October the beauty of fishing!! Most anglers are more than happy to tell you of what works best for them.

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1 October 2017 The Importance of Fishing Guides By Lance Merz Although fishing season is in full swing, there s a great alternative of how to effectively put more fish in your boat. Have you ever wondered how to fish for a certain species of fish, but feel absolutely overwhelmed of what, where and how to fish for them? One of the best ways to get started is by contacting a local fishing guide, getting on their boat and asking them as many questions as you want. At a local area near you, there is always a myriad of fishing guides who will show you the ropes of fishing for a particular species of fish. These guides are extremely professional and have the utmost passion for fishing. Not only do these guides have fun with their jobs, but you can often find them between trips fishing. Mike Roth with Team Take Down Guide Service. Since I began working for Mack s Lure, I ve been very fortunate to learn from some of the best fishing guides in the Pacific Northwest and continue to pick their brains of what works best for a certain type of fishing. My mentor, Bob Loomis (sales and marketing manager of Mack s Lure) has taught me the ropes and has taught me some very good lessons along the way. The best way I learn is to talk about it, then get my hands on it, then go out and do it myself. Bob and other fishing guides have done this for me, and I ve been pretty successful with putting more fish in my boat. There s an old saying that holds true in the lessons that Bob has given me: You can lead a Horse to water, but you can t make them drink. The purpose of this saying is relative when it pertains to fishing because you can either take their advice or not; it s completely up to you. I can assure you however, when Bob or other fishing guides talk about fishing, I listen!! Fishing is not like hunting. Normally when fishing, when you ask someone of how they caught their fish, they will be the first ones to tell you what color they were using, what bait worked the best, their trolling speed, water temperature, weather conditions, how deep they were fishing, etc, etc. If you ask a person where they got a buck or bull, they will give you a very vague description of how and where they filled their tag. That s the beauty of fishing!! Most anglers are more than happy to tell you of what works best for them. Bruce Warren with Fishing For Fun Guide Service. Fishing is a preference; what works well for one person, might not necessarily work for another. Using a fishing guide however, gives you a baseline of how to fish. Once you have booked a trip, chances are you ll be able to pick up on some great techniques or different riggings to use to more effectively catch fish on a consistent basis. Although I have had numerous mentors who have taught me how to fish, I can think of some guides who helped me in the right direction as well. One guide to note is Bruce Warren of Fishing for fun Guide Service. Bruce is a Salmon and Steelhead fishing guide who is based out of Puyallup, Washington. I can remember that we were fishing at the mouth of the Deschutes river on the lower Columbia river when I was on his boat. We were fishing for the Fall Chinook in a technique Continued on Page 2 Page 1

2 Continued from Page 1 called hover fishing. It s a simple way to fish; you have a weight on your mainline and underneath, you have a bait of egg roe that is tied on to a snelled hook. To top it all off, at the top of the hook is a.8 Mack s Lure Smile Blade. As we were all fishing on the boat, Bruce afforded me the opportunity to Captain the boat and boy let me tell you it was hard work!! There are so many variables that a guide must take into consideration. They really do have a lot going on at the same time. Although they are working for a living, they are sharing their experiences with you the entire time and teaching you; sometimes without you even knowing about it. I wish I could tell you every guide that I ve fished with over the past few years, but I can help steer you in the right direction. If you go to the Mack s Lure website, there is a page that is dedicated to Pro and Guide Staff. This means that these local guides and tournament fishermen (and women) are the top dogs in the industry. Booking a trip with them certainly means that you re going to learn a thing or two. All of the Pro- Staff/Guide Staff are firm believers in Mack s Lure products and use them on a consistent basis. Jeff Witkowski of Darrel and Dad s Guide Service. So the next time you want to learn how to fish for a certain species, whether it be Salmon, Steelhead, Walleye, Kokanee, Trout or Panfish, seek out a fishing guide and you ll be glad that you did!! Stan s Space Advanced Planning Pays Off By Hall-of-Fame Angler Stan Fagerstrom Part 2 Writing weekly fishing columns for a couple of newspapers in Southwest Washington State during the early days of my outdoor writing