Ask JD (Special Edition): Yes, I am the King of the Smokers!
February 23, 2008
This is one of the best questions ever sent in by a reader, so without further adieu, a very special edition of Ask JD…
Question: JD, As the all-Big Enchilada and host of the Smoker of the Year Contest, I was recently wondering if you know of what you speak. After all, all I see you holding in pictures on this site and in the various magazines I see you in are chrome fish. I mean, what gives, dude? What are your qualifications? — Tom H., Redding, CA
Answer: Well I’m glad you asked, Tommy Boy! I probably should have posted my resume a long time ago when I first started the Smoker of the Year thing, but better late than never.
Well, here’s the deal. Though I have long since been reformed, I was quite the accomplished bead fisherman in my youth. Back then, my home away from home was the infamous “Wall” in the Nimbus Basin of the American River. That place was the epicenter of Smokers — it was to dark fish what Greenwich Village was to folk music. In the mid 80’s I was an unstoppable force in the field of catching dark fish…sort of the Joe Montana of sore tails.
Need some proof? I offer you this, a trip through my “dark” history…
Our trip down memory lane begins with this nearly 30-pound slab of “the other white meat” from 1987 (which I’ll add to the 2008 contest entries). This black buck was typical of the quality of fish I used to bring home. In those days, I made my fish even more “flavorful” by never bleeding them, keeping them (dead) on a stringer all day, throwing them in the back of my truck in 80- to 95-degree weather for the 45-minute drive home and then freezing them in tinfoil wrappers! YUM!!
But wait, there’s more…a lot more. I have quite a body of work from my days at the Wall. Read on!!
Armed with my ever-present Placer High baseball cap, an ugly T-shirt and some sort of crappy tackle, I did some serious damage to those darkies in my day, mister! I think the weeds on the fish in this shot are a really nice touch!
Wow!!
Rudy
Yummy!!
You’ve been holdin’ out on me with the “Wall”! Long lining, beads, your next guy’s shoulder touching yours (easier to discuss the best snagging techniques without being overheard) and, the ultimate reward, salmon meat the same color as a good ribeye! OOooooo….I’m gonna go stoke the Weber right now……
All hail the guru of smokers, I’m not worthy, (genuflect, genuflect). My latest entry to the 08 smoker contest hardley compairs. Well Done!!!
Just had to look one more time.
Quite impressive to say the least.
What color bead did you have most confidence with?
Rudy, coming from an accomplished stretcher of long leaders such as yourself, I regard your compliments greatly!
As far as bead color confidence goes…and remember…I’ve been “clean” and rehabed from bead fishng now for 20+ years, so my memory is getting a little fuzzy…but I remember going with Glo Corkies before first light then switching to orange for the early morning action. I was a firm believer that they “bit” green better when the sun was high.
You may try that out on your next snagging mission. Of course, there are probably all sorts of new beading technologies out there now that and old skool guy like me may not be aware of. Holographic beads? Ergonomically designed beads? Electronic flashing beads? Subliminal beads???