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February 2015

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As hunting seasons come to a close, most sportsman and women throughout the Northwest just hang up their gear and hunker down by the fire waiting for spring to arrive. Why not go fishing? Trout and yes, even Kokanee, can be readily caught this time of year and you’re likely to have the best fishing spots all to yourself! So as you store your waterfowl gun, pull out that fishing rod and organize your fishing gear because it’s time to go fishing! In this article, I’ll provide a few tips about gear and how to fish winter waters. North central Washington has some of the best year round fishing opportunities in the Northwest and it happens to be in my backyard. There are many other great places to winter fish in Oregon and Washington, so you can apply my local examples to waters near you.

Most people think of steelhead when you talk about winter fishing, but I prefer fishing for rainbows and triploids because of the potential to catch numerous fish. Triploids are sterile rainbows that are voracious feeders and have the potential to grow to trophy size if not harvested the first season after stocking. They are stocked in 117 lakes in Washington providing anglers with numerous fishing opportunities.

Lake Roosevelt and Rufus Woods Reservoir on the upper Columbia River are my favorite places to catch these rainbows. It’s not uncommon to catch triploids up to 10-12 lbs in Rufus Woods and a fish this size eats much like a spring Chinook, in my opinion.

The best way to catch rainbows is to troll because you can cover lots of water in order to locate lethargic fish. Fish are typically near the surface this time of year as cloudy days and cool water allow rainbows to find food in the top water. We use several different combinations of Mack’s Lure tackle to catch rainbows, not just because they are

Winter Trout and...Kokanee?By Richy Harrod, Executive Producer of Harrod Outdoors

our sponsor but because their fishing gear works! My favorite setup is the 1.5” Cha Cha™ Squidder, Kokanee Series on about an 18” leader behind a 7.6” Double D™ Dodger. Shorten the leader for added lure movement or lengthen for less movement. Besides added attraction, the larger dodger provides a little extra weight to keep your lure in the water while trolling. A nice feature of the squidders is that they come in a variety of colors and they have the Smile Blade®, also in a variety of colors. We typically use pinks or hot orange; you can buy them pre-tied or buy the squid bodies and a variety of Smile Blade colors to build your own combinations. I like the Kokanee series because of the closely tied, dual hook setup. It’s a good idea to tip your lure with a couple of pieces of Shoepeg corn brined in the secret sauce (Karo syrup and a scent, like Pro-Cure), but shhh…don’t tell anyone!). Troll at speeds between 1.5 and 2.0 mph making slow S-turns so that your lures will alternate between slower and faster speeds. Slow your speed if you notice that you always catch fish during the turn on the inside rod, or conversely speed up if it’s on the outside rod.

This fat three pound, 21” Kokanee was caught on Lake Roosevelt in Central Washington by the author.

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Caught with a Double D™ Dodger and Cha Cha™ Kokanee Squidder Rig.

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Richy’s son Tyler caught this dandy Triploid Trout and Kokanee on Lake Roosevelt in Central Washington.

A couple of variations to the setup above can work well too. Use a Flash Lite® Trolls or Hot Wings® in place of the Double D Dodger. These attractors do not have the side to side action of the dodger, so lengthen the leaders of your Cha Cha Squidders to 24-36”. Flash Lites and Hot Wings are pretty light weight so you will need to add a couple ounces of weight or place onto a downrigger to keep the lure in the strike zone. You can also replace the squidders with a bucktail fly, Smile Blade® Fly, or a light weight Glo® Getter Marabou Jig. These lures don’t require bait but you can add some scent. You can set up a rod rigged with one of these variations to see what works the best.

