The East Fork is a great river for all techniques of fishing. The smolt release for this year’s return wasn’t a great one. The release was almost cut in half with only 32,300 smolt released. It’s going to be tough to pick up summer runs in this river, but they will be there. On the river you will see good bobber, drift, plug, and fly fishing water. Two great places to start for bank and boat anglers is Lewisville or Daybreak Park. The float from Lewisville to Daybreak is a really nice float. You can launch at the top of the park and go all the way to daybreak or la center. There is plenty of good water all the way through the float. Daybreak down to La Center is a long float; you will be oaring about 45 mins to an hour once you get to the dead water a few miles below Daybreak. For bank anglers you can park at either of the parks and walk up and down river. There are quite a few spots to fish from the bank. Jig and float fishing is the most popular on this river because of the quality float water up and down the river. From daybreak down, there is a lot of plug pulling water as well as drift fishing sections. Early in the summer you are going to want to concentrate low in the system, as the water begins to heat up, you should start to fish higher in the system cause that’s where the fish will be, trying to survive in the low warm water.
The Kalama should be a different story. With 84,150 smolt released this river is expected to be on fire. I talked with Monty Thierry of Reel Adventures Guide Service (www.reeladv.com) and he said the run this year is going to be a very good one. There are 3 popular floats on the Kalama. The first is from Pritchard’s/Red Barn down to the Slab Hole. Be aware of a large exposed boulder in the rapids just below Pritchard’s ramp. It comes into play as the water drops into summer steelhead time. You’ll need to run the rapids out in the chop to the right of the boulder as there isn’t enough space to clear the rock if you choose the left side. Not an issue if the water is high but as the water drops into summer flows this rock has turned a few boats over in the past. There are some nice runs in this stretch of river, good float and jig fishing just below Pritchard’s rapids and all through Weber’s run. The deep waters of the Upper Bridge hole has good bank access and can be fished with float and jigs up in the fast water at the top of the run and can hold fish all the way to the bridge. The Gazebo run/hole is another boat access only drift that is good for floating jigs/bait as well as divers with bait or small plugs. There is some small pocket water from there to the Slab run/hole that should be fished with floats and jigs.The second good float is the Slab hole to Modrow Bridge. There is good bank access on the Slab hole and can be good for jigs and/or diver bait if you’re in a boat. The lower hatchery run/hole puts out fish all summer long with floats and jigs, as well as drift fishing eggs or shrimp. Just below the hatchery is the Beginners hole with great bank access and is another good float and jig hole with good results for boaters as well pulling plugs or bait divers. Fishing the boulder laden flats below the beginner’s hole with the sun low on the water at first light or late in the day for migrating fish with spinners or floats and dark colored jigs. From this point down there is some limited bank access and better for boaters and can be good plug and bait diving when the water volumes are high enough in the early summer. After the water drops stick to floats with bait/jigs or spinners in the faster white water.
The Washougal River is another smaller SW Washington river that year after year puts out good numbers of summer steelhead. With a smolt release of 64,600 for this year’s return fishermen on this river can expect good fishing results. Highway 14 provides good bank-fishing access to the Lower Washougal, and there are three spots along the lower river where boat anglers can launch to fish. This is a smaller river with lots of boulders so experience is needed for floating this river. When the flows are low on the river it’s not a good idea to even float. The bowling alley hole and cop shop hole are both very good places to fish from the bank. You can find good jig and float as well as drift fishing water by walking up and down the river from either of these spots. The upper shoug can also be very good when the water flows begin to drop. You can find fish trying to survive the heat and low water, in deep pools as well as fast riffles. Casting spinners up here can produce very well.
The Elochoman River is a small river that flows into the Columbia River near the town of Cathlamet, Washington. This river is always a good bet for putting some summer steel on your plate. Fishing this river can be fairly easy just because of its small size, the fish are easier to find. The river should produce a good run this year with a smolt release of 29,200. For such a small river, even if 5 percent returns, you’re looking at a good run. The river is bank fishing only, with most fishing being done below the beaver creek hatchery. It’s best to target the fish as soon as the river opens early in the season, because as the summer goes on and the river drops the fish get very spooked. Later in the summer going higher in the river can produce better fishing. The water between the two hatcheries can be very good water as well as the water above the hatcheries. This river has limited access and a lot of the water is private. Be sure not to trespass and always ask for permission to fish someone’s land. Fishing on the river is primarily done with bobber and jig, but there are a few runs good for drift fishing.
No matter what river you choose to go to in SW Washington you’re going to have a good chance at some summer steel. The good thing about all these rivers is the fact the most of them are fairly close. You can fish the East Fork, and if it’s not producing drive up to the Kalama or down to the Washougal. Fishing for summer steelhead can be one of the most exhilarating fishing experiences. Nothing is like the power and beauty of these awesome fish. I hope that you will be able to create some memories on one of these great rivers.
Marlin LeFever

