fishingaddictsnorthwest.com

Bass fishing with fly tackle is unlike trout fishing. Trout fishing is a lot about style and finesse, where as bass fishing is more chill and relaxed, making it easier for more of the beginner class of folks. With bass fishing presentation isn’t everything, gear has a big deal in being successful in adverse spring conditions.

Rod selection for bass is much different than for trout fishing. Trout is more of a slower action rod, and can get away with a 2-5wt rod with any type of line. Bass you want a shorter rod with a stiffer butt and fast action tip preferably 7’6”-8’ in length and in a 7-8 wt with mainly sinking line, or sinking tip to make it easier for casting larger more wind resistant flies.

A fun and action packed way to catch bass as everyone knows, is on top water gear. There is a good variety of top water flies for bass, from poppers to foam frogs to deer hair mice. Popular colors for flies are basically the colors in the rainbow, something that is going to stand out to the bass and say come eat me.

More flies for subsurface are the deke’s bead leg, softshell crayfish, and marabou streamer. The deke’s bead leg is basically a bead head woolly bugger with round rubber legs and can be presented same as a standard bugger although for bass you would want a sinking line, with slow or fast retrieve. Crayfish patterns are best used in a slower retrieve using full sinking line nearer the bottom pausing intermittently. Marabou flies are preferably a mid range fly using float line and a sink tip with a retrieve with short fast strips and pauses frequently imitating injured prey. Mainly fished over weed beds or submerged structure.

Bass are ambushers, they mostly hide out and wait for their prey, so we must go to them. Fish the structures such as sunken logs, rock out-cropping, and docks, find the best ambush points offering some safety and seclusion and typically you will find bass. Not all structure is below the surface either, bass like to sit up under low hanging trees awaiting prey also, lily pads and weed lines are good places to find the aggressive predators also.

During the spawning spring days a good method is dragging sub-surface flies through the spawning beds of bass, but beware their is an angry mother bass watching and waiting.

Bass fishing is an explosive hard hitting experience in itself, add the combo of a fly rod to the deal, and it’s a whole nother ball game. Spring time into the summer months is the best time to fish for these guys, but really there is no better time than the present. Go get your gear, sneak into your neighbor’s frog pond, and give it a whirl (jk always ask permission). Good luck!

written by,

-Tight-lines

-Troutbum89

It’s as simple as picking between braid and monofilament, right? Well, not quite. In recent decades fishing line technology has been leapfrogging itself and with the present varieties of line and their specific uses available, it might pay you to make your spool-up decisions armed with a little more information.

In a more primitive day, fisherman could only use gut, hair, silk or string to connect hook to rod. {“Look! Oog have big fish on line! Me stand there too!” – Yes, competition began early…..}

Then came the advent of that space-age material, nylon monofilament. Clear, smooth, strong and relatively small in diameter, mono revolutionized the quality and length of lines that could be wound onto a reel. Fishermen could fool fish in clear water, cast further, troll deeper, fight heavier fish over longer distances and enjoy small, reliable knots on their hooks.

This breakthrough also forced leaps forward in fishing reel technology. No longer were reels just storage devices, and concepts like casting distances, fish-fighting drags, line capacities, gear ratios and specialized features made fishing reel innovations skyrocket in importance. None of the reel features we have discussed in previous articles would be available to us now, without the blessing of modern fishing lines.

Monofilament itself has improved in leaps and bounds. Line diameters have been reduced, knot-strength improved, visibility (or invisibility) enhanced using different colors or properties, and overall consistent quality has vastly improved. These are not the monos of decades ago and they are dependable lines.

Some new lines, such as P-Line CX, incorporate ‘copolymer’ technology and offer a much smaller diameter at the same pound test or line strength. This means easier handling, smoother casting, less line ‘memory’ or coiling, less visibility to the fish and reduced planing of line. CX is also fluorocarbon coated, which also helps hide it from the wary fish’s eye.

I have caught many species of fish on P-Line CX Moss Green, including Salmon, Steelhead, Catfish, Largemouth, Smallmouth and Crappie, and the 20 pound test CX version remains one of my favorites for heavy cover Largemouth fishing.

When there is either moving water, or water pressure on line being drawn through water, it results in an often unwanted rise of baits or trolling riggings toward the surface. A smaller line diameter encounters less resistance and stays down deeper, hence one advantage of small-diameter line. The 20 pound CX diameter compares to 17 or even 15 pound test in other lines, so I can get more line on my spool in a bigger pound test, which is another valuable feature.

The relatively new copolymer lines are a real improvement on ordinary mono. The copolymerization process combines several nylon ‘monomers’ (A sort of hybrid of monofilaments) in a formula that produces a stronger, yet smaller line that reacts less to physical and chemical weakening. This also translates to good abrasion resistance.

