Droppers: The Long & Short of It
Droppers: The Long & Short of It With spring chinook season comes a variety of ways to pursue them. From backtrolling plugs and bait, to backbouncing bait, spinners and plugs, to bobber-fishing,...
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Many seasoned plug-anglers I know still have their ol’ favorites hanging in the garage. On many the paint has been worn off due to excessive fish hits. But they still catch fish. Why? It comes down to...
View ArticleSporadic Movement = More Springers
Sporadic Movement = More Springers If you think about what catches salmon, it comes down to smell, sight and sound. Cured eggs are some of the best scent-delivery packages there are when talking...
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Boulder patches and large rocks are also good habitat, as they create ideal steelhead holding zones. These obstacles break up current flow and create areas where fish can hold while conserving valued...
View ArticleReading Summer Steelhead Water
Reading Summer Steelhead Water Early June offers some of the best, most enjoyable summer steelhead fishing of the season. Daylight hours are long, temperatures warming, and fish are stacking in prime...
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Pumping a fish to full recovery may take several minutes. I’ve worked them as long as 15 minutes before setting them free. Don’t be in a rush. Preserving the health and survival of that fish is the...
View ArticleWarm-Water Releases
Warm-Water Releases Last month marked 46 years since I caught my first summer steelhead. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to travel to many great fishing destinations, and never in my wildest dreams...
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If crabbing in bays with a strong tidal current, use heavy-gauge pots or affix a five-pound weight to light-framed pots. The extra weight is to prevent the pots from being carried to deep waters or...
View ArticleCrab, Fish, Feast!
Crab, Fish, Feast! September is here, a month ending in “ber.” While crabbing has been good throughout much of the Pacific Northwest, it’s the months ending in “ber” that old-timers use as a...
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By now I was fishing, writing and hosting TV shows for a living, so I was investing in a lot of gear and had to keep it organized. My shop transformed into a tackle storage unit from which I pull gear...
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Then Cabela’s came out with a storage system similar to Flambeaus, but it was bigger, better quality and allowed me to store even more gear. Soon after that, G. Loomis produced a line of multi-box...
View ArticleInvest, Organize, Repeat!
Invest, Organize, Repeat! Growing up, I had one tackle box for summer and winter steelhead, spring and fall chinook. It carried a mix of hooks, some plugs, sinkers, a couple flashers, an extra spool...
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Where the Curado I series really shines is in the new Infinity Braking System which offers anglers unmatched brake settings. With this, anglers have the ability to adjust the angle of the brake collar...
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Battery charges last up to five hours, but to extend this, try turning it on only when you’re cold, usually when sitting in a boat or wading in one spot for extended times. When driving from hole to...
View ArticleNew Gear...More Fish
New Gear...More Fish Another year has flown by, and with it, more fishing experience gained. One of the aspects I most love about salmon, steelhead and trout fishing is there’s always something to...
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As for keeping the head warm, I’ll take hand warmers and stick them between the fold in a stocking cap. With one placed on each side of the head, you’d be amazed at how warm you’ll be. Feet are one of...
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When I started winter steelhead fishing with my dad and Granddad, back in the 1960s, our heater was briquettes in a metal bucket. On most days, uninsulated boots and fingerless wool gloves found the...
View ArticleWinter Steelhead Fishing for the Kids
Winter Steelhead Fishing for the Kids In the May 2014 issue of STS, I wrote a feature on getting kids hooked on fishing. Happily, the story generated great feedback and a lot of interest. Since then,...
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Because silver salmon often congregate and travel through estuaries in large numbers, they can successfully be caught in these environments. Flying out on a float plane to a secluded bay or river...
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If looking to target coho near the Anchorage area, prime time is a bit earlier than on the Kenai River. Bird Creek, for instance, has its best coho fishing from mid-July through August, while Campbell...
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