April 2016
Four Hours To Boise By Mike Hall
Mike Hall is catching fish like crazy with the help of the Sonic BaitFish®. The biggest perch are over 2 lbs, 15 1/2 inches. At this rate he might be heading home with a new Idaho state record!
The adventure began years ago when a friend in the local bass club asked “I have a good spot for Yellow Perch thru the ice, are you interested?” You must know that ice fishing was and is the passion of my winters. Fishing a spoon on hard water is effective and much the same as open water in the warmer months. Wow, what a spot that was at Yuba Lake, Utah. Two pounders were as common as the mosquito in summer! Although the trophy fish are sadly gone, Yuba still has several of the world records for Yellow Perch kept by the Freshwater Hall of Fame! Thus it began; a life pursuit of jigging spoons on hard water and being perched! Just two short years ago my oldest son called to say “check out the perch on the internet. They
look like the ones we used to catch when I was a kid”. These were the first pictures from the Idaho central mountains lake known as Cascade. An end for what I had searched for these last thirty years, a magical place to catch two pound Yellow Perch on a daily basis. The Idaho Department of Fish & Game began a program to reestablish the perch fishery in Cascade Lake some years ago. Seems the lake was decimated by poor water quality and the Pike Minnow. A great management program is in place, and Cascade Lake has become very much a success in these past ten years. Several year classes of perch are available to the angler with lots approaching the JUMBO class. A word here for conservation; big trophy fish take time to grow and are caught easily. Yellow Perch are dependent upon natural reproduction to reach Zilla size in 4 to 8 years. The latest wisdom is to release the largest fish and take the mediums for the table. The larger fish do not make as good table fare and yield less meat then the medium sized fish. Don’t misunderstand, I would personally recommend that taxidermy is the answer for the perch of a life time. Sadly though, I’ve see time after time a great fishery brought to dissipation because of over-harvest. Keeping
with a good selective harvest helps maintain quality for any fishery. After all, “don’t ya just hate fishin’ for minnows?” Yellow Perch are found from shallow (surface) to deep (40 to 50) water year round, depending upon conditions. They will relate to all structure, bottom type or current in any body of water. They are always willing to aggressively take any offerings of bait or lure. They feed actively on plankton, insects, crustaceans and minnows, especially perch minnows. An easy fish to get the kids or the entire family catching and a big time fun on any water. Spoons imitate minnows; the favorite food of perch. Baited, they will out fish nearly any other lure on any water for this fish. My favorite is the Mack’s Lure Sonic BaitFish® because it produces the desired effect; a lot of big fish. The strategy is being able to catch the Zillas, while avoiding the more numerous midgets. Here are a few of the basic presentations with my favorite jigging spoon, the Sonic BaitFish®, to help you meet up with Perchzilla. Presentations: #1: From the surface, free fall the lure on a slack line to the desired depth with an abrupt stop. Pause for several seconds. Continued on Page 2
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#2: Slowly raise the lure about 2 feet on a slack line; free fall the lure back to its original position with an abrupt stop. Pause for several seconds. #3: Drop the lure to bottom slowly lift, then free fall the lure back to the back to the bottom. Slowly raise the lure off the bottom stop. Pause for several seconds. #4: At the desired depth, slowly pump the rod tip about ¼ of an inch up and down a few times. Pause for several seconds. #5: From the desired depth, slowly raise the lure a few feet and stop. Pause for several seconds. Note: Electronics will greatly aid your success by allowing you to see the fish and the reaction they have to your presentations. I will say they help find and catch fish. Note: Pauses; any predator will wait for just the right moment to strike and the long pauses are to allow the fish to target the lure. I had the privilege to see the new Idaho State Record Yellow Perch (2.68 pounds) caught on February 15, by Luke Spaete of Boise; a first class angler and great person. Just in case you’re thinking “there goes my chance”, another giant of 2.64 pounds was caught February 17. This indicates that more records are available to be caught by anglers in this special body of water. The people of Valley County and the city of Cascade are friendly and willing to help aid in your pursuit of summer or winter fun. I personally recommend to my friends to stay at Alpine or Birch Glen motels; to eat at the Route 66 Cafe and of course, obtain fishing knowledge of the late at Tackle Toms; they’re the best. Fishing is about the trip, just like life is about the way we treat each other. Remember: Good is God spelled with two O’s. See Ya at the Lake!
“Three-Sequence” Technique When Casting The Sonic BaitFish™ (SBF) In Shallow Water By Captain Pete Rosko
These are my time proven tips to dramatically increase your catches when casting a Sonic BaitFish in shallow water, from the shoreline or in a boat or to fish near the surface in deep water. Once the angler becomes proficient with this technique, no other technique will be so consistently effective, especially in calm, clean water for a great variety of fresh and salt water species.
