FishwithJD

The web's best fishing magazine

Situk Steelhead??

By 1 Comment

Hey JD

We were thinking about a trip to Yakutat AK, to fish the Situk River for spring steelhead. I have heard it can be an absolute zoo. My buddy from Juneau goes up every year to fish the tide flats…He won’t go up river at all, because its a full of people and some very nasty locals. I guess the tidel area gets crazy too . Can you give your input on the place. –Mark D

Mark,

Yea, the Situk is pretty much a mob scene. But, you can rent a driftboat and make the 9-mile float from the bridge down and, even though there might be 20 boats on the river, you can get away from people. Plus, there are enough fish for everybody. Still, it’s not going to be an ‘alone in the wilderness” experience!

Nushagak Salmon Rigs?

By Leave a Comment

JD, My brother and I are going to the Nushagak River, Alaska this summer for King fishing. We are getting ready to tie up some double hook rigs from the trip. My question(s) are:

Guide recommends using Maxima line for leaders and main line. Said they have never used braided line or flouro-carbon.
What do you think? Flouro-carbon leaders and braided main line a good choice? Does Flouro-carbon hold well when used to snell a hook?

Thanks, Dave N.

Dave, after guiding up there for 7 seasons on the ‘Nush, I can tell you that I never used anything but single barbless (no double rigs). The reason: there are so many fish up there that…

A) You’re going to hurt too many small kings with the double rig
B) You’re going to get hooked in the hand at some point
C) You’re going to spend too much time messing around, unhooking fish when you could be fishing

Unless the fishing is tough (rare), don’t bother tying too many double rigs…I think the slowest day I ever had up the guiding was 18 kings to the boat and we had as many as 100. Maybe take a few just in case you hit it at the worst possible time and there aren’t many fish.

As far as flouro goes, definitely not necessary. These fish are about as leader shy as bluegill. I’m not sure where you’re fishing, but in the lower river, it’s all pea gravel and you may not lose a rig to a snag all week. Plenty to fish, however…

Have fun!!

Where can I get good roe?

By Leave a Comment

JD,

Quick question for you…I am in need of some roe and am considering purchasing some since it does not look like I will be harvesting my own anytime soon. Do you happen to know of a good source? I would like to get it uncured, which means I probably will have to drive to OR, but I may just be willing. I saw Kevin Mellegers listed as a retail source for Sunrise Bait. Ever tried Sunrise eggs? Good quality? Appreciate any info.

–Derek P.

D,
No roe really? Heck, I’ve got three freezers jammed with the stuff and have just been throwing it over the side lately because I can’t deal with curing any more….oh wait…sorry, that was a flashback to the 2006 salmon season in the Valley. Yea, I’m with ya — eggs are tough to come by these days in our neck of the woods. The upside to it is I’ve gained a lot of confidence with yarn balls, pink worms and jigs!

The Sunrise Bait that Mad River Outfitters and others carry is actually pretty decent, tacky stuff for store-bought. It’s a red sulfite cure, though, so if you’re interested solely in steelies, you may consider other options (though plenty of steelies have fallen for the stuff).

Perhaps the best bet is North Coast salmon & steelhead guru Scott Amerman, who sells really nice cured salmon and steelhead baits.

Good luck!

Skeet Reese wins 2009 Bassmaster Classic

By Leave a Comment

skeet-reese2
After painfully getting edged out of the top spot in the 2006 Bassmaster’s Classic by a mere 6 ounces, Auburn CA’s Skeet Reese put the final feather in his professional career Sunday by winning the 2009 Classic on the Red River in Bossier City, LA.

Reese sacked 16 pounds, 12 ounces on the final day to beat 2003 Classic champion Mike Iaconelli by 11 ounces. For the win, Reese fished a 3/8-ounce Lucky Craft Redemption spinnerbait and a Berkeley Crazy Legs Chigger Craw. For his efforts, he collects a check for $500,000 — bringing his career earnings to nearly $2 million!

I’m sure it was us posting a photo of his pimped out F650 tow rig last week that gave Reese the good karma and propelled him to the win! What’s that, Skeet? Oh, our cut of the prize money is in the mail? Sweet, thanks!

How do I become a pro angler?

By 2 Comments

JD,
Ive loved fishing since i was first introduced to it at the age of three by my grandmother(RIP). I am 24 years old now and my whole life I have dreamed of becoming a pro angler.

I have had this dream forever but i don’t have the knowledge or resources to began my journey as a angler. So could you please help me out on how to get started as angler. Thank you and good luck fishing.

–Andre

Andre,

Well, I would start with your local bass club — there’s usually one or more clubs in “bassy” parts of the country. Start fishing the smaller tournaments — they’ll be less expensive to start with and you can get a whole lot of experience there.

Then, once you’ve had some success, graduate to the next level. In a lot of cases, future pros get their start by fishing as “co-anglers” (aka back seaters) until they finish enough times in the top 25 to move on.

To get onto one of the two big bass tours — the Wal Mart FLW Tour and the Bassmasters Tour, you’ll have to win enough times in their lower levels to qualify. Once there, you’ll have to have some solid financial backing from sponsors because it costs quite a bit of $$ to be on tour. Keep in mind that very few of the touring pros are making the big dough.

But, if you have the fire and want to dedicate yourself, I’m sure you’ll do well. Check out my FLW Touring pal Big Fred Contaoi’s website for a glimpse into the life: http://www.bigfredfishing.com