If you don’t have a boat, you can catch rainbows from the bank. Rainbows will cruise the shallow water along the bank looking for food so using stationary bait will work well. The setup is relatively simple. Tie up a single bait hook (sizes 1 or 2 are best) on an

approximately 3’ leader and attach leader to a swivel tied to your main line. I also slide a small bead and smile blade on the leader above the hook for added attraction. On the main line above the swivel, place a 2 oz. weight that will slide up and down the main line. The water speed in the Columbia River varies greatly so you may use more or less weight to keep you gear in place. Lighter weight will work in lakes. Bait your hook with artificial bait, such as Power Bait, worms and marshmallows, or shrimp and marshmallows. You want to use marshmallows or the artificial bait because this will float your hook slightly off the bottom and positions it in the perfect depth for trout. This type of fishing requires patience as fish are cruising slowly this time of year. Build a fire and pour your favorite warm drink and enjoy being outside!

It’s true; you can catch Kokanee throughout the winter and early spring. Kokanee tend to be scattered and in smaller schools during the winter months so you may not catch the numbers of fish you would in May or June. However, 4 or 5 of these great eating fish can make any outing worthwhile. The setup for your fishing tackle is similar to that which I described above for rainbows. Again, I am partial to the Cha Cha Squidder, Kokanee Series

and I like Hot Pink Glow or Pink Spatter UV for winter time fishing. Tip your hooks with a few pieces of Shoepeg corn brined in the secret sauce (shhh…!). Downsize the Double D Dodger to the 4.4” size and keep your leader lengths under 16” for maximum lure movement. Fish your lures off of the downriggers and look for fish in pretty deep water. In Lake Chelan, we find fish anywhere from 50-120 feet this time of year! Trolling speeds should be a little slower than for rainbows so try to keep between 1.1-1.4 mph. Again, use slow S-turns to vary lure speed and this will help you find the trolling speed the fish like. Really pay close attention to your electronics and if you spot fish, adjust your downrigger depth to match the fish depth. And if you catch a fish, mark that spot and depth and stay on the fish. The saying we use is “you never leave fish to find fish,” so stay on the biters until you either loose them on the depth finder or they stop biting.

Winter fishing can be a lot of fun and provides a much needed relief to cabin fever. Give these tips a try on your next outing and let us know how you do. Good luck fishing!Richy Harrod

WWW.MacksLure.COM

Mack’s Lure Cha Cha™

Kokanee Squidder

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Captain Pete Rosko

Open Water, Winter-Time

Largemouth Bass Jigging WithThe Sonic BaitFish®

(SBF)By Captain Pete Rosko

It was the winter of 1995 when I received a phone call from the editor of the Honey Hole. It was the monthly “trophy bass magazine of Texas”. Almost twenty years later, I still remember the more important fishing details but sadly forget the names.

The editor not only invited me to

Texas to fish with him but also did a full three-page story, with photos, of 100 plus largemouth bass days while cold water vertical jigging. These were not small schooling bass. They were large bass stacked over critical break lines in 45-55 feet of water. The break lines were submerged river beds. The metal jigs being fished were chrome 3/4 and 1 oz Crippled Herrings.

Since the Crippled Herring was

awarded a mechanical patent and marketed in 1986, many similar experiences were shared with me from anglers across our country and foreign countries. Basically, I had a very wide network of volunteer

field testers helping me to make any future products better. Some of those products evolved into the Sonic Baitfish.

There is a pronounced difference between the Crippled Herring, that I invented almost thirty years ago, and the Sonic BaitFish of today. The two primary contrasts are the finishes and action. The most advanced finishes are now incorporated in addition to the SBF being the only metal jig with three attachment points that can be very effectively fished.

Now, let’s return to that winter-

time lake in Texas back in 1995. Over the years, “high density” fluorescent and UV finishes have evolved into very productive finishes vs the basic chrome finish used in 1995. Secondly, there is a huge advantage in being able to fish a jig with three different attachment points! Almost on every outing, whether in fresh or salt water, I find that a bite can be activated by changing the line attachment on the SBF.

Back in 1995, if the bite went dead on a nose-attached Crippled Herring then it usually stayed dead without the option of changing the vibration or flutter of that jig. In cold water, the jig presentation

needs to correspond to the slow, semi-hibernating activity of the fish. “Dead-sticking” can be a huge advantage! Visualize a nose-attached metal jig hanging still in an unnatural vertical position vs a SBF attached to the back, slowly rotating in a natural horizontal position. No guessing as to which lure will attract the most fish.

