce its oxygen, areas of adequate and inadequate oxygenated water exists simultaneously. This result’s in areas where fish can and cannot live. It is a precarious balancing act amid oxygen contents, temperature, light intensity, protective cover, and available food supply that dictates just where fish can be found. Altitudes influence on an alpine lake can be dramatic. For example, in my youth I spent considerable time fishing alpine lakes above ten thousand foot altitude. During the dog days of summer my success dramatically fell. I was puzzled because these alpine lakes contained colder water than their valley counter parts. The alpine lakes depths were void of fish, and my success was restricted limited to the lakes shallows. Earlier in the season the angling was good in the alpine lakes depths. Now in midsummer the fishing was poor. The valley lakes fished best in their depths; while, the alpine lakes fished best in its shallows. I neglected to take into account the difference
between the lakes altitude and atmospheric pressure. The high altitude lakes oxygen was less because there was less oxygen available when the spring and fall turnovers occurred. This limited oxygen supply was quickly depleted in the alpine lake’s depths. Simply, fish couldn’t live in the alpine’s lakes depths. The lower elevation lake, take in higher oxygen content during the spring and fall turnover times. This confined the alpine lake’s fish to the shallows; while, the valley lakes fish were in the lakes depths. I once thought that all big fish lived in the depths and only smalls ones were in the shallows. This notion is untrue. Rivers current mixes oxygen much better than a lakes waves and limited currents. Also, this thoroughly evokes little variation in both, oxygen and temperature times, the white water river sections mixes higher oxygen content. In times of hot spells fish may migrate to the rapids for survival. Look for them in the pocket areas downstream from rapids. Also, areas close to adjacent inlet streams and underwater springs can harbor more favorable conditions. For example, in warm thermal rivers such as Yellowstone Park’s Firehole River, fish migrate to the mouths of cooler tributary streams during warm seasons. In conclusion, the oxygen content of water is a prime factor in determining fish’s locations. An adequate oxygen supply is essential to sustain fish life.
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ters; similarly, slow growing fish are associated with acidic waters. Alkaline waters enhances the amount of aquatic foods and weed beds on the other hand, acidic waters curtails this production of aquatic foods and weed beds. Acid rain can affect water to become too acidic for life causing both fish and insect kills. A spring snow melt can concentrate the acid in the bottom layer of the snow bank. When this last layer melts high con-
pH The pH scale is a measure of the acid and base concentration of a solution. A pH of 7 is the neutral pH; furthermore, 0-7 is the acid range and 7-14 is the base or alkalinity range. The presence of carbonates, bicarbonates and hydroxides dissolved in water is associated with its alkalinity. Were as, the presence of dissolved organic matter is more acidic in nature. Fast growing fish are associated with alkaline wa-
centrations of acids are released into the watershed. This can be disastrous to aquatic life. Local areas of a lake can vary in pH Serious bass fishermen frequently measure the water’s pH to rely upon where bass may be concentrated. In general, I avoid the acidic lakes and streams in favor of the alkaline ones. Perhaps this explains why so many Pacific Northwest waters are poor producers of non sea running fish. They are nearly barren of
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aquatic insect life. The abundant rainfall is so intense that these waters become soft and acidic, and the carbonates and alkaline elements have been depleted. The organic matter has concentrated in them. High desert waters favor alkalinity because less rainfall has not yet washed away the alkaline elements. Their weed bed growth and abundant insect life provides more ideal conditions for fast growing fish. I’m always amazed how a desert state like Nevada has such productive water. While the rainforest of the Oregon Coast has an abundance of waters that are nearly void of residential fish. If it wasn’t for anadromous fish many coastal streams would not have of fish life.
Surface Film The surface film tension is the property of a liquid by which it acts as if its surface is a stretched elastic membrane. This tension allows insects to stand on the water’s surface. Surface film tension is caused by the attraction of water molecules to each other; consequently, the surface molecules are attracted back underneath by the underlying molecules. The amount of surface film tension is affected by both temperatures and dissolved substances. An increase in temperature lowers the net force of attraction among molecules and likewise decreases the surface tension. An increase in dissolved organic substances lowers the surface tension. However, an increase in dissolved inorganic salts causes a rise in surface tension. So if you want to try to walk on water do so on a cold day in a salty lake. Surface film tension is the property which allows items that are not wetted to float. This causes insects to float. It is also the reason why floatant is placed on our lines and flies; consequently, it prevents these ob-
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surface duration of insects hatching because they have more difficulty piercing the surface film. Being trapped at the surface, insects are forced to drift for a prolonged time. Falling into the drink, the surface tension commonly traps terrestrial insects. An increase in surface tension makes it more difficult for these terrestrial insects to escape. Hence cooler temperatures, enhances the angling production during emergence of midge, mayfly and caddis flies. It simply prolongs the insect’s appearance at the surface. A fresh rain may cause an increase in dissolved jects from being wetted. They will float in the surface film. The surface film also reflects light; similarly, it reduces the amount of light entering the water. This influences both the anglers and the fish’s vision. Emerging aquatic insects must be able to break through this surface tension to reach the air. At times when this surface tension is great, insects have difficulty emerging through the surface. They may become trapped in the surface film and vulnerable to fish predation. The cooler overcast days provides a longer organic or inorganic substances in the water. If it’s an increase in inorganic salts the surface tension rises; on the other hand, if it’s increase in organic substances the surface tension lowers. Warm temperatures favor the insect’s escapement by lowering the surface tension. During warmer temperatures hatching insects are not on the surface for long. Likewise, during extremely high surface tension times heavy objects such as snails may be found floating.
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Best dry fly conditions are when the surface film tension is high. The trapped insects are prolonged at the surface and this elicits fish predation.
Temperature The purpose of this segment is to provide background information concerning the relationship between water temperature and fish. Since fish inhabit only a small fraction of a body of water, it is imperative to be able to locate these areas; otherwise, it is a waste of your time to fish in areas void of fish. Knowledge of temperatures influence on fish can help you both locate and catch them.
Background Data Fish are cold blooded animals with their body temperatures controlled by their environments. Temperature directly affects their activities, and each fish species has an ideal temperature range in which they are the most active. (See Figure 1) Since fish can detect sense, recognize, perceive, and discern changes as slight as 0.1 degrees F. A small change in temperature does not go unnoticed. Likewise, aquatic insects are cold blooded creatures. Temperature influences insects’ activities such as emergence and migration. Because aquatic insects are a fish’s primary food source their availability directly influences the fishes feeding activities. A waters greatest thermal source is solar radiation, which is directly absorbed. The surrounding air mass likewise affects a waters temperature by conduction at the surface. Heat is also transferred from the waters bottom sediments and adjacent rocky shorelines, rocky. This last source has only a minor influence on water temperature; the first two factors play primary rules. Water losses heat from evaporation, outlet flows, and air conduction. Wind action distributes heat in
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a body of water, by causing waves which the water mixes. A large water mass is slow to change its temperature as it is efficient at its energy. Consequently, large lakes are slow to warm up in the spring; likewise, they are slow to cool down in the fall. It requires a tremendous amount of energy measured in kilocalories to influence a temperature change in a large body of water. This is why water temperatures always lag behind the air temperature changes. Lakes stratify or divide into three layers defined by both their temperature and oxygen contents. Waters oxygen content and temperature are inversely proportionate. That is the cooler the water the more oxygen it will hold; conversely, the warmer the water the less oxygen it will hold. In general water is at its greatest weight density when it is at 39.2 F. As a result the deepest water will be the densest and closest to this 39.2 F. As water warms from this 39.2 F it will becomes proportionally less dense and stratifies towards the surface. Water cooler than 39.2 F also becomes less dense and will be found at the surface depths. Waters melting/freezing point is at about 32 F and this is found at the surface because it is less dense than the 39.2 F water. Ice is a solid phase which due to its crystalline structure is even less dense than its liquid phase. That is why ice develops on a lakes surface. During warm weather times, a lake stratifies into epilimnion, thermocline, and hypolimnion layers. The epilimnion is the uppermost layer which is both well oxygenated and uniform temperature. The
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thermocline is a mid layer containing a drastic temperature reduction change and decreased oxygen content. The hypolimnion is the bottom layer characterized by
both the lowest oxygen content and the coldest water approaching 39.2 F. These bottom two layers are oxygen poor because they are remote from the oxygen producing surface and aquatic plant areas. These layers increase densities cause a barrier which seals them from obtaining additional oxygen supplies as a result thermocline and hypolimnion layers are oxygen poor. In the fall water temperatures approach 32 F throughout, the lake mixes and these stratification layers are lost. At this time all of the lakes water reaches the same temperature and density. This blending distributes the oxygen evenly through out the lake. Wind and wave action also helps this mixing. After ice out in the spring this wave action again mixes and causes the loss of winter thermal stratification. These periods are often referred to as spring and fall turnover times. Since the turnover mixes the oxygen evenly fish can be found scattered throughout a lake. During summer and winter stratification times, fish can only live in restricted areas where oxygen is plentiful and temperature is comfortable. Winter conditions have the coldest 32 F water on the surface and the warmest 39.2 F water on the lakes bottom. A lakes ice lid cover prohibits mixing by wind/wave action and locks in the stratification layers. Under the ice oxygen production comes from photosynthesis caused by light penetration reaching the aquatic plants. A heavy snow and ice cover shields this needed light penetration and curtails oxygen production by plant photosynthesis. The top hypolimnion water layer has the most oxygen, aquatic life, and fish. The middle thermocline layer is absent.
The bottom hypolimnion layer is oxygen poor and devoid of life. Winter fish kill is caused by a complete blocking of sunlight penetration causing the aquatic
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plants to die. Decaying plants use oxygen and deplete the lakes oxygen causing fish death from suffocation. Aquatic animals further deplete oxygen by respiration. During hot weather fish are found close to the bottom layer of the eplimnion. They opt for the coolness of the thermocline but still require the oxygen richness of the epilimnion. Commonly, fish daily migrate to the shallows to feed and return to the comfort of the epilimnion-thermocline junction. Resting fish are most comfortable at this junction.
During the fall turnover, a lake blends these three layers into one uniform body of water with stable oxygen and temperatures throughout. This causes the fish to become highly active and very hungry. Fall fish can become scattered due to these widespread ideal conditions. Water temperatures initiate insect hatches a cooler than normal year delays seasonal insect migrations. The calendar timing of insect hatch can be altered by variations in local temperatures. For example, a cold front can delay the stonefly hatch on a river spoiling a planned vacation. In addition unseasonable warm temperatures may cause this same hatch to
occur earlier than usual. Aquatic insects demand well oxygenated water for emergence. Unseasonably warm temperatures may deplete the waters oxygen content and retard insect emergence. A streams current thoroughly blends its water, resulting in fairly uniform temperature and oxygen contents. Small temperature variations may still happen. Since fish can detect a 0.1 F difference, they may seek out more favorable water temperatures during
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extreme weather conditions. At these times fish search out submerged springs and some cooler tributaries. For example, during extremely warm weather in Yellowstone Park, the Firehole River’s trout will school below the confluence a cooler tributary streams. I believe that fish become activated by a sudden swing in temperature approaching the fish’s ideal range. Especially after a prolonged spell of unfavor-
able warm or cold temperatures, this sudden change toward ideal temperatures highly activates the fish. This results in the fish going on a sudden active feeding spree. For example a February Chinook-thaw provokes a water temperature swing from stable thirties to the mid-forties F. The fish answer, by going on a feeding frenzy. The peculiarity of this event is that the forty degree temperatures are far below the trout’s preferred range of 55-60 F. The trout behave like college students from Minnesota on spring break in Texas. Likewise the dog days of summer are cooled by a sudden storm front causing a favorable cooler temperature swing. Again the fish respond by actively feeding. This junction is where the most rapid decline in temperature occurs Two conditions resulting in extremely inactive fish are extreme cold (melting point) and heat (greater than 70 F for trout. During these times fish are so inactive it is as if they have disappeared. Perhaps they have migrated elsewhere. The fishermen needs to know, during hot temperatures for lake fishing, monitor the water temperature to find the depth of the epilimnion/thermocline junction. During high light conditions target fish the deepest portion of the epilimnion layer because the fish will concentrate there to rest. During low light conditions fish the upper layers of the epilimnion because fish migrate there to feed. In both cases locate areas where these depths coincide with bottom structures such as submerged weed beds.
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Preferred Temperatures Species
Preferred Temperature Range
Brown Trout Lake Trout Rainbow Trout Chinook Salmon Coho Salmon Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass Bluegill Crappie Northern Pike Walleye Yellow Perch Striped Bass White Bass
60-65 F 48-52 F 55-60 F 48-55 F 48-55 F 68-78 F 67-71 F 75-80 F 70-75 F 60-70 F 65-70 F 65-72 F 60-70 F 65-75 F
Using Water Temperature in Locating Fish The angler should know how to locate fish by temperature. Probe a lakes depth with a thermister on a calibrated cord. The thermister registers instant temperatures and the cord marks the depth. I have used a Depth-O-Therm instrument for years. There are newer models out which also register oxygen content, pH and water clarity. These instruments are useful lake fishing tools. With whatever instrument you select document the temperature at one foot intervals from the lakes top to its bottom. You rarely
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need to go deeper than forty feet because it’s rare to find fertile water deeper than this depth. Simply find the depth corresponding to the preferred temperature range of the fish species you are seeking. Then identify the ideal temperature depth which coincides with the lakes bottom structures that produce both food and cover. This is a likely spot to find actively foraging fish. Other factors such as light intensity, water clarity, pH and oxygen content influences the fish by forcing them to migrate where these factors are favorable. During hot temperatures when the epilimnion layer is unfavorably warm encounter the junction of the epilimnion and thermocline. At this juncture the most oxygen and somewhat cooler temperatures will be found. Target this junction at depths corresponding with bottom structures presenting both food and cover. At these times all of the lakes fish may be concentrated into this narrow zone. Since a streams current thoroughly mixes its contents, a single thermometer recording at one location will suffice. The closer this temperature is to the fish’s ideal range the more active the fish will behave. This activity level determines how aggressively fish will feed. For instance, during extreme cold, fish forage in narrow feeding lanes close to their resting lies. On the other hand, ideal temperatures activate fish into chasing food all over the place including the surface film. During ideal temperature fish will be attracted to the feeding areas and away from the resting lies. Temperature influences the angles fly selection size, presentation and retrieve.
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Still Water Character Shallows...............................60 Weed Beds...........................61 Shoreline Vegetation.............62 Drop-offs.............................62 Channels..............................63 Shoals...................................63 Cliffs....................................64 Outlets.................................64 Inlets....................................65 Springs.................................65 Wind Direction and Drift Lines...................66 Ice Cover..............................67 Plant Cover..........................67 Reservoirs.............................67 Natural Lakes.......................71 Fishing Strategies..................72 Beaver Ponds........................74 Selecting Alpine Lakes..........76
ristics
Each lake is unique. Most of a lake’s water is barren because its fish seek specific areas to reside. Perhaps, only ten percent of a lake has fish leaving the remainder uninhabited. The following are likely physical structures which attract fish; they are: shallows, weed-beds, drop-offs, channels, shoals, cliffs and inlet/outlet areas. Each will be discussed.
promoting plant growth and photosynthesis. Also, this littoral zone has the highest concentrations of aquatic insects. In some exceptionally clear lakes sunlight can penetrate deeper and this littoral zone may be extended to about the thirty foot depth. The shape of a lakes shoreline influences the characteristics of its shallows. Gentle slopes allow for the accumulation of organic matter while steep slopes do not. Lakes rich in nutrients are classified as atrophic waters while those poor in nutrients are oliotrophic. Nutrients are derived from decomposing bottom materials. This fertilizes both the new plant and insect growths. Irregular shorelines result in more protected bays and areas where decomposing organic matter may collect. A lakes bottom structures may vary widely from mud, gravel, rocky, to weedy areas.
Shallows A lakes great depths harbors little food or oxygen for fish to exist. A common mistake is to fish a lakes depth instead of its shallows. A lakes littoral zone is found in water usually less than ten feet deep. This zone provides good growths of submerged aquatic plants. It is here in a lake shallow that adequate amounts of sunlight can penetrate
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It is these weedy areas that are most important for fish life to sustain itself. The most dominant fish lay claim to the choicest feeding areas. In the shallows fish are vulnerable to birds of prey, because here they are trapped close to the surface and more visible for these birds. Overhead an osprey may swoop down on a fish and this makes them wary. An anglers’ stealthy approach is essential for success. The dominate fish seek out areas in the shallows close to nearby channels or drop-offs where they can quickly escape harm. At times of darkness the shallows are frequented by the most fish. Low lighting shields them from a
bird’s vision. Hence, fish choose to safely feed in these shallows during dawn, dusk and throughout overcast days. The largest fish rarely expose themselves to direct sunlight in shallow waters.
Nearly all fish food is attracted to weed beds. The rooted submerged plants are the preferred habitat. Also, floating weed beds can be fertile, not the proximity to a lakes bottom makes the submerged beds the best homes for the food chain. As a result fish are found in close proximity to these weeds. The best places to fish are just above submerged plants, adjacent and in between them. Both food and shelter is offered in these places. Locating submerged plant beds are accomplished by, observation from a high vantage point. Looking from a boat or float tube in clear lakes is an alternative when a vantage point is unavailable. Video sonar is of benefit when direct vision is not possible. Waters coloration is a clue in finding weed beds. A light
Weed Beds The quality of angling and the abundance of aquatic plants are usually directly proportional. Extensive weed-beds provide the best fisheries. Henry’s Lake, Idaho, is a prime example; in fact, at times in late summer there are so many weeds that trolling is not possible. Yet this lake produces a tremendous number of quality fish.
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greenish cast as opposed to a deeper blue indicates submerged plants. The juncture of dark blue and light green is an indication of a channel or a drop off adjacent to the submerged plants; moreover, these areas are prime spots for fish
Shoreline Vegetation Shorelines with heavy vegetation can be difficult to fish; however, wading or float tubing can provide good access. In addition shade and cover is afforded in these places. A bonus source of terrestrials is included; moreover, ants, beetles, hoppers, leaf worms, and caterpillars can be added to the fishes menu.
Sometimes these areas are best fished from the lake side shoreward. Fishing from a silent float tube out in the lake and casting towards the shore is an advantage.
Drop-Offs Fish are driven into the drop-off areas by birds of prey and boat traffic. Here the drop-offs shelter fish from these annoyances. The deep areas adjacent to the shallows furnish fish easy access to their food supplies. Consequently drop-offs can be highly productive during bright light conditions. I prefer a sunken retrieve which travels my fly up from the depths along the slope of a drop off. As the fly travels it becomes more visible to the fish. In clear water drop-offs are easily seen by noting the waters color change from deep blue to a lighter green. In stained water, video sonar can help locate the drop off areas.
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Channels Channels are similar to drop-offs in concentrating fish. These are usually caused by an inlet stream. An added advantage is that some current action may still take place resulting in concentrating food supplies, oxygen or better temperature conditions. In times of hot weather channels furnish cooler more oxygenated water. At these times fish become closely schooled. Channels occur adjacent to a lake shallow and afford protective cover. This depth and protection provides an ideal location for fish to enjoy the incoming food, shade, and at times cooler oxygen enriched water. Locating channels can be done by visual observation from a high vantage point. Since they can meander in many directions they are hard to find by video sonar alone. Channels are worth the effort in locating and in mapping their exact locations.