Captain Pete Rosko
It was the first week in March in the Florida Panhandle when I was invited to bank fish for largemouth bass. I was advised by my guides that the very best lure was a six inch plastic worm for this shallow lake with a maximum depth of just four feet. I loved fishing plastic worms in my younger days. However, those younger days are long gone and I fish much differently now. My three fishing partners all fished plastic worms and I went with my trusty 1/10 oz SBF. When the day came to an end, the SBF caught more fish than all of the plastics. I stopped counting after forty bass between 2-4 pounds, plus one almost twopound bream (bluegill). There are several distinct advantages to casting a SBF vs. a plastic worm. The SBF covers more water, there are no swallowed hooks and a greater variety of fish are caught. Despite its small size, the 1/10 oz SBF can catch large fish because of its flash and vibration.
The Sonic BaitFish is the most versatile fishing lure on the market. Casting, jigging, or trolling, this lure catches fish!
EQUIPMENT
1) This is a finesse technique that requires finesse type equipment… no heavy lures, line, rods or reels. Always keep a sharp hook point! 2) Use the smallest (lightest) lure to effectively reach your target fish or structure. Lighter lures sink slower than heavier lures. You need the lure to be fished closer to the surface with the slowest possible sink rate. Some of your fishable water depths will be as shallow as one foot. 3) Only fish with braided mainline (no monofilament) for maximum sensitivity and casting distance. 6-8 lb braid is an excellent choice when fishing a 1/10 oz SBF. 4) Rods: Spinning rods that are light weight, durable and sensitive are best with this technique. An excellent choice is a six foot medium action spinning rod with a fast action tip. Whippy (“noodle”) rods are a poor choice for fishing artificial lures. 5) Reels: Match your spinning reel size to the size of the rod; light weight with a smooth drag. Saltwater reels will serve you better in saltwater. 6) Leaders: 1 1/2 to 2 feet of fluorocarbon leader should be attached to your braided mainline with a double uni-knot**. A wide bend duo-lock snap is then attached to the leader’s terminal end. **Since line twist is usually not a problem with braided line, eliminate all extra hardware by not adding a swivel between the leader and the mainline. Continued on Page 3 Page 2
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Longer leaders can be used for rods longer than 6 feet. Maximum leader strength should not exceed 20 lb when fishing 1/10 or 1/6 oz SBF. THREE-SEQUENCE CASTING TECHNIQUE
(Snap attached to the nose) 1) After casting, do a slow and steady retrieve as soon as your lure hits water with rod held high, especially in shallower water. The SBF swims naturally like a live minnow. 2) After casting, do a fast and steady retrieve as soon as your lure hits water. The lure should be swimming, and gurgling, on the surface…deadly when fish are active near surface; especially before dusk. 3) After casting, swim-jig the lure on the retrieve with rod held high in shallow water. Don’t let the SBF strike bottom if it’s snaggy. This creates a deadly imitation of an injured shad as the SBF flutters backwards. Notes: A silver blue 1/10 oz Sonic BaitFish is a very effective lure for this shallow water technique during bright days as light flashes off its shiny body. Switch to chartreuse/ glow white on darker days. Larger Sonic BaitFish are used for longer casts to active near surface fish over deeper water. Never attach heavy line, or heavy leader, directly to the Sonic BaitFish. This will reduce the lure’s action. Use the widebend duo-lock snap, packaged with the SBF, or use a loop knot instead. When windy, always try to cast downwind to eliminate a bow in your line for better feel and control of your lure. Strong winds make finesse fishing with small lures very difficult. Calm winds work best to produce good results. As always, thank you for being a subscriber to the Mack Attack. I hope some of these Sonic BaitFish tips lead to more productive and enjoyable trips on the water.
Stan’s Space You Gotta Know The Water Part 5 By Hall-of-Fame Angler Stan Fagerstrom My last few columns have dealt with Mack’s Lure Smile Blades®. Unlike the metal variety, these tough little Mylar plastic blades slide right on to your line or leader. They spin easily and their twirling flash attracts a variety of sports fish. But that’s just for starters. These little blades do something else you might find difficult to believe until you see it for yourself. That “something else” is the action they impart to whatever you decide to have trailing along behind them. Newcomers to Smile Blades understandably have a number of questions when they decide to join the steadily increasing number of anglers all over the country who are already using them. I’ve already answered some of the most common questions. This time around I want to share a few more thoughts from Bob Schmidt, the President of Mack’s Lure who added Smile Blades to its inventory years ago.
I say that after having fished with him on more than one occasion. He works at his fishing. Even more important to you and me, he shares what he learns. That’s why I mentioned in my previous column that I wanted to share a few more of his thoughts regarding Smile Blades. In my last column I listed the blade sizes and colors anglers around the USA and Canada are using most often. Let’s assume that you have the top six colors I revealed. Are there other things to consider that might have some bearing on selecting which color blade you start with next time out? “There are indeed,” Schmidt says. “In my own fishing I always take into consideration the condition of the water I’m on as well as the species that provide forage for the fish I’m after.” Let’s assume that you’re going after walleye in discolored water, something that’s not at all uncommon in different parts of the country. Wouldn’t it be wise to pick the brightest color blades you have? Wouldn’t something like a silver sparkle get the most attention?”