Wind, and water, movement-

permitting, I have effectively vertically-jigged SBF in depths to 85 feet. Break lines are critical to your success. Off-shore submerged river beds, road beds, rock piles, reefs and ledges are prime examples of vertical “stairway” break lines that predator fish travel, up and down, to both feed and find shelter. These are structures that attract predators, both in open water and through the ice.

Thank you for subscribing to

the Mack Attack and join us next month for the March issue of the Mack Attack where vertical jigging the SBF in shallow water will be discussed. Pete

“Dead-Sticking” through the ice with the Sonic BaitFish is a huge advantage when fishing for any type of fish!

Mack’s Lure Sonic BaitFish™

Available Online

www.MacksLure.com

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You’re looking at the Rock Dancer® Bucktail Jigs marketed by by Mack’s Lure.

Stan’s Space

You Better Learn To Dance A JigPart 1 of 5

By Hall-of-Fame AnglerStan Fagerstrom

It’s a discussion I’ve heard a number of times since I started writing about fishing before the middle of the last century.

No, I’ve not screwed up in saying my writing started before the middle of the last century. It began, you see, after I finally got out of an army hospital and was discharged from the United States Army a few months after the end of World War 11.

I went to work for The Daily News in Longview, Washington in May of 1946. I hadn’t been there long before the city editor asked me if I’d like to do a weekly fishing column for the newspaper. I jumped at that opportunity like a hungry bass busting into a school of minnows, and I’ve been at it ever since.

Over the past few decades, there seems to be a debate of sorts which surfaces from time to time. What is it? The question that is always popping up is which lures would you select if you only have a couple to use for fishing?

You’re a cinch to hear of variety of answers surface if you ever get involved in one of these discussions. Those answers of course, will to a large degree, depend on the type of fishing the participants have been doing. And that will be affected by where those involved are hanging their fishing hats.

Be that as it may, there are a handful of baits and lures that do seem to surface again and again. All these thoughts came to mind when I had a chance to visit recently with a good friend who has been up to his tailpipe in fishing almost since he first saw daylight.

Chances are this friend’s name is

When this guy tells you about one of his most effective lures, you’ll be wise to listen. Bobby Loomis, Sales and Marketing Director of Mack’s Lure, Loomis has fished all over the world for a variety of sports fish. Bucktail jigs are among his favorite lures.

going to ring a few bells whether you know him or not. I saw that because it’s one of the more familiar names in the field of fishing. That last name is Loomis and the guy I’m writing about is Bobby Loomis.

For many years Bobby played a key role in his Uncle Gary’s rod building company. The Loomis rod building company was sold some years back to the Shimano Corporation. Today Bobby is the director of sales and marketing right here at Mack’s Lure.

So how does Bobby Loomis tie into that debate I mentioned where favorite lures are concerned? I can tell you because he told me. Like the rest of us, he has his own ideas in this regard. I was eager to hear what he’d have to say because darn few present day anglers I personally know have had the wealth of experience Loomis has had, and that

applies to both the different varieties of fish species he has caught as well as the widely separated areas he’s been fishing.

“As I have told people for years, Bobby says, “I have been fortunate enough to be able to fish all over the world for a lot of different fish. That said, if I had to pick just one lure to proficiently fish for everything under the sun and in between it’s going to be either a bucktail jig or a jigging spoon.”

I may get into Bobby’s thoughts about the jigging spoon on down the line but this time around let’s just stick with that bucktail jig he loves so much. If you’ve also done much jig fishing chances are good you may find yourself agreeing with him.

Remember now, the debate I’ve been mentioning isn’t about wanting to stick to just one lure. Be assured Loomis, like other top anglers, is going to endeavor to get the fish to tell him what they want whenever he’s on the water. He’ll never restrict himself to just a lure or two if he can avoid it. But if he does have to use one or two he has good reason for taking the route he talks about.