Shoals Shoals are submerged islands which fail to reach
the surface. In deep water area shoals provide a sudden littoral zone, and aquatic life is attracted to them.
Fish have ready access to a drop-off area which surrounds them. Shoals can provide a variety of temperature zones, areas of protection, and additional food supplies. Utah Lakes Bird Island is an example of a shoal. During high water years it is submerged and hard to locate in this large muddy lake. Bird Island consists of gravel surrounded by vast areas of mud. Outstanding numbers of walleye and catfish live here. Also, a bird island is a hot spot for duck hunting for its’ littoral zone furnishes vegetation Locating shoals is best done by visual observation from a vantage point; again look for lighter greenish areas surrounded by deeper bluish waters. Many times shoals are extensions of land points. A ridge continued out into the lake may contain a shoal. These points can continue out into the water and presents a ridge of shallower shoals. Fish are attracted to these ridge points because of their advantageous conditions. Cruising fish must spend more time in these areas traveling a longer distance around such shoals.
Look for gravelly points of land extending out into a lake. Video sonar is useful in locating and plotting shoals when direct vision is poor. Map these areas when found because they are consistent fish producers
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Cliffs Cliffs are great vantage points to look for weed beds; drop-offs, channels and shoals. Cliffs afford shade, more favorable water temperatures and collect float some which includes drowned or struggling aquatic and terrestrial insects. Some cliffs furnish seepage of spring water; furthermore, this enhances more favorable temperatures. Fish occasionally mill about cliff areas focusing their attention to the surface. Wind-swept insects may hit the cliff and end up in the water. An errant breeze may blow a terrestrial off a ledge into the water. Commonly, food sources come from the surface in cliff areas; similarly, they can be fertile places to fish dry flies. Cliffs may not be high ones to be productive. Snow banks can serve as temporary cliff-like areas. Rocky shorelines are common in both reservoirs and
in some natural lakes. These shoreline areas fish well with terrestrials. Drift lines of wind blown objects commonly gather at cliffs and rocks. These rocky shorelines are similar to cliffs. An earth filled dam
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provides an ideal rocky shoreline. It is adjacent to a steep drop off. These drift lines harbor many dead adult and stillborn insects.
Outlets Outlets gather food like a vacuum pump; consequently both surface and subsurface foods are concentrated by its’ gradual but increasing current actions. Outlets are usually open areas with little hiding places for protection. Fish are wary in these waters and may limit their activities here in times of low light periods. Yellowstone’s Lewis Lake’s outlet can produce a few prime fish nearly every time it’s fished. Early, late, and during overcast conditions there is a chance there to hook a large brown or lake trout. I once hooked an enormous wild steelhead in the outlet area of British Columbia’s Morice’s Lake. In this outlet the fish was holding as if it was in a mariner’s tail out. This steelhead was a surprise because at the time I was trout fishing at the time. Respectfully, its’ first wild run will be long remembered. Every time I visit a lakes outlet I look for a bonus
fish opportunity. Using utmost caution I try to make my best approach and presentation.
Inlets Streams entering a lake provide a food supply and a change in both water temperature and oxygenation. Also, inlet streams concentrate fish at spawning times. In inlet bays fish stack up during the pre-spawn. Inlet areas modifies a lakes structure from shallows to increased depths; because, stream channels erode wind-
ing paths through a lakes bottom. Fish are noticeably alert in these locations because birds of prey have learned that these are good areas to fish. Incoming current stacks up against the lakes stillwaters to create a mini-rip affect; in fact, these rip currents develop vertical walls of water to concentrate incoming foods. Its surface collection of floatsum is readily noticeable. Likewise this concentration of food will attract hungry fish. Inlet areas are prime locations to fish especially during low light conditions, warm temperature times, and pre-spawn periods.
Springs The constant temperature and rich oxygen content of spring water attracts fish in both cold and warm
weather times. As a result underwater springs provide prime fishing. In addition, underwater springs can draw exceptionally large numbers of fish. Springs in conjunction with submerged weed beds are especially productive.
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Henrys Lake’s underwater springs are well known fish producers. They are concealed in areas of submerged weed beds. When the weather is hot locate an underwater spring and the fish will consistently be there. The difficulty is locating an underwater spring hidden in the midst of such a large expanse of water. Once found, map its location by triangulation or record it on a GPS. The ability to easily return to underwater springs simplifies fishing. A thermister on a remote cord is a must in probing a springs’ exact location. Fish mill about in incredible numbers in these areas; moreover their numbers simplify fishing because their greed instincts strike up competition for your offering. A variety of flies such as leeches, dragonfly, damselfly, scuds or a bait fish imitation can be fruitful. Even after spooking the school, resting the area is all that’s needed for them to return
Wind Direction and Drift Lines Leeward shorelines collect windblown surface debris. In these foam lines are trapped insects and nearby bait fish. Windward shores adjacent to shore-
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line vegetation can be an additional source of terrestrials. Also, the leeward shore receives a surf action which stirs up the bottom dwelling aquatic insects, and makes them available to predation. Fish may move into the surf to feed. Muddy surf areas are indications that the bottom has been disturbed. Fish the juncture where water clarity improves enough for the fish to readily see your offering. When fishing stained water slow down your retrieve and make your casts closer together. Make it easy for the fish to find your bait. The muddy surf affords concealment for the foraging fish. A wide variety of fly patterns can be effective because it must only match some of the bottom dwelling shoreline insects.
Ice Cover For a short time each spring the shoreline shallows lose their ice lid first while the deeper water is still ice covered. This is a prime time for foraging fish. They are drawn to the ice free shallows because of warmer
temperatures and can cruise the ice shelf juncture in safety. Cast to the ice edge and retrieve parallel to it. The only disadvantage is that a short lived condition. Montana’s Hebgen Lake provides exciting action by casting streamers parallel to its shoreline ice lid. Lunker browns and rainbows charge your flies from underneath the ice cover. At this time, large fish can be taken.
Plant Cover Lily pad covers are found in the shallows around irregular shorelines. These furnish overhead protec-
tive cover for daytime feeding fish. Annoying hang ups are common and discourage most anglers, but a weed guard added to your fly can make fishing these places a joy. Cast and carefully retrieve between the pads. Fish use this over head canopy for protection and prefer these locations. The channels and lily pad edges are good sites for parallel retrieves. Many times a subsurface offering is productive because the fish hold just under the lily pad. Fishing deep in the midst of the pads is difficult because of all the stems that angle in odd directions. A float tube is helpful because it maneuvers you into a multitude of different casting lanes. The best time to fish lily pad areas is during bright light conditions.
Reservoirs
Reservoirs are man made lakes constructed by damning up a stream. The flooded canyon or valley provides a widely varied habitat. Engineers design reservoirs to store the greatest amount of water for irrigation, flood control, or electricity production. Hence reservoirs are sited with depths in mind and are usually very deep in character. The dam’s height
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approximates its maximum depth. The significance to the angler is that a great majority of a reservoir lies outside the productive shallow littoral zones. An optimistic angler may view such a reservoir as a place where all of that immense water concentrates its fish in its limited shallows. New reservoirs are much more productive than old ones. The recent flooding of standing vegetation causes its organic decay to be released into the food chain. This enhanced situation provides a temporary boom-town for aquatic weeds, insects and fish. After a few years this organic matter is used up and the reservoir loses much of its food chain causing fisheries decline. Hence, new reservoirs are hot spots which inevitably fade. A reservoir terrain conveys much to the structure of its fishery. Flooding vast expanses of shallows can create giant littoral zones. Although, a disadvantage is that these littoral zones are subject to reservoir draw downs which fluctuates its depths causing much of it to go dry during the late summer season. This seasonal fluctuation deteriorates the quality of its littoral
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zone and of its fishery. Flood control reservoirs can be subject to much siltation deposited during the run off times. This can be detrimental to the fishery of such reservoirs. An example is Montana’s Ennis Lake which has silted up so severely that it now overheats the water released into the once great “Bear Trap Canyon” of the Madison River. Now August temperatures can soar to an excess of 70 F causing fish kills. This reservoir was initially a great trout producer but has disintegrated to the point of a very limited fishery which has also affected its outlet river. Utah’s enhanced Strawberry/Soldier Creek reservoir offers a more stable fishery. Here many small streams that are relatively free of silt were damned to form one huge reservoir. Its terrain consists of shallow valleys when flooded became immense littoral zones and its elevation and temperatures are ideal for trout habitat. Biologists manage this reservoir by stocking and maintaining it as a prime fishery. Strawberry Reservoir is an example of one of the better reservoirs.
Reservoirs stratify into the epilimnion, thermocline, and hypolimnion areas during the warm months of the year. Since reservoirs tend to be deep the hyolimnion area can be vast. The epilimnion is where light penetrates causing submerged weed growth that is the productive portion of a reservoir. It also generates the dissolved oxygen needed to sustain life. The
The huge Colorado and Green River impoundments had their hay-days when they were young. Flaming Gorge Reservoir was a trophy brown and rainbow trout fishery in its early days; now it primarily a lake trout and small mouth bass fishery. Lake Powell has changed from a fantastic large mouth bass and crappie fishery to a stripped bass one. There are still fish to be caught in these older reservoirs but it takes some knowledge of where and how to fish them. In their youth, little skill was needed to catch fish. The key to reservoir fishing is to search out the productive areas such as: inlets, channels, drop-offs, weed beds, shallows, shoals, cliffs and land points. Using accurate topographic maps of prior flooded real estate facilitates the location of these structures. The huge sizes of these reservoirs can easily conceal productive areas. A boat with a quality video sonar and time spent prospecting are assets to productive reservoir fishing. Large portions of a reservoir harbor few or no fish. All of the fish are found concentrated into the few prime areas. Find these places and spend your time productively fishing them and not wasting your time in the fish poor areas.
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thermocline is the transitional zone with a drastic drop in water temperature which separates the epilimnion and hypolimnoin layers. The oxygen and food supply is limited to the eplilimnion and somewhat in the thermocline layers. The hypolimnion is usually depleted of food and oxygen making it unproductive. Learn to detect areas where the epilimnion and the thermocline correspond to the lakes bottom. Spend your time fishing these waters and eliminate the hypolimnion area altogether. A thermister with an oxygen monitor is useful in locating these layers. Next use your video sonar to find structured areas which fall into the desired epilimnion and thermocline areas. During very warm weather the epilimnoin may become too warm to hold adequate oxygen for fish to sustain themselves. Fish will seek the thermocline where its cooler waters can hold more oxygen. Remember at this time the hypolimnion is cold but oxygen poor. Moreover the lakes entire fish population can be concentrated into this limited area. Locate bottom structure at the same depth of the thermocline and the fishing can be amazing. Lake zones are also classified as to littoral, pelagic, and profundal zones; this classification is based according to light penetration and plant growth. The littoral zone is where photosynthesis occurs and concentrates the lakes food chain. The profundal zone is the deepest portion of a lake where photosynthesis and plant growth is severely limited; it is where little light penetrates. This profundal zone supports few fish and deep reservoirs harbors vast acreage of this zone. The pelagic zone is the top portion of the profundal zone and this pelagic zone is bordered on its sides by the littoral zones. Penetrating sunlight reaches here and oxygen is high but its bottom is only accessed by going through the dead profundal zone. Its importance is where the pelagic zone borders with the littoral zone because it is here that fish can gather hiding in this zone fish venture out into the shallows to ambush prey.
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Junctional habitat seems to consistently concentrate animals; big game species such as elk and deer prefer areas adjacent to both open and forested areas. Elk feed in the open park grasses during low light conditions and migrate to hide in the forest cover during the day. Fish likewise use the pelagic zone as a darkened hideaway safe from predators and concealed from their prey. Surprise attacks on schooled minnows are initiated from this pelagic zone. A reservoir’s largest fish commonly behave in this manner by ambushing their prey at this littoral/pelagic zone junction. These three zones of littoral, profundal, and pelagic do not change. It is the epilimnion, thermocline, and hypolimnion layers that are subject to changes due to weather conditions such as temperature changes and wind/wave actions. When selecting a reservoir to fish take into account its anatomical features. Choose one with the most fish producing habitat. Look for one with an abundant littoral zone which has lots of weed beds, shoals, dropoffs, islands, peninsulas, inlets, cliffs, rocky and gravel areas within this zone. Fish these structures adjacent to the pelagic zone which provides both deeper cooler waters and darkened cover to conceal fish. When fishing reservoirs with limited littoral zones
Natural Lakes
look for areas with structures located within these zones. The few good areas these reservoirs possess may have gone under-fished; furthermore these structured areas may provide a seldom fished hot spot. Idaho’s failed Teton Dam Reservoir is rarely fished because it was a disaster site. Now its limited backed up pool contains some of the best trophy cutthroat fishing anywhere. This pool is all prime trout habitat. Every time I’ve ventured there I’m alone with its abundant trout and rattlesnakes; it has given up cutthroat to nine pounds. In summary, reservoirs are difficult to locate their prime fish habitat because the vast amounts of stored water conceal them. Discover a reservoirs features and its fish may be concentrated there. Perhaps you can discover a reservoirs’ 10% that holds all of its fish. Identify these places and spend your time angling there.
Mother Nature creates natural lakes. Sometimes man enhances them by a strategic placement of a dam. My favorite lakes are natural ones because mother natures design is not hydropower production or irrigation but aquatic life. Two of my favorite lakes are Idaho’s Henry’s Lake and Yellowstone Parks Heart Lake. These are notable fisheries because their structural elements include vast littoral zones and optimal water quality Henry’s Lake is all littoral zones with an average depth of about ten feet. Here, great expanses of aquatic plants flourish which produces an enormous food chain. Its trout prospers and their average size is massive. The waters alkalinity is optimal; in addition,
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its altitude furnishes cool summer waters which allows for long growing seasons. Heart Lake is a remote lake with similar elements favoring fish production. Here, large cutthroat and
produced. Usually, natural lakes include deep areas where during severe winter and summer conditions fish can migrate to for survival. The valuable structures of natural lakes are weed beds; drop-offs, inlet channels and streams, outlet areas, shoals, peninsulas, bays, rock slides, riparian banks, cliffs, and downed timbers. Fish cruise underwater routes in search of emerging insects and of other food sources. In the spring before heavy weed bed growths the open shallows are prime spots to fish because they warm first. Later, in the summer heavy weed bed growths occur; in addition, these shallows may become uncomfortably warm causing fish to seek nearby cooler channels and dropoffs.
lake trout are present in prolific numbers. Its forest and water quality is almost untouched by man; a visit to Heart Lake is a superb wilderness experience. The advantages of a natural lake are that many of them contain large areas of shallows and that their water source comes from underground springs. Here the earth has filtered its water supply and buffered its temperature and chemical contents. Seasonally, snow melt and run-off influences lakes with surface water run off; moreover, this carries organic and inorganic matter that can enrich these waters. The best natural lakes have an abundance of littoral zones coupled with good chemistry and water quality. From the weeds in the littoral zone both oxygen and insect habitat is
Fishing Strategies The angling strategy is to start fishing the weed bed areas first, because this is the most likely spot to find feeding fish. Take into account the lakes temperature, light intensity, and oxygen content. Next, find where optimal conditions coincide within the weed bed areas. For example, if light intensity is high fish
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the darker drop-off areas and channels; likewise, if the water temperature is too warm in the shallows seek these same areas. Usually, a lakes highest oxygen concentration will be in the weed bed areas because this is where oxygen is produced by photosynthesis. During low light times, fish are safer to venture out into the shallow weed bed areas. Fish this water thoroughly, especially, the shaded spots adjacent to the weed beds. During insect emergent times fish will be drawn to the weed beds to feed; however, at non-emergent times fish migrate to the nearby safety of the channels and drop-offs. Fishing directly over submerged weed beds is perhaps the most preferred location. Select the optimal sinking line which will suspend your fly just about one foot over these weed beds. Weed guards on fly patterns can be helpful. Riparian growths, such as reeds and cattails afford structure that can attract fish. Often, fish hang out just on the edge of these growths. During a damselfly migration the swimming nymphs target these structures for hatching destinations by crawling out of the water onto them to metamorphose. Fish lay in wait to intercept them; also, terrestrial insects’ habitat reeds. A wind breeze may topple into the water a grasshop-
per, ant or a beetle, and fish await these morsels. The transitional waters are the in between places separating a lakes shallows from its depths. The junction areas where the shallows and the depths meet are prime fishing locations. Here, fish migrate to and from each location. Daily movement patterns consist of fish leaving the shallows after the morning feed and again returning to the shallows in the evening. These transitional areas are the fishes commuting routes. Any bottom structures, such as rocks, weeds, or downed trees, enhance transitional waters. Rocky shorelines are similar to weed beds in growing aquatic insects. A rocky point extending out into the lake provides a structure for fish to cruise around foraging for food. Additionally, bait fishes are found in these places and they attract larger predatory fish. Crawfish are common to rocky areas and provide a staple for larger fish. An abrupt rocky shoreline can signify the deepest part of a lake; furthermore, cooler depths affords a likely fish lie during hot weather conditions. Cliffs and deep water can occur together as the shoreline cliff extends out into the lake. Additionally, shadows from the cliff furnish cover and attracts fish. These are good places to fish during the heat of the day because these shaded areas contain water that is cooler. Underwater springs are prominent fishing locations because they are a source of reliable constant temperature and oxygenated water. During both severe hot and cold times fish will seek these springs in aston-
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A pond built in a free stone creek can provide good fishing, yet they are vulnerable, to high run-offs which can wash-out dams draining the pond. This makes freestone creek ponds more likely to vanish; whereas, spring creek ponds are prone to be there for several seasons. The spring creeks advantages of ideal temperatures, stable flows, rich aquatic life, and optimal pH makes them the best fishing ponds. Whenever exploring a remote canyon in beaver country keep an eye out for hidden ponds. I once found several while archery hunting a remote drainage in Utah’s Uintah Mountains. A series of about a dozen ponds provided brook trout weighing up to four pounds and cutthroats to three pounds. The fishing ishing numbers. At these times springs can provide was so fantastic that for several years it was the best tremendous angling. place I knew to take a beginning fisherman. Their first cast would be intercepted by trout competitively swarming the bait from all directions. This fishery Beaver ponds are capable of providing outstanding lasted for six or seven years yet was eventually abandoned by the beavers and soon deteriorated. I tried to fishing. They can unexpectedly appear on stretches repair one of the failing dams but I was astounded at of small canyon streams that are too small to provide the amount of maintenance that they required. Sadly, much of a stable fishery. These dams can furnish my efforts were in vain and this great fishery was lost. prime fish habitat where it didn’t previously exist. Their locations are sometimes remote and secretive. I Beavers select pond sites adjacent to food suphave discovered many of my favorite ponds while out plies such as willow and aspen stands, when hiking in remote canyons where willow or aspen are growing, in the woods hunting grouse or deer. search for beaver chewed trees. Once one is located The best beaver ponds are on sections of a spring creek in remote canyon country. The spring creeks rich nutrients and stable temperatures allows for abundant aquatic plant growths. Correspondingly, the insects and trout flourish. This stable oxygen content and favorable temperature prevents them from winter-killing and extends the fishes growing seasons. A beaver dams’ main problem is that their engineers must maintain these dams. Beavers can be here today and gone tomorrow. Their dams are temporary structures. Although their ponds only need a few seasons to quickly become a quality fishery. The beaver may move on before this happens.
