HOW – TO & NTAC
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1 Rated Outdoor Radio Show for 26 years! with your host Bob Simms
VOL. 36 • ISS. 07 MARCH 17- 31, 2017
HOW – TO & NTAC
13 access to a 180-degree arch of water and you should cover it methodically. Make casts near shore and offshore and explore different depths by counting your lure down.
In terms of retrieve speed, it is usually best to start out working fairly briskly. If a fast retrieve isn’ t working, gradually slow down until you find a speed the trout respond to. Working spoons with a steady retrieve will catch fish, but speeding up, slowing down and adding the occasional twitch will give the impression of an injured baitfish, drawing more strikes.
What color lures to use is often a point of much confusion and second-guessing for anglers. Once again my approach is systematic. I begin with natural colors that match the shad and smelt the trout feed on. If those colors fail to produce I start experimenting with bright offerings. Chrome, chrome and blue, gold, brass, brass and red, brass and orange and firetiger have been the most consistent spoon colors for me over the years.
I do a large percentage of my plugging with spoons, but spinners can be effective too. Spinners don’ t really mimic baitfish the way spoons do, but they put out a lot of vibration and this accounts for a good deal of their effectiveness.
Spoons and spinners will tempt trout of all sizes, but if you are in the market for a true heavyweight be it a big brown or a trophy rainbow, minnow plugs will put you on the road to Monsterville.
Minnow plugs come in a big selection of sizes from tiny 1 inchers to really large models that are 6 to 7 inches in length.
For most of my fishing career when it came to plugging for trout with minnow plugs, I considered myself a Rapala man. If I wanted a floater I went with a traditional Rapala balsa wood minnow and if I wanted suspending bait, I’ d tie on a Rapala Husky Jerk.
Over the past few years I’ ve started relying more and more on offerings from Yo-Zuri. Sure, my tackle kit still sports Rapalas, but the contingent of Yo-Zuri’ s seems to grow every season.
Yo-Zuri is known for turning out some of the highest quality hard plastic baits available for everything from bluegill to blue marlin.
For trout fishing I find three models particularly interesting, the Pin’ s minnow series, L Minnow series and Yo-Zuri / Duel Hardcore Shad series.
Floating Pin’ s Minnows are shallow runners that feature a very tight hard wiggling action. These plugs are very aerodynamic and cast long distances with ease. I have some in the 2-inch size and several in the 2¾-inch size.
Moving on, the L Minnow is a sinking bait. It has a chunkier body than the Pin’ s Minnow and since they are heavier they cast even better. The wobble on these baits is wider and I suspect that they give off more vibration. Since they sink you can count them down and probe deeper water than you can with a Pin’ s minnow or floating Rapala. I’ ve got L Minnows in both the 1¾ inch and 2⅝ inch sizes.
The Hardcore Shad is a diving / suspending bait that is best known as a bass tempter. I’ ve got a few of these in the 2-inch size specifically for working reservoirs where shad are the main forage.
For triggering strikes from large fish, all these baits are fished in the same super aggressive manner. You don’ t want to toss them out and crank them back. Instead fire them out, start the retrieve and then punctuate it with lots of pauses and hard rips. You really can’ t be too aggressive or move the bait too quickly. Think about that cat chasing the yarn. He can get after it way faster than you can move it away. You’ re trying to do the same thing with the trout. Trigger that predatory instinct and make them pounce!
Big trout move into shallow shoreline areas when the light level is low and the odds of ambushing a meal are in their favor. Late evening and early morning are great times to intercept them. Some of the best opportunities occur during stormy weather. Grey skies spitting rain or snow, gusty winds and white caps elevate the heart rate of dedicated trophy hunters, because at times like these they know that the largest trout in the lake will likely be cruising shoreline structure looking to pounce on an easy meal.
Plugging and hiking go hand in hand. It’ s hard to beat plugging if you are an angler that has a sense of adventure and likes to get in a little exercise. While plugging, it is possible to cover water relatively quickly and your effective range is only limited by how far your legs will take you.
Many times I’ ve covered several miles while hiking and plugging. This is a great way to learn a new lake. While hiking, you’ ll often stumble on lightly fished areas that produce trout year after year on both lures and bait.
Once you get a quarter mile from a parking area you are out of the range of the vast majority of shore anglers and most boat anglers like to stay a fair piece offshore, not wanting to lose lures or downrigger balls on the bottom. As a result, there are a lot of lightly fished areas just waiting to be uncovered by the ambitious bank plugger.
Junior Angler To Win Sea Eagle 285 Frameless Pontoon Boat At Tournament of Champions
This fall at the NorCal Trout Anglers Challenge Tournament of Champions event one lucky junior angler is going to win a Sea Eagle Pontoon boat. Can you imagine the thrill that youngster is going to feel when they realize they will be the one taking home a state of the art lightweight fishing machine? It’ s going to happen this fall thanks to the support of the folks at Sea Eagle!
ABOUT THE SEA EAGLE 285
For almost 10 years, the Sea Eagle ® 285fpb Frameless Pontoon Boat has been a winner for anglers everywhere. The unique U-hull configuration of this one man fishing boat provides the maximum fishing space with the least amount of hull. At just 9’ x 4’ and a hull weight of only 30 lbs., it’ s small but mighty.
Large air chambers allow the boat to support an incredible amount of weight( up to 450 lbs.) yet draft as little as 4” of water giving you access to shallower waters where heavier boats cannot go. The 285fpb is great for rivers, bays, lakes, creeks, ponds, almost any type of water.
The stealthy hunter green 1000 denier reinforced PVC tubes and black bottom make this boat perfect for fishing or hunting. It’ s easy to get anywhere quietly with the included oars or use a small gas engine or electric trolling motor that easily attach to the included motormount.
Using the optional padded, swivel seat gives you a full 360 ° view of the water. The wooden floorboard provides a stable platform from which to safely stand and cast. And, because they are equipped with universal Scotty™ Mounts, you can customize the 285fpb Frameless Pontoon Boat as you wish! Outfit the boat with multiple rod holders, sounder mount, anchor lock, running lights, bait board or cup holders. Sea Eagle offers an assortment of Scotty™ accessories to suit your needs.
The best part, the 285fpb packs down to just 24” x 14” x 12” so it fits in small spaces and can be thrown in a trunk or packed in a motor home storage bin. Perfect for a long fishing or camping trip.
Sea Eagle offers 4 ready to go packages. All come standard with the 285fpb hull, oars, motormount, foot pump, repair kit and storage bag. Other options include an inflatable seat, swivel seat and motors.
For more information go to seaeagle. com.
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