Fish with JD » Ask JD

Ask JD: What size oars do I need for my drift boat?

JD — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 14:56:05 +0000

Shorter oars help in these situations...

JD, I have a 16-foot wide-bottom drift boat. I have 9-foot wooden oars and am considering purchasing new ones. What do you think about 10-foot oars on a boat that size…will they give me more power or will they be too long?

Thanks, Lee

Hey Lee, I used to run 10 footers on my 20-foot Willie drift boat, which had a 72-inch bottom and they almost felt too long on that beast of a boat, so I’d stick with the shorter ones on your 16 footer. Yea, you probably get a little more torque when rowing with the longer sticks, but you’re also going to kinda feel like a robin with eagle’s wings…I donno…maybe I’m just not coordinated enough but I always felt awkward with the long ones. And they were definitely a pain in tight spots!

If you’re looking for better performance, sometimes all you need to do is switch out your old oar blades. HERE’S HOW

Know of any good bass ponds??

JD — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 07:04:23 +0000

Hi JD-

I just read the article about your experience at Bruin Ranch – sounds awesome. I’m a big fan of bass fishing on such smaller lakes/ponds with no motor boats and the local example I really like is Lake Francis near Oregon House/Dobbins off Hwy 20 between Nevada City and Yuba City.

I’ve long been looking for something similar to Bruin Ranch or Lake Francis where the bass fishing is good and it’s great for a float tube or maybe my Seyvlor inflatable Fish Hunter with a small electric motor – no motorized boats allowed.

Question: Do you know of anything similar to Bruin Ranch or Dobbins’ Lake Francis, within 150 miles of Sacramento?

Thanks and take care! –Jerry

Hey Jerry, have you ever tried Rancho Seco Lake? Some HUGE bass in there and no motors!

Southern Cal beach fishing options?

JD — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:45:18 +0000

JD, I just moved to southern California and I looking for fishing suggestions at the beaches. I got no problem with getting wet, was even thinking about a kayak. What do you think?

–Damon

Well, there’s some pretty darned good perch, corbina and croaker fishing to be had on the beach right around the Santa Monica Pier if you can believe that. It’s more of a summer thing, but you can get halibut there too. Just north of Malibu are some nice beaches and Leo Carillo is always good. If y ou get a kayak, head for Newport Harbor/Balboa Island for some sweet sand bass action on plastics. Good luck!

How do I become a guide in CA?

JD — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:29:09 +0000

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!

Should I wear rubber gloves while fishing?

JD — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:03:39 +0000

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…

Where & How do I Catch Crappie?

JD — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:04:02 +0000

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!

Pink Worms on the Klamath?

JD — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:32:13 +0000

JD,

I’m 13 years old and love to fish for salmon and steelhead. I do most of my fishing on the upper Klamath. The late winter steelhead can be very picky and I was wondering if you’ve ever used pink plastic worms up here?

Thanks, Eric

Hey E,

Many 13 years old and catching salmon and steelhead…sweet! At your age, most of us hadn’t yet graduated from bluegill! Anyway, yes pink worms can be very good for late season steelies. I’m not sure how you like to fish, but I have done well drifting them with a Slinky. Perhaps even better for the upper Klamath, which as you know, can be pretty snaggy, try fishing them under a float. If you can get somebody to take you out in the drift boat, backtrolling them behind divers is also deadly. Good luck! Here’s a video that may help get you started: RIGGING PINK WORMS FOR STEELHEAD

Lake Almanor Map with Hot Spots??

JD — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:11:05 +0000

J.D.

I enjoy fishing Lake Almanor and reading the fish reports in W.O.N. Usually the articles say where they are catching fish. Example: the A-frame, El Dorado Inn, rec 1, rec 2, the springs. None of the maps I have of the lake show where these spots are. Do you know of a map that I can buy that will show where these spots are located on the lake? I would appreciate any help you can give me.

Larry P.

I’m not sure of a specific map, but the Lake Almanor Fishing Association can hook you up with all that info.

Eggs in the fridge a week still OK?

JD — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:08:23 +0000

JD,

My boyfriend is driving me crazy about getting info for curing his salmon eggs. They have been sitting in the fridge for a week or so. He has used borax in the past, but was looking for something a lil different. He doesn’t go “online” so it is left up to me. I get 25,000 responses when you put it through Google. Are the eggs still good? any suggestions for curing them? Thanks all your advise is appreciated.

–Mary in Akron, NY

Hi Mary,

Well, the eggs that are sitting in the fridge for a week are starting to get towards the end of their rope. Not to say they won’t fish, but I never go more than a day or two before tossing them out. Curing the roe immediately is the key!

As far as cures go, I’m surprised you only got 25,000 results from Google! There are about as many cures out there as salmon and steelhead anglers. How your boyfriend cures the eggs depends largely on what he’ll be fishing for. Not to confuse you even more, but salmon generally prefer a saltier egg (upstream, of course, but lower in the system sweet is better…ah, never mind!) while steelies seem to like it a little sweeter egg. The most basic cure that’s been working for eons is the ol’ Borax method.

The easiest way: cut the eggs into bait-sized chunks and them shake them — a few at a time — in a bag of Borax until the eggs are completely coated. This is a good steelhead and trout cure and will sometimes take salmon as well. If salmon are his main target, probably the best way to go as a neophyte egg curer is to buy a commercial cure like Last Supper or Wizard from Pro Cure or Pautzke’s Fire Cure.

If he wants to do his own, check out the book on Egg Cures by Scott Haugen by Amato Books.

Good luck! And make sure your boyfriend knows that he’s a lucky man to have a woman that let’s him keep the eggs in the fridge!

Egg Curing: Borax vs. Boraxo

JD — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:21:06 +0000

JD,

For curing roe to use as bait, where do I find borax? And how is it different from Boraxo?

–Bill E.

Bill, you get it in the laundry aisle of the grocery store…20 Mule Team Borax is the most common brand. Comes in a big ol’ box that will last you quite awhile. For egg curing, NEVER EVER use Boraxo, which is borax with laundry detergents mixed in…unless you like your eggs coming out tasting like a flowery meadow after a spring freshet :)