VOL.39 • ISS. 19
Sept 11, 2020
9
When It’s Time For Trout, Don’t Overlook The Flatfish!
T
he first working prototype of the
Flatfish crankbait was completed
by Charles Helin, a Detroit autoworker, on
September 12, 1933. Flatfish caught fish
then and they still catch fish now, yet few
anglers use them these days for anything
beyond river salmon.
Here’s a news flash, as effective as those
massive T-55s are at eliciting strikes from
river run kings, smaller versions of the
same lure are super effective for trout and
mackinaw, when a slow moving erratically
wobbling bait is needed.
Why are Flatfish such effective trout
catchers? Clearly speed and action are the
keys to the lure’s effectiveness. The lure
provides lots of wiggle, putting off a ton
of vibration and flash, yet do to its design
it creates this disturbance at very low
speeds. This means that the Flatfish offers
a bunch of action and vibration, while
staying in the strike zone for an extended
period of time.
A glance at the Yakima Bait catalogue
reveals that Flatfish come in 2 million
colors and 1 million different sizes…
Okay I’m exaggerating, but there are a
bunch of choices to sort through.
For trout stick to baits in the F-2 to
F-7 size range. I use F-4s and F-7s
almost exclusively although I’ll upsize
if magnum size trout or macks are in the
mix.
As a general rule, you want to match the
size of the Flatfish to the size of the bait
you believe the fish are feeding on.
For trout, the all time hands down
favorite color of Flatfish is Yellow Dot
Frog. If you are a trout angler and you
don’t have a Frog pattern Flatfish, it
concerns me!
When the conditions are dark I like to
Put The Smack Down On Trout & Kokanee With
Offerings From Mack’s Lure!
M
ack’s Lure is one of the most
respected providers of trout and
kokanee lures and attractors bar none.
When it’s time to stock
up on trolling gear,
Mack’s Lure is
a great place to
start!
Wedding
Ring Spinners
If your father
or grandfather
ever
went fishing in the great Northwest,
chances are he fished with a Wedding
Ring spinner, a favorite for over 40 years.
The original Wedding Ring® spinner is
hand-tied on monofilament line giving it
greater action in the water than lures made
with wire. The highest quality rhinestone
diamonds create a brilliant reflection that
captivates kokanee and trout. A glance
at the Mack’s Lure website or catalogue
reveals more Wedding Ring variation
then can be touched upon here including
mini versions, Smile Blade models, UV
spinners and more!
The Single Series Kokanee Killer model
combines a Glo Hook with the Wedding
Ring Spinner to create a deadly combination
for kokanee. The Kokanee
Killer has filled many a stringer with
tasty ‘kokes!
As effective as standard blade
Wedding Rings are there is a variation
on the old standard that no trout
and kokanee enthusiast should be
without. I’m talking about the
Double Whammy Smile
Blade Equipped Pro
Series Spinner. This
bait is armed with a
pair of super sharp hooks,
contrasting bead colors and
the deadly 1.1 size smile blade.
run Flatfish in Frog and black w/chartreuse
dots. When the conditions are
bright, I like to go with flashy
baitfish colors, with the
California Watermelon
finish
being a real
favorite of
mine.
Bright
orange,
yellow or
chartreuse
hued
Flatfish
come out
when the
water is stained
and at times when
I’m probing deep water
for trout or kings, I’ll often put a
This bait comes in a long list of color
combinations.
The Double D Dodger
The Double D not only has the proven
traditional dodger action that is known
to catch fish, but also delivers its patentpending
stop & go action to your lure.
Double D does the work for you…Most
savvy anglers know that if you want to
catch more fish, making S-curves and/
or speeding up and slowing down your
lure with the throttle will do it. In fact,
they will tell you; the vast majority of
fish are caught when making a turn. The
patent-pending design of the Mack’s Lure
Double D Dodger constantly puts that
ALL
NEW! SPINFISH
™
SEE SPINFISH AT
THE SPORTSMEN
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by Cal Kellogg
chrome/blue Flatfish on my line.
I don’t run Flatfish with blades or
attractors, but I’ll often wrap or
tip them to make them
even more attractive.
For tipping I use
either a small
anchovy fillet or
a tiny piece of
worm. For
wrapping
I employ
nylon thread
and a small
anchovy or
shad fillet.
I apply it to
the plug just as I
would for river salmon,
everything is just done on a smaller
scale-www.yakimabait.com
same action to work for you.
Double D doesn’t wait for turns…
The constant speed-up/slow-down
action means never again waiting for the
turn to catch your fish. You will be in
fish-catching mode constantly.
Double D for double duty…A diagram
on the back of the dodger shows a second
important benefit. There are four attachment
points that allow you to spread your
lines, as well as move them out from
underneath the boat path like a side planer
does.
For more information about the Mack’s
Lure lineup of deadly lures and attractors
visit them online at www.mackslure.com.
• Patented Bait/Scent Holding
• UV Trolling Plug Fish Devour
*
*
*
*
PULLS APART
FOR EASE
OF FILL
PULL-APART “EASY-FILL” BAIT CHAMBER
TWO SIZES, 3 AND 4 INCH
PRE-RIGGED W/ TWO HOOKS ON
30 LB. FLUOROCARBON LEADER
CAN BE RIGGED-TO-SPIN CLOCKWISE
OR COUNTER CLOCKWISE
www.yakimabait.com
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