I have fished with Silver Thread’s ‘Excalibur’ copolymer and had good success hauling in big Largemouths on it too. It is more expensive than some lines, but the quality is worth it. My brother, ‘Mr. Finesse,’ likes the clear Silver Thread copolymer for his subtle soft-plastics presentations. Other popular copolymer lines include Berkley Trilene Sensation, Suffix, Izorline and YoZuri (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-FLCOPOLYMER.html). I have not fished them all, but I’ve had enthusiastic reports from other fishermen.

A related but high-tech departure from monofilament and copolymer is ‘flourocarbon.’ While it looks like mono, its chemical structure is quite different. It is made of extruded polyvinylidene fluoride, a material that is denser than mono and copolymer, and has a light refraction almost identical to water itself. This means that in its pure form, fish just can’t see it at all. It also absorbs less moisture, does not stretch as much, and is ‘harder’ on the outside than the above lines. Also, fluorocarbon sinks in water. Doesn’t take much imagination to think of some real advantages here, does it? Some earlier fluorocarbons were a little stiff, but most of them cast quite well. Most manufacturers have at least one fluorocarbon offering. Here is a helpful comparison of various fluorocarbons: http://www.tackletour.com/reviewfluorocarbontest.html

Even the best of the new monofilaments, flourocarbons and copolymers suffer from a tendency that many fishermen do not welcome…..Line stretch. Sometimes stretch is a good thing. I like knowing that my copolymer line will stretch a little at the hookset. Most of the time the distance from rod to bait is not that far, and I do not want to tear away a crankbait, topwater or other hardbait from a freight-training monster Bass. Also, at boatside where many fights are lost, and where there is only a short length of line under tension between you and your potential catch, do you want some cushioning when the fish shakes his head? I sure do!

But sometimes you can get too much of a good thing. Some of the older monos will stretch as much as 30% of length when the line is wet. Many monos have been reduced to 25% or even less than 10% stretch. Some stretch percentages are just too much. How far back can you sweep your rod in a hookset, and how long do you want it take before the hook point actually penetrates when a fish is biting? Before you pick one of these lines, take a good length of it and see if you like the amount of stretch. Find one that is acceptable to you.

A newer line that completely eliminates the stretch problem is a complete departure from either mono, flourocarbon or copolymer, called ‘braid.’ It is made by intertwining fibrous material, usually aramid, gel-spun polyethylene or Dacron, and weaving it into a very tough, very small-diameter line. A variation of braid is ‘fused’ line, actually braided fibers that have been fused into what appears and performs as one single strand.

Most braids have a wet-stretch of only 2 to 4 % or less. That means whatever happens at the tip of your rod is immediately happening at the hook, and vice versa. This can give you a tremendous advantage.

Braids are so small in diameter compared to mono and copolymer that line capacity on your reel is no longer a consideration. Braids are very light and have a tendency to float, making them the choice of many bobber and jig fishermen, especially in the high-vis form. There is virtually no line-memory or coiling, and braided line is also extremely long-lasting and tough. This can be a real problem for older rods with softer guides and tips, and for older reels with softer line rollers. Braid can saw right down into them. If you make the mistake of wrapping the line around your hand to yank it, it will cut through your hand too!

In the weight ranges I use for Bass, braid can actually be too small at times. I do not want to waste time on the water trying to get spider-like braid out of snap rings and other terminal tackle, wind knots from wispy lines and breezes are always unwelcome, and I do not want braid pulling down inside of itself on my spool when I put it under pressure. These are some of the drawbacks of smaller pound test braids. I know some fisherman who have resolved these problems and adapted well enough to be big fans of lighter braid, so it could be just my own preferences here.

On big water and in bigger sizes, I find braid to be superior in almost all respects. I have caught 8 ½ foot Sturgeon and big Spring Chinook Salmon on the Columbia River using braids. Sea Lions and other boaters and lines might be a worry, but not this line! Power Pro, Tuff Line, Berkley Spider Wire and Fireline, and P-Line Spectrex are all excellent braids, with only personal choice of color and ‘feel’ of the line itself being considerations. http://www.nextag.com/braided-fishing-line/search-html

Just a warning: Braid will work fine on the new low-profile bait-casting reels, in fact that is one of its strong suits. But remember the power and strength of this line! You can literally deform, bend or collapse a small, super-light, high-quality, floating spool by applying too much force with braided line. Also, line rollers on spinning reels and other reel parts can be susceptible to increased wear due to braid’s tough qualities. Choose your pound test accordingly and remember that your reel, no matter how high-end and well-machined, is not indestructible! Yes, braid really is that strong.