Beaver Ponds
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you can assume there may be ponds nearby. When one pond is found, scout out any tributaries nearby in hope of finding more ponds. I usually find them while I’m out hunting when I’m without rod and reel. This happens frequently enough that I now stash in my hunting equipment a tippet spool and a small box of flies. It only takes a minute or two to cut a willow and rig it with a tippet and fly. Seductively dapple a terrestrial fly in the pond to see if it contains fish. If it tests out to be an interesting fishery, return later with your regular tackle. One advantage of fishing beaver ponds over other lakes is that the fish can be readily caught. Food supplies in beaver ponds are often limited so there is more competition for your fly. Your initial cast may be accosted by several trout with the fastest one being hooked. These trout are usually lightly fished and tend to be naïve foraging type feeders. One down side of good beaver ponds is their remote locations. However, for the serious fly fishermen it’s usually well worth the extra effort to hike to a pond filled with naïve fish. Beaver pond country will sometimes result in a surprise sighting of other wildlife such as elk, deer, bear, grouse, coyote, and squirrels. The wildlife adds to the trip. The easily accessed road side ponds are often discovered early and quickly over fished. The real finds are the unknown remote ones. Fishing techniques become simplified. You can see, touch and feel the entire fishery. Overturning
stream rocks and vegetation provides you with a grocery list of the fishes foods. Walking around the riparian zone informs you about the local terrestrial insects. It only takes a little investigation to quickly deduce which fly may be the most effective. An exact imitation or a general attractor pattern carefully presented will usually bring an immediate response. Dry fly fishing is my preferred choice because the beaver ponds surface film is a prime place where most fish feed. After the surface is covered then I probe the channel depths with a sunken fly. I’ve found leeches, small streamers, nymphs, sculpin, and scud patterns seductively retrieved through the old stream channel to be highly effective. Both slow hand twist and quick strip retrieves are good choices. Fish the ponds deeper waters after you have caught a few on the surface as the frightened fish will seek shelter into these depths. Tackle requirements are modest. This is a place for an ultra light outfit. Two and three weight rods, reels and lines are prime choices for these fisheries. Flies are simple assortments of dries, nymphs, streamers, and terrestrials. A floating line and finely tapered leader completes your tackle. Your boxes should easily fit into a jacket pocket and waders are substituted for hiking shoes. Although in some wet areas ultra light waders may be necessary to allow you complete access to the ponds features.
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Selecting Alpine Lakes When I was young I loved to fish alpine lakes. The scenic perfection of Utah’s High Uintah lakes drew my attention. I learned early that lakes remoteness equated into great fishing; consequently, an arduous hike led to an angling treasure. In the sixties I explored hundreds of back country lakes in search of the perfect Shangri-la. I hoped that
my next trek would lead to a paradise with huge trout and outstanding scenery. My Shangri-la was never found but I did experience some great fly fishing. Then the seventies came and with it an explosion in outdoor recreation. Backpacking became popular and equipment technology boomed; thus, my once
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remote lake basins were filled with backpackers. Soon the fishing demised. It even became difficult to find firewood at some of my old favorite lakes. I lost interest in the high lakes and spent my time fishing the valley waters. Now days an emphasis on catch and release has somewhat restored the fisheries. The pristine surroundings and the strikingly beautiful trout make alpine lake fishing a splendid experience; although, the rules have changed. Remoteness no longer equates to excellent fishing; therefore, it is the least visited lakes that afford the best angling. Search for the overlooked lakes with faint trails leading to them. For example, I found a small isolated lake sitting just a half mile from the major trail which provides excellent angling. This solitary lake is reached by hiking up the main trail for about a mile and then scrambling up an intermittent outlet stream. Its fish are larger and more abundant than the lakes at the main trails end. Great campsites and plentiful firewood are easily found. Alpine lakes are usually glacier cut depressions found in mountainous cirques; subsequently, they collect the ground water and the snow melt. Western alpine lakes usually are sited at high altitudes exceed-
ing 9,000 feet. The summer growing season can be a brief one running from July through mid-September. Because of these elevations winter snows can occur anytime in September. This brief season affords marginal time for fish growth. A lakes isolation safeguards them for maximum fish growth. Some alpine lakes are fruitful while others are not. In general, alpine lakes are less fertile than their valley counterparts. Both aquatic weed growths are marginal and insect density is sparse. This limited environment is not conductive to abundant fish production; nevertheless, choose the lakes that are seldom used for they provide the best fishing. Complications from winter-kill devastate many alpine lakes. Here a combination of thick ice cover and heavy snow cover shield the available sunlight. Plant growth and photosynthesized oxygen is stopped and decomposing aquatic plants uses up the limited oxygen supply. Since the lake is sealed by an ice layer, oxygen from the air is unavailable. Dissolved oxygen levels drop causing the fish to die. Winter-kill occurs most often in lakes which are
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sheltered from the winter winds. It is these lakes that accumulate the most snow pack. In contrast, the wind swept lakes are scoured from heavy snowfall accumulations. Therefore these lakes receive more penetrating light. Light is necessary for plants to produce oxygen. Lakes under the shadow and protection of north slopes receives less wind and more snow pack resulting in a potential winter-kill. Likewise, lakes enjoying a southern exposure receive more sunlight and wind. For example, wintering elk herds collect on the high wind swept areas where the grasses are uncovered. Adjacent areas receive the same snowfall amounts but the winds distribute the snow unequally. Heavy drifts occur alongside the wind swept shallow collections. Avoid the unlucky lakes sited in areas where the deepest snows collect. Some other factors such as the presence of subsurface springs and optimal depths can deter winter-kill. Seasonal snowfall variances affect the lakes subject to winter-kill; likewise, a mild winter will prevent one. When scouting alpine lakes, select the ones that are protected from heavy snow drifts. Choose the southern exposure lakes because they are more likely to receive more sunlight and less snow pack. Alpine lakes are similar to their valley counterparts in that they share the same structural feature,
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but a primary difference is that alpine lakes usually have lower oxygen levels. Furthermore, alpine lakes tend to become more oxygen deficient than the lower altitude lakes. This is especially prevalent in the lakes deepest hypolimnion zones. During late summer trout must migrate away from the depths and concentrate in the shallows where oxygen is produced by aquatic plants. In late season avoid the lakes depths and fish the shallows. In addition fish in high lakes must spend more time foraging for a wide assortment of foods because the insect hatches can be sporadic and meager. Other aquatic foods such as terrestrials, water boatmen, scuds, and leaches are readily ingested. In fact, alpine fish are not as selective as their valley counterparts. The wind plays an important role in fishing lakes. The windward shore is found on the lake side that the wind is blowing from; therefore, terrestrial insects are blown-off their shoreline perches. Look for fish feeding upon ants, beetles, spruce moths, grasshoppers, houseflies, spiders and the like. Moreover, fish terrestrial fly patterns along these windward shorelines. On the opposite side of the lake lies its wave beaten shoreline. Eventually most surface materials will be blown to and collected here as float some in drift lines; likewise, fish will migrate to feed upon this collection of insects. Additionally, the waves will dislodge aquatic insects from weed beds and rock gardens. These insects become readily available to feeding fish. Casting into surf with nymph patterns
can be highly productive. For example, Yellowstone lakes surf collects an abundance of feeding fish that can be spotted in the waves. These concentrated fish can be easily reached with a short cast. I love to visit lakes that I have yet fished. With thousands of lakes to choose from perhaps my lost Shangri-la still exists. Fishing pressure is an essential factor in determining productivity. Since these lakes are small and have
servation by limiting your take to what you can really use. Look for alpine lake basins with an abundance of wildlife. Areas with large elk herds have limited human usage; thus, you may find excellent fishing. An abundance of shy wildlife is a good indicator of a lakes fishing potential. Another method of locating seldom visited lakes is to use a compass to mark on a map a three mile radius scribe line along all access roads and trails. Next, explore the areas outside of the scribe lines. Most human activity occurs within three miles of trails and roads. Let me share with you a treasure of an alpine lake which is remotely sited in Utah’s Boulder Mountains. This little traveled hike is through both a heavy downfallen forest and a huge lava field. The spring pond sits hidden below a caldera. The area shows no signs of mans usage but is frequented by a shy cinnamon black bear. The fishing rivals northern Canada with willing brook trout exceeding four pounds; likewise, a day spent here is like a journey back into pioneer
brief growing seasons, mans use can greatly influence them; consequently, the limited fish population can be decimated by just a few anglers. Always exercise con-
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Stream Characteristic Spring Creeks................................82 Freestone Streams..........................83 Tail Water Streams........................85 A Beginning Point.........................86 Riffles............................................87 Current Seams...............................87 Pocket Water.................................89 Prime Lies.....................................90 Deep Holes...................................90 Resting Lies...................................91 Structure.......................................91 Dead Water...................................91 Curvatures.....................................92 Midstream.....................................93 Foam Lines....................................93 Eddy Lines....................................94 Edge Waters..................................94 Lesser Curvatures..........................94 Strategy.........................................95 Exposure.......................................96
cs
Streams are classified into three basic categories; spring creek, freestone, and tail water streams. Each shares unique features.
Spring Creek
slight. Usually spring creeks are not subject to the high run-offs which erode out the streambed channel. Instead, spring creeks have stable flows and stream bed channels. Rooted aquatic plants favor spring creeks because they are free to grow sheltered from the scouring aftermath of high water flows. This allows plants to grow extensive rooted weed beds providing prime habitat for both aquatic insects and fish. The enhanced surface areas of the leaves and stems support an abundance of hiding places for insects to live and feed. Fish devour these insects. Spring creeks are generally slightly alkaline in nature. This basic pH range favors plant, insect, and fish growth. A spring creeks underground water source filters through carbonates and alkaline elements enriching its water quality.
A spring creek originates from an underground source - a spring. Because of their gentle gradients spring creeks are generally flat and smooth; they are found in valley floors rather than in steep canyons. Spring creeks underground water source produces a constant flow volume, and seasonal variances are
Spring creeks posses stable temperatures. The ground flows arise at a constant year round temperature which is generally between 50-55°F. The spring’s temperature is influenced by its downstream climatic conditions. This is a year round advantage because the energy required to alter the core temperature of a large volume of water is great. For instance, in the
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wintertime a spring creek enjoys warmer temperatures than its surroundings and in the summertime a spring creek savors cooler temperature. Hence a spring creek extended growing season favors fish because they are insulated from severe temperature variances. Much of the year a spring creeks temperature is near the preferred range for fish growth. At times of extreme hot or cold weather, fish seek refuge in the proximity of a spring creeks source. Here the fish are sheltered from winter kill or summer heat die-offs. In short, spring creeks favorable conditions of constant flows, optimal alkalinity, abundant vegetation, and stable temperatures all contribute to enhanced fish production. The only disadvantage I’ve found is that spring creeks are somewhat scarce and the good ones have already been discovered. Their reputations make them popular angler destinations resulting in crowded fishing. Just visit Idaho’s Herriman Park during its green drake hatch and you will be amazed at its popularity. Some spring creeks require reservations.
Freestone Streams A Freestone streams’ water source is either snow melt or rainfall, relying upon precipitation for their flow volume. Freestones generally have steep gradients characterized by areas of rapid and fast currents. They are usually sited in canyon areas. Freestone streams volume crests in early summer while its flows diminish in the fall and winter. The stark contrast between late spring time and winter flows can be surprising. A once production summer side-channel may be bone dry in the winter. Spring time flows may be high and muddy yet run low and clear the rest of the season. High flows commonly scour stream channels. Rooted aquatic plants have
difficulty surviving the seasonal heavy flows. Stream channels can change from one year to the next. Although some scouring may be beneficial by washing away excess silt accumulated in the rocky, gravelly riffled sections. Freestones are distinguished by few rooted aquatic plants and by an abundance of gravel and rocks.
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A freestone stream is more readily influenced by the ambient air temperature, resulting in wide fluctuations. Winter cold can run close to freezing while summer heat can exceed 70°F. This wide variation shortens a fishes growing season which occurs when the water temperature is between 55–65°F. The lowered winter and late summer diminished water volume is more easily influenced by ambient temperature changes. Conditions of bottom ice along with an ice lid surface can induce winter kill of both insects and fish. Likewise, summer die-offs occur due to excessively warm waters which forfeits its ability to hold sufficient oxygen. Aquatic insects require plants to exist. Riffles support sheltered areas for limited plant growth.Aquatic insects live and feed in the riffled areas where the enhanced surface areas between the rocks support plant habitat. Hence, the riffles provide the freestone stream with it’s abundance of aquatic insects for the fish to forage. A freestone streams pH is usually slightly acidic. In times of excess acid plants, insects, and fish may perish. The snow pack at a streams source can accumulate acidic precipitation. This is concentrated into the bottom layer of snow. As this bottom layer melts, the sudden release of acid can be devastating to its downstream environment.
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The productive freestone streams are restricted to ideal altitudes and latitudes where seasonal temperatures are favorable for aquatic life. As a general rule the freestone streams growing season is much shorter than a spring creeks, because freestones are more prone to wide temperature fluctuations. In summary, freestones are subject to times of plenty and to times of drought. They are not as rich in food resources as spring creeks. Their grace is that freestones are wider, longer and more numerous than spring creeks. Nonetheless freestones are less crowded than spring creeks. Since freestones have fewer
fish than a spring creek, an angler must cover more water in search of fish.
Tail Water Streams Tail water streams are found below dams and their water source flows from the reservoir. The outlet comes from controlled head gates which, releases water out from the bottom of the dam; as a result, the most dense and coldest water is released. It is typically around 39-40°F. However at flood times water can be released over the dams’ safety spillway. This water is derived from the top layer of the reservoir, and contains the warmest least dense water. Occasionally a reservoir is designed to purposely release water from any of its depths. For example, Utah’s Flaming Gorge regulates its outlet flows by adjustable baffles set to expel more favorably temperatured water. Its outlet, the Green River, is optimally controlled to provide water temperatures most suited for aquatic life. The Green River is more like a large spring creek in that its flow is optimal for fish growth. This good fortune has made it a highly productive fishery; although, most other tail waters are not so lucky. The basic problem of most tail waters is that below their dams they are just too cold for optimal fish
growth. Conditions can become more favorable the further downstream you travel from the dams head gates. The ambient temperature has warmed the chilly flows. Dams are built for three general proposes: hydropower productions, irrigation and culinary storage, and flood control. Each of these dams has unique features. Hydropower dams can be subject to daily variances in outlet flows. At peak electricity use times more flow is released to generate power. This causes both a sudden temperature variation and flow alteration which can frustrate fishermen. Irrigation dams are characterized by peak seasonal flows during the agriculture growing season and diminished flows during storage times. This results in prominent summer flows with diminished winter flows; summer channels may be left high and dry in the winter. These wide fluctuations supports marginal fish habitat. Perhaps the dams built for flood control may be better suited for fish because they provide stable year round flows. During the winter months water is released to make room for anticipated springtime flood storage capacity. This stable flow furnishes more fish habitat. The big plus in tail waters is that they have
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created trout habitat where it didn’t previously exist. Some of the better tail waters can simulate spring creeks. They have ideal flow volumes and stable temperatures. They are sheltered from high water erosion and they can cultivate rooted aquatic plants. These tail waters enjoy an abundance of plants, insects, and fish. The problem with tail waters is that not all are created equally, and only some support great habitat. When I fish a freestone stream I can cover miles of it in a single day making it a long walk back to the truck. On the other hand, I usually fish a much shorter stretch of a spring creek. The fly patterns, sizes, line weights, tippets and rod actions vary somewhat for each stream type.
A Beginning Point A beginning fisherman can learn much about fish
habitat by fishing a small stream. First, select a stream with an abundance of naive fish; next, fish 100% of the stream. Take note of the places that hold fish
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and the places that do not. Now days, it’s difficult to find such a stream. You may have to find one out in the backwoods. When I started in the 1960’s, such streams were somewhat abundant. I vividly recall fishing Utah’s Wild Strawberry River which entailed descending a road less canyon inhabited by mule deer, black bear and an occasional rattlesnake. This stream has well defined holes, riffles, undercut banks, and pocket waters, and it was full of willing trout. I simply fished all this stream and I soon had an idea of where it’s best fish would be found. Try to find such a stream in your area and spend some time fishing it. Then use what you have learned on larger streams. The following is a discussion of stream characteristics, riffles, and current seams, prime lies, resting lies, feeding lies, deep holes and dead waters will be described in an effort to help you identify them.
Riffles Riffles are places where the current picks up speed as it runs a relatively straight course over a gravelly or rocky bed. In freestone streams this rocky bed provides the most habitats for aquatic food production. The surface area created by the irregular contoured bottom provides many places for aquatic plants to
grow. It is the basketball and smaller sized rocks that provide the optimal number of places for plants. In turn, these plants generate the food chain for aquatic insects and other animals. The rocks cushion the current flow and makes places where fish can hold without fighting the current. Since the bulk of the food supply is in a riffle, fish like to hold as close to it as possible without having to expend excessive energy staying there. As a result fish seek the cushioned areas inside or adjacent to riffles.
Current Seams My favorite riffle lies are the current seams created by junctures of fast and slow flows. Here the fish enjoy the best of both worlds, a cushion lie with food drifting and depositing at its front door. Fish can rest in these seams and dart out in to the adjacent riffle to capture prey and return back to rest in the seam. Current seams are formed by the nature of current flow. Usually the middle of a riffle contains the fastest flow
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with its edges having slower flows due to friction with the bank and the stream bed obstacles. A stream channel’s curvature redirects its heaviest flow away from the remainder of the stream creating current seams. In addition, a riffles surface reflects its stream bed contours; furthermore, riffles vary widely in both depth and speed resulting in multitude areas of current seams which provides desired fish habitat. A riffles broken surface affords an overhead canopy which obstructs the vision of birds of prey. In this way riffles create protective cover. The current velocity increases as its stream bed narrow; likewise, wide riffles have slower velocities. A riffles depth and speed plays a role in its fish holding capability. Some are just too fast and deep
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for fish to hold in; therefore, look for the moderate and slower riffles to hold fish. Just above or below a basketball sized rock creates a cushion lie just right for fish. The fastest current is at its surface and it progressively slows down as it reaches its stream bed. The bottom obstructions further decreases the current speed making favorable conditions for aquatic life. At times when insects are hatching fish migrate to these riffle areas to actively feed. Prior to hatching on the surface, emerging insects are active and exposed next to the stream bed. Sunlight affects fish activities. A bright overhead sun can illuminate a riffle enough so that birds of prey can spot and sweep down upon fish. This alarms the fish and they avoid these shallows during bright light
Pocket Water Pocket waters are mini-resting lies located in the midst of water unsuitable to hold fish. Search for pockets in the middle of a fast riffle or in slow shallows; likewise, a snag caked with vegetation can provide protective cover even in the shallows. A large rock in the midst of fast water cushions its flow creating a small holding lie. These areas can hold a few fish. conditions. During low light periods fish migrate back to these shallow areas to feed in safety. My favorite conditions are overcast days in which fish feel safe and stay in the shallow riffles feeding throughout the day. Fall, winter, and spring sunlight is at a lowered angle and doesn’t illuminate the water as well as a high angled summer sun. This causes fish to hold longer in the riffles during the off season. A spring creeks feeding lies can be just about anywhere that there is an abundance of rooted aquatic plants. Perhaps the best lies are submerged plants for they produce an abundance of insects. Plants act like rocks in a freestone’s riffle by cushioning the currents flow. Rarely will you encounter extensive weed beds in waters too swift for fish to hold. Look for weed beds and fish will be close by especially during an insect hatch.