Loomis Lake is the first one I would spend a day on. The lake is a pretty big lake and is just completely full of big largemouth bass. The lake has a pretty good public boat launch, but other than that there is no public access. There is no shore access to the lake at all, the one boat launch has a few places for people to fish but without a boat here, you are pretty much wasting your time. There used to be a nice dock to fish off but as of last year a tree had fallen on it and they did not fix it. The bass in this lake can be very finicky, sometimes its crazy and you will have 20 fish days and other times you will be lucky if you’re able to hook a couple. I have fished this lake since I was a little kid and I have never been able to pinpoint the reason for this but it just happens. The main places you are going to want to concentrate on this lake are the docks and any other wood you are able to find. There are logs and pilings all over the lake for bass to live. Fish all of them; don’t pass any of them, because the one you pass is the one that has a big largemouth on it! Another place the fish like to hide in this lake is the weed bed breaks. The lake has a really bad milfoil problem. The state has tried to get rid of it numerous times but have failed. The bass love it though! There is spots where it’s so thick you can’t get your trolling motor through the weeds but then all the sudden it will just stop…..when you find these spots fish them. The bass suspend just inside these beds and destroy food that crosses their path. The best baits of choice to fish this lake are spinnerbaits on the wood and 5” weightless senkos on the weed beds. After you have spent your time here, head over to Island Lake, it is just a short drive away.
Island is another lake where you need a boat. There is no bank access what so ever. This lake is huge! You could spend all day fishing the lake. I like to launch my boat and head directly east, once you get through the first bigger channel then start concentrating fishing the south shore. The fish in this lake don’t average very big but I think that is just because how many are in the lake. No sarcasm at all, I have caught upwards of 50 largemouths in one day on this lake. Most fish average between 1-3 pounds, with one pound fish being more common. The lure of choice I like to throw is brush hogs. These fish love to hide way up on the bank in thick brush so, casting up on the bank and dragging the bait into the water works very well here. If you get board catching small fish, it’s time to head to Black Lake.

Around 15 mins from Island Lake, Black Lake gets absolutely no pressure from bass fishermen. The main reason this lake isn’t fished is because of the difficulty this lake conveys in catching bass. Not only is the lake very clear, there isn’t a large number of bass in the lake. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout frequently, so the bass in the lake reach very big sizes. I have pulled 2 fish out of the lake pushing 9 pounds. This lake has a trail that goes most of the way around the lake, and yea you can catch a bass sometimes from the bank but your best bet is still going to be from a boat. Launch your boat and head south around the left side of the lake back into the bowl shaped section of the lake. The most effective way in catching the huge bass that live in this lake is drop shotting. Use your electronics and find some of the deep water structure, a hint for you; it’s in about 25 feet of water. Both the big bass I caught in this lake came in deep deep water. Be patient and if you can come back to the lake numerous times in a season you will eventually hook into one of the big guys living here. Now just 10 mins away from Black lake lies Fort Canby.

This beautiful state park has 2 really untapped bass lakes. The one that has campsites all the way around the lake is called Lake O’Neil. This lake is a great lake to fish from the shore just casting weed less frogs. The fish average 2-3 pounds in here with the occasional 5 pounder falling to your frog. I love fishing this lake when I want to just drive to the beach and go catch some easy bass. The lake gets pretty much no pressure so the fish are pretty willing biters. If you have a pontoon boat you can do very well in this lake as well. The other lake in the campground requires a pontoon or other small watercraft. If you head back towards the Yurts in the campground there is a little gravel parking lot with a hiking trail on the left. The trail isn’t much maintained so dragging your boat through here isn’t easy and make sure you bring your bug spray! If you can endure these 2 things you are in for a treat. This lake is chalked full of bass and some really big ones can be taken out of here. This lake is really weedy as well so bring your Spro frogs! Have fun out there and leave some bass for me!

