Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3619 September 1-15, 2017 | Page 16

14 Sept. 1-15, 2017 VOL.36 • ISS. 19 Get Gold Star Dodgers For Serious Trout And Salmon Action! D odgers do three things that attract fish and trigger strikes. They create vibra- O tion and flash. And they can impart an erratic surging motion to lures and baits, depending on how far you rig them behind the dodger. It is thought that the vibration put off by dodgers is similar to those put off by feeding fish. Fish like trout and salmon have a strip of nerves along the lateral line that allow them to pick up and analyze vibrations in the water around them. When the lateral line picks up vibrations that sound like fish feeding, predatory game- fish, being the opportunists they are home in on the sound hoping to pick up an easy meal. Over the past several years I’ve found myself running herring dodgers from the Gold Star line up more and more. Gold Star dodgers feature quality hardware and consis- tent performance. My hands down bar none favorite dodger Empty Lot Treasures ver the past few years, I’ve noticed while taking Tess for a walk that our local city government has busily poisoned and destroyed the diverse variety of wild plants that once in- habited the hillsides and areas parallel to the canals; planting instead, some sort of grass that Tess hates! It has a wide blade, like couch grass (which animals adore and is healthy for them); but, it isn’t couch grass. So, as far as we’re concerned, it is useless grass. And, these past weeks with the rains as they were, the grass they planted did nothing to hold up the hillsides which cascaded into the canals in numerous spots, turning the water into muddy brown mess, chasing away even the Buffleheads who usually hang around there this time of year. More sports parks with lawn and cement, more houses, more malls…. No more blackbirds on Milk Thistle or Field Mustard plants. And, so, the wildlife is practically gone from this place now. Only a year or so ago, we delighted in photograph- ing a den of baby foxes down at a local canal (before the city yanked out the wild plants there too). I won- der how they are faring, if the foxes are still alive. Even though Sweet Fennel is not native to this country, it is a welcome guest. The Anise Swallowtail butterflies use to abound in my backyard every year appearing along with other beneficial insects on my own Sweet Fennel plants. Tiny little birds use to flit in the plants when they went to seed. How- ever, I haven’t seen even one Anise Swallowtail in at least 5 years and the little birds I only saw once in the past few years. But, I still have my fennel plant; and, it’s a good thing too! The fennel bulb for the recipe came from a grocery store, as the stores carry what is known as “Bulb Fennel” – plants that grow larger bulbs or roots, tasty for consumption. I got the last bedraggled bulb in the bin (so bad, I got it for 50 cents!); so, I went outside in the yard to gather a little of the green stems and frond material to add to the recipe. Yum! I noticed yesterday, the store got a new shipment of fresh Fennel (naturally…). I want to thank whoever brought Fennel to the Americas and thank the Italians for the cuisine that in- spired this recipe. Eric makes his own Italian sausages; although I had to buy them this time. COOKIN' YER CATCH by Paulette 1946-2017 Our 71st Year of catching fish! The Thomas BUOYANT spoon is un-surpassed as one deadly trout and salmon lure! The Buoyant is an erratic-action wobbler that imitates the darting motion of a frantic, fleeing baitfish. This action, combined with jewelry-quality finishes creates a spoon that entices even the wariest of trout and many other types of game-fish into striking. Cast or trolled, deep or shallow, the Thomas BUOYANT has been a favorite of successful anglers for over 70 years! Stainless Steel rings and extra-strong hooks. info@thomaslures.com www.thomaslures.com • 1.800.724.6768 for landlocked kings is the Gold Star 6 inch herring dodger. This dodger comes in a long list of colors. My first choice is chrome/ prismatic tape, followed by glow white and UV watermelon. For kings I generally run a hoochie or Ace Hi Fly Jr behind the blade, but at times I’ll run a plug cut anchovy tail. When trout and kokanee are the target I often go with a 3 7/8 inch Gold Star Mini Dodger. For rainbows chrome, watermelon and chartreuse are my favorite colors. When kokanee take the spotlight, I often start the morning off with an orange dodger. As the sun gets higher I move to watermelon and then to brass. To learn more about Gold Star dodgers or Silver Hordes full line of outsta