Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3903 Jan 17-31 2020 | Page 22

20 Jan 17-31, 2020 FRESHWATER VOL.39 • ISS.3 Silver Horde Has Been Providing Salmon & Trout Anglers With Deadly Gear Since 1948! by Cal Kellogg L ew and Gladys Morrison started Silver Horde Fishing Supplies, Inc. in the fall of 1948. The name “Sliver Horde” is the namesake of the book The Silver Horde written by Rex Beach. Lew was inspired by Rex Beach’s account of the vast amounts of silvery salmon, known as a “silver horde”. The book tells of the birth of salmon fishing industry in Alaska where silver hordes of fish were caught in fish traps and nets. Today, Silver Horde continues to be a top manu- factuer of salmon and trout fishing lures and accessories. Whether I’m trolling for kings outside the Golden Gate, trying to fool Alaskan silvers or just trying to secure a “Sierra Trout Dinner” lures and accessories from the folks at Silver Horde/Gold Star are never far from reach. Here are just a few of their products that I use extensively: Micro Squid Micro Squid are perfect for trout, WHAT’S HOT landlocked kings and ‘kokes. The squid are 1.75 inches long. They come in a long list of standard, ultra violet and glow colors. Slip them on a double hook leader, toss a dodger into the mix and you’re ready to fish! Ace Hi Fly “Junior” An Ace Hi Fly is like a hoochie wearing a tuxedo, basically a greatly dressed up version of the old reliable plastic squid. Ace Hi Flies come with a hard bead head that boasts lifelike eyes. The skirt utilizes a hoochie, but adds to it with synthetic flash. Ace Hi Fly Juniors come either rigged or unrigged. The flies are 2 inches long. I generally go with the unrigged version and run them off double hook leaders. Kingfisher Lite When I need a small spoon for ocean salmon or a big spoon for trout I generally reach for my selection of Kingfisher Lite Spoons. The spoon comes in three sizes that range from 2-5/8 inches long to 3-3/8 inches. I usually go with the smallest version. A wide range of color choices in standard, glow and Ultra Violet finishes are available. When it comes to color I usually keep things simple and try to match the baitfish the trout or salmon are feeding on. The Silver Horde Tackle Trapper The Silver Horde Tackle-Trapper is a great addition for any fisherman’s inventory. Preparing gear beforehand can save a lot of time, but it can also quickly become a mess. The Tackle-Trapper is designed to hold pre-rigged squid and flasher/dodger setups, making them easy to store and keeping your gear organized. Tackle-Trappers keep your tackle tangle- free and protect your gear. These Silver Horde Tackle-Trappers come packaged in sets of two. A velcro-secured opening ensures that your tackle stays in the Tackle-Trapper and won’t fall out during travel. To learn more visit the Silver Horde website at www.silverhorde.com. continued from page 1 post frontal day as reflected by the slow fishing. “Let’s make a move,” said Captain Sam. “We’ll check the area around Hell’s Kitchen, it’s been good their recently.” Again, we trolled and again the results remained the same. It was not for lack of effort as Captain Sam dug deep into his bag of tricks, exploring different depth ranges, varying speed and changing up lure Craig Newton of Will Fish Tackle is a regular visitor to Pyramid Lake in his search for double digit trout. styles and colors. Photo courtesy of MARK FONG, Fish Sniffer Staff. Making the Right Move day. With just a few hours left to fish, It did not take long for the fish to cooperate. Captain Sam made the final move of day, one that would prove to be spot on. Ian hooked and landed a nice 5lb fish on a Shallow Glass Spinner. Next up it was my From the moment, we put our gear in turn to get in on the action and I thoroughly the water, I could tell by looking at the Garmin Sonar, that the activity level in enjoyed the spirited tug of war provided by my first Pyramid Lake Cutthroat, a fish that the area was unlike what we had been approached 8 pounds. experiencing for the better part of the With the long drive home looming, we were soon forced to call it day. All told we caught and released over a half dozen beautiful trout. Looking Ahead As the calendar moves forward, there is plenty of good fishing ahead. “As the colder water moves in, it’s mostly a trolling game, unless you want to fly fish,” explained Captain Sam. “Fly fishing really gets going toward the end of the year and into the beginning of the new year, that’s when the shore anglers do really well. From the boat, we’ll be anchored in about fifteen feet of water and the fish will run the shelves in that range of water. “Come late February, it can be wide open, if it’s a nice day, we could be jigging or we could be trolling or fly fishing. And come the spring we are back on the jig again, so we’ll troll until we find a nice school that’s worth stopping on and we’ll drop down on them.” I had a great time fishing with Captain Sam, he is extremely knowledgeable and the experience was first class. If you would like to book a trip with Captain Sam, please visit The Speedy Shiner is available in 2 1/2”, 3 1/4” and 4” sizes his website at https://www.deepwaterguide. and 30 fish catching colors. Proudly Made in USA. 3903 com/. Shallow Glass Lures can be found at http://shallowglasslures.com/. Before planning your trip to Pyramid Lake, please check for the latest regulations and open season dates. the drive over Donner Summit, past Reno to our final destination just outside of Sutcliffe, Nevada. After stopping in at Crosby Lodge to pick up our fishing permits, we met up with Captain Sam and his deckhand Chris at the Pelican Point launch ramp. We jumped aboard Captain Sam’s 24’ Regulator Center Console Boat. Powered by twin Yamaha 150 Four Stroke Outboards and equipped with Garmin electronics, the Regulator is well suited for the windy big conditions that are so common on Pyramid. Captain Sam made a quick run to the east side of the lake to an area near the ufa island known as the Pyramid, from which the lake derives its name. “This time of year, jigging can be really good,” said Captain Sam. “Let’s start out trolling spinners and plugs and once we find a bigger school, then we can jig for them.” With our lines set on the downriggers, it did not take long before Ian’s rod went off. He pulled the rod from its holder and the fight was on. After a spirited tussle, the trout was at the side of the boat and deckhand Chris skillfully scooped it up with the net. The fish weighed about 5 pounds, not a giant by Pyramids standards, but a hard fighter to be sure. After a quick photo opportunity, the fish was carefully released back into the lake. We continued to work the area however the fish just did not want to cooperate. As the sun broke through the clouds The stark desert scenery Pyramid offers is always epic. and the wind direction shifted Here we see the iconic “Pyramid” that is the lake’s to the north, the morning was namesake. Photo courtesy of MARK FONG, Fish Sniffer Staff. shaping up to be a typical