One of the primary reasons for his choice of the bucktail jig is that this productive little fish catcher has such appeal to the wide variety of sports fish that fall into the predatory category.

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“For starters,” Loomis says, “never overlook the prospects the bucktail jig makes possible for steelhead and salmon as well freshwater species like bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, smallmouth, white bass and a number of others. The same thing is true of an almost endless of variety of the saltwater predators.”

Knowing what lure an expert like Bobby Loomis selects is one thing.Once you have a selection of them, you’ll also have to learn how best to use them to put fish in the boat. Keep an eye on my next few columns.

I’ll tell you about the Mack’s Lure Rock Dancer® bucktail fish catching jigs and the techniques that Bobby Loomis and a number of other proven experts use with

Bucktail jigs are widely used for every predatory fish that swims. Sometimes largemouth bass like this dandy just can’t leave them alone.

them to put fish in the boat. Those upcoming columns will let you share some of the productive jig fishing procedures of men who have fished all over the place for a long, long time.

What they have to say has helped me improve my own fishing. I think it will do the same for you.

Look close and you can see the Rock Dancer® Bucktail jigs that caught every one of these nice fish.

Mack’s Lure Rock Dancer®

Double Whammy® Ringmaster™...The Master of Kokanee

By Lance MerzAlthough Kokanee season is just

getting started, it’s time to start thinking about all the variations to use while fishing for this sometimes elusive fish. A land locked Salmon, these tasty morsels are one of the most fun fish to catch. It’s almost as if they get mad because they took the bait! Once on the hook, they wail and flail about, giving any angler a good fight. There’s much more to it however, when attempting to catch these fish; you must use finesse when handling them.

Kokanee have very soft mouths and if you set your hook with enough force that would make Thor proud, you’re more than likely going to lose the fish. Having the right equipment is of the utmost importance when fishing for these fish, but it doesn’t just stop there. Fishing for Kokanee is almost like tapping your head and rubbing your belly at the same time. There are so many variables, such as trolling speed, water clarity, depth, water temperature, bait, lures and colors that all must come together as one cohesive fish catching machine.

The Double Whammy® Ringmaster™ is similar to the Wedding Ring® with the exception being the two hook, no gap.

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I could go on and on about these variables in depth, but what I’d like to talk about is a lure called the Double Whammy® Ringmaster™, which is always at the end of my line with at least one of my rods in the water. As I’m sure you’re aware, Mack’s Lure is known for the world famous Wedding Ring® spinner. A lure that has been in existence since 1969, the Wedding Ring has been in every angler’s tackle box for many years. Why? Because they work! The Ring Master is closely similar to that of the Wedding Ring with one huge difference, the hooks. It comes with either a size four or six hook, but there are two that have no gap between them. The reason for not having a gap is because Kokanee have very soft mouths, so when the fish bites down on that piece of white Shoepeg corn, the success rate of using two hooks rather than one is much better.

Although there are many anglers who prefer an Indiana or Colorado Blade, I prefer the Smile Blade®. It spins at much slower speeds than the traditional metal blades and will still spin at much slower speeds.

My favorite trolling speed when fishing for Kokanee is 1.2MPH. Using the Smile Blade at these slower speeds can be incredibly attractive to catching not only Kokanee, but any type of other fish as well. You can also change the action of the blade as well; something you can’t do with the traditional blades. Made of a light weight Mylar plastic, the Smile Blade keeps it shape, so you can pinch down the blade for a more faster erratic action, or widen the blade for a slower spin.

The combination of the Smile Blade and the Double Whammy Ringmaster has given me the opportunity to catch many Kokanee and Trout with tremendous success, and it will you as well. Give it a try, I know you’ll be happy that you did!!

Cookin’ Your Catch

Simple Pan Fried Kokanee Recipe

Original recipe makes 4 serv-ings.

Ingredients:• 4-6 whole fresh trout or Ko-

kanee salmon• 1 cup flour• 1 tsp salt• 1 tsp pepper• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil• Soy Sauce• Lemon wedges (optional)

Directions:1. Clean and scale fish. Remove

head if you like to reduce the length in the pan.