You can see what this fish just had to grab. Have you shown the fish anything like it. This is why you keep hearing that Mack’s Lure products are your best bet for putting walleye in the boat. That successful angler on the left is Bob Schmidt, accompanied with guide staff Keith Jensen of Big Wally’s Guide Service. It’s no wonder he gets the attention of anglers all over the place when he details the tactics and techniques best used with the lures his company markets.
If that’s the decision you’d make it’s the opposite of the man who likely knows more about Smile Blades than anybody in the country. “Gold is my starting choice whenever I’m faced with cloudy weather and darker water,” Schmidt says. “If I’m looking at clear water and the weather is bright and clear I’ll usually begin with a silver or chartreuse blade.” Continued on Page 4 Page 3
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Notice that Bob said “starting” choice in naming a gold color Smile Blade as his “beginning” choice. Unlike the not uncommon knucklehead who maintains if “I can’t get ‘em on this sky blue pink I can’t get ‘em on nuthin,” Bob leaves the door wide open for change if he’s not getting results. And he’ll not hesitate to do it.
Have you made a catch of kokanee like this lately? These anglers picked the right Mack’s Lure products to get the job done.
Those walleyes eyeballing the blades you’re pulling past their pastures aren’t going to surface and tell you that they don’t like the looks of your rigging; but their actions will. Now and then, just changing colors makes a major difference. Sometimes blade size has a definite effect. And that’s where actions provide you with more clues than would a whole mouthful of words. Certainly some colors and blade sizes are going to be effective more often than others, but it’s always best not to set your approach in stone. Bob Schmidt would be the first to tell you that. It will pay dividends to build it into your own approach if you want to put your share of fish in the boat. -END-
Cookin’ Your Catch Trout Amandine
Original recipe makes 2 servings
Ingredients: • 2 whole (10 ounce) trout, pan-dressed • salt and pepper to taste • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour • 4 tablespoons butter • 1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds
Directions: 1. Rinse and pat dry trout. Season inside and out with salt and pepper to taste. Dredge trout in flour. 2. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over high heat until melted. Add trout and brown both sides. Lower heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove trout to a serving plate and keep warm. 3. Wipe out pan and add 2 tablespoons butter. Cook butter over medium heat until it just begins to brown. Add the almonds and brown. 4. Pour sauce and almonds over fish and sprinkle with lemon juice and parsley. Garnish with fresh lemon slices.
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Let’s Eat!!!
• 8 slices lemon, for garnish
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Question of the Month
Promise Keeper® Have a question? We’d love to answer it! Contact us at MacksLure@MacksLure.com if you have a question you would like to see featured!
Do you need a lure you can cast or troll? Look no further! Type in code “PK0304” and receive a 25% discount on the Mack’s Lure Promise Keeper® (Item number: 10253).
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Q: I’ve heard the term “pop gear” from a lot of people who fish. What is it? A: That’s a great question! Pop gear is another name for a gang troll, which can be used in an assortment of ways when trolling. They generally consist of a wire leader that can have anywhere from two to six blades that spin to create extra flash and attraction to a line. Some of the older “pop gear” is normally heavy and can really weigh your rod down, which creates an illusion of a heavy fish or no fish at all. Mack’s Lure carries an assortment of gang
Photo of the Month
trolls called the Flash Lite® or Hot Wings®. The Flash Lite is our gang troll that offers both versatility and added attraction, which allows you to catch more fish. The blades themselves are similar to our Smile Blade®, which is made of a light weight mylar plastic that reduces the amount of drag to your rod by 85%! The Hot Wings are smaller in size when an angler wants a lower profile in the water column. The blades also counter rotate to increase flash and attraction as well. Gang trolls can be used in line with normally a 2-3 leader when using an in-line spinner (such as a Wedding Ring®). Or, you can use either a Flash Lite or Hot Wings just above a Double D™ Dodger that not only provides the rotation of the blades, but the side to side action that a dodger provides. An assortment of sizes and colors can be found on our website or at a local dealer near you.
Video of the Month
Excited about Kokanee fishing? We certainly are. Click here to watch our latest video while fishing on Lake Chelan in North Central Washington. Check out the action of the Double D™ Dodger and the Cha Cha® Kokanee Squidder!
This fish was caught at Banks Lake on a Mack’s Lure Cha Cha® Crawler harness, slow trolling with a bottom walker. Send your photo’s to Lance@MacksLure.com for consideration to be included in a future Mack Attack edition or on Facebook.
See more pictures by clicking here: Mack’s Photo Gallery
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