experience paid off big time in more ways than one. That payoff sure as heck did not come in the money I was paid by the newspapers involved. What it did provide was the opportunity to get to know the top fishing guides in the area those newspapers covered. One of them I got to know best was a guy named Jim. I was living in Longview, Washington at the time. Check out a map of the Longview-Kelso area and you ll find it sets right on the Columbia River and in the middle of some of the best fishing prospects for those great fish like salmon, steelhead, sea run cutthroat and several other migratory species. That s one reason I mention my friend Jim. Jim wasn t a full time guide but he knew more about those sleek silver fighters coming into the Columbia River from the pastures of the Pacific than some who did. Those fish were returning to many of the Columbia s major tributaries just a hop-skip-jump and a couple of long casts from the Longview- Kelso area. The second reason I mention Jim deals with some of the promises I made in my previous column. If you ve read it you re aware that column stressed the need for advance preparation for all kinds of angling, but especially for things like winter steelhead fishing. My column also mentioned the tremendous help a couple of Mack s Lure products can provide where advance preparation is required. I said one of them is the Mack s Original Pip s Box and another is the Pip s Leader Caddy. Here are some of the details I promised to provide. The Pip s Leader Box keeps your pre-tied leader and hooks set ups all ready to go. The Pip s Leader Caddy goes even further. It even provides space for storing leaders already rigged with smaller lures if you choose to take that route. Expert anglers all over the country are using these these Pip s Boxes. They can be used for all kinds of fishing. You ll find yourself especially loving them for cold weather action. What you read in that previous column were pretty much my own thoughts with regards to the two Pip s boxes. How do you think someone like my friend Jim feels about them? Before starting this column I decided to find out and asked him. I could have guessed what Jim what Jim would have to day about them. It pleases me to beat heck to find that he likes those Pip s angling accessories every bit as much as me or the other guys who recognize Continued on Page 3 Page 2

3 Continued from Page 2 advance preparation is a big key to successful steelhead fishing. I ve been using Pip s Box for years, he says I think almost since they first came out. I find em so darn convenient. You n me have talked often about how it pays to prepare in advance for wintertime fishing. The Pip s Boxes let you do that. I can pre-tie all of my hook and leaders in advance and then just stick em in a box. The boxes go into my steelhead vest. You can carry your Pip s boxes in your fishing vest or pocket. When you re in a boat, just store them in your tackle box. That s what thousands of anglers around the country are already doing. I usually carry three of these boxes whether I m fishing from either a boat or from the bank. I no longer carry my leaders any other way. The shorter rigs I place in the Original Pip s Box. The longer leaders, like those I might use for side drifting, I store in the Pip s Leader Caddy. If you re familiar with gear marketed by Mack s Lure you undoubtedly aware Pip s Boxes have been around for awhile. Have they turned out to be popular among the nation s angler? They sure as heck are! Thousands of them have been sold each year. All the pre-tied rigs you see in this Pip s Box are all ready to go. If you need a new rig just take one out and get back to fishin. I find that these dandy little storage boxes aren t just limited to the steelhead crowd. Those anglers after the elusive walleye are also using them to good advantage. One walleye pro told me he stores his leaders in the Leader Caddy. He carries a selection of Smiles Blades and beads in a separate small plastic box. As soon as he determines what forage it appears the walleye are feeding on, he pulls a hook and leader out of his Leader Caddy box. He has already attached a Stop Knot to his leader to position a couple of small beads his Smile Blade will ride on, add the blades and he s in business. I always carry and least one of these boxes in my fishing vest and sometimes two or three. Every experienced angler I ve talked to about these boxes has mentioned something else. It s that these boxes come in different colors. They put their 6-pound leader set ups in one color, their 8-pound rigs in another, etc., etc. Both boxes come in six different colors. Once you ve used them for a bit you ll find you can tell at a glance which box contains the hook and leader you re after. There s one final thought I d like to share in wrapping up this columns series detailing with the super opportunities these Pip s Box offer to anglers of all interests. Every bit as important as preparing everything in advance is checking your leader for the slightest nicks or