Pocket holding fish are opportunistic feeders and they must make immediate feeding decisions. A wide variety of fly patterns tied in larger sizes can be effective. Attractor patterns are also effective.
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I enjoy fishing pocket water because the first cast is the most effective one. Drift boat fishing puts you into a multitude of pocket lies where fast, accurate casts produce fish. Water temperatures play a vital role in finding fish. Swift, cold flows are just too energy consuming for fish to hold in riffles. At times of more favorable temperatures fish spread throughout a riffle to forage.
Prime Lies Prime lies provide fish the best habitat by providing protection, food, and rest. Prime lies become homes for the largest and the most dominant fish. This habitat is typically created by an undercut bank
with overhanging vegetation downstream from a food producing riffle. The overhead canopy shelters the fish from predation and the currents friction against the undercut bank and bottom rubble provides a cushion of relief out of the streams force. A current seam is created inside this lie where riffle food is deposited.
Deep Holes
Deep holes are usually resting lies but some can also be considered prime lies. A resting lie awards
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protection from both predation and current force. A deep holes depth provides protection from predation and the current. Although many deep holes may lack an abundant food supply such as a riffle can provide; although, drifting food may still be deposited. Many times deep holes become daytime hiding places, at low light fish migrate to feed in the riffles. Tail outs of deep holes may contain a riffled area. Deeper holes directly downstream from shallow riffles can also become prime lies because emerging insects are delivered directly into these holes. An alarmed fish can quickly return to the depths of the hole for protection.
Resting Lies Resting lies are cushioned places where fish can rest from the currents flows. Additional protective cover such as overhead vegetation or an increase in depth makes them more attractive for fish. Resting lies can lack a ready food supply and are usually distant from riffles. Fish seek resting spots during non hatching and brightly lit conditions. Fish readily migrate out of resting lies during a hatch and subdued light. Since food can be scarce in resting lies, the fish may become opportunistic feeders. An attractor fly can be productive when fished in rest stops.
Structure Structure is anything that furnishes holding cover. Logs and fallen trees enhance an area by providing cover. Structures cause current cushions and hiding
Dead Water Dead water refers to wide expanses of shallow muddy stream bed areas that are void of rooted plants. This habitat lacks the food production ability of a riffle. Heavily silted streams commonly harbor large areas of dead water. This is why watershed deterioration is so devastating to a stream. The silt deposits inside the riffles and destroys their insect producing capacities. Dead waters also lack protective cover and are dangerous places for fish to hold. Most of the time dead waters lack fish. Occasionally wind blown insects may collect in these areas. Fish can migrate to them to feed upon accumulated dead or crippled insects. Although fish are overly alert and can be dif-
places. A fallen tree can create a lie where astonishing numbers of fish can use it. Structure may include a wide variety of objects such as roots, plants, rocks, fallen trees, and even abandoned car bodies. I once caught a huge brown trout that lived in the backseat of a submerged Buick. I think that even a bigger one lived in the trunk.
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and deep runs are present along with undercut stream banks. These quickly become favored fish holding places. The inside or lesser curvature induces deposition of items carried by the currents. Here away from the main flow, food items settle. In addition, drifting insects are concentrated. Current seams are found as junctures between swift and slow flows; furthermore, these seams can become favored lies that continually hold fish. Seams occur at both the great and the lesser stream curvatures. Seams are created by the shearing between fast currents and slower currents. ficult to approach. During large hatches of small mayflies and heavy spinner falls, the wind can accumulate these insects into dead waters.
Curvatures Stream bed curvatures give origin to different types of fish holding places to form. The outside bends or greater curvatures receive the currents scouring actions. High flows cause a deepening of the riverbed channel. During low water conditions holes Islands generate additional current seams. Fish prefer the islands seams because of a bonus of terrestrial insects coming from the islands vegetation. An islands placement provides a sort of a wing foil with different current speeds on each side. The current seams occur on both upstream sides, along side, and downstream. The islands vegetation enhances its bank side cover. Stream braiding further enhances both the number of current seams and the bank side cover.
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The placement of an upstream riffle generates an open refrigerator door with insect emergence settling down back to the island. My favorite streams have lots of islands and channels because these structures enhance the number of fish producing lies. A single island produces at least four different current seams along with two of them further enhanced by bank side cover and undercut banks. Even small islands with limited cover enhance the streams habitat. Here, mini current shears, channels and undercutting provides pocket water lies. Don’t overlook small side channels in a large river system. A pre-requisite for productive habitat is a prior history of stable flows. It takes some time for fish to relocate and if the minor channel has been recently de-watered.
Midstream Fish may migrate to midstream areas when temperatures are high and oxygen content is low. Here the mid streams faster riffles and white waters mixes
oxygen into the water. Consequently, pockets and holding areas amidst the white water can attract fish.
Foam Lines Foam lines are the surface accumulations of floating matter. Here stillborn, emerging and drowned terrestrial insects are collected. The foam traps the insect and holds them in place. The surface tension along
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with the foam holds the insects. The foam creates an overhead canopy that protects the fish from bird predation. Also this canopy shades the sunlight; as a result, there are usually fish underneath a foam line.
Eddy Lines Eddy lines peel off from the rivers bends, points, and island heads; they provide comfortable lies for fish to hold. Their broken surfaces conceal feeding fish. Eddy’s are protected lies away from the currents scouring effects, as a result, rooted aquatic plants are
able to grow and enhance the quality of insect life. Eddy’s provide both food and shelter for fish .
Edge Waters Usually the shallows edge waters with little cover appear to be devoid of fish. These areas can become feeding lies because hatched insects tend to collect
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in these slack currents. Here the stillborn and spent spinners concentrate; as a result, these insects can be easily caught by foraging fish. Although fish in edge water areas are watchful for predators, they are only found here when the food supply is ample. An errant cast or a noisy approach can cause these fish to streak for cover. A hooked trout here can panic and its first run is exciting. Look for edge water fish during times of abundant insect emergence. Both the winter midge hatches and the late summer small mayfly activities make edge waters good feeding lies.
Lesser Curvatures The slower and shallower inside flows of a river
bend can be productive habitat. Weed beds can flourish here providing both shelter and insects; further-
Strategy
more, at times of abundant hatches, fish can prefer these locations. In big tail water streams, inside bends provide an immense area of productive water. Huge schools of fish can seek out these areas. Fish feeding in inside bends can become highly selective. They see a limited assortment of food varieties and become accustomed to feeding upon what is hatching. In these calm waters fish can scrutinize the size, shape, color and action of their feed; therefore, your fly must be properly matched and presented. Another problem of inside bends is that the miniturbulences caused by waving weed beds complicate a drag free presentation. Here use a careful presentation with a highly flexible leader tippet. Fish can hold in these lies during non hatch periods. At these times fish tend to school tighter together in the deeper part of the streams inside bend.
Once a beginning fly fisherman has experienced these various lies on a small stream he (she) is ready to fish the larger streams. Fish the larger stream as a group of small streams adjacent to each other. Locate the many feeding, resting, and prime lies and fish them just like you did on the small stream. For example, Montana’s Madison River can be intimidating to a novice. Ignore its heavy flows and focus on the bank side waters first twenty feet. Fish this just like your small stream. Look for current seams because these are prime lies that seem to always collect good fish. Take into account the light intensity, temperature, and insect activity and you will discover the best water to fish. A large spring creek such as Idaho’s Henry’s Fork can be perplexing. Again, divide it up into small stream segments and look for the resting, feeding and prime lies. Huge coastal rivers such as Oregon’s Rogue River can be puzzling with so much heavy flows and deep currents that are nearly impossible to penetrate. Remember its anadromous fish must migrate upstream through this rivers maze of rapids. Its salmon and steelhead have hundreds of miles to migrate and must choose the easiest flows to navigate through. This means the fish are swimming upstream through the rivers depths from knee to chest deep and its current velocity is about as fast as you can walk. Eliminate all of the other water and concentrate your efforts on
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these fish migration paths. Again take into account the other factors which can influence fish activities. Look for resting lies and migratory highways. Spend your time fishing these areas.
Stream Exposure Pocket Water
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Prime Lies
Current Seams
Structure
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Edge Waters
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Resting Lies
Eddies
Curvatures
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Hooking & Fighting Set............................. 102 Drag........................... 102 Fighting..................... 103
Set The hook must penetrate the oral cavity of the fish before it can be reeled in. The hook is set by tightening up on the fish--this means reeling in the slack line and smoothly but sharply sweeping the rod either upwards or sideways. Enough force must be generated to have the hook point penetrate into fish tissue. Many factors influence the hook set. First, the hook’s point must be inside the fish’s jaws. If the fish is nibbling at a piece of the bait outside the hook, setting the hook will pull the hook away from the fish. This means you must wait until the hook is inside the fish’s mouth. With larger fish, this isn’t a problem, but the smaller fish seem to nibble around the bait’s loose ends. So wait until the line moves or until the fish swims off with the bait. Then tighten up and sweep the rod to cause enough pressure for the point to penetrate. When bait fishing with circle hooks, you don’t need to even set the hook. You simply wait for the fish to swim off and gradually increase tension by slowly reeling and then speeding up the retrieve. The hook will be pulled into the corner of the fish’s jaw. This is the ideal hooking place because
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the jaw bone tissue is strong and the hook is set into a secure place where you have the best chance of landing the fish. Also the hook does little or no damage there and the fish can be safely released. So circle hooks are the best ones to use when bait fishing. When using artificial lures, the lure will be rejected as soon as the fish discovers that it is a fake. Most fish suck in the lure and they can expel it nearly as easily. The vacuum action of the gills flaring draws in the lure and the water around it. When I’m fishing artificial bait, I set the hook immediately and firmly by sweeping the rod in an upward or sideward motion. The sweep is a smoothly accelerated motion and at its end I pull with increased tension.
Drag Right now is the time to discuss proper drag tension. What I want is a flawlessly smooth drag on all my reels. I set it to about 25% of the breaking strength of the line. That is two pounds of pull on an eight pound test line, one pound of pull or less on a four pound line. The drag’s smooth release prevents any undue sudden stresses that may break a line or tear out the hook from the fish’s mouth. Always take the time to properly adjust the drag. The sign of a quality drag is that the rod doesn’t jerk up and down as the fish takes out line.
Fighting Once the fish is hooked, I allow smooth even pressure throughout the fight. Danger times are when the fish leaps and when it runs towards you, causing a slack line condition. I bow to the leaper and crank as fast as I can when they head towards me. Most of the time when I am fighting a fish, I hold my rod sideways with nearly a full flex of my rod; this sideways pressure constantly turns the fish’s head and it must always expend energy to stay upright. About the only time I pull the rod straight up is when the bottom is full of weeds or other structure and I don’t want the fish to plow into this structure. I pump the rod and reel in towards me, carefully reeling in the slack as I return the rod tip towards the fish. The key is to learn how to pump in the fish and reel in the slack line all in one fluid constant motion. You don’t want to make any sudden pressures. Never let the fish rest. Pull him so his head is constantly pulled towards you. One of my friends was a top wrestler. He told me he won his matches by wearing out his opponent. He constantly made them work. This work burns calories and tires one out. This same principle applies to fighting fish. Always pressure the fish.
A hot fish may make a series of leaps and runs. That’s what makes fishing fun. Try to smoothly stay with the fish. The fish is ready to be landed when you can safely beach him. Once he turns on his side, he is ready, although you can expect a few late runs away from the beach as you draw a large fish in. Again, make all of your pressure on the fishing line smooth and constant. Don’t give a fish any slack line because it may exert a sudden force when the slack is gone that can pull out the hook or break the line. I rarely use a landing net. Once the fish is on its side, pull it in so the fish’s tail has a little water to propel it again. With this method you will land fish in half the time it takes others. The fish can be released in a healthy condition without excessive build up of muscle lactic acid. Simply, you will land more fish.
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Bait Fishing Responsible Bait Fishing...............106 Crawdads.....................................107 Night Crawlers & Garden Worms...........................108 Lakes............................................108 Streams........................................111 Minnows......................................113 Nymphs.......................................114 Grasshoppers & Crickets..............115 Shrimp.........................................117 Roe..............................................118
Responsible Bait Fishing I believe that catch and release can be practiced using bait fishing. Fish can be safely released by using reasonable care. I’ve discovered that barb-less and micro-barbed, thin wire hooks catch far more fish than standard barbed hooks. Simply, their smaller profile and sharp point sinks readily into the fish’s oral cavity. I also use the smallest hook that will hold the bait. Rarely do I use treble hooks. The single barb-less hook is the way to go. A swallowed hook is not a fatality. Clip the leader off short and avoid pulling on the hook. Leave it in place and Mother Nature will work it free. Also, steel hooks rust out quickly, especially thin, light wired ones. Use the same forceps a fly fisherman uses. Clamp down on the shaft right behind the hook’s eye and back out the barb-less hook. Play out a fish as quickly as you can. Avoid tiring the fish because in a long battle, the fish may build up lactic acid in its system and this is detrimental to its survival. Handle the fish carefully. Don’t squeeze or damage its gills with your fingers. Tip the fish upside down because this disorients the fish and reduces its struggles. Open its mouth and quickly remove the hook. It’s best to handle the fish while it’s in the water so oxygenated water is running through its gills. Only lift it out of the water for a quick photo if necessary. But I believe that fish photos look better when the fish is in its watery environment. So I lay the fish on its side in the water for most of my photos. I use a polarized filter on my camera that cuts the water’s surface glare. All of the natural
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coloration is then in place. If a fish appears stressed, give it artificial fish respiration by holding it upright with its mouth open and allow water to run through its gill plates. A back and forth agitation of the fish allows more water to run over its gills. Gills are the fish’s lungs; that is where water is taken up and carbon dioxide is released. Once the fish is lively, allow it to swim back into a safe place in its environment. Be attentive when bait fishing. Set the hook quickly during the bite; don’t give the fish time to swallow the bait. This helps reduce gut hooking. Obey the fish and game regulations. Keep only the fish that you will immediately consume. Limit your kill, or practice catch and release all together. It’s unfortunate that some fly fisherman can be elitist snobs. They may look down on you upon seeing your can of worms. This is like a scene out of the movie “A River Runs Through It.” Be patient with
those snobs and practice angler etiquette at all times. The golden rule really works. I’ve been an avid fly fisherman for more years than I can admit. But I still recall my youth when I was a bait fisherman. I learned more from bait fishing than most snobs could believe. I love the early spin tackle lures, hooks, and bait containers. Recently I’ve returned to my roots. I love to take my grand kids bait fishing.
Crawdads I prefer to catch my crawdads fresh from the body of water that I’m fishing. To catch a bunch, make up five or six heavy mono lines and tie a piece of bacon on the end of each one. Throw each one out and let it settle on the bottom for a few minutes. Of course tie the free end onto a stick on the shore. Rotate by slowly retrieving each bacon strip, and net the craw dads instead of lifting them free of the water. Weight the bacon strip on the mono so it will stay on the bottom. Store them for the day in a container with one-half to one inch of water.
My preference is the smaller crawdads, the females with small claws. They seem to be taken more than the large ones. One and one-half inch size is ideal. I hook these with a size 1 sharp Gamakatsu hook. I start by running the hook point through their nose and deep into the spine area and out the top of the thorax shell. Hooked this way, they stay alive and active. I prefer a heavy abrasion resistant leader, preferably
fluorocarbon. As an alternate mono I like maxima ultra green. I use no weight and cast it out and let it settle down on its own. I let it sit for 30 seconds plus, and then pull gently with about a foot raise in the rod tip. I then continue this slow pull-and-stop retrieve. I wait until the fish runs, then I set the hook. Nearly all my fish are lip hooked; rarely do I gut hook a fish. This allows for a safe catch and release. I seem to do best over rocky areas; crawdads live in the rocks and this is a good place to find a game fish that is foraging upon crawdads. However, these brush piles and heavy weed beds frustrate me with high numbers of snags. Once I pull upwards and it feels like it’s starting to snag, I drop the rod tip, hoping that the crawdad will free himself by crawling out of the snag. Many times this elicits an immediate strike. The crawdad is displaced, either on its side or upside down. It struggles to right itself. It is an easy catch for a fish. Once the snag is freed, you’re most likely to have a strike. The problem with fishing this way is that you get a lot of snags. That’s why I use a 30# FireLine with a 30- inch, heavy, 20# fluorocarbon leader. With this setup I can usually pull out most snags. The hook’s sharpness must be tested after each snag. And of course you lose your crawfish. But it’s easy to re tie a single bait hook. I use spinning tackle with a medium-light 6 1/2’ or 7’ rod. The 30# Fire-Line is very thin and easy to cast with a spinning reel.
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It seems like every large fish living in your lake enjoys eating small crawfish. Largemouth and smallmouth bass, big panfish, walleye, and all species of trout love to eat crawdads. A crawdad to them is like an invite to the Red Lobster.
Night Crawlers and Garden Worms Perhaps worm fishing is the most effective fishing method. It works wherever there are worms. They can be found along the shoreline or inside your garden. Nearly all sporting goods retailers sell them packaged.
Lakes I love to fish worms on a single barb-less hook without any weight. I hook a lively worm Texas style in the head with the point buried so it’s both weed-less and snag-less. I use a light line with 4# which is ideal and cast it with a long UL rod. I allow the worm to struggle as it sinks. When it on the bottom I retrieve it in a stop-and-go manner. I pull it up with the rod tip and stop. My pulls are from six inches to two or three
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feet. I drop the rod tip back down again. This is the most effective bait fishing method I’ve ever encountered; with it I have taken huge trout and bass. This method attracts fish in many ways. The wiggling, sinking worm after the cast attracts fish in two ways. The light splashdown causes the fish to look over, and when the worm wriggles as it sinks, it’s just too much for a foraging fish to resist. If this doesn’t work, the worm is now wriggling as the stop-and-go retrieve passes closely over the bottom. Such bottom movement causes strikes. So if there are fish foraging, this method is deadly for them. I watch the line for any unnatural twitches or movements, especially on the fall. I quickly set the hook lightly when the line pulls. If I miss, I drop the rod top back down to see if the fish returns. Sometimes a whole night crawler or worm is a big offering and the fish takes only part of it and then returns. The hook portion of the bait must be in the fish’s mouth. Sometimes I break a large night crawler into two pieces. I hook the unbroken end and let the broken end trail scent. My favorite set up is a steelhead noodle rod which is 9 foot in ultra light action. It can cast a light worm quite a distance with a #4 test monofilament. Its length allows for great stop-and-go action. But I’ve also used 6 ½’ to 7’ rods with success.
