June 2016 Fishing a new body of water of which you re not used to can be intimidating at best. There may be particular lakes and rivers that you have dialed in where you know what to use to catch more fish; but fishing a new lake or river has its own challenges in and of itself. Lance Merz, Tori Brewer, Vydellity Anderson, and John Kernaghan. In previous articles and seminars that I teach, I emphasize to my fellow anglers to use the tools available to find out as much information you can about a new area. There are numerous on-line fishing forums such as Northwest Fishing Reports where other anglers post reports about that new lake you re getting ready to fish. In the report, it describes which colors/lures to use, what depths they are catching the fish, what speeds, water temperature, baits and scents. This information is critical in developing your own plan of how you want to fish; the rest is Knowing The Water By Lance Merz up to you. Another way to obtain information is contacting your local bait and tackle shop. Talk to the staff who work there; chances are, they will know exactly what you need to be successful. Local fishing guides are a great resource as well. If they are good (and most are), these guides will answer virtually any question you may have about that body of water. In my latest outing, I did one further. In May of 2014, I fished in the Lake Stevens Kokanee derby with guide Zack McGlothern of North West Sportfishing. We fished early in the morning and had a great time. I learned a lot about that lake that day, and put what I learned in my tackle box. The big winners of the derby that year were John Kernaghan and his son, Dakota. In that derby, John and his son won 1 st place for heaviest boat limit of 10-pounds, 15-ounces, as well as 2 nd place for the biggest fish of one pound, 21oz. What caught my eye the most of these two, is that they were father and son fishing and having a good time; that was the trophy. John and I kept in contact after that day and when the derby was set for this year, I knew the person to call. John welcomed me on to his boat and held nothing back; it was if I were fishing with him for years. Take care of your fish! Keep them on ice. We stared off our morning EARLY at the Lake Stevens City boat launch. John wanted me to meet him at the launch at 3:00am, but I m set in my old Army ways and showed up at 2:30. John had already launched his boat and was waiting on me. Something I m not used to for sure, I asked John if I needed to bring anything, which he replied I ve got everything we need, just grab your rain gear. The weather forecast for that day was rain, rain and more rain. I grabbed some Mack s Lure gear and headed to the truck where I met John s fiancé, Vydellity Anderson. Shortly thereafter, I met our other fishing partner, Tori Brewer; our boat was complete. We remained at the launch for quite some time, watching all the boats enter the water, then off into the dark water. Just before sunrise, we began our trek to the other side of the lake and started to gear up for a fun-filled day. Continued on Page 2 Page 1
Continued from Page 1 Rods in the water, we begin to troll..wham; the first, second, and third rod tips are dancing to the tune of Kokanee. On all of the rods in the boat, John was using a Mack s Lure Double Whammy Ringmaster, in the yellow chartreuse, ruby, and pink colors. There were a few rods that were also toting a Double D Dodger as well. The dodger s did exactly what they were supposed to do; push the lure away from the boat and out of the boat wash s path. We started fishing between 10-30 in the water column, which was producing some nice sized Kokanee to be sure. John s trolling speed was between 1.3-1.6mph and once we pounded on the fish, we immediately rebaited and went back through them. I normally run my lines about 25 behind the back of my boat, but John went in even closer! He was literally running around 5 off the ball. A smart move for sure, which allowed John to make tighter turns (there were many boats on the water that day). We had 40 fish in the boat and in the cooler by 8:00am!! As boats passed by, John would tell people exactly what he was using, the depths, and the speeds. The weigh-in for the derby didn t open until 10:30am, so we started trolling for Trout. We went to another area of the lake adjacent to a boat launch on the opposite side of the lake of where John launched, and began to troll. It wasn t ten minutes into the troll when I saw a nice fish jump completely out of the water. At first I thought it was a Kokanee because all I saw was silver, but shortly after it went back into the water, the rod went off. John grabbed the rod and handed it to me as it was on a long line. As I was reeling it in, the fish again jumped out of the water. What an exciting catch! We trolled a few more hours for trout, and then headed into the weigh-in. Vydellity meticulously weighed and measured all the fish to ensure we turned in our top ten for the derby. As the weigh-in went on, our grasp of heaviest boat weight diminished. Overall, we placed third with 9-pounds 22-ounces We placed 1 st however, for the biggest trout at 1.48 pounds. Vydellity Anderson with the 1st Place Trout. In all, it was a great day of fishing. 40 fish in the box by 8:00am is something to brag about for sure. The moral of the story is to talk to people who fish that lake all the time. In my eyes, John is the best fisherman when it comes to Lake Stevens and fishing for Kokanee. A great fisherman in his own right, John knows the lake probably better than any other person there (guides included). Any time you can go out on a lake and catch fish is a great day. Fishing with new people and making new friends makes it even better! Tips & Techniques with the Mack s Lure Sonic BaitFish By Captain Pete Rosko Pete Rosko Casting with the Sonic BaitFish (SBF) The Mack s Lure Sonic BaitFish is designed to be the most versatile, and highly effective, lure you will ever fish in both fresh and salt water and through the ice. All three attachment inserts (nose~back~tail) have distinct functions and resultant actions. TIPS: 1) Always use the provided wide bend snap to attach your line to your SBF in order to maximize its action. 2) To prevent hook-to-line fouling with braided mainline (it s soft & tends to collapse), always use clear mono or fluorocarbon leader (it s stiffer), especially when vertical jigging. 3) Use braid and not monofilament mainline! Braided main line is superior to monofilament for sensitivity, longer casts, no stretch, better hook-sets, fewer problems with line twist (no need for swivels) and best for casting smaller lures. Use the lightest line possible, especially with the smaller SBF! I personally fish with 6 & 10 lb braided main line in fresh water (20 lb in saltwater) and 12-25 lb fluorocarbon leader (heavier in saltwater). 4) Match your casting/spinning outfit to the size of your SBF. Error on the side of going lighter. A light Continued on Page 3 Page 2
