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Sure, being able to catch fish is a good skill to have, but to really be cool and make the big leagues, you’re going to have to learn how to hold fish up for pix.
Here are some styles you should probably commit to memory…but don’t be afraid to create your own unique style too! Because, ya know, the sponsors are always watching!
I have (or my clients have) caught a bunch of fish over the years that had all sorts of issues from genetic defects to near misses with humans and other critters.
Take for example, the Yuba River above that looks like he had a run-in with perhaps an eagle or osprey.
What’s amazing is how resilient fish can be. Even with crazy injuries or debilitating disfigurements, they seem to somehow survive.
I wish I could find all my pix because I have some really interesting ones but here’s a small sample of some of the fish I have caught with issues:
Not an Exit: This striper ate what looks to be a plastic worm hook…and then somehow it worked it’s way out through the fish’s side…
Sliced: This Alaskan king salmon probably tangled with a hungry sea lion that almost opened it completely from stem to stern like a zipper…
Once Bitten, Twice Shy: Here’s a Kodiak Island chum salmon that also appears to have narrowly escaped the deadly jaws of a sea lion or seal…
Wedgie: When spooning for stripers, this happens a couple times of year — the fish grabs the lure in such a way that it gets wedged in its mouth so perfectly that we land him without the hook ever touching flesh…
Snagged: This poor King obviously ran a gauntlet of snaggers and narrowly escaped because the “angler” was using line that was too light (despite the fact that he/she was using what appears to be an expensive Gamakatsu treble)…
Kissy Face: At first I thought this Togiak River coho salmon had been to a tattoo shop, but upon closer inspection, he dodged a bullet when a blood-sucking lamprey tried to attach to his hard gillplate and not his softer underbelly…
Worrying to Much?: I’m not sure exactly what’s going on with this nice bass but she’s got a pretty nasty looking sore on her belly. Do bass get ulcers….? ?
Bustin’ Out: This Chinook salmon spent what appears to be a nearly lethal amount of time in a gill net before busting the mesh and pushing through…
Rectangle Trout: I caught this uber skinny, almost perfectly rectangle-shaped brown trout in the fall, when fish are typically packing on the weight. Though I released him, I’m guessing he didn’t make it through the long winter…
Cheeky: After eating what appears to be a bait hook, this Striper somehow managed to work it nearly all the way out…through his cheek! 
Scarface: You’d have to assume this Sacramento River king salmon had a pretty serious run-in with a hook of some kind. Because the wound doesn’t look super fresh, I’m guessing the encounter occurred at sea but who knows? it didn’t stop her from biting another hook…
The Over-Eater: Small striped bass are notorious for trying to eat stuff that’s larger than they are, but this guy took it to the next level! I suppose as a little fish, everything you can get into your mouth is one less thing that can eat you!
Speed Governor: It looks like a sea lion just about rendered this Klamath River hatchery steelhead dead in the water by eating half of its motor. It’s amazing that this fish was able to get away…and, when hooked, it fought amazingly well…
Mixed-Up Striper: This little Striper apparently couldn’t figure out which way his stripes were supposed to go. Maybe he wanted to be a trout instead…
Northern California’s Camp Fire has been devastating to thousands of families and there’s a huge need for donations.
While the Red Cross is certainly a worthy charity to support, I have seen first hand how lumbering and slow to mobilize a large organization like that can be.
So, several fishing guide buddies and I got together when the fire first first broke out and started collecting donations and then running them up to those in need.
The response from the community has been overwhelming and we had been able to deliver a ton of supplies up to the the people who had been affected by this terrible tragedy.
At the moment, we have gotten enough clothing up to them but there are still lots of needs…Imagine going camping for an indefinite amount of time without anything besides the clothes on your back.
We currently need:
Tents, Tarps, Rain Gear, Flashlights, Sleeping Bags, Sleeping Pads, Batteries, Camp Stoves, Kitty Litter, Baby Wipes, Towels, etc.
If you’d like to donate, visit one of our impromptu donation drop-offs (my buddies’ houses). In Sacramento:
Near Downtown Sacramento: 5024 V Street. In Fair Oaks: 4712 Solano Way.
You can also mail donations to Woodson Bridge RV Park 25433 S Ave, Corning, CA 96021 C/O Pastor James Turnes/Camp Fire Donations.