My next favorite still water worm set up was my favorite back in the early 1960’s. I have never seen anyone today using it, but now I believe it works better today than it did back then. I fill a cast-a-bubble full of water. I slip my line through it and I’ve placed a bead and tied on a small barrel swivel. Next I use a 3’ or 4’ leader and a single, barb-less, light wire hook. The garden worm or half night crawler is hooked Texas style by its head so that it travels weed-less on the retrieve. The slip bobber
allows you to freely feel any light bites. I cast it out and count down its slow sink to the bottom. The cast-a-bubble is slightly denser than water, so it is a slow sinker. Although the water-filled cast-a-bubble is heavy and casts far, it makes a big splash which is like a surface-feeding game fish. Its slow descent allows the worm to flutter and wiggle. Once it is on the bottom, I let it set for about 30 seconds and pull it with the rod about three feet. I can pull it either upright or sideways. The upright lift pulls the bait upwards, whereas the sideways pull keeps the worm at the same level. Once I pull, I let it settle back down again on a light pressure-taut line. I can feel the slightest bite with this rig. When I’m hit, I’ll point the rod tip towards the fish and wait till the line runs, then set the hook. I set the hook lightly at first for the fish may not have the hook portion of the worm in its mouth. I drop the rod back down and look for a
follow-up strike if I miss the first one. These methods swim the worm in a stop-and-go motion all along the bottom. The water-filled bobber allows for the retrieve to suspend just over the bottom. The trailing worm is stretched out and wiggles throughout the retrieve. The natural worm scent trailing is effective. If you fish with delicate pulls, snags are somewhat uncommon. Use a lighter test leader so you don’t lose the cast-abubble. The big advantage is that you cover a lot of water with this method. You don’t have to wait for a fish to come along. You take the worm to the fish. Again, the splash down, initial sink, and stop-and-go retrieve is highly effective. When fishing with youngsters, you will find that they love bobber fishing. It gives them a visual object that’s easy to see. The bobber goes sideways or under when there is a strike. Another advantage is that the worm is suspended when you want it. For surface feeders, I like about three feet of distance between bobber and worm. For bottom feeders, I want the worm to be a foot or two above the bottom. Here a
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slip bobber can be used with the bobber stop set for this ideal depth. You cast it out and the worm will sink to just above the bottom and the stop on the line keeps the worm suspended. Here foraging fish can easily find your bait. I prefer to set the hook as soon as the bobber travels sideways. This means the fish has taken it and is swimming away. Sometimes the bobber just bobs slightly and usually this means the fish is nibbling on a piece of the worm and it’s most likely not the piece with your hook. Threading the worm along the line places the hook at the worm’s end. Then a fast strike may cause the hook to slide into its mouth. I thread the worm when the strikes are finicky ones. My first strike is a light one in which I am feeling to see if there is a fish on. I next strike harder to safely embed the hook. Light wire, sharp, barb-less hooks stick the point even during light strikes. This is an advantage and I’m convinced that I hook far more fish with barb-less hooks than barbed ones. Plus the catch and release is simple with the barb-less hook. No need to pull and twist which can cause trauma to the fish’s oral cavity. Worms fished right on the bottom catch fish, but not as many because they can be hidden inside the weed beds. It’s best to suspend them above these weeds. This was accomplished back in the 1950’s by
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adding a miniature marshmallow. This adds color and a sweet taste. Yes, fish have a sweet tooth. Another way is to inject air into the worm so it floats. The floating worm is effective. Slip sinkers are preferred over fixed sinkers. These allow for enhanced feel of the strike. If the fish must drag a ½ ounce weight first, it may reject it without you feeling the strike. Oval sinkers with a center hole are effective. Run your line through; attach a bead; and tie on a small, barrel swivel. Tie the leader with the hook to the other end of the swivel. This can be stop-and-go retrieved, but the heavy sinker doesn’t suspend like a cast-a-bubble to the sinker. Hooking a night crawler or a drop shot rig is also effective. Here a dropper is several feet away from the sinker which is on the bottom. It can be retrieved and swam just over the bottom. I use a split-shot sinker
which can pull free in a snag. Lead-free sinkers are safer for the environment and should be substituted for the lead. Threading worms evenly along the line not only keeps them in place, but makes a larger silhouette which the fish can easily spot. During the retrieve, the crawler moves like a leech. Many times it’s mistaken for a leech. Worm threaders are useful but one worm can be arduous to thread. Night crawler and garden worms are effective baits that work nearly everywhere all during the season. I’ve caught small bluegills to giant steelhead on worms. My biggest largemouth bass was taken on the first worm method presented. Worm fishing is a great way to introduce fishing to youngsters.
Streams Aquatic worms are present in most streams. These are usually small and thin so there is a need for fishing small, red worms. Finally, rainstorms wash worms into the water. Fish especially enjoy eating worms after a rainstorm. Flooding washes additional worms into the streams. As the waters recede, worm fishing can be effective. The inlet area of a lake can be another favorite spot for a worm. Since worms cannot swim, they helplessly drift along close to the stream’s bottom, although they stretch out and wiggle. The best way to fish a worm in streams is to provide a natural drift for your bait. This means optimally weighting the worm so it drifts freely with the current
close to the bottom. I like to fish a drop shot rig with a short dropper about a foot or two above the weight. For weight, I use removable split shot. I use my forceps to quickly place a shot or remove one. I want just the right amount of weight so my worm is drifting at the same speed as the bottom current. A general rule is to have the worm drifting about one half the speed of the surface current. The surface currents are always faster than the bottom current. This is due to friction from the bottom structure. I use removable shot and change it so my drift is at the ideal speed. The sinker bounces along the top of the rocks, and since the hook is on a dropper with little resistance between you and the bait, you can easily detect a strike. The line twitches and stops. As you pull up you can feel both the weight and the throb of the fish. Strike hard to set the hook. A visible line is a plus because it allows you to follow its downstream drift. I use a leader surgeon-knotted to the line. Next I tie another surgeon knot with one end tied long as a
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dropper. A figure eight knot is placed at the end of the leader. This serves as a stopper so the shot won’t accidently slide free. If the shot is snagged, sometimes a hard pull will slip the line through the slot and prevent you from breaking off the hook and leader. Removable non-lead shot is best for the environment. The same forceps used to release fish work at placing and removing shot. Keep the forceps and shot box handy. Take the time to adjust the weight so you can effectively fish each hole. I started worm fishing by placing the hook at the leader or line’s end, and I would place the shot about one foot above. This is still effective but the pinched shot weakens the leader or line. If it snags, you lose the hook. You have more procedures to re tie and pinch shot back on. Plus the worm travels deeper than I want it to and is not as readily visible to the fish. The hook also hangs up more frequently and I think that I get twice as many snags with this set up as compared to the first set up. Plus you have more items to re-rig. This is why I now prefer the first method. Free drifting a worm with no weight works the best in shallow streams and in slow streams, freely allowing the worm and hook to drift. Give it just enough slack so it has a natural drift. Again, a natural drift is the same one as a free drifting worm would take. Placing a fresh, lively worm that wiggles as it goes is a great attraction for fish. I like to use light wire barb-less hooks and rig the worm in two places. The first is through the head and the second place is in the middle of the worm. That is where the hook is embedded, although I sometimes think that a threaded worm is best, but this is difficult to do on a lively worm and the worm soon dies. But the threaded worm is stretched out as it drifts and
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looks natural and is difficult to lose. Bobber fishing a stream is gaining popularity. Simply place the bobber so the worm is drifting about a foot over the fish’s location. Relatively little weight is needed. A smallerthan-you-think split shot will sink the worm on a bobber rig. You can also use a small jig head hook 1/32, 1/16, to 1/8 oz and hook the worm to it. Fish this bobber rig so it presents the bait to all the locations that may have a fish. This is best for snag-filled streams. It allows your gear to drift just above the snags, plus the bobber is a great strike indicator. Set the hook when the bobber stops or moves sideways. In this case a sharp, thin wired, barb-less hook will be imbedded into the fish’s jaw from the pull of the bobber. All you have to do is tighten up to be solidly hooked another reason for choosing barb-less hooks.
Minnows Most of the states that I fish in have a restriction against using live minnows to fish with. This prevents rough fish from being transplanted. Also you cannot use game fish minnows for bait. It’s best if you catch the minnows from the water that you’re going to fish. Cast nets and minnows traps are useful tools. A minnow net or window screen can be used. My favorite rig is an ultra light spin rod with light line. I hook the minnow between the eyes and cast it out as far as the weightless tackle will allow. I like to have the minnow sink slowly. As it sinks, I give it a few short twitches. I want it to look like a crippled minnow that’s an easy catch. Once it settles to the bottom, I lift it up and make about a four foot retrieve and lower the rod to allow it to sink. This erratic up-anddown, stop-and-go retrieve mimics a sick minnow. This method is the best one I’ve found. Sometimes, if my minnow supply is plentiful, I will fish two minnows. They are both impaled through their eyes but one is upside down. This way a flashy side is always visible as it sinks and struggles upwards on the retrieve.
It works because the technique imitates a crippled minnow which was collected from the water that I fished. It is a natural, native bait fish. When you are fishing for chinook salmon in the Pacific Northwest, sardines are great baits. Up and along the coast they are sold in sporting good stores and even in some of the grocery stores. I rig them with an end loop and a sliding nail knotted octopus style hook. A threader places the loop into the fish’s mouth and out in front of its tail. This loop is now attached to a sharp treble hook. Next, slide the nail knotted hook and place it vertically under the jaw and up through the skull. Slide this hook down so the bait is curved like flatfish. This cupping form allows the fish to wobble in the current.
This rig is fished directly downstream from an anchored boat. A leader spreader with another loop about three to four feet long is where the sinker is attached. A bank sinker is used. The minnow and its leader is about five feet long and directly trails the three way spreader. This rig is not cast but walked back down from the boat by lifting the sinker and letting out line
I usually fish shiners, thread fin shad, sculpin, and other closely related minnow species. With them I’ve taken channel catfish, oversized perch, walleye, northern pike, bass (large and small mouth), panfish (bluegills and white bass), and all of the trout species.
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as it sinks back downstream. Walk it downstream about 60 feet behind the boat. You need enough weight so the sinker holds on the bottom at that position. Now place the rod in a secure rod holder. The current causes the sardine to wobble back and forth. You don’t want it to spin but to wobble back and forth. Now you wait for a migrating salmon to swim up from behind and nail the sardine. The strike is so hard that you need a secure rod holder. The fish run downstream and the hook set is easy-just tighten up and the fight is won. The place you anchor your boat is vital for success. Salmon usually travel upstream in shallower water. Water that is four to six feet deep is best. The prevailing flows determine where to anchor the boat. A side finder or the video sonar can tell you how far away the fish are migrating. Move the boat so the fish migrate right underneath it.
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I’d love to fish live minnows on a bobber, but the states I fish in prohibit this. I envision a lightly hooked minnow that struggles to return to the bottom for safety but the bobber keeps him out in the open where he is an easy target. I have not practiced this method, but I envision that it would be effective.
Nymphs Nymphs are found in the riffles of streams. They are natural baits for the fish in that stream. Collecting them is an easy chore. Use a window screen stapled between two handle boards. Wade out in the riffle and place the screen downstream from you. Next dislodge
the stream bed rocks with your feet: The nymphs will be dislodged and drift into your waiting net. Take the net ashore and collect the nymphs that are large enough to embed a hook into. I place a light wire hook into their head and through the thorax and continue through the abdomen. That way they are securely impaled and the natural curvature of the hook places them in a natural position.
I fish these with the exact same methods as worm fishing in streams. The natural drift presented a foot above the streambed is effective. This bait is rarely used by fisherman. The fish know what these nymphs are and readily feed upon them. Collecting them tells you a lot about your stream.
I’ve tried orthodontic elastics with some success. I use these tiny rubber bands to secure the nymph to the hook. This keeps the nymph live and wiggling as it drifts. The elastic tie string used by steelhead fishermen is a good way to attach the larger nymphs. This elastic thread needs no knots to hold--just wrap it around the hook and nymph and pull it tight. Snip off the excess. If you collect nymphs from the stream you are going to fish, your bait supply is always available, and it only takes a few screenings to obtain enough bait to last for several hours of fishing. I use my old 35 mm film canisters as storage compartments for the nymphs. This is a deadly bait fishing method.
Grasshoppers and Crickets It’s best to catch the hoppers with an insect net along meadow sections around the lake or stream that you fish. When I was a kid I was much better at catching them. I didn’t even need a net. This is a good activity to get your kids or grand kids into helping. Once a supply is collected and secured in a container, the fun begins. Use a light wire hook and place it through the hard thorax case. Dapple the hopper down to the surface and drift it downstream. Twitch it as it floats and cast it down so it lands in a splat. This splat draws the fish’s attention. The time to use grasshoppers is when there are low and clear water conditions. Fish hoppers close to the stream banks and allow them
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to motorboat downstream. The strikes are exciting to see. First a huge trout materializes from nowhere; then, in an upwards splash, it takes your hopper. The fight is on. Hoppers work best on sunny, windy afternoons. Hoppers are most active then and jump more often. An errant breeze puts them into the drink. Trout are on the lookout for hoppers. Crickets work well too, but they are harder to find. Sometimes you have to turn over some sticks and such to find them. Trout love them and their black color provides a strong silhouette for the fish to see. Orthodontic elastics and steelhead spawn bag thread is another way of attaching the hopper. Now the hopper will stay alive and actively kick. This motion is an effective one to interest fish.
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Shrimp Fish love to eat shrimp. Small, store-bought, uncooked prawns make excellent bait. Sweeten up a jig, spoon, or spinner with a small prawn section. It must be the scent that attracts the fish. All species seem to love prawns. One prawn will cut up into several baits.
I prefer to fish them the same as worms in both lakes and streams. They make other lures more effective. Just place a small section to tail behind the lure. Still-fished prawns attract catfish. Catfish rely upon their sensitive sense of smell to find food. The prawn must contain strong, fish attracting smells. A prawn piece left in a likely spot will easily attract catfish. They are easy to come by and not that expensive because you only use small pieces. You don’t want the jumbo shrimp-the smaller, cheaper ones are the most usable. They spoil quickly and should be stored in ice.
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Roe Fresh or cured roe is effective bait for fish in the pre-spawn. Salmon, trout, and steelhead relish the scent and color of roe. The spawning process makes them color sensitive and they are readily attracted to colors that are same as their natural roe. Plus the scent of roe is a major attraction. Many times, when other fish are not spawning, salmon will line up below the redds and feast on the drifting eggs. Steelhead and trout commonly do this behind chinook salmon redds. I fish roe during the spawning runs. First you must catch a female, hatchery-run fish. Cut out the two spawn sacks. They can be used fresh or cured for later use. To cure them, I clean them up and pile sea salt all over them. I keep them cool and let the salt toughen them up for a couple of hours or overnight. Next I paper towel them dry and cut them up into bait sized chunks. If I’m going to use them for steelhead, I like the thumbnail diameter sized chunks. But for king salmon, a golf ball sized chunk may be needed. Next I generously sprinkle them with borax and
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dry Jell-O. If I want an orange color, I use orange Jell-O, and if I want a red color, I’ll use raspberry or cherry Jell-O. The Jell-O adds sugar and the combination of borax and sugar effectively cures the eggs. The salt toughened them up. Store them in zip lock bags in the refrigerator. There are lots of pre-mixed egg cures available. They all work well and perhaps it’s more convenient to follow their instructions. The bait rig I use is an egg loop snell knot. I attach a small piece of yarn so I can easily open the loop. A contrasting color yarn or an orange yarn is effective. White is a good color because the egg membranes turn white in the water. Once you have a supply of either fresh roe or cured roe, you’re ready to fish. The key is to place this roe one foot over the top of the fish. The roe must drift naturally as if it’s not attached to a line, hook, sinker, or bobber. Carefully select your tackle to achieve this natural drift. In snaggy streams, I prefer to bobber fish. The line or leader between the bobber and the eggs must place them one foot over the stream’s bottom. Adjust the optimal amount of weight so the eggs are naturally drifting at this spot. Again, as in worm fishing, I like to be able to quickly change the amount of weight.
One one-inch length of surgical tubing with a cut piece of pencil lead is fast to place and to remove and to change. The friction from the surgical tubing doesn’t damage the line. Place the sinker about 20-24 inches up from the hook. You can tell when the weight and length of line between the bobber and hook is correct. Watch your bobber-it should drift in an upright position. If it tilts either upstream or downstream, you don’t have the correct weight or line length. Too much weight or too long of a line causes the bobber to lisp or tilt in a downstream direction. An upstream tilt indicates either too short of a line or too little weight. Quickly adjust the weight and line distance so the bobber floats nearly straight up and down. Very deep holes can be fished with a slip bobber and a stop. This allows you to cast it out and once it settles, the bobber stop holds it at the ideal position. The bobber stop is usually a nail
knotted Dacron backed up by a bead that slides along and is just above the bobber during the cast. But most times I prefer a bobber that is fixed by surgical tubing and can be easily adjusted. Friction between the line tubing and bobber stem holds it in place. Here a long spinning rod is an aid when most of the time you are casting the bobber with four to six feet of line between the bobber and the hook. A highly visible floating line is an aid in bobber fishing. It can be easily seen and lifted free from the surface to be repositioned so that the bobber can drift unimpeded by the line. Once the bobber stops or moves off to one side, I lift the rod to feel if it’s a fish or a snag. I set the hook if I think it’s a fish. Here barb-less, sharp, thin wired hooks can set themselves by the bobber’s pull. Such hooks help you double your catch over heavy wired, barbed hooks. I prefer to fish bobbers in water that is flowing about as fast as I walk and about knee to chest deep. Also it must flow over a rocky, gravel bottom. This is where steelhead like to hang out. In waters that are not snaggy, I drift-fish the roe. My sinker is either the same pencil lead, surgical tubing combination or a slinky. Slinkies are pieces of parachute cord filled with a given number of lead shot. The ends of the cord are burned closed and a hole is punched in the flat burn. Slinkies are attached by a
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snap on a swivel. The snap can quickly open and you can replace the slinky with a heavier or lighter one. Again, your goal is a natural drift that is the same one that the egg cluster would take if it wasn’t attached to your tackle. The pencil lead and slinkies are streamlined and hopefully less prone to snagging than other weights. The slinky flexes like a slinky and slips over and in between places that would quickly snag other weights. The roe is attached by an egg loop. To keep it the desired one foot above the fish, a buoyant corky is placed just above the hook. The corkies come in a variety of attractive colors so they are visual attractions. Their prime function is to float the eggs just over the rocks.
