fishingaddictsnorthwest.com

Summer steelhead brings many choices to anglers this time of year. Gear tactics can range from plunking bait and spin n glo to bobber and jig fishing. One method which is by far becoming bigger each year is night fishing.

This method is extremely deadly and fairly easy to do. Glow in the dark setups can work but to take the hassle of re-charging your gear every several minutes take a look into lighted plugs. There are several on the market the well known ones around the northwest are brads wigglers, Luhr Jensen Kwikfish and Wazzat Spin-n-Glo. This lures are different but all have the same key concept which is they blink in the water. Most of these plugs will blink either green or red and both have been known to have success. Red often times will out fish the green.

When I night fish I like to get on the river while its still light so I can get a better idea of where I am fishing at. Once I have found where I want to be, which is about 8’ to 11’ of water I anchor up and fish into the dark. I like running a 30lb braided line to a barrel swivel. From the swivel run 4ft of a 15lb line to the plug. Being that the wigglers and kwikfish are diving plugs the easiest way to fish these is a method called flat lining. This method means putting no weight on and just letting the plug dive down on its own. This can vary depending on your current in slow water you will want to add weight and keep you lure at the bottom. When flat lining I usually run about 12-20 pulls depending on how deep the spot is I am fishing.

Now as for running spin-n-glos there’s really not too much to the setup. I like running either a single or a double hook setup. With the double hook setup you can run bait such as prawn or sand shrimp which can really trigger a bite depending on their mood. I run my main line down to a 3 way swivel or a spreader either will work. From the spreader I like to run about a 2 foot dropper to a weight. Then from the other end of the swivel about a 4ft leader to the spin-n-glo. With these tactics described you got all the basics you need to know. All there is left to do is get out there and put them to use. Fishing at night will be awesome from not til the end of the summer! Check your local game laws to see if its legal in your local rivers.

By:  Travis Bishop AKA CatchADoradoWithMYCurado

For years I have heard the stories and seen a few pictures of the tiger muskies in Merwin. I always wanted to go try it out and see if I could catch one. I don’t know if it was the fact that everyone said they were impossible to catch, that made me not try or just the fact that I fish for so many other species I just didn’t have the time. Needless to say, I’m disappointed in myself for not going and trying sooner. These fish are by far on of the most interesting and exciting fish I have encountered! In no way do I claim to be an expert, but I have learned a lot about these toothy giants in the last couple weeks. My fascination with them has grown into an addiction just like every other fish I target.

A tiger musky is the offspring of a muskellunge and a northern pike. Washington’s tiger muskies are hatchery-bred from eggs supplied by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Washington fish and game has planted them in Mayfield, Merwin, Tapps, Evergreen, Curlew, Newman, and Silver (Spokane County) lakes to control nuisance fish. These fish are considered to be sterile so their population can be sustained only by continued stocking. Many people have their doubts on this; rumors are said that nature found a way. In Merwin population estimates are at about only 1200-1400 fish, I have my doubts on this number as well considering I haven’t been fishing for them that long and every time I go I seem to find them cruising lots of the shoreline. This number is very low from an anglers perspective, but take my word for it, get out and fish for them…you will locate fish, and have a chance at catching them.

Tiger muskies make seasonal and daily movements; their behavior is affected by weather, wind, water temperature, light, and other factors. In late spring they return from winter depths to warm shallow areas. During the summer and fall they can be found hovering on deep structure or drop offs, they can also be found close to shore on any sort of structure that they can use to ambush prey. They’re more likely to be shallow during warm weather and low light periods. It’s not uncommon to see a fish come out from its structure to investigate the boat or vessel that is in its territory. Right now is one of the best times to go fish for these shallow monsters. In the past few days I have located many fish right on shore waiting to ambush fish. Just find good structure and 5 out of 10 times you will find a musky holding to it in Merwin.

I have found that tackle selection is one of the hardest things when it comes to catching a musky. I have tried every lure you can think to throw at them. You will get many follows on lots of baits but not a lot of strikes. I have come to find out that the buck tail seems to be the lure of choice for most musky fishermen. According to a lot of people it’s the number one musky catcher in the country, and Washington is no exception. The buck tail just seems to be the most consistent for catching these fish. I can’t seem to find them locally but http://gruntmuskielures.com/ is a great source for getting the musky lures you need. Don’t get me wrong other baits can catch fish. Other lures to try include swim baits, jerk baits, top waters (zara spooks), spinnerbaits, and soft plastics. For you rod and reel I prefer a 7 ½ medium heavy rod, with a Abu Garcia 5000 series reel. You’re going to want to run at least a 25 pound test line, and I prefer mono just because of the water clarity we have at Merwin. Lastly you need to invest in some wire leaders. Imagine how you would feel to finally hook one of these fish and have him break off because their sharp teeth cut your line! Berkley makes some nice wire leaders. I would go with 30 pound 12” length.

In no way are these fish easy to catch, they are one on the most challenging fish I have attempted to catch. Its going to take some patience and persistence. Buy some books, do some more research on line, go out and try for these fish, the second you hook on, you will be hooked to! Thanks for reading, and remember Once The Addiction Starts It Never Stops!

YOUR CRAZY ADDICTED FISHERMAN…THE BASSINPIMP

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Most Largemouth fishermen agree that Summer can be the toughest season of all. Somehow it just doesn’t seem right that the times of best weather, longest days and vacations should also offer more difficult fishing conditions. Smallmouth fishermen can enjoy 50 to 100 fish days simply casting soft plastics and filling the livewell, but if you’re going for Largemouth, it will take a little more planning and attention to detail.