Now with all this information and real-time fishing tests, which line do I choose as my all-time favorite? The winner is . . . You guessed it. It really depends on what I want the line to do in a given situation.

Do I want a great, invisible, quick-sinking, low-stretch, high-sensitivity line for finessing big smart Bass with a subtle drop-shot rig? Then I should probably pick fluorocarbon.

Do I want to jab the hook in deep and cut my way out of tangles of cover with tough, powerful line when fighting a monster Bass that attacked my jig-and-pig? Then it’s time for some braid.

Do I want something that will load up and stretch a little bit on my long-distance casts, allow my crankbaits and spinnerbaits to stay at the desired depth, allow the fish to get a good pull going on my topwaters before I set the hook, and still be a relatively invisible line? Then I’m going with a small-diameter copolymer.

You will undoubtedly find your own favorites for various kinds of fishing.

I for one am very happy that line technology has come so far and allows so many excellent choices for just the right situations.

We’ll talk about which baits to tie these excellent lines onto when the May article comes out. Keep your wet side down and your dry side up, and give a few good, eye-crossing hooksets for me till then!

Fanatically Yours,

Bassmaster Bob

P.S. Please remember that all lines actually last a long time out in nature. They can prove to be cruel death-traps to birds and critters. I often return from fishing trips with someone else’s line wadded up in my pockets to discard later. It’s smart to take good care of your favorite fishing holes!

If your after channel cats and you have the right rig to get you here, the John Day is the place! This river is loaded
with big channel catfish. These fish are very aggressive and can put up just as much fight as any salmon or steelhead you ever hook. The other plus to these fish is the fact that they make surprisingly tasty meals! These fish are great pan fried, baked or barbequed. This river isn’t going to be for everyone. You need to really know how to navigate up river or else you need to have a jet sled. There is some nasty rocks that can eat your prop up here. I went through one prop already on my first adventure up here last year. The biggest thing to watch when navigating up river is the banks. You want to stay close to whatever bank has cliffs, and you should be ok, but this is your warning be very careful if you attempt up river. Jet sleds have no problem what so ever.

There is many places to hook up on this river, but it all depends on the water temp. These fish start to migrate up river
in the early spring to begin their spawning cycle. Ideal water temp for these fish to spawn is between 70-80 degrees. Male
catfish select nest sites which are normally dark secluded areas such as cavities in drift piles, logs, or undercut banks.
Males guard the nest and the eggs hatch in about a week. Baby cats remain in the nest protected by the male for another
week. Channel catfish less than 4 inches in length feed primarily on small insects. Adults are largely omnivorous, feeding on
insects, mollusks, crustaceans, fish, and even some plant material. Most channel cats are mature when they reach about 12″.

The fishing on this river when the temp is right can be absolutely lights out! There is 3 main ways to hook up on this river
in the spring time. As the fish move up the river to spawning grounds they can be found in deep pools along the way up river.
Using your electronics you can find some of these deeper slots, anchor above these slots. Your going to want to get your bait
right into the deep holes. Lots of lead, a size 3/0 hook, and chicken liver with lots of scent is the technique of choice
in this situation. You wont hook insane amounts of fish doing this but most of the time the ones you do hook are quality
fish.

The next technique can be very fun when the fish are in. Once you cruise all the way up river to a place that your boat can
go no more, lets pull out the back bouncing gear.With your boat facing upstream, come to a standstill and begin to let your
line out. Once you have hit bottom, continue to let out more line, and work it back slowly.
Your going to want to ease the boat backwards very slowly continually working your rod up and down allowing your presentation
to move back with you. As you pull your rod, you need to feel the weight bounce on the bottom every time.
The bite will be very distinct, sometimes during your pull up, and sometimes on the down fall. For bait on this technique I
like to use very stinky smelt cut into pieces.

The last technique is the most effecitive way to hook catfish in this river. Be prepared to leave your boat on the bank and
hike up to catch fish. I usually lock my outboard and trolling motor up and make sure that there is nothing that can be
easily snatched from the boat. You don’t have to worry about to much traffic up here, but its always better to be cautious.
After you cruise all the way up river a few miles the river turns into a canyon style river. Your going to beach your boat
and hike up river for some lights out catfishing. There is a trail that you can walk really far up the river on the right hand
side of the shore. To hook these fish in the canyon your going to need to bring your drift gear. Any steelhead, or bass rod
will work, but remember there is a chance you will hook a monster so be prepared. I like to use an 8′ 6″ medium rod with
a baitcasting reel. I use slinky weights with a size 4 gamu hook. The bait of choice for drifting in this canyon is going to
be a surprise but its tiger prawn, the store bought prawn that you get from safeway or albertsons. These catfish are up in
this canyon to spawn so they are going to be in some crazy looking water that you would never guess catfish to be in. The fish
are found in rapids, pools and fast drifts. Concentrate most of your time right up against the banks on the rock cliffs.
Be prepared to bring a stringer and a backpack. You will be doing some good hiking. Another warning to everyone is watch out
for rattlesnakes. They love to sun themselves on the rocks up this canyon. I have seen several while fishing up here, so
watch your step. Good luck!