2. Sprinkle salt and pepper over each fish

3. Spread flour on a large plate and gently dredge each fish in the flour, turning to cover both sides.

4. Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan to medium-high and put 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil in the pan. Let’s Eat!!!

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5. When oil is hot, place two fish in pan (you can put all four in if they will fit), cover, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then turn fish and cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes. (very thick fish may require slightly more time)

6. Remove fish from pan and fol-low same process for any re-maining fish.

7. TECHNIQUE FOR REMOV-ING BONES: Hold fish by the tail and lift the tail about 1-2 inches off the cutting board, letting the neck remain on the board. Using a pairing knife, cut into the meat and skin on the underside of the tail, peel-ing it back from the tail. Once you have cut a small amount of the meat from the tail bone, gravity will help pull the rest of the meat off the bone. Use your pairing knife to gently pull the meat down onto the board. When the underside fillet has been completely re-moved, turn the fish over so the top fillet is now on the bot-tom and repeat the process of cutting/peeling the meat off the bone. When you are done you will have two nice long fillets for each fish and you will be perfectly comfortable buying small whole fish in the future without worrying about ingesting bones!

8. Serve fillets with Soy Sauce on the table to pour on fish in-dividually. Lemon wedges are optional.

9. Serve this with a 50/50 mix of brown and white rice, and broccoli or another green veg-etable.

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Question of the Month

Have a question? We’d love to an-swer it! Contact us at MacksLure@MacksLure.com if you have a ques-tion you would like to see featured!

Q: My understanding is that the Wally Pops were made for Walleye fishing. Therefore are they really that effective for fishing for other species, and if so why?

A: The Wally Pop is an extremely unique and versatile fishing lure. It is made using high UV tubing, a pill float, neutral buoyancy high UV beads and the patented ultra light weight Smile Blade. With having buoyancy, Smile Blade attributes, and an overall design that makes the lure move with a crank bait “back & forth swimming” type of

Mack’s Lure Smile Blades are an ultra light weight in-line, off-set spinner blade that comes in 5 different sizes and 43 different colors, so that you can attract virtually any type of fish! Here is a saltwater Chinook caught on Smile Blade Herring Rig set up, it was caught by Dustin Countryman at Kain’s Fishing Adventures in Sitka AK. Smile Blades can enhance any type of set up including a “Herring”!

Photo of the Month

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Send your photo’s to WebMaster@MacksLure.com for consideration to be included in a future Mack Attack. For Facebook send pictures to Media@MacksLure.com.

See more pictures by clicking here: Mack’s Photo Gallery

Double Whammy® Ringmaster™

Ask any long-time fisherman about this lure and he will most likely tell you about the benefits of having a vibrating metal blade and tightly-spaced sharp red hooks. Take it fishing and you’ll know why they call it “The Master!” Use this code for 20% off:

DWRM20

Hot Deal!!!

Click Here to see the Rock Dancer® in action. Other videos can be viewed as well, Click Here.

If you have video’s to share, we’d love to see them!! Send your video links to: MacksLure@MacksLure.com.

Video of the Month

Mack’s Lure Rock Dancer ®

motion; it generally winds up all types of fish. It is a great lure for fishing shallow water areas, weedy and rocky areas and because of the buoyancy it works fantastic for controlled depth fisheries as well. So to answer the question it is an emphatic YES it does work well for a lot of other species of fish besides walleye. With the amount of color combinations that are offered you can “match the hatch” or find your favorite lure color. You can use any type of bait on it, (worms, corn, strip bait, eggs, shrimp etc...), for just about any style of fishing. The way that it is designed you can pull the tapered bead out of the surgical tubing and fill it up with scent which will hold inside and and gradually leak out. There are a number of guides that use them exclusively for trolling for rainbows, kokanee, panfish & steelhead. So next time that you want to show the fish something a little bit different for those fisheries give the Wally Pop a try, you won’t be disappointed.