While the fish are mostly done spawning and have ample feed in lakes and rivers, and while they may be relating more to underwater humps or shelves, most catchable Bass will still be found shallow – anywhere from 2 to 15 feet of water – though in some lakes big fish will be found along dropoffs or ledges or in very deep water from 25 to 50 feet. You can use your electronics and attempt to catch these very deep fish using vertical methods with such baits as heavy jigging spoons, blade baits, Senkos, tube baits, Texas or Carolina rigged worms, finesse drop-shot rigs and heavy jig and pork combinations.

One big fish hunter I know of uses very large swimbaits such as the Castaic Rainbow Trout, marking fish and then ‘parking’ the bait on the edge of weed lines where the vegetation begins to take hold just up from deeper water. He goes for long periods with no fish, but when he scores on a big one it is usually a dandy. He ‘deadsticks’ the bait, just leaving it still for long periods of time.

Some guides will employ a similar tactic while helping their customers go for shallower, more active fish. The guide will simply drop a large, Texas-rigged worm over the side of the boat and leave it sitting or slowly drifting on the bottom. Sometimes this deadsticking or do-nothing approach will result in the capture of a monster Bass that took his time locating, examining and eventually biting the ‘easy prey.’ Both methods usually involve anchoring your boat. If you are a particularly patient person, able to stay relatively still for mind-numbing periods of time, have at it. I may not be so twitchy that I have to constantly run-and-gun up and down the lake, but I do prefer systematically fishing an area, moving from place to place fairly often. When it’s not too weedy, I use the side-scanner feature of my fish finder to help find more productive spots.

Watching for surface activity and concentrations of baitfish helps to zero in on good areas too. Using my polarized Native sunglasses, I also spot big fish. They can be a challenge, but if you don’t get too close, and if you find the bait they want, they can be caught. Sightfishing can be frustrating, but it can be very rewarding. If nothing else, study the fish. Watch what he does, what he seems to be looking for. How he relates to the cover and structure in his environment. You just might pick up some information that will help you in the future, even when you can’t actually see a fish.

This Summer, remember that the old adage is true: There are always shallow fish. Along with this is the fact that shallow fish will be found wherever there is shade. Summer Fish must seek the protection and cooler qualities of shady areas, whether it is under lily pads, among cattails and bullrushes, under thick weed beds, under or beside mudlines, behind boulders or under logs. I have caught quite a few large fish in our local area that had raw spots on the tops of their tails – a kind of reverse spawning sore – from constantly sculling under their favorite log. I caught a big fish on a Texas rigged black lizard, while nightfishing in Long Lake in Spokane last July. The back of its tail from top to bottom was badly worn. This big Largemouth had been lurking along a vertical rock wall and had obviously taken up residence in a small pocket in the wall, facing out and watching for dinner. All such hideouts offer shade and cover, but the premium spots are also great ambush points where small prey do not see their doom waiting to pounce. Look for such spots!

Whether in lakes or rivers, I look for weedbeds and pads. Then I ‘pick them apart,’ dropping heavy jigs into holes in weed matts, dragging baits between clumps of pads or working weedless baits through pads. Letting a Spro Frog sit on a pad near an opening, then finally pulling him off and twitching him through the opening can produce a Summertime smash hit. Remember not to set the hook when you see the swirl or splash. Wait until you feel weight, then jab the hook in. The same pad-resting tactic, only with a Texas rigged worm which I eventually drop into an opening, can also tantalize a shady Bass into biting. Clear water and openings in vegetation are also good combinations for swimbaits, Sluggos and flukes. Try parking them like a baitfish hesitating between dashes.

I use the venerable spinnerbait too, but now I can ‘burn’ it through fish-holding areas. I might use the drop and flutter technique in some specific spots, but mostly I’m fishing the bait fast either just sub-surface or during daylight hours, deep enough so as to be barely visible to me. Usually around two feet or so, depending on water clarity. It’s somewhat of a relief to me when the warm weather finally comes and I no longer have to crawl my baits. But if I know for sure there are fish present and I’m not getting bites, I will slow the bait down or even slow-roll it on the bottom.

There was no need for that just the other night when a big fish came near to yanking my 6’6” baitcaster out of my hands. He was lurking in a barely submerged weedbed and after jarring me from daydreaming in the darkness, he dug in for the battle. Proof that even on moonless nights, Bass can still see and attack fast moving baits! This time topwaters didn’t work, but spinnerbaits did.

That happened in a lake, but don’t neglect the Columbia River. Its backwaters have some monster Bass hiding and they can be caught in daylight hours as well. I usually prefer slack or outgoing tides, but I used an incoming tide one afternoon to push a weightless, weedless, 10 inch black Powerworm under a jumble of crossed logs. A big fish gave an aggressive yank and then headed up-current in an arcing, Steelhead-like run. I had never seen a big fish make such a run. River fish have attitudes! I often find them hiding near shore along big laydowns or partially submerged logs, and such fish seem to be most vulnerable to a jig and grub dragged parallel – not across – the log.

Persistence pays off, so this Summer don’t get discouraged by the dog days and ‘slow’ doldrums. Use a mesh hat and some cool clothes to beat the heat. Bring plenty of fluids. Make lots of casts. Don’t be afraid to use big baits. And about the time you’re feeling like settling into that easy chair or lounge out on the deck at home, head for the water instead. It can be beautiful out there at night. So can the big fish that are waiting. {Wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt and put on some insect repellant…the skeeters are on the bite too!}

See you in August.

Your fellow fishing fanatic and Bassmaster,

Bob Larimer