Your local fishing addict

Marlin LeFever

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

The Cowlitz River is going to be your first and best bet out of the two rivers to pick up some springers. A year ago the estimated return was 4,100 and the run came back stronger than predicted at 4,900. The predicted run this year on the Cowlitz is 12,500 fish, with a spawning need of 1,250 fish. If this return happens it would be double what the 5 year average has been, which pretty much means GAME ON! A majority of these fish are going to be bonked at the mouth of the Cowlitz. The technique best for picking up fish here is to anchor up based on the tides. Every fisherman out there has their own technique and spots of where these fish travel, the rule of thumb is most fish will be in 6-25 feet of water. Find that depth and anchor. There are many lures of choice but Luhr Jensen Kwik fish is the most popular. Sizes K-13 to K-16, with the K-14 & K-15 the most common. The larger sizes are used when the current slows down, the smaller sizes are good when there is faster current. On the belly of your kwikfish place a sardine fillet and attach it using stretchy thread. This will make your plug give off a very oily scent to the springers heading its way. 50″ leaders & 18″ to 26″ lead lines are industry standard. For weight you can use 2 or 8 ounces depending on the depth and current of the water.
If you’re not looking to anchor fish another great way to pick up springers in the Cowlitz is to back troll for them. The method of choice is going to be either back trolling plugs or bait and diver. You’re going to use the same set up as anchored but you will be trolling against the current with your kicker motor slow enough to allow the boat to back down with the current. This can be a very effective method! Launch at either barrier dam or blue creek and work around that area.
If you’re reading this article and getting sad because you don’t have a boat, don’t worry because tons of fish are caught on the Cowlitz by bank fishermen. Plunking is highly effective on this river and there are lots of places to do it. From your fishing pole, use a 15 to 25-pound mainline and two 8mm beads up your line, then tie a size 3 swivel and a 32-inch piece of 30-40 pound mono. Run up a large slider followed by two more 8mm beads and then another size 3 swivel. Tie on another 36-inch 15-20 pound leader and size 2 Spin-N-Glo with two 5mm red beads and a double 2/0 hook. For bait you can use sand shrimp or cured prawns. Some good places to give a chance are the high bank hole, which is located across from Delameter Road just below Four Corners; this is one of the best holes on the river. Another good bet would be the mouth of the Toutle Located on the east side of the river, take I-5 exit 49, head east and take the first left, which is a frontage road. Travel about 2 miles to the parking area above the train bridge at the Burlington Northern-Sante Fe gate, park there and it’s about a mile walk.
The Lewis this year is also expected to get a better than normal Spring Chinook numbers. The forecast a year ago was 2,200 and the actual run was 1,900 which were worst of the decade. This year the expected number back is 6000, which if it turns out could make for a really good year. The hatcheries need 950 spring Chinook for spawning purposes. I talked to Paul Ambrose from Great Northwest Rivers Guide Service (www.greatnwrivers.com) He said that the technique of choice in the north fork is to hover fish, simply put hover fishing is a super slow back troll technique where you “hover” over the hole and wait until you get a bite. Standard technique is to let your bait hit the bottom then reel up 2 cranks and hold it, the bite is not very heavy and you should set the hook after a few “taps”. Most people use cured eggs with sand shrimp. You can do this in any significantly deep hole you find and it will hold fish. I like to also use mackerel and sardine with eggs. Have you heard the saying; “early bird gets the worm.” On the North Fork this can really pay off. If you can use bait/diver on Johnson creek flats first thing in the morning that always produces fish, and quite a few doubles. You can also use cut plug herring and sardine and back troll them on this river.
On another note the Kalama River hasn’t had the best of numbers in the past years and it looks like the forecast for this year isn’t going to be much better. The 2009 return of 350 was the second worst since at least 1980. The only worse year was 338 adults in 1985. This year a weak 900 fish are expected to return with the spawning goal for the hatchery of 500 spring Chinook. Even with these numbers, talking to Monty Thierry of Reel Adventure Guide Service (www.reeladv.com), he assures me that fish can still be taken, so don’t let that out of your radar for a possible on catching some spring Chinook this year. These fish are the best table fare the great pacific northwest has to offer, and it looks like all these rivers this year are going to put a lot of it on all of our tables! Happy Fishing!
Your Local Fishing Addict,
Marlin LeFever