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Most spawning runs occur when the water is cold. That means you must put your eggs directly into a narrow lane and about a foot over the bottom. Cold fish seldom move far to feed, but an attractive smelling and looking egg cluster may be quickly bitten. Such fish seem to just want a taste and not ingest the roe. Set the hook instantly when you think you have been bitten. Fresh roe is difficult to keep on an egg loop. It is
fragile, but it is definitely the best egg bait around. Its colors and smells are natural. The egg loop is usually good for up to ten drifts and by then the majority of the roe has washed off the hook. Sometimes trapping it in an egg mesh and tying the ball together with elastic no-tie thread is effective. This combo is a must for fishing loose eggs. Now that the eggs are encased in the webbing, you can get lots of presentations without losing them. Fish are light biters on roe. They seem to be just tasters and not feeders. Any hesitation in the line should be a suspected strike. Quickly raise the rod to feel for the fish’s throb and weight. Next set the hook quickly. This is another plus for barb-less hooks. I cannot stress how well these hooks increase your success.
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Spinners Panther Martins.......... 124-128 Rooster Tails................ 124-128 Blue Fox...................... 124-128 Mepps......................... 124-128 Spinner Baits............... 129-131
For nearly ten years I spent most of the time I fished using Mepps spinners exclusively. I caught salmon, steelhead, and trout in Utah, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. All I looked for was clear or green water in the streams I fished. My favorite spinner is still the Mepps, but I also like the panther martins, rooster tails, and blue foxes. I can easily feel the Mepps spinner spinning its way on the presentation. It makes a unique throbbing on my rod tip. I’m also partial to the white flash that comes from a genuine, silver-plated blade. This white flash is retained in low light and green water conditions. I’ve taken a 62 pound chinook salmon, an 18 pound coho, a 14 pound rainbow, a 17 pound steelhead, and an 8 pound brown trout using this spinner. Panther martins, rooster tails and blue foxes are also usable. Panther martins seem to sink deeper than Mepps spinners. Their blade is a concave, convex blade that spins directly around the shaft because the shaft penetrates the blade. This blade is at a 40 degree angle. It spins quickly and evenly. It provides both vibration and flash. I like them when I want to fish deeply.
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Rooster tails have heavy-weighted bodies and a blade that swings around the wire shaft held by a device. Also a built in squirrel tail is tied around the hook. The heavy body allows it to sink a little deeper than the Mepps. The blade seems to provide a subtle flash and vibration which is attractive to the fish. Blue fox spinners are very similar to the Mepps spinners. The major difference is that the numbering system seems to differ. A size 4 Mepps feels to me like a 5 blue fox. Otherwise they fish about the same. To sum up their uses, I prefer the Mepps for the most flash and vibration. I like the way the Panther Martin and Rooster Tail sink deep. Also their flash and vibration is more subtle than the Mepps. I use spinners for streams and spoons for lakes. Although there are exceptions, the smaller spinners are more effective in lakes. The current helps work the spinner’s blade, providing a lot of flash while the lure is moving slowly. Spinners are the go-to lure when fish are not busy feeding on insect hatch. At times of inactivity, spinners make things happen. They seem to wake things up by making the fish more aggressive. My favorite finish on a spinner is real silver plate. Silver provides a white flash during low light condi-
tions, while nickel or chrome plate looks tarnished in comparison. At low light, nickel and chrome can even appear black without a flash, or a dark brownish color. This fact puts lots of real silver plate in my spinner box. Matching the lure to the prevailing conditions is important. The lure’s size and color must match the stream’s depth, flow rate, water temperature, water color, and light conditions. I want my spinner to pass about one foot over the top of the fish. The stream’s depth and flow velocity determine which spinner size will be optimal. The smallest Mepps is #00 and weighs 1/8 oz. They progress up to some #5 that can weigh as much as 1 3/4 oz. Panther Martins come in 1/32, 1/16, 1/8, and 1/4 oz. sizes. Heavier Martins are available. So I select the spinner’s size and weight so that it will be one foot over the fish. Here the fish is constantly looking up at it. It is readily visible and easy for the fish to attack. Water temperature is an important factor. Fish are cold-blooded creatures, which mean their body temperature is the same as the prevailing stream temperature. All fish have a preferred temperature range. At this ideal range fish are the most active.
their comfort zone. Spin about one foot above their heads. Make the retrieve deliberate and slow. Allow it to cross paths with the fish. Use a 90˚ cross-stream retrieve that pulls the spinner a foot over the fish’s head and a foot or so out in front of him. It takes many more presentations to catch a fish in cold water than in ideal water temperatures. Water clarity is important. Basically there are three colors: clear blue, green, and brown. Look at it this way, the fish must look through these colors just as if they were wearing sunglasses. Some colors will be more easily seen in green than in brown water, while too bright of a spinner in clear, blue water may be just too gaudy. In clear, blue water, I prefer a darker colored spinner such as a black or metallic blue or green. Silver seems to always work. In green water, my favorite finishes (other than silver which again is number one) are fluorescent pink,
When the water temperature is colder than their preferred range, the fish are sluggish in their activities. Hence don’t expect them to chase spinners outside of
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orange, red, and chartreuse. Combinations of these colors are also effective. In stained, turbid water, I enjoy using gold, black, and again silver for its predictable hot, white flash. When the sky is dark, chartreuse is another favorite. When the spawning run has started, I like finishes that match the fish’s spawn or spawning color. Fluorescent pinks, reds, and orange seem to draw the most strikes. When the water temperature is in the ideal range for the fish species, you can entice fish to chase your spinner quite some distance from their home. You can quickly cover a lot of water and find and catch the most active fish. Again, one foot above the fish is best for the fish to be able to see your presentation, but the lure can be a ways upstream and still be
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effective. You don’t have to put the lure a foot in front of him to attract a strike. When the water temperature is too warm, it can become a problem. Again, you fish for inactive, sluggish fish by using the same presentations as in cold water. But at this temperature, expect the fish to migrate to the coolest areas such as where another stream, such as a cooler spring creek, enters the main stream. Or fish the head of a hole right up into the white water where it enters the deepest areas of the bigger holes. Look for fish that are schooled over spring holes. Once you have located these fish, expect some outstanding success. Black is a favorite choice for a spinner in several different conditions. A sunny day and turbid brown water call for black color. Black retains its sharp silhouette and contrast. During bright sunshine on a warm day, black tones down the flash but retains the vibration attraction. Also, tarnished spinners are effective in producing a subtle flash. A tarnished brass or gold blade is another good choice. Finally, a black spinner contrasts well against a bright sky and is the best choice for night fishing. The silhouette is retained against the night sky which provides the only light available. The retrieve of a spinner is an important factor in success. In larger streams, I like to cast across stream and a little upstream. The upstream portion allows time for the spinner to sink to my ideal one foot position overhead of the fish. I let the spinner drift and slowly spin and flash as it travels downstream. This provides a broadside view to the fish. This sideways
view is the most visible and as the current causes the lure to swing away, it appears that it’s escaping. It’s at this swing that most strikes occur. My retrieve is just fast enough to put enough line tension to slowly swing the blade. My choice of spinner size is the one that will sink and suspend to this one foot above the fish level. Once the lure is directly downstream from you, drop the rod tip so the lure darts and flutters down. This may elicit a strike from a curious following fish. On occasion, I like to cast 3/4 or 7/8 upstream and retrieve the spinner downstream. The retrieve is just fast enough to keep the blade spinning one foot above the fish’s location. To the fish it looks like an injured bait fish is fleeing downstream. Since it’s traveling faster than the current, it elicits the striking impulse in the fish. The fish takes it before it gets away and the fish doesn’t have time to get a close look or to make up its mind. I have taken a lot of big brown trout using this method. I like to tone down the amount of flash so I use a tarnished brass blade. The fish quickly see and
feel the vibration but they have difficulty seeing the lure clearly. Perhaps it mimics a darker bait fish like a sculpin. Parallel casts and retrieves to pocket water, prime lies, and undercut banks are effective. I love spinners because I can quickly search a wide area for the most aggressive fish. These are the ones most willing to strike. Spinners help me locate fish, and if I miss, I can return to precisely fish their holding water. Plus the spinner seems to annoy lazy fish into activity. I love to spin fish a steelhead run and fish flies right after. Spinners wake up the fish and turn them into aggressive feeders. This works on other species of stream dwellers. Trout and smallmouth bass become aggressive after a spinner has awakened them from a lazy spell. I try to suspend my spinners so that on my retrieve they travel the same depth. After the cast, I count down the sink rate and when it is a foot above the fish on the bottom, I start the retrieve and adjust the rate so my lure suspends at that depth. A spinner invades the fish’s territory with its flash and vibration. This entices the fish to strike even when the bite gets tough. It appeals to the fish’s basic survival instincts. Lure size is vital. The smaller spinners weigh less than the larger ones. A 00 Mepps weighs only 1/8 oz., while a size 5 weighs about 3/4 oz. Some models can
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weigh as much as 1 3/4 oz. Again I choose the weight that’s optimal to suspend it a foot above the fish’s location. I’ll use a small spinner on fish holding in shallow, slow-moving water, while I prefer a larger, heavier spinner for fish holding in a fast, deep run. Also the amount of flash depends upon lure size. The larger spinner has more flash than a small one. When I need a heavy spinner in clear water, sometimes that silver blade has too much flash and puts the fish down. That’s when color is important. A dull or darker blade may be effective. But first you must reach the level that the fish are holding. Next the amount of flash and/or color to get the fish is vital. Compensate by using the optimal amount of flash and /or color to get the fish to bite. Water temperature affects how fast you fish the spinner. In water that is too cold for the fish to be active, you must slow things down. A slower retrieve and a presentation that puts the lure directly over the fish are called for. This means lots of casts and slow retrieves over every likely holding lie. But when temperatures are ideal and the fish are active, you can cover more water quickly. Space the casts farther apart because the fish will actively move to the spinner. You can speed up the retrieve and cover lots of water. The two most favored knots are the improved clinch and the BC knot. Tie your line directly onto the
B. C. Knot
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Improved Clinch spinner shaft’s eye. You don’t need a swivel. Good spinners don’t twist the line unless you’re retrieving way too fast. Early season tactics call for taking the spinner directly to where the fish are holding. Fish the slow moving water, log structures, boulders, and places which provide cover from the current. The seam where a rapid enters a slow, deep pool is a good spot. Use copper and brass in off-colored water, but in clear water use rainbows and silver colors. But remember, silver works well in all conditions. Just vary the silver spinner’s size to reach the fish’s lies. Summer tactics are different. Fish move into deep holes at the foot of oxygenated white water. Explore all the possible holding lies. Active fish will travel a good distance to chase a spinner. A summer rainstorm brings subdued lighting and active fish. They will really come out for the food. After a heavy rain, fish gorge themselves on the increased supply of food washed into the stream. A good idea is to fish a stream’s popular holes at different places than their beaten paths lead to. Wade away from the worn spots and give the fish a different presentation. This fresh angle can reward you with fish that would refuse the same old presentation. I am rarely successful when reeling a spinner directly upstream, while a downstream retrieve is far
more successful. Most fish prefer the tumbling-acrossstream presentation with a swing away. Spinners work well or all types of fish species. Walleyes love a copper Mepps-- perhaps it shines like a night crawler. Panfish love the small sizes. I’ve taken most of my white bass on a 0 or 1 silver Mepps. The physics of light as it travels through water is important. The rainbow colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet are filtered out in this same order. That means in low light the reds, orange, and yellows are difficult to see while the blue, indigo, and violets retain their colors. But silver doesn’t change. Select the colors of the spinners for the light intensity. Over the years I’ve caught nearly every species on a spinner. It is the go-to lure when fish are not on the food. It’s also a great locator to find where the fish are
tently everywhere. My first steelhead took a size 4 Mepps and I will always remember its leaping battle.
Spinner Baits
holding. I’ve had success in still waters, but it seems that my retrieve has to be faster than I’d like it. I usually fish spoons in still waters and spinners in moving waters, although the smaller spinners are great in still water because they spin at slower retrieve rates. For years I carried a box of Mepps spinners in size 1, 2, 3, and 4. Most of them were silver and the remainder was brass. With these I caught fish consis-
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Spinner baits are effective for all warm water game fish. I use them as fish finders because I can quickly cover a lot of area in a short time. Large spinner baits catch northern pike and largemouth bass. Mediumsized spinner baits are my favorites for small mouths. Ultra-light spinner baits catch panfish. The color, size, and weight are varied to match light conditions, water clarity, and water depth. The light-colored baits are favored for bright light, and dark-colored baits are better suited for dark conditions. The large baits are best for the biggest fish and the smaller baits are better suited for catching smaller-
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sized fish. Heavy spinner bait is used to probe the depths, while the light baits work better in the shallows. Fish usually strike a spinner bait with enthusiasm. There is no question that you have a bite. The sharp hook usually penetrates by itself on a fast retrieve. On occasion you’ll have days when the strikes are short. That is, the fish only bites the trailing hook. That usually solves the short strike problems. These are basically six ways to fish spinner bait. (1) Cast out and retrieve is the most common method. The retrieve is a moderately fast one. You can opt to fish just under the surface or down to the four or five foot depth. This is done by using a faster retrieve for the surface and a somewhat slower one for the deeper area. This method is a searching one used to find where the fish are hiding.
(2) A slow rolling retrieve with heavy bait can place the lure down to the twenty foot area. Try to bump
five techniques. Using spinner baits can save me much time in finding the fish. It’s an active way to make things happen.
into the bottom structure and maintain a steady pace at all times. To get the spinner bait down, cast out and count down before you reel in. Give it time to reach the desired depth. (3) Bulging the surface is one of my favorite techniques. The blades disturb the surface and the lure makes a definite V wake. You must reel in about as fast as you can to perform this method. This is great to use when the fish are active. It works well over submerged structure such as downed trees and thick, submerged aquatic vegetation. (4) Spinner bait makes an excellent jig because it has both a falling, fluttering blade and a food-source-looking body. Cast out to the area you want to fish and let the bait sink to the bottom. Lift your rod up several times and allow the jig to fall back down. As you lift up the blades, flutter at a fast pace and when they fall, this pace changes to a slow flutter. The jig’s body also is activating into looking like a tasty morsel. Repeat this process until you have completed the retrieve. (5) Dragging the bottom can be effective. Cast to the target and allow the bait to settle on the bottom. Lift the rod and drop it back down as you perform a slow winding retrieve. Repeat until you’re in. (6) The up-and-down, stop-and-go retrieve works well. Cast to your area and perform a slow retrieve that is just rolling the blades. Then make a quick lift after about 10 feet of retrieve. Stop the reeling and allow the spinner bait to flutter back down to the bottom. Repeat until the retrieve is in. I usually start with the method (1) above, and once I’ve found the fish, I will experiment with the other
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Spoons
tion. Color is broken down into a rainbow effect. The acronym “roygbiv” describes the placement of each color in the rainbow. (These colors are: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.) During welllit conditions, use one of the first three colors: red,
Spoons are effective fishing lures in every season. They also catch any game fish that feed upon bait fish. These lures are good in the shallows or the depths of both lakes and streams. From huge muskies and king salmon down to bluegill, spoons are effective lures. They cast well and are fairly easy to fish. There are some important factors in lure selection and technique that can greatly enhance your success. The most desired action is not to have the spoon spin around on the retrieve but to have it wobble back and forth without spinning. This slower wobble allows the flash to be spread out effectively. A crippled bait fish wobbles in this same manner-they do not spin over in circles. There are three important factors in lure selection. They are (1) action, (2) color, and (3) size. The action is controlled by the speed and nature of the retrieve. When temperatures are ideal for the targeted fish species, the retrieve and action is faster than when the temperature is not ideal. Hence during unfavorable temperature conditions the spoon is fished with a slower retrieve or trolling speed. The color selection of the spoon is determined by both the light intensity and water color. Perhaps light is the number one condition in your lure color selec-
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orange or yellow. During low-light conditions, use one of the last three colors. When the water is dark, favor the darker colors of blue, indigo, and violet. Green is a good choice for average lighting conditions. Silver and white are neutral colors that are effective in bright light, low light, clear water, and stained water conditions. Genuine silver is my favorite choice because it produces a hot, white flash in all conditions. But the spoon must have genuine silver plating. Chrome and nickel are seen as a dark, tarnished brown in low light and stained waters. In fact it can turn a black color in the depths. Spoon size should match the size of the forage fish which your targeted fish feed upon. Get to know the bait fish present and their sizes. Early in the season these bait fish are small and are best matched with smaller spoons. But later in the season these bait fish have grown and are best matched with a larger spoon.
A frustrating event that is easy to fix is when a spoon that is working well early in the morning when the light is low quickly goes dead when the sun rises and causes the light intensity to increase. Now the spoon’s flash is too gaudy and repels fish from striking. Simply downsize the spoon size and you’ll likely be back catching the fish again. The smaller spoon puts off less of a flash and mimics the flash size of the larger spoon in the low light. The simplest way to fish a spoon is to cast it, count down to the desired depth, and then retrieve it so it wobbles back in. The retrieve is a steady one which is faster in ideal conditions and slowed down in unfavorable conditions. The splash of the cast spoon attracts
fish and so does its fluttering fall during the countdown. There are other methods to fish spoons. The spoon can have (1) stop-and-go, (2) tumbling, (3) crawling, and (4) jigging retrieves. The stop-and-go method allows the spoon to wobble and dart erratically. During the stop, the spoon flutters as it sinks. Simply take in several reel turns and pause. Most strikes occur as the spoon flutters down.