If you prefer to give online, visit www.harvestcorning.com There is a link to give to the fire victims and it goes directly to them.
Fish flesh comes in all sorts of interesting colors. Just look at this picture I took after filleting a day’s catch off the Oregon coast.
The crazy blue green of the lingcod…beautiful orange of Chinook salmon and whiteish meat of black rockfish.
Ever wonder what makes a fish’s flesh the color that it is?
Check out this story: FISH MEAT COLORATION
There’s no debating that wrapping the belly of a banana-shaped salmon plug (MagLips, FlatFish, KillerFish, Kwikfish, etc) with a fresh sardine fillet will get your more bites than an unwrapped lure. That much we know.
But what if you don’t have any ‘dines handy…are you out of luck?
Not at all! Try these three plug wrap alternatives — you just may find that they even out-fish the old tried and true sardine!
I stared messing with different plug wraps for kings when sardines got scarce in California. One fall, the only baits we could get in the shops were old, yellow and completely freezer burned.
Rather than use garbage sardines, I looked to other “meats” to add to my plugs. Another season, I was in the Alaskan bush and sardines just weren’t easy to come by so I turned to experimenting with other baits. Through these tests, I have found that all is not lost of you can’t find sardines!
Salmon love tuna — in fact, lots of guides add tuna oil to their eggs so why not wrap a plug with the stuff?
Well, the bottom line is tuna works at least as well as sardines — and sometimes better. If you can get some fresh tuna bellies from your buddies who chase albacore, you’re golden. The real stuff works great — it’s oily and durable and the fish really chomp it.
In the absence of fresh tuna, simply head to the grocery store and buy oil-packed tuna (not water packed!). Canned tuna has some obvious upsides: it is readily available and easily portable. It works well, too!
At first, you’d think that there’s no way tuna from a can will hold onto the underside of the plug, but it actually wraps pretty well.
I’ll start with several wraps of Miracle Thread around the plug to give the tuna a little something to cling to and then will add a bunch of meat and then wrap it tight. Start with a lot more fish than you think you’ll need as at least a third will crumble off in the wrapping process — then you’ll lose some more when the lure hits the water.
Wrap it tight enough, however, and the tuna will stick nicely to the plug — and it gives off oily scent longer than a sardine fillet would.
“Coonies” have become quite popular in many Northwest fisheries in recent years and I have found that they also make excellent plug wraps.
Put a small one on a 3.5 size MagLip and you have a steelhead slayer — go with a large one on a salmon sized plug and you have a very good sardine replacement. In fact, in some waters shrimp works better because it is something the fish haven’t experienced before.
Coon (coon-stripe) shrimp have a natural “U” shape to them, which makes them perfect for wrapping.
Simply snug the bend where the tail and body meet against the forward side of the plug’s belly hook attachment point and wrap him on there tight. Coon shrimp give off a scent the fish really seem to like and they stay in place.
We know that kings are sulfite junkies, they love eggs and are attracted to bright red and pink colors — so why not add eggs to a plug and make the perfect combo meal?
Well, I’m here to tell you the “steak and egg” program works really well. Plus, it’s just too cool to watch the plug wiggle while trailing a white egg “smoke” trail!
Wrapping eggs is similar to tuna in that there is some waste. Be sure you have a good piece of skein attached when you cut a chunk for wrapping. I like rectangular pieces that stretch from the belly hook to about an inch or two from the tail of the lure (depending on plug size).
Again, I like to make some wraps on the plug itself first to give the eggs something to stick to before I get started. Then I’ll vigorously wrap the eggs on tight and then will wrap thread right under the leading and back edges of the cluster as well before finishing off with a few half hitches.
After you get a grab, most of the eggs will likely be gone, but a good base of skein and thread will remain. Use this foundation to wrap your next bait on — it will hold much better than the first one.
It takes a little more time, but you can greatly extend the life of your eggs (and tuna) by making some “bait pouches” out of spawn sack mesh. Simply cut some rectangle shaped sections of mesh, fill them with eggs, tuna or a combination of both and then fold the backside closed (like wrapping a present). Then, apply the pouch to the lure and then wrap it in place just as you would a sardine fillet.
You’ll be surprised how well these sardine alternatives work when you are plug fishing — give them a try this fall and let me know how you do!