Published in March 2010 Issue of Northwest Sportsman Magazine

The first thing you need to do to even have a chance at one of these fish is to go fish the water that is most likely to hold them. There are a lot of rivers in Washington and Oregon that are capable of producing these big natives. For Oregon waters include the Wilson, Nehalem, Trask, and Salmonberry just to name a few. In Washington your best bet is to focus your time in the Olympic Peninsula. Rivers like the Hoh, Sol Duc, Bogachiel, and Queets. The best time to venture out and give any of these rivers a try is going to be mid February to the end of March. This is when you will have a lot of these big fish in the systems and they will be fairly spread out. Don’t let some of the other rivers in these states out of your head though. There is 20 pound fish to be had in a lot of the rivers. A couple local rivers that I fish have been known to produce a few here and there. The thing to remember is always target these fish when you know they are there. You do not want to waste your time trying and trying early in hopes of getting the first fish, I have done this time and time again, yea you might get lucky, but the fact of the matter is you will probably just get burnt out. March is going to be your best bet so that is what I would focus on if you really want a good chance at these fish. Make sure to check your rules and regs because a lot of these rivers have specific rules and boundaries.

River conditions are going to play another big role in trying to land of these monster steel! In most of these systems the rain and other weather conditions can really change the outcome of what the river is going to look like on any certain day. A lot of these rivers are glacier fed as well, so unexpected snow level drops or temperature changes can also hurt your chances. In most cases the best color to look for when fishing any river system is that brilliant glacier green! This is when fish seem to just be on the tear! The water has good visibility to the fish but perfect for keeping you hidden a little. Most people think that the river level deters them from catching fish, and in some cases it can. What I have found though is that as long as the river holds a good color you can catch fish no matter how high it is. The main thing to focus on is finding places moving slowly or inside seems the fish can sit and rest to get out of the rest of the raging river. Snow is a great thing! If it’s snowing outside it seems to trigger something in these fish, they become really aggressive and move a lot, moving and feeding on the way. Every time I have got out on a day it was snowing was always an amazing day of fishing. Water temperature is going to be another thing you’re going to want to know. If your facing really cold water these fish will most of the time stage up in deeper water and be a lot less likely to move far to feed. You will really need to get your bait right into their nose to entice a bite.

When going after big natives you can use all kinds of bait. These fish most of the time are very aggressive. One of the most effective baits for catching these monsters is the pink worm. This bait is very versatile and can be fished under a bobber, drifting, or plunking. My favorite technique is under a float. I like to take a 1/8 or ¼ ounce jig head in pearl pink color. I will use the Berkley 6” pink worm and cut them down right after the collar. This makes for a perfectly looking presentation under the water and these big fish can’t resist it. This technique is extremely effective when the water is that Glacier green color like I was talking about. The other main technique I like to use on these big fish would be spoons. The big flash and flutter of these baits is irresistible to these fish. My preference is the 2/5 ounce Little Cleo in blue/silver pattern. I will take the treble hook off and replace it with a single siwash. You also want to make sure to use a barrel swivel on the eye. Swinging these spoons through tail outs of any water can be very deadly. I also like to flutter them down into deep pools. One good trick that most people fail to do is put scent on the spoon. A little smelly jelly in shrimp/anise works wonders!

These beautiful native fish are a thing to cherish! There is nothing like hooking into to one of these beauties. It’s sad to say but the numbers of these fish have really declined in the past years. We all need to do everything we can to conserve these fish so more continue to reproduce. Please always practice catch and release and make sure you take extra care of the fish. If at all possible keep them in the water except for one quick picture and then make sure they swim away strong and on their own to go off to their distant gravel bed and reproduce offspring for you or someone else to catch another day!
Your local fishing Addict,
Marlin LeFever

When I first started steelhead fishing for summer fish I was exclusively all about bobber and jig fishing and that was it for me! One day while out on the river, I was walking into one of my spots and another fisherman was walking out. I couldn’t help but notice that he was carrying a limit of fish! I said, “Good job man, what did you pick those beauties up on?” He said, “I was using a #2 tarnished brass vibrax spinner.” He showed me his lures and I took some pictures for him of his fish, and I went on my way up to my whole. I kept thinking the whole time how I almost didn’t believe that was what he was using. I had heard of spinners doing well but this spinner to me just looked really ugly, like why would any steelhead hit that lure? From then on I was determined to try to catch my first steelhead on a spinner. I had grown up fishing for trout in small streams with spinners so I knew how to fish them, it was just getting to the store to pick up some steelhead spinners and getting back out on the water to fish them. For me the lure of choice was a blue fox in brass color size 2. This spinner from then on out was the most deadly spinner I have ever used for summer steelhead fishing. The first time out I spotted a fish in some low clear water just below a fast riffle. I casted the spinner upstream and let it drift right into him……WHAM!! She almost tore the rod right out of my hand! After a couple acrobatic jumps and good runs, I landed a nice bright hatchery hen. This was my first ever steelhead on a spinner. I began to master the art of fishing with spinners and they became my lure of choice when fishing for summer steelhead in low clear water.