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The tumbling retrieve is a variation of the stopand-go. The rod tip is held high during the reeling portion of the retrieve and the rod tip is dramatically dropped during the stop. This allows the spoon to flutter a greater distance downward. Again, this flutter is when most strikes occur. Crawling the spoon is done by holding the rod tip high and slowly retrieving the spoon over the top of heavy or thick weed cover. The elevated rod tip pulls the spoon upwards over the structure instead of plowing straight through it. A weed guard and single hook is required. The jigging retrieve is very effective when you have located the fish and are able to place your position directly over the top of them. Fall and winter are prime times for jigging. I like to target schools of bait fish and jig the spoon underneath them. A crippled minnow will fall underneath the school and struggle to return. All game fish know that this impaired bait fish is an easy catch. Drop the spoon to the bottom on a tight line. Lift the rod upwards about two feet and then lower the rod downwards causing the spoon to flutter back down. Keep this up and down motion throughout the retrieve. Increase the lift to three or four feet as the spoon approaches the top of the water column. Vary the speed and height of the rise and fall. Also try sliding the spoon along the bottom and let it lie there before jigging. Kicking up a puff of mud enhances this method. Keep a sharp eye on the line during the fall and be ready to strike at any unusual line fall. For example, if the lure fails to sink back to the bottom, a
fish has likely sucked it in. Also any line twitching or side movement may indicate a strike. The ideal time to strike is when the fish has closed its mouth. I strike at first indication, but if I come up short I then try waiting until I feel the fish’s pull or weight. Some species, like bass, flare their gills and suck the spoon into their mouth. If I strike too soon, their mouth will not be shut and I will pull the spoon away. So just use common sense as to when to strike, although once the hard steel is detected, the fish can quickly reject the spoon. In cold conditions, my jigging motion is more subdued in both speed and length. I may use an upward motion of only a few inches and will keep a tight line as it sinks. Vertical jigging is effective when you’re right on top of the fish in your boat, pier, or winter ice fishing position. Ideally you want the spoon to be jigged a foot or so above the fish and allow the lure to flutter below them. Spoons can be fished in a multitude of places in both streams and lakes. In streams I like to cast slightly upstream and across. I start the retrieve once the
spoon is directly in front of me. I retrieve the spoon towards me with the spoon sideways to the fish. I want the lure to travel about one foot overhead of the fish where the fish can easily see the spoon and can easily attack it. So the lure’s weight plays a vital role in stream fishing. I like it to be heavy enough to sink to one foot above the fish as it drifts to the position directly across stream from me. Next, I want to suspend it there on the retrieve. Again, I do not want it to spin—I want it to wobble. This is what an injured bait
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fish does as it struggles to swim. Spoons are effective in the shallows of lakes. A retrieve is varied with the stop- and-go methods allowing the lure to drop down to the fish. Here a lighter spoon is desired. Brushy lake bottoms hide fish and are excellent places to jig retrieve a spoon. Twitch the rod tip up and down on the retrieve. A hiding fish will come out
from underneath its cover and attack the spoon. Standing timber is another good place to jig a spoon on its retrieve. The submerged branches and base can hide a fish. Channels carry structure, perhaps better temperatures, and depths to hide fish. The outside curves have the most depth and undercut banks. Plus submerged
brush and tree stumps are common. Fish love to hold in the creek channel edges. Here they can ambush or forage safely along the channel. Try jigging a spoon anywhere you might find fish. Sight fishing is best done by casting the spoon off to the side of the fish. Here the retrieve will parallel
the fish’s path. Avoid casting to spots between the fish and the sun because the lure’s shadow may spook the fish. Once a fish moves towards the spoon, don’t change your retrieve. Continue what you’re doing. If this doesn’t work, try lifting the rod to speed up the spoon’s escape. Natural preys flee from their predators. Another method is to lower the rod tip so the spoon dives to the bottom to hide. In clear water, perhaps a tarnished spoon will be more effective. Brass, copper and the like have less of a gaudy flash. In dingy water, a silver spoon is best because the silver provides a hot, white flash that’s easily seen during conditions of poor visibility. There are exceptions to all rules. Be prepared to experiment with spoon action, size, and color. Use a heavy spoon to fish deeper water and faster currents. Spoons come in a wide variety of shapes, weights, and colors. It’s impossible for a fisherman to carry all these choices. There are four basic categories: (1) casting spoons, (2) trolling spoons, (3) top water spoons, and (4) jigging spoons. Casting spoons have some thickness and weight to them. They run back and forth on the wobble and have an oval shape with cupped bodies. Thin ones sink slowly and are best for working the shallows. These can be retrieved slowly and are best for cold water. Thick spoons sink faster and are best used to fish fast currents and deep, still water areas. These must be retrieved faster, so they’re better suited for active fish.
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Attach casting spoons with a split ring and a quality snap swivel. This prevents line twist and gives more wobble action. Trolling spoons are much thinner and lighter. They are usually too light to cast and are designed to provide a wider wobble at slow speeds. These are fished behind downriggers, diving crank baits, or keel type weights. A typical three-inch trolling spoon weighs only 1/8 ounce. Top water spoons are weed-less ones with hooks welded in place and protected by a weed guard. The classic Johnson Silver Minnow has been a favorite for years. These spoons can be retrieved over and through thick cover. When the spoons are reeled fast, they rise to the surface and skim over matted cover. Once over a hole, they are given slack line, and they enticingly flutter down inside the hole. Trailers are commonly used. Pork rinds and plastic grubs enhance the lure’s size and the spoon’s wiggle and brings the plastic alive.
Jigging spoons are thick, flat, and heavy. These cast like a bullet. One of my favorites is the Kast Master. They vertically jig well and when retrieved in a stop-and-go manner, they jig as they flutter. Spoons are effective ways to search out fish in large areas. A heavy casting spoon can cover a lot of water quickly. Fan cast it out, allow it to sink, and retrieve it back in. Once you have covered lots of water you will have located where the fish are holding. Then concentrate on more precise methods such as jigging, stop-and-go, and fluttering. In both lake and stream fishing, I want my spoon to be fished about one foot overhead of the fish so the fish can easily see it and catch it. When trolling behind a downrigger, place a thinbladed spoon five to fifteen feet behind the cannonball.
Attach a split ring and swivel to the lure. This frees it up so it can wobble freely at the slowest speeds. A light trolling spoon on a long line behind the
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boat is an effective way to fish for surface foraging fish. The use of an outrigger places the spoon to the side of the boat. It works when fish are spooky and flare away from the path of the boat. Don’t forget trolling a spoon directly in back of the outboard. Many times the turbulence of the churning propeller may attract fish to investigate. One of my favorites is crank bait used to dive the light-weight spoon down to the fish. The line should be on the long side. The wiggle of the crank bait enhances the wobble of the spinner. Rig with a threeway swivel and be prepared to catch fish on the crank bait. Experiment with retrieve speed and action. Change spoon size and color until you discover what works best. I’ve fished trailers behind spoons for years. A casting, wobbling spoon with a small, dark fly towed behind has been a producer in alpine lakes. One of the hottest bluegill fishing methods is to fish a micro spoon with a trailing plastic grub on the back of one of the treble hooks. Perhaps this is one of my favorite bluegill methods. Also, trailing, plastic swim bait on a heavy casting spoon has taken many a huge king salmon. That’s what I like about spoons. They work on any species. My favorite spoons are the traditional Daredevil, the Krockodile, the Williams Wobblers, the BC Steal, the Steelie, the Pixie Spoon, the Little Cleos, Johnson minnows, the Hopkins, and the Triple Teaser. This is only a partial list. The BC steal is one of my favorites because it comes in genuine silver or even real gold
plate. But what I like best is
that it comes in three thicknesses in the same sized spoon. This gives you chances to fish shallow, mid depths, and depths. Its size and shape mimic sardines. I like to use it for salmon and steelhead. Spoons are easy to trick up. Permanent marking pens in an assortment of fluorescent colors can customize a silver spoon quickly. Mylar tape
patterns are easy to cut and stick on. In conclusion, spoons are an overlooked and under used lure. Their greatest popularity was back in the 1950’s, but they are incredibly effective today for lakes, streams, and all species that eat bait fish. They are easy to fish and a go-to for finding fish.
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Crank Baits
Crank baits are plugs designed primarily to imitate bait-fish and crawfish. They must be actively reeled in to activate them. Most of them rely upon a cupped bill that makes them wobble when retrieved. Those without a bill are surface plugs which struggle and splash at the surface. The size and shape of the bill determines how deep the plug will run when retrieved. A rule is that the longer the bill, the deeper the lure will dive, and the shorter the bill, the shallower the lure will run. The convexity of the bill causes the wobble. The more convex the bill, the more wobbling action the lure will have. The less convexity the bill has the less wobbles. It’s this side-to-side wobble that makes the crank bait appear to be alive and swimming. An exaggerated wobble
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makes the crank bait appear that it is wounded and struggling with much effort to swim. Fish are attracted to this struggle because they have learned that it will be an easy catch. Crank bait’s bills are usually made of clear plastic. This makes them difficult to see on struggling crank bait. Crank baits come in a myriad of finishes and colors. Many of them are painted in colors and patterns that closely mimic shad, bass, bluegill, trout, and crawfish. Typically crank bait floats at rest and the bill causes it to dive when reeled in. This makes not only for a great stop-and-go action, but helps prevent snags. The bill also orients the crank bait so its bill is much deeper than its hooks. This helps make the hooks snag-less. So you can crank it over rocks and sunken timbers. The color to use depends upon the amount of light at the lure’s depth. This is controlled by the water’s clarity and by the amount of sunlight.
Recall the colors of the rainbow ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet). The first three, ROY (or red, orange, and yellow), require a brightly lit condition to be visible. G (or green) is visible in average lighting. BIV (or blue, indigo, and violet) retain their coloration even in poor lighting. Generally, select your lure coloration using this as a general rule. There are exceptions to all rules, so don’t be afraid to experiment. True silver and white seem to be effective in all lighting conditions. Chartreuse works well in dark lighting. Glow-in-the-dark paints are also easily seen in dark conditions. Line diameter and density affect the lure’s driving depth. The rule here is that the thinner lines dive the lure deeper than the thicker lines. Fluorocarbon is more dense than monofilaments and super liens and therefore causes the lure to run deeper. Finally, the last major factor is line length. The longer the line, the deeper the lure will run, and the shorter the line, the shallower it will run. An exception here is that at a certain depth the crank bait will suspend and not run any deeper no matter what you may do with line length and diameter. An assortment of crank baits with varying bill lengths can help you fish at different desired depths.
Again, the billless baits are designed to disturb the surface. They pop and splash when jerked, and they cause a V wake when steadily retrieved. Crank baits can be used to effectively fish the surface and desired depths to about 25 feet. They can also crawl over bottom obstructions and they have that struggling action of an impaired bait fish. Crank baits are searching lures designed to cover lots of water. They seek the reaction bite. I like to be in contact with the bottom at first. Next, on the stop, the lure seductively wiggles upwards. It’s like a minnow that is about to turn belly up and float. On the go, the crank bait struggles to reach the bottom. I sometimes opt for crank bait that dives deeper than the depth I’m fishing. This makes it a snap to reach the bottom. But with a grassy bottom I prefer more shallow-running bait. This prevents weedy hook ups.
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Unfortunately, you must fish the structure to catch the warm water species like bass and pike. Fishing crank bait over open water is like fishing on your back lawn. Tackle considerations are simple. I want a fast, speedy, retrieve reel like a 5.7 to 1 ratio. That is, one handle turn rotates the spool 5.7 revolutions. The rod
is a 6 ½ to 7 footer with medium action. The line is an eight or ten pound test. A plug’s action needs to be tested. You want a plug that runs true. If it flops to one side it will likely be unproductive. It’s easy to tune a plug by carefully bending its eye. Once properly centered, the crank bait will run true. You can tune it up by bending the wire eyelet either to the left or to the right until its action is correct. I want my plugs to run evenly with a side-to-side wobble. I don’t want it to turn more to one side or to turn over on its side. Many crank baits have sound in the form of a rattle. I’ve found these to work when lighting conditions are poor. They also are effective when the fish are on the bite. But when the fish are moody and the water is clear, the rattle seems to make the bite
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poorer. A good quality snap is my favorite way to attach a crank bait. The Duncan loop or Rapala knot is another effective connection. You want the crank bait to have freedom when it comes to movement. A stiff, heavy line tightly tied to the eyelet cuts down on the plug’s action. In general, the thin crank baits such as the traditional Rapala run with a wiggle while the thick-bodied
Rapala Knot
Duncan Loop
baits run with a wobble. The line tie location of the plug is an indicator of its depth. If you tie it close to the bill’s end, the bait will run shallower. If the tie is far from the bill’s end, it will run deeper. A bill angled downward will cause the crank bait to run shallow. A bill that is straight will dive deeper. The closer the tie is to the face of the lure, the tighter the wiggle. An easy modification is to sharpen the plastic bill by filing it so the bill is sharp. A file works well. The sharpened bill cuts through the water more easily. It makes the bait run deeper and it enhances its action. The fishing method when using crank bait is to throw it into cover and crank it down so it bumps off of the bottom. When it kicks into a rock, pause and let it float up. That’s when a bass is most likely to strike. Cast crank baits as far as you can when searching for fish. Crank it fast to get it down and then vary the retrieve. You can slowly retrieve it over the bottom, or you can sweep the rod sideways and retrieve in the slack. Another option is to reel moderately fast in
a stop-and-go series. When you feel it hit a rock, stop the lure so it floats upwards. Crank baits are designed to be surprisingly snag-less. Their nose-down inclination shields the treble hooks from the snags. Perhaps the most effective retrieve is to cast past your target and quickly crank it down so that it is at the right depth when it’s inside your target. Then slow up the retrieve in an erratic stop-and-go action. This slowed-up, erratic retrieve draws the most strikes. Since you must overcast your target, it means that your position in the approach must be closer than normal. So quietly place the boat closer or stealthily sneak up into place. A proper approach is essential. The tight wigglers can be fished at high speeds while the wobblers are best fished on slow. There is no need to use a swivel because crank baits do not revolve when retrieved. Crank baits are expensive, so it is intimidating when you’re snagged up. Purchase a de-snagger and use it. There are several models that can be run down the line and can pull out the snagged crank bait with a heavy cord. One model comes with a telescoping pole which is effective, but you need to be in a boat to use it effectively. When bank fishing, try not to pull out the snagged crank bait in the same direction that it got
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Perhaps fall is my favorite time to fish crank baits. The bait fish are fully grown and the fish feed heavily upon them. When fishing near schools of suspended bait fish, select your lure so it will work under the school.
snagged-- move to a radically new location and then pull. Hopefully it will come free. One disadvantage is that I lose plenty of crank baits when I’m using eight or ten pound mono line. A thirty pound Fire Line has the same diameter, but allows you much more pulling power. But now you must also use a heavier leader to use this stronger line. A twenty pound fluorocarbon knotted to a snap gives you a stealthy presentation. So when I’m committed to bank fishing, I use the super line and heavy fluorocarbon leader. In conclusion, crank baits can be fished at a wide variety of depths. A large variety of fish species, from bass to steelhead and salmon, can be taken on plugs. Match the size and the shape of the crank bait to the bait fish in your waters.
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Jigs
Jigs are a top choice for year-round action. There is no wrong season to fish them. Even in the winter jigs are effective in open, cold water and in ice fishing. Generally a jig has no built-in action. You must impart the action to make it look alive. Jigs imitate bait fish, crawfish, and other aquatic food sources. Jigs are lead-headed hooks in which the lead has been melted around the hook shank right behind the hooks eye. A wide variety of lead shapes are available, but the most common one is the round style. Cone style and football shapes are also available. The cone shape swims freely while the football shape, which is sideways, allows the jig to sit on the bottom upright. Non-lead jigs are available to fish in waterfowl marshes. Their weights are usually a tin alloy or other heavy, non-toxic metal. The body can be made of hair, marabou, or a soft plastic. I like the thin profile that a buck tail hair provides. This imitates thin-bodied bait fish. Wherever fish are feeding on such bait fish, hair body is a good choice. Smallmouth bass have a preference for hair jigs. Marabou is a soft feather that moves with the
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slightest motion. I like to fish them in still, clear water where subtle motions are vital to a slow retrieve. Trout seem to prefer this marabou action. A marabou jig can be made to breathe with little motion. Squeeze the rod handle without moving the rod in any other way. This squeeze transmits the slight breathing motion down to the marabou. This can make a still jig look alive. This also works well in colder water and ice fishing. Plastic jigs are the most common. Tube heads with sliced tails are effective for all kinds of fish. Other curly tail and grub type jigs fall into this same category. The plastic is soft and once activated, it wiggles back and forth as if alive. Plastic jigs imitate bait fish, aquatic insects, leeches, and crawfish. The thicker jigs imitate the crawfish best while the thinner jigs imitate the other food sources. Color selection is made using the same basic rule: match the natural food in coloration. In light conditions, lighter colors are most visible. In darker conditions, the darker colors are more visible. White seems to work in all lights. Fluorescent chartreuse is effective in muddy conditions.
Water clarity must be clear enough for the jig to be seen. In dark, soiled water the jig may not be the best choice. You’re better off using a bait that has a silver flash or a sonic vibration and/or scent. Nearly all the time I prefer to fish jigs slowly and deliberately. I overcast my target and allow the jig to settle onto the bottom. There I breathe the jig or move it slightly upwards by lifting the rod tip. Next I lower the tip and allow it to settle back down on the drop. I keep a straight line so I can feel or see a light strike. I repeat this process and occasionally I speed up the hop with a high and faster lift of the rod tip. Most of the strikes occur on the fall. A fish will suck the jig into its mouth by flaring its gills. This will cause the line to flick or to suddenly move off center to one side. Immediately set the hook with a firm sweep of the rod. My next favorite method is to fish two jigs in tandem. The dropper jig is about twenty inches from the end jig. I swim the two together in either rod sweeps upwards or sideways. If I want them to lift upwards, I move the rod tip upwards. Then I let it settle back down again. Sideways sweeps cause the jigs to lift off only slightly. A series of slow pulls and stops are used. The big advantage of two jigs is that they move in tandem just like minnows move in a school. I prefer to use the lightest jig heads possible when fishing tan-
dem. Usually two 1/32 oz or 1/16 oz jigs are preferred. This is a deadly method for fishing thin hair jigs. In fact this is my most productive walleye method.
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Plastic and marabou jigs are also effectively fished in tandem. The retrieve is a swimming one in which the jigs move about two or three feet and pause. On occasion I will fish with a steady, slow retrieve and simply stop winding for the pause. The rod tip stays pointed towards the fish. I rarely fish jigs with a fast retrieve. When I want to fish just under the surface, I will use a bobber that sets the depth. I can also use ultra light jigs and fish with a quicker retrieve. Since you must impart all the action to a jig, it’s better to use the lightest weight jig head and the thinnest line possible. This allows for the most action on the slowest retrieves. Tie on a jig with a knot--never a swivel or snap. A firm connection at the jig head prevents softening the action imparted to the jig by a loose snap connection. I prefer bulky, heavier jigs to imitate crawfish. Trailers that look like crawfish arms are also good additions. The jig and pig combo of added pork rind is good for bass in water cooler than 70° F. But if the water exceeds 70° F, I do better with a plastic trailer. What the trailer does is to act and to look like a craw-
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fish’s thicker pinchers and thorax. This silhouette is crawfishlike in appearance. Crawfish type jigs are cast out and allowed to settle to the bottom. Tighten the line just enough so it appears that the crawfish’s pinchers are angled upwards. Then inch the jig along the bottom in slow crawls. An occasional short, fast spurt makes the jig appear like a crawfish that is getting away. As you can see, fishing jigs requires patience and concentration. You must constantly watch the line for takers on the fall of the jig. Fish them slowly but deliberately. Sharp hook points are a must. You need the point to quickly catch and penetrate the fish’s mouth. Jigs actively fished and moved slowly are surprisingly snag free. The hook rides upwards and does a good job of avoiding snags. It seems that I most likely snag up when I stop or cause the retrieve to be retarded. Once snagged, don’t try to pull it out with force-instead allow some slack and jig the rod tip up and down and sideways. Many times this will cause the jig to free itself. Steelhead love jigs. Fishing a jig about one foot over their heads with a naturally drifting bobber is one
of the most effective methods to use. Adjust the bobber so the jig drifts about a foot above the bottom. This keeps it out of the boulders and allows a snag-free drift. Make long casts and let the bobber drift along naturally just a little slower than the surface current speed. Long presentations are achieved by letting out line as the bobber drifts downstream from your position. If the bobber stops, moves sideways, or disappears, set the hook. Steelhead are usually caught in runs about four
Dark colors in purple and black also work well. A contrasting white color is helpful. Tipping the jig with a small section of prawn adds the scent that steelhead
love. This bobber and jig method has really caught on. It’s popular because it’s effective for snag-infested streams. In conclusion, jigs are one of the most productive lures all year long. They take a wide variety of game fish. Remember use the lightest bait and line that you can sink to the proper depth and land the size of fish available. Fish jigs slowly but deliberately.
or five feet deep which are moving at the speed that you can easily walk. This calls for a 1/8 oz jig that is tied with fluorescent shades of pink, orange, and red.