abrasions each time you beach or boat a fish, For that matter, it s also a wise thing to do if you ve been yanking a snag around. Slide a nice steelhead like this up on the shore as I ve done here and the first thing you ll want to check is your terminal tackle. Is your leader in good shape? If it isn t you can slide a new one out of Pip s Leader Caddy and you re ready to go. Examine your leader with care. If you find the slightest potential problem, just reach for your Mack s Lure Pip s Box, pull out a new rig that s all set to go and you ll be back in the water in seconds. No sports angler catches fish without having a line in the water. The more time you spend with your line and lure out of the water is certain to result in less fish. The highly regarded pair of Mack s Pip s Boxes is a big help in that regard. You ll not have the slightest problem finding experienced anglers around the country who will tell you the same things I ve had to say as I wrap up this recent column series about the Mack s Lures Pip s Leader Box and Caddy. Page 3

4 Sonic BaitFish (SBF) Tips & Techniques Dodgers, Flashers and The Sonic BaitFish By Captain Pete Rosko Pete Rosko Two popular types of attractors, used in trolling, are dodgers and flashers. Dodgers work with a sideto-side, pendulum-type of action. The Mack s Lure Double D dodger is a leading example. On the other hand, flashers function with a 360 degree rotation. Even though these two attractors function differently, the end results are the same flash and vibration. Fish, such as salmon, are attracted to the flash and vibration of the attractor. However, it s the lure, trailing behind the attractor that results in the strike. Personally, I prefer to troll the Sonic Baitfish without an attractor because the action of an attractor reduces the darting and vibrating action of the Sonic BaitFish. Attractors are necessary for lures that have no built-in action such as flies, streamers and plastic squids. But, this action is already built-in the Sonic Baitfish. Test a Sonic BaitFish (line/snap attached to the nose) behind an attractor, and without any attractor, alongside your moving boat to observe their actions. Regarding lures, the Sonic BaitFish (SBF) is truly unique in many ways. It s the only lure that can be fished by attaching the line to the nose, tail or top of the back (back). Also, the SBF is the only lure that acts both as a lure and a dodger. By attaching the line/snap to the back, then vertical jigging it, the SBF creates flash and vibration similar to the dodger. This sideto-side dodger-type action creates more hydrosonic vibration than the rotating action of a flasher. However, the action of the SBF is even more dynamic than that of a dodger. When attached to back, the action of the SBF resembles the side-to-side action of a slow or fast moving windshield wiper, not only on the lift but also on the drop. The speed of the rod lift determines how much lure vibration is produced. Most of my fishing in open water is done by attaching the SBF to the nose with a single siwash-style hook attached to the tail. This nose attachment is primarily for its extremely effective fluttering action. Also, its large hook eye, combined with its wide bend and deep throat, make the siwash hook the perfect high-efficiency hook for the SBF. Even when I pinch-in its barb, very seldom do I lose wildly jumping salmon with a SBF. Even though I mostly attach to the nose of the SBF, there have been many trips where attaching to the back, or tail, has saved the day. The Florida Gulf, Great Lakes, Alaska and Pacific NW are a few locations where attaching to the top of the back turned a dead bite into an active bite. This is my technique wherever I fish with the SBF: 1) I always start by vertical jigging, once I locate the fish, with the traditional line/snap attached to the nose and hook on the tail. 2) Never hesitate to change to a different finish, fairly quickly, if the fish are not responding to your current finish. 3) Slow down your presentation and even dead-stick until the fish tell you what action they prefer. 4) Still no action then downsize to a smaller SBF that can still easily reach your target. Note tips 3 & 4 are critical in saltwater when all tidal movement dies. 5) Still waiting for a strike then switch from attaching to the nose or tail (flutter versions) and attach to the back (vibration version). Basically, vibration is a stronger form of attraction than flutter. Flutter and vibration are the two most important actions for attracting fish. 6) Color almost anywhere I fish, whether in fresh or salt water, it s hard to beat the SBF in the glow chartreuse finish. Its two critical ingredients are fluorescence and phosphorescence which enable the lure to better retain its true color in deeper water. In closing, the SBF is a lure similar to an experienced major league baseball pitcher who is also a Cy Young winner. That pitcher is a master of every conceivable type of pitch to win the game. The SBF also has every conceivable action to win the game of catching fish. As with the pitcher, it s knowing which presentation is best, throughout the day, for the SBF. I dedicated this article primarily to vertical jigging the SBF. As effective as it is for vertical jigging, the SBF is equally effective as a casting and trolling lure. Thank you for subscribing to the Mack Attack and join us next month for the November issue. Pete Mack s Lure Sonic BaitFish Page 4