Your local fishing addict,
Marlin LeFever

Well, here we are in another year for great trout fishing. The past winter, or lack there of, is hopefully going to be a big plus come June. The lack of snow and our mild late winter/early spring time provides a promising look at what is in store for us. Little snow in the mountains means little to no run-off, which botched the June opener in 2008. Last year was alright, but the water was still ashy on glacial streams and made them run a little higher than we would like, but this year should be picture perfect, knock on wood.

So this spring I encourage everyone to get out and do a little early fishing on some of the year-round trout waters, like the Skagit, which a portion of is open for all trout, including bull trout. Some of these year-round rivers would be a great place to get some early fishing in because of the fact that most guys who fish these rivers during the winter and spring months are targeting steelhead, making it easier to target trout with smaller streamers and dries. Some other rivers to look into fishing include the Middle fork of the Snoqualmie, which has selective gear rules, and part of the Yakima , which is open year round for brook trout. Also you can find other rivers to fish by doing a little work at home. Get your fishing regulations out and scour the pages for year-round listings, and call fly shops or guides in the areas you want to try to fish.

Preparing for a trip to one of these rivers is a must. I don’t recommend just heading out with your usual gear in hopes of catching fish. Call the local shops to see what they recommend you take with you, let them know where you are from and let them know you when you will be in the area, so they can give you all of the specifics. They may have some hatches that we don’t get this early, or special flies you may have never heard of. Don’t forget to stop at the shops you call and mention that you talked to them on the phone. This is always good because they may not give you all the secrets over the phone, but may be more willing if you actually use the shops, even if it’s just for a few extra leaders or flies.

So let’s talk about some of the things that are always good to take, that most of us already have. Woolly buggers are always a good pattern to throw and they will usually produce fish. Go to any local store that carries flies and check out some of the new developments in these patterns as well, you just might find your new favorite pattern.. You can also always count on the trusted favorite nymphs and dries. There are a lot of hatches that occur at roughly the same time everywhere, like midges or blue winged olives (BWO).

Aside from streams, you also have lakes as an option. Like I mentioned before, we had a pretty mild winter, so a lot of the lakes that would usually still be frozen over are open, and haven’t had much pressure for a while. While the gates may be closed still, you can always hike in with a float tube or pontoon and expect some good fishing. If you find the lake you head out to is still mostly frozen, don’t turn around and go home. Look for places where small streams are feeding in there will usually be enough open water to cast to from the shore. These places can often provide some of the best fishing anywhere on the lake. The fresh water brings in tons of food for fish, causing them to school up around the openings in the ice. Try tying on nymphs or cripples and let them dead drift from the moving water into the deeper still water, and be ready to set the hook because these fish will be hungry. You can also throw woolly buggers imitating smaller fish. There will always be small fish coming into these areas to gorge themselves on the fresh food source in hopes of getting bigger, and the big fish love to eat them.

Another necessary preparation for the summer months to come is checking your gear. If you haven’t fished for a while, things can get kind of worn out and old, mainly your lines and leaders. I always highly recommend buying new line at least once a year, and always use fresh leaders because who knows how long they sat in a store before you bought them and stored them with your trout gear all winter. Flies are always good to check as well. I hate tying on a fly only to find that the hood has weakened from sitting in a box too long. Take a selected amount of flies out and give the hook a little tug, you’ll probably find that some of the cheaper flies have hooks that will break behind the material from being put away wet and rusting out. It would suck to hook a good fish and have the hook break or bend.

Something that people often overlook is checking waders and wading boots. I’ve had waders that were in perfect shape when I put them away, but from being folded up for a while developed weak spots that turned into small leaks. With your wading boots make sure the soles are still in good shape. Sometimes the thread can wear out causing the soles to separate in spots, which can be dangerous in the water. Also check your laces, you don’t want to get out there and have the laces break because you never want loose boots when walking on wet or slippery rocks.

I hope you all will take this advice to heart, and get out there and try some great spring fishing. I know that all hardcore trout fisherman will enjoy themselves, even if you don’t catch fish. Hell, anything beats staying in town daydreaming about the summer fishing we all look forward so much. An early trip and that first fish of the season always makes the time waiting for June go much quicker. So good luck, and good fishing.

Your local Fly Fishin’ Addict, the Troutbum89