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Plastic Worms Carolina Rig.......................156 Texas Rig............................157 Steelhead............................158
Carolina Rig The Carolina Rig is perhaps my favorite plastic worm rig. It allows one to fish through heavy structure and weed beds without catching much moss and weeds. To rig, pass your line through an egg sinker and then pass it through a small bead and tie the end to a barrel swivel. I like black swivels better than nickel. An improved clinch, Trilene or B.C. Knot is effective. To the opposite end of the swivel, I tie on the leader with the same selected knot. I prefer a fluorocarbon leader of ten or twelve pound test. I use about eighteen inches to four feet of leader. At its end I tie on a worm hook with the same knot. Next I usually use an eight inch worm but a shorter one can be selected. I then hook the worm onto the hook Texas style. That
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is, the hook point passes through the head of the worm and passes out to the side. About one inch or so of the worm is imbedded into the hook. I pull the head of the worm over the hook eye. This makes the rig weed less. Finally, the worm is rotated 180 degrees and the hook is embedded again into the worm. But the hook’s point is buried. This is to prevent weeds from becoming attached. The curve in the worm’s anterior causes it to seductively wiggle on the retrieve. I fish the rig by casting it out and carefully watching it as it sinks. I allow it to sit on the bottom for about thirty seconds. Next, I lift the rod slowly up from the ten o’clock to the high noon position. I drop the rod tip back down to the ten o’clock position and reel in some line. I let it fall back down to the bottom. I repeat this process until the rig is retrieved.
The bass usually takes when the worm is falling. Sometimes they will move over and pick it up while it’s lying on the bottom. Fish it slowly and cast to all areas where you suspect a fish may be waiting. The bite is very light and usually I set the hook when the line moves. You must be fast to set it because the fish usually rejects the worm as soon as it detects that it’s not real bait. A scented worm may be helpful in tricking the bass into holding the bait longer before it rejects it. This method accounts for my largest bass caught during the warm summer months.
Texas Rig The Texas rig is fished the same as the Carolina rig, but the swivel and leader is omitted altogether. A cone-shaped sliding weight is placed right in front of the worm’s head. The worm is hooked in the same way as in the Carolina rig. The Texas rig keeps the worm more in contact with the bottom. I prefer to use lightweight sinkers that are about 1/8 of an ounce for shallows and up to 1/2 ounce for the depths. The lead may be pegged into place by inserting a toothpick and breaking the excess off. The color and size of the worm is important. I usually start with a seven or eight inch worm. As it wears, I cut the worn-down piece off; when I’m finished, I may be down to a three or four inch worm. The huge bass like the eight inch worms.
The color depends upon water clarity. For clear water, I’ll pick an olive motor oil color. For stained water, I’ll choose purple, black, or chartreuse. The red and orange colors are effective in bright light conditions.
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Steelhead Steelhead love pink worms. Bubble gum colors are also effective. Usually I’ll select a four or five inch floating worm. It’s rigged with a worm threader and the line is threaded throughout the length of the worm. This way it will stay hooked for many casts. An effective alternative is to hook the worm only in its middle. This gives an active action.
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The worm is drifted to the fish with enough weight to place it one foot over the top of the fish. Here the fish can clearly see it and easily move to take it. My sinker choice is usually a slinky or a pencil lead. I want a floating worm because its natural buoyancy places it up off the bottom where it may snag. In swift flows I’ll add a colorful corky to add to the rig’s buoyancy. Contrasting colors like metallic green, watermelon, or chartreuse can add to the rigs effectiveness. A dead drift is best. That means the worm drifts along at the same speed as the current at that depth. Worms fish well with bobbers. Again a slinky is placed about two feet up the line, or a colorful jig head can be attached to the plastic worm. Bobber fishing is preferred when covering snag-filled streambeds.
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Swim Baits
Swim baits are plastic, fish-shaped bodies rigged on a jig-head hook. They mimic bait fish. This is an all-season lure that effectively catches a wide variety of fish species. It’s easy to rig a swim bait. Just hold it alongside the jig and mark where you want the hook to exit. You can use the hook point to mark the bait. Without squeezing the swim bait, slide the hook point into the front of the swim bait and draw the hook evenly through its body and out the marked exit hole. You don’t want to squeeze the bait while threading the
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hook because you will likely place the hook off center. It’s best to super glue the bait in place. Simply stop 1/8 of an inch short and place a drop of glue onto the bait holder shank of the jig head. Continue to push the swim bait through so its head is butt jointed against the jig head. Gluing keeps the bait in place throughout many casts and retrieves. The proper action is maintained. Plastic baits can slide down the jig hook and this alters its action. The body of the jig assists in causing the swimming or wiggling and wobbling action. The tail also wiggles in a lifelike manner. Size and color selection should match the bait fish size and color. In dark conditions, the darker swim baits are most visible. In light conditions, the lighter swim baits are best. The most useful sizes range from three to five inches. As to weight, I match the weight for the water depth to be fished. For shallows, the ¼ ounce is preferred, and for the depths, a ¾ ounce jig head is used. The ½ ounce jig head fishes the mid-depth regions. Smaller baits fish best in the shallows and the larger baits are better for the depths. Experiment with color, size, and weight until you have found the best producer. Huge swim baits are
used for large muskies and outlandish sized bass and stripers. The action or retrieve is the key to taking fish. Slow retrieves are better than faster ones. I prefer to cast out and then let the swim bait settle to the bottom. I leave it there for about one minute and then start a slow retrieve. I vary this retrieve by raising the rod tip and stopping the retrieve. The swim bait is lifted up, and then it flutters back down on the pause. This is what a sick bait fish does. I then continue a slow retrieve and after a few turns, I jerk the rod tip. This looks like the swim bait has spotted a predator and is trying to flee. This can trigger a reaction strike. When you are fishing swim baits, commit yourself to making lots of casts and retrieves. Cover a lot of water in search of the fish. Patience is needed to effectively fish swim baits. Also, experiment with steady retrieves, moderately fast, and even fast retrieves. Adjust the presentation to the activity level of the fish. One disadvantage of swim baits is that they can elicit short strikes. The fish takes hold of the tail and when you strike, the hook cannot penetrate the fish’s mouth. If you are getting short strikes, rig on a trailer hook by tying on the swim bait with a long tag end. Tie the trailer hook onto this tag end and bury it in the
tail of the swim bait. Swim baits work whenever fish feed on bait fish. This means in all seasons. I like to downsize the bait’s size for cold water conditions and for heavily fished areas. Swim baits are also an excellent follow-up lure for fish that have been fished for with hardware lures. Keep a second outfit in the boat pre-rigged with swim bait. Use it after the hardware has passed through the same water. You may be rewarded with an additional fish or two. In conclusion, swim baits are effective for a wide variety of conditions and fish. They are easy to fish but require a commitment to patience.
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Trolling Locating Fish on a Finder............166
Locating Fish on a Finder Quietly move the boat slowly in a concentric pattern. Watch the bottom contour and pattern. Look for suspended fish and bottom resting fish. Concentrate on covering all areas. Note the depth and location of results. Use the depth of the fish to find the ideal temperature range. Target the fish species’ ideal temperature and note at what depth this occurs. Use this knowledge to search in the correct depth. Typically most active fish are located inside a lake’s shallows that is in the littoral zone in the presence of abundant, submerged, aquatic, weed beds. Once fish are found, stay at a depth of ten feet. Target trolling your lure at this exact depth, or better yet, stay one foot above the fish. The use of a downrigger precisely places your offering at this depth, but if your boat suddenly passes into
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a shallow depth, say of five feet, the lure and downrigger weight may snag the bottom. This can be an inconvenience, especially if you’re alone in the boat, since you must stop and raise the weight. A constant vigilance is necessary between the downrigger and depth finder. Perhaps an easier way to troll the shallows is without a downrigger. Select the optimal line diameter, line length, speed, and weight and also take into account the diving capability of the lure. The line diameter is one factor in determining the depth of the trolled lure. Heavy,
thick lines cause the lure to plane shallower, while lighter, thin diameter lines cause the lure to plane deeper. The line length also influences the depth. A longer line generally allows for trolling at a deeper depth while a shorter line trolls shallower. Hence controlling the line length helps determine depth. Speed also influences depth. Generally, the slower the trolling speed, the deeper a lure will travel, while a faster speed causes the lure to plane shallower. An exception to this rule occurs with the use of a diving plug. The plug’s lip is inclined so it causes the plug to dive. In this case, a faster trolling speed may cause the lure to travel deeper, while a slower speed causes it to be shallower. Weight added to the line also influences depth. A heavier weight causes the lure to travel deeper, while a lighter weight makes it travel shallower. Finally, plugs with bills are designed to dive to cer-
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tain depths. A larger bill inclined to dive will cause the lure to dive at a deeper depth. The size and the incline of the bill influence depth. When you take into account these five factors, the exact depth of the lure can be determined. So if you have found fish at a depth of ten feet, you can match that depth by controlling the line’s diameter, the line’s weight, boat speed, added weight, or selection of diving capability of the plug. By trial and error in adjusting each of these factors, this ten foot depth can be achieved. Once found, simply troll your lure at that depth over the locations that you have found fish. One of my favorite setups is a 7’9” casting rod rated for 1/4-3/4 oz, a level wind, lightweight reel loaded with spectra or Fire Line--14# or 20# is useful. A ten-foot leader of 8-10# fluorocarbon is added.
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The spectra-line is of thin diameter and trolls deeply, yet it is sufficiently strong to fight a heavy fish. If a weight is needed, I prefer the weights that are of a keel design to avoid line twists. These keel strikers come with bead chain swivels to prevent further twisting. The lure type is selected to match the natural food supply of the fish species you are seeking. If I’m fishing for trout, I will try to use a smaller lure type that matches the silhouette, shape, and size of the natural bait. Its flash or action mimics an injured bait fish that these fish normally feed upon. In a case where the fish are deeper and the lake’s contours are consistently deep, I prefer the use of a downrigger. Simply place your offering in a release with as long of a line trailing as possible. This places your lure far back away from the boat and the downrigger weight. Many times in clear water, fish can become wary of boat noise and the commotion of the water caused by the boat. This downrigger suspends your lure at precisely the desired depth, which can be a great advantage. Some of its disadvantages are that the lure tracks directly behind the boat’s path, and that the lure action can be somewhat impaired. In lakes, most of the actively feeding
fish are found inside a lake’s littoral zone. This zone is defined by the presence of submerged aquatic plant life. These plants require the penetration of sunlight in order for photosynthesis to occur. The water clarity of the lake influences the depth of light penetration. Typically, in a clear lake, this littoral zone rarely reaches past the depth of twenty feet. In most lakes, it is shallower than 20 feet. Sometimes certain species of fish, such as lake trout, seek depths outside of this littoral zone, but feeding fish require a food supply and these supplies are more abundant inside this littoral zone. Most of
boat noise and related noises. So design your boat so it is noiseless. Use softer decks with carpet. Tackle trays should be cushioned. Avoid heavy footsteps and clanking equipment such as oars, tackle, boat anchors, and the like. An electric trolling motor is quieter than a gas-operated one. Oar strokes should be done quietly, avoiding splashing. Trolling in an erratic pattern can be an advantage. Then the lure’s path is different than the boat’s path.
a lake’s actively feeding fish will be found inside the littoral zone. The submerged aquatic plants provide habitat for aquatic insects and other food supplies. Bait fishes frequent these littoral zones, so the larger predatory fish also feed in this area. About the only time that I target fish outside the littoral zone is when I’m seeking fish species known to prefer these depths. These species are lake trout and stripers. Otherwise, the remaining trout species, panfish, largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, pike, etc. are better targeted inside this littoral zone. I find that productive fishing is in the shallows. Fish holding inside these shallows can be wary of
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Many times a moving boat will scare away the fish directly underneath the boat. These fish flare to the boat’s side. Now the trailing lure may interest these flared fish. Many times an annoyed fish can become aggressive and trigger a strike as a reflexive action. Simply, the fish was happy feeding and the overhead boat caused it to flare away, angering the fish. When you are trolling, taking into account these factors can increase your productivity. It’s also an enjoyable way to stealthily move around in a lake. The wildlife viewing can be great.
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Angler Etiquette
Recently the Salt Lake Tribune reported a headline story entitled “Angler Etiquette on the Decline” and “River-rage incident is part of a disturbing trend in a peaceful sport.” On November 13, 2004 one man pulled a hand gun to end a heated confrontation. An angler was fishing from a midstream rock in Utah’s Green River when a drift boat closely crossed over his fishing hole. Jumping from the rock, the man grabbed the drift boat. An argument ensued that ended when the boat angler drew his gun. Our streams are not Los Angeles freeways. For many, fly fishing is a way to escape the cities’ crowds. For years fly fishing has been a peaceful sport. But lately the many anglers seeking solitude have taken out their frustration by becoming combative fishermen. Fishing etiquette is becoming a thing of the past. Rude behavior is on the increase. Recently I had my prized fly rod outfit shoplifted while I was sitting on
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my tailgate taking off my waders. I had carefully set it down alongside my vest and while I was busy changing someone stole it. My name was clearly engraved on my rod. We must put a stop to this rude behavior trend. One of the reasons that I have enjoyed fishing for so many years is that my fellow anglers have been so respectful of others. I have made many friends a stream. Fishermen have been the elite sportsmen. They care for the environment by practicing conservation and they have been helpful and courteous to others. I have met some rude anglers. One incident occurred along a desert river. My friend and I started to descend a steep rocky trail when we encountered a mass rattlesnake migration. The snakes were everywhere and frightfully we returned back to the truck. I have never witnessed so many aggressive snakes. As we were preparing to leave a grumpy angler parked by us and started ragging on us for fishing his favorite spot. He was so rude that we failed to warn him about the rattlers. He started hiking down the trail wearing
only shorts and tennis shoes. My friend and I looked at each other smiling. In a few moments the enraged angler returned upset over our failure to warn him. We left before a brawl could break out. We should have warned him even though he started the ruckus. Let us return to the days when the fisherman was the elite sportsman. Always be respectful of others. Ask before fishing or getting close to another angler. Be friendly and inquire about his success. He may be a helpful source of current information. I’m a prolific fly tier and I commonly give my successful flies away. When I later see the angler he is now a friend and a valuable source of information. Making friends with other anglers is rewarding because I have learned of many new good places and productive methods. Let us all be on our best behavior at all times. Do not disturb another angler’s fishing spot. Let him know that you are heading away from where he is fishing. Don’t wade, walk or boat near his water. Skirt it widely and quietly. Simply follow the “Golden-Rule,” it works.
Fly fishermen on the average are highly successful people. Their education level and income are in the top percentiles. Correspondingly our behavior a stream should match these demographics. Walking too close to a stream bank can alarm the fish and should be avoided, your silhouette and tramping causes both alarming sights and vibrations. Find a way to give another anglers water a wide berth. He will respect you for your actions. Wading and boating require a detour so that you avoid the area being fished. Pass your boat quietly well away from their spot. Don’t splash the oars and don’t make waves. If your water is too crowded be flexible in your plans by trying another place. Perhaps you may find a more productive location. Practice strict catch and release. Limit your take to only what you will really use. Obey the laws for they were designed to preserve our fisheries. Biologist’s research data went into their enactments.
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Catch and release is simple. First, play the fish in as quickly as possible. I use heavier tippets than most and either small barbed or barb-less hooks. Turn the fish upside down because this disorients the fish and reduces struggling. Grab the fly with either forceps or firmly with your fingers. Back the hook out the way it went in. If the barb is being stubborn, press the hook in a little then pull the barb away from the snagged tissue and pull the hook free. Forceps should be clamped closely to the barbed area. Pull on the hook in a straight path. Return the fish back into the wa-
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ter as soon as possible or better yet remove the hook while the fish is still submerged. Hold the fish upright with its head upstream then give it time to catch its breath. You can aid in its respiration by moving the fish back and forth pumping water through its gills. When revived the fish readily swims back to deeper water. A soft landing net is helpful in controlling a fish. Wet hands tend to remove less of a fish’s protective slime coating. This coating is a barrier against viral and bacterial infections; correspondingly, a fish should
be handled minimally. Fish are released so that we can catch them again. Fishing is a “Green Sport” that trends lightly on the environment. Finally, become actively involved in political positions affecting our waters environment. Study the issues and vote accordingly to what you think is right. Let’s preserve our sport for it is truly a lifetime one.
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Index
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A beginning point, 86 Angler etiquette, 172-177 Approach, 32-39 Aquatic environment, 40-57 Aquatic plants, 42 Bait casting, 29 Bait fishing, 104-121 Beaver ponds, 74 Blue fox, 124-128 Carolina rig, 156 Casting obstructions, 37 Casting, 26-31 Channels, 63 Cliffs, 64 Closed face reel casting, 30 Cover, 37 Crank baits, 140-153 Craw dads, 107 Current maladies, 37 Current seam. 87 Current speed, 36 Curvatures, 92 Dead water, 92
Deep holes, 90 Drag, 102 Drop-offs, 62 Eddy lines, 94 Edge waters, 95 Exposure, 96-99 Fighting, 103 Fish’s position, 34 Fishing strategies, 72 Foam lines, 94 Freestone streams, 83 Grasshoppers and crickets, 115 Hatch variables, 36 Hooking and fighting, 100-103 Hooks, 10, 22 Ice cover, 67 Inlets, 65 Jigs, 148-153 Lesser curvatures, 95 Light intensity, 35 Light, 44 Lines, 12, 32 Locating fish on a finder, 166 Mepps, 124-128 Midstream, 94 Minnows, 113
Natural lakes, 71 Night crawlers and garden worms, 108 Outlets, 64 Oxygen, 46 Panther martins, 124-128 pH, 48 Plant cover, 67 Plastic worms, 154-159 Pocket water, 89 Prime lies, 90 Reservoirs, 67 Responsible bait fishing, 106 Resting lies, 91 Riffles, 87 Rods and reels, 18, 23 Roe, 118 Rooster tails, 124-128 Selecting alpine lakes, 76 Set, 102 Shallows, 60 Shoals, 63 Shoreline vegetation, 62 Shrimp, 117 Sinkers, 15 Sound vibrations, 38 Spin rod casting, 28
Spinner baits, 129-131 Spinners, 122-131 Spoons, 132-139 Spring creeks, 82 Springs, 65 Steelhead, 158 Still water characteristics, 58-79 Strategy, 96 Stream characteristics, 80-99 Structure, 91 Surface film, 49 Swim baits, 160-163 Swivels, 18 Tackle care, 22-25 Tackle, 8-25 Tail water streams, 85 Temperature, 51 Texas rig, 157 Trolling, 164-171 Using water temperature in finding fish, 57 Water clarity, 34 Weed beds, 61 Wind direction and drift lines, 66 Wind, 36
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