Picking the lure is easy when it comes to summer steelhead. You want something small and something not to bright, as bright colors will often spook the fish. Some choices of lures I would go with are Blue Fox Vibrax in Brass, Copper, Silver and Blue, or Silver and Purple. All of these 4 colors seem to produce. On very bright sunny days you want to use the darker colors like brass and copper. On Overcast days you can get the fish on silver and blue or silver and purple. I like to fish the spinner with light spinning gear. I prefer a 7 foot Certified Pro Lamiglas rod with a pflueger 8035 spinning reel. For fishing line, I use a 6 pound maxima ultra green. Now you’re hooked up and it’s time to get out on the water.

You can fish spinners in almost any kind of water and that is one of the main luxuries of spinner fishing. Spinners are fished best by essentially drifting them through holes. Like any drift set up you want to keep the spinner close to the bottom. Cast the spinner upstream and float it down through the hole all the way to the tail out, slowly reeling it towards yourself the whole time. Once the spinner gets close to the tail out where the water is going to be faster, make sure you slow down the retrieve or give the spinner some line to keep it close to the bottom. Do this through the entire hole, if there is fish in the hole, it will be game on most of time. The other place that you want to make sure to fish the spinner is in riffles and fast oxygenated water. As the summer goes on and a lot of rivers decrease the amount of water they have, fish will be in search of oxygen and cool places to be. A lot of times if you run your spinner through these areas an active fish will not be able to resist the spinner. Don’t wait any longer to get out there and fish spinners for these hard to catch summer steelhead. Right now is the time to do it! Good luck out there! Once the addiction starts it never stops!
Your Crazy Addicted Fishermen Marlin LeFever aka The Bassinpimp

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

Join the forum discussion on this post

As if catching a steelhead isn’t hard enough for most fishermen, try catching them in extremely low and clear conditions. In the Pacific Northwest we haven’t had rain for months and most the snow is already melted off. This leaves the rivers around here running so low and clear they are almost unfishable. I’m hoping a few of these techniques will help you in catching some of these bright summer fish hanging in the rivers.

First thing you’re going to want to look at is your gear, whatever liter your running now, prepare to downsize. Float fishing is going to be the technique of choice. You’re going to be running a 6 pound maxima ultra green liter with my preference of a smoke color fire line 14 pound braid. Make sure you have a long rod, at least 9’ 6”. My rod and reel of choice is a pflueger supreme reel and Lamiglas xmg50 9’ 6” rod.

For bait it’s going to be a combination of things. These fish are so smart and hard to catch in these conditions, we have to trick them in every which way possible. The first step is buying some jigs in 1/16 ounce size or smaller. You’re going to want them to be darker color patterns. I prefer nightmare, and or purple patterns. You need to get some good running floats. Steelhead Stalkers are going to be my pick.

Next thing you need is some sand shrimp. Once your all tied up with bobber, jig, and all, I like to tip the end of my jig with a little bit of sand shrimp as an extra incentive for these weary fish. Just break off little chunks at a time and tip the end of your jig. Make sure you have some nice waiters and a good pair polarized glasses, for comfort out on the water.

Now that you’re all geared up, finding the fish is a different story. The key to finding these fish is deeper stretches of water where these fish feel safe and can be cool. Since you’re going to be float fishing, you need to target areas of the river that are deeper than the rest but stretch long enough for you to get a decent float with your bobber and jig. Sometimes if you can find slots in the river, that’s going to be the ticket to catching your nice bright chrome summer steelhead. These fish don’t have a lot of water to work with so they will use the deeper slots to sit in and move up river. Most the rivers around here have these slots. With your polarized glasses, walk up and down river looking for these slots, but be stealthy. In the hunt for these slots it’s not uncommon to spot summer steelhead just waiting for you to float your jig by their face. Once these slots are found cast up river, and let your jig pass through the slots perfectly, if the steelhead is there….. “BOBBER DOWN!!!” you should have a fish on. Once the summer goes on you will find fish way way up river in the most oxygenated water they can find. Falls or rapids with deep pools are good areas to look!