5 Continued from Page 4 Gary s Fishing Corner Fishing For Trout In The Fall By Gary Miralles Fall is my favorite time to fish for trout and Shasta Lake is on the top of my list. Why you ask? Turnover. That s right, as night temperatures fall, so does the surface temperature. This cooler water will continue to extend deeper into the water column eventually, drawing the bait and fish to the surface. This triggers a feeding frenzy. The abundant shad schools are an easy target for aggressive trout who are feeding heavily as they bulk up for the winter. Locating these hungry fish is easy; just watch the shoreline looking closely for surface rings left by trout as they gobble up their prey. Shallow points are always a good place to start. Once you locate a shoreline with active fish you can prepare your presentation. I generally start setting my four rod spread several hundred feet from where I ll be fishing. This will allow me the time to set all four rods. I start with the downriggers closest to shore. I ll set it back 100 and five feet deep on the other side, I will set it back 150 and ten feet deep. On the surface, I ll run on opposite sides two rods 200 back. This distance is important as it will get your lures back far enough to allow you to draw the bait near shore as you work the points. The second most important issue is lure selection. When trolling shallow like this, I do not use flashers or Sling Blades. I simply run the lures by themselves. I ll tie them directly to my line three feet behind a snap swivel; this will make the lure look more natural. My favorite lures for this setup are small and similar to the size of the baitfish they are feeding on. I like to run Cripplures in silver prism or UV fishscale on the deeper rods and Hum Dingers on the surface rods. Remember to troll two miles an hour and swing wide on the points, then return to the shore and draw your lures shallow over the point and you will have great success. Good fishing!! Gary Cripplure Hum Dinger Mack s Lure Double D Dodger & Cha Cha Kokanee Squidder Page 5

6 HOT DEAL OF THE MONTH Mack s Lure Double D Dodger 7.6 Pink season is upon us and there s no attractor more versatile than the Double D Dodger 7.6. This month only, use code DDD10 at checkout and receive 10% off the Hot Pink Double D Dodger (SKU: 70063). Enter code: DDD10 Question of the Month Have a question? We d love to answer it! Contact us at MacksLure@MacksLure.com if you have a question you would like to see featured! Q: You have the Double D Dodger and the Sling Blade. How can you change these dodgers to give the lure more action? A: That s a great question! You must remember that the Double D Dodger is best used at slow trolling speeds, which are between.8 to 1.6mph. When using this dodger, you can change the action by shortening your leader or attaching your snap swivel into one of the five holes located on the top of the dodger. This can only happen when you are using a maximum of two rods. The holes located at the top of the dodger serve as a side planer, which is designed to cover more water, which helps preventing tangles and Photo of the Month pushing those lines away from the boat path. If you are long lining from the stern of your boat, try flipping the dodger around and place your swivel in the middle hole of the dodger. This will create extra movement and action. Please note that this can only be accomplished with a long line; using the dodger this way when using a downrigger will create line tangles. Using two Double D Dodgers with an 11 inch leader between the two will also create added action. When in the water, the dodgers sway opposite of each other, causing the lure that have extra action. When using a Sling Blade, you can actually bend the dodger to dodge more effectively at slower speeds. Just bend the bottom portion of the dodger to whatever angle works best for the lure of which you are using. If you are trolling at faster speeds, the need to bend the dodger is not needed. As a rule of thumb, the shorter the leader, the more action you ll get out of the lure. Video of the Month Winter is just around the corner. Click here to view how the Sonic BaitFish is used to jig for Lake and Rainbow Trout through the ice. Other videos can be viewed as well, Click Here. If you have video s to share, we d love to see them!! Send your video links to: MacksLure@MacksLure. com. UV Sling Blades and Hum Dingers did the trick for Jeff Goodwin and his clients on Shasta Lake this month. Send your photos to media@mackslure.com for consideration to be included in a future Mack Attack edition or on Facebook. Page 6