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From the category archives:
JD,
I would like to start a guide service for folks with limitations on Shasta Lake…can you tell me where to start with permits or what is needed to start such a service?
Thank you, Cat
Cat,
Start with a boat, then get a guide license through the Department of Fish & Game, a $10,000 surety bond, insurance and you’re good to go. I don’t think you need a Coast Guard License for Shasta, but I’d check to be sure. Good luck!
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On Wednesday, the Three Amigos (Me, Riles and Big Fred) that just returned from that epic Oregon steelhead mission were back in action: This time our target was Clear Lake’s winter bass. Armed with a mixed bag of live minnows, drop-shot gear and swimbaits, we took to the water for a rip-roaring bucketmouth blitzkrieg.
The weather was decidedly “unwinter-like” for the dead of February and the bass were feeling frisky. When the smoke cleared, we put probably 30-40 chunky largemouth in the boat. Here’s a little photographic evidence… [click to continue…]
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Okay, so the Woolly Bugger didn't make the cut, but it really is one of the better fly names!
When it comes to fly tying, I think some guys have more fun naming their creations than actually catching fish on them. Flip through a book of fly patterns and you’ll see what I mean.
Inspiration for fly names comes from many places. Some patterns seem to be a bit autobiographical (Mormon Girl, Purple Joe, The Professor) others may pay homage to a particular body of water (Skykomish Sunrise, Madison Madman)or even various physiological features of the fairer sex (Cleavage, Buns of Steel). Some names are violent (Kilchis Killer, Siuslaw Slayer, Hatchet) and on it goes.
While there are hundreds of worthy entries out there, here’s our Top 5 List of the Greatest Fly Names Ever… [click to continue…]
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JD, What’s your take on touching bait and tackle with bare hands when fishing for steelhead ? People wearing rubber gloves to wipes and sprays. Where really is the fine line at before being wasteful of the enjoyment and the time out fishing ?
–Wade
Wade,
I tried wearing rubber gloves one season…both in Alaska and back home in the Lower 48. All I can say is it was a miserable experience…my hands were a mess! They’d sweat like crazy on hot days and then I would get water in the gloves at some point. Between the sweat and H2O, my hands would end up super white and clammy at the end of the day…and smelling worse to the fish than had I just gone “el natural.”
Plus, tying knots and feathering a baitcaster with Latex on is a royal pain. Nope, not a big rubber glove fan here!
Instead, I will wash my hands in lemon dish soap prior to fishing and then, if the bite is really tough, I may wipe a little shrimp gel between my palms (the wife’s really happy about that one!) to get a little masking scent going.
I agree, if you get too caught up it it all, you start to miss the point…
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Now that the cold weather months have arrived, it’s time to give up bass fishing right? Well…not so fast!
While it is true that bass will get more lethargic as the water temperatures drop, you can still have some seriously good days of fishing in the winter…if you keep some basic principles in mind.
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Hey JD,
Spring hopefully is on the way and I’ve got a question for you. One of my friends is really hot on crappie fishing, so much in fact that we have a little wager going now. He doesn’t fish much in the ocean for lincgod and I have never fished for big crappie before. We are going to go head to head on either of these specie. My question is , where in hell can I find some big crappie and how do I catch them? I have started looking on the internet but then I thought about you. You answered a question I had awhile back about rainbows over 16 inches in the sac system. Can you help me out buddy?
–Craig D.
Craig, well normally I’d say you can catch some huge ’slabs at Clear Lake in February and March, but the fish are in a down cycle there now. Black Butte Reservoir has always been a hot crappie producer, though I haven’t heard much out of there this season. Camp Far West is another good bet.
Find some submerged cover near deep water and drop small live minnows or white crappie jigs (1/34-ounce size). Good luck!
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Wishing you were winning more bass tournaments? Well there’s a lot of stuff that the top pros do the day of the tournament to better their chances. Our resident touring pro, Big Fred Contaoi, sheds some light on the all-important pre-tourney routine…
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Okay, all you budding steelhead anglers out there, here’s a little quiz for ya: Say you’re pulling plugs for steelies with a guide on a drift boat. The guide hands you and your buddy these two plugs with the same paint scheme to snap onto your lines. Which would would you pick?
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