Summer steelhead is extremely aggressive and feisty, when hooked its very likely that they will put on a nice acrobatic show for you. Make sure to be careful and play them out, with the 6 pound liter your chance of losing these crazy chromers is very good.

Now hurry up and get off the computer, head to Wholesale Sports, pick up your jigs, your shrimp, your line, your bobbers, and hey why not spoil yourself with a new lamiglas rod and pflueger reel. Feel free to ask any questions you may have in the forum! They will be answered immediately! Thanks for reading, cause once the addiction starts it never stops!

YOUR CRAZY ADDICTED FISHERMAN…THE BASSINPIMP

Kyle With A Nice BG Lake Bass!

These fish are probably never even hooked. These fish have seen every lure in your resume. They have become so line shy that catching them is near impossible.   There is always a way though, you can trick any fish you want to catch. It’s going to take some time and a lot of effort but if you’re up to it, you can catch them.  Right now is the key time.  The water at Battle Ground Lake has reached critical temperature and these big elusive bass have begun to spawn.  The fish in the lake use deeper areas of the lake to spawn. They focus on finding deep shelves or even logs that they can have a safe spawning bed on.  The key to catching these fish is finding the beds, this is the hard part. Be patient and take your time, walking the shore of the lake is very easy. There is a trail all the way around the lake, so access to every angle is very easy. What you’re going to need to do to find these fish is cast and cast and then cast some more.  As you walk the shore about every 50 yards make casts out into the water in all angles. Keep repeating this all the way around the lake. There are a few lures that can work in this situation. My favorite is going to be a Jig with crawdad trailer. Work the jig extremely slow across the bottom, bouncing it off logs or any other structure underneath the water.  Move it slow with just slight twitches and pauses in between the twitches. What you’re doing is trying to locate a bed, by covering every inch of shoreline on the lake. Eventually if you’re lucky you will bring the jig across the bed of a weary largemouth. Even though these fish are so smart to lures and line, right now it doesn’t matter. These fish are in protecting mode! They are going to attack to kill anything that approaches or threatens their spawning bed.  The bass in this lake have reached peak sizes. Some of them have been said to top 10 pounds!!  Now that you’re done reading this article…what are you waiting for, get out there and break the Washington state record largemouth!

Marlin Lefever bassinpimp69

Probably the most popular and most used line on the market is Monofilament line, it is used by all anglers across the world. Monofilament is availible in many different pound tests and can be used on both spinning and baitcasting reels. In most case mono is not used for deep-water fishing because  it can take on water and its sensitivity will decrease. It also has a tendency for the knots you tie to weaken.

Monofilament line can weaken when exposed to heat or sun, and comes off the spool where it has been stored which can prove annoying by becoming tangled quite often. For that reason you should change your line out often. Despite all its draw-backs, this is the most widely used type of line because it is cheapest and comes in a variety of colors and strengths. It is also for the most part virtually invisable under the water in most cases.

The other widely used line is braided line. This type of line is the strongest there is in relation to its diameter. Braids are very abrasion resistant. This line is so strong that you may have trouble breaking it when you get a snag, so a fish is even more unlikely to break it in a struggle.  In contrast to monofilament line, braided line is used for deep-sea fishing where strength and durability are of the utmost necessity. The braided line has a much smaller diameter and no stretch, so every time a fish bites you will know! The downside is that braids are very expensive in most cases.

Unlike the monofilament line, braided lines are very visable in the water, and are  known to spook fish in some cases cause they can see it. Use braided lines if you are fishing in murky water, or at night. The visability of the braided line is especially unwanted when you are fishing with a lure that a fish can see for a long time before choosing to bite.

Using all the above points, it is usually in your best to use a monofilament line at the end of a braided one as a leader, to minimize the visibility of the line to the fish, yet still have the strength of the braided line to catch bigger fish known to put up a fight. When trolling, mono line is the best to use, because the stretch it provides is an added asset.  Although mono is half as expensive as the braided line, the cost does not end up being as much of a factor because it needs to be replaced a lot more often. To get the best of both worlds, use a braided line for strength with a mono line tied onto the end for the invisibility needed to get fish to bite. The Uni-Knot is a great knot for doing this. The bloodknot is also sometimes used.