Continued from Page 2 weight 6 ft spinning rod with good backbone and a fast action tip (rod bends about 1/3 down from tip) is a good all-around choice. No whippy noodle rods! 5) Keep your hook point needlesharp with a fine tooth file. If your hook does not stick in your finger nail (not your skin), it s not sharp! 6) Fine wire open shank double hooks should be replaced with a siwash hook; firmly attach to the nose or tail insert for larger fish. Do not risk having the double hook losing connection to the SBF. The self-sleeving double hook is great for the ease of changing, but is not great for large fish. Therefore I always have a SBF rigged with a hook to the tail and another with a hook to the head. With these two SBF, you have all the techniques covered as follows: a) Hook on nose attach snap to tail to cast~jig~troll or attach snap to top of the back (TOB) to vertical jig. b) Hook on tail attach snap to the nose to cast~jig~troll or attach snap to the back (TOB) to vertical jig. NOTE: ATTACHING THE LINE/ SNAP TO THE BACK (TOB) IS ONLY FOR VERTICAL JIGGING AND NOT CASTING OR TROLLING! I personally use only one single hook for these techniques. The hook can be directly attached to the SBF via tightly crimping its open eye to the lure or connect the hook to the SBF via a split ring. 7) Recommended hooks (single siwash hooks are usually the best option) 1/10 oz (#4), 1/6 oz (#4 or #2), 1/4 oz (#2), 1/3 oz (#1), 1/2 oz (#1) & 3/4 oz (#1/0). When casting or trolling for larger fish, hook size can be increased beyond the basic recommended hook replacement sizes. Casting: increase up to one size larger. Trolling: increase up to two sizes larger. 8) Best time to fish. Most fish are bright-light sensitive and want a stable and clean environment. I personally love fishing during cloudy weather with a stable barometer, with minimal breeze and in clean water. About two hours before sunset is hard to beat! Poor fishing conditions include shifting wind directions, fluctuating barometer, bright high-in-the-sky sun, dead tides (salt water), dirty/ muddy/contaminated water and uncontrollable winds. Note: Most troll & drift anglers hate calm water. However, combine my vertical jigging technique (next issue, #2), or casting to fish on or near bottom (discussed in techniques, below), and you will catch fish like a pro. 9) Adding bait. Almost never, do I add bait or scent to the SBF. I let the action of the SBF do the talking. However, if it adds to your confidence when jigging for walleyes, tip with a small night crawler piece or apply gel scent. TECHNIQUES: CASTING NEAR SURFACE (THESE THREE CASTING TECHNIQUES APPLY TO ALL FRESH & SALT WATER FISH, THAT EAT BAIT FISH, WHETHER THEY ARE NEXT TO SHORE IN (1) FOOT OF WATER OR NEAR-SURFACE IN (1000) FEET OF WATER) a) Slow, continuous retrieve as soon as the SBF hits water. This retrieve technique catches about 75% of my fresh water fish. The 1/10 & 1/6 oz SBF swim with a side-to-side vibrating movement of its tail. The 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 & 3/4 oz SBF also swim in the same manner in addition to a highly effective side-to-side darting action of the entire lure. The larger the SBF, the greater the strike-triggering darting vibration. NOTE: This was the action of a 1/4 oz SBF that beat the wobble action of the best 5 1/4 inch floating hard baits. It was a head-to-head competition, for eight consecutive days, while wade-casting with a slow & steady retrieve for walleyes, largemouth bass and crappie in a NE Ohio reservoir during May of 2013. b) Slow, jigging retrieve as soon as the SBF hits water. At times, mimicking the backward flutter of an injured bait fish will trigger strikes when nothing else works. c) Fast, continuous retrieve as soon as the SBF hits water. Make the SBF gurgle on water surface like a Jitterbug. Try to only keep the SBF in the water with your line out of the water, especially in clear water and for spooky fish. Absolutely deadly for any active fresh or salt water fish feeding near surface. NOTE; (worth repeating) 1/10, 1/6 & 1/4 oz SBF are especially effective for bass, crappie & walleye in 1-10 feet of freshwater on a slow, continuous retrieve over weed beds and other structure. The SBF has the action to out-fish any other type of lure! Always start with the smallest size to effectively reach your target, especially in fresh water. Use larger SBF for longer casts, deeper water & larger fish. The longer the length of the SBF, the greater the sideways darting and fish-attracting vibration. CASTING TO FISH ON & NEAR BOTTOM: a) Best for depths 35 feet or less over clean rocky bottom, rocky shoals, ledges & irregularcontoured gravel bottom (with few or no weeds to snag). b) After casting, permit your SBF to reach bottom. Then, slowly jig the SBF back to you while keeping it in contact with the bottom structure. It is the lure s backward flutter, caused by the drop-back of the rod that causes most strikes. For Continued on Page 4 Page 3
Continued from Page 3 maximum feel against bottom, use the lightest braided line possible and prevent any bow (bend) in your line on the retrieve. This is critical to your success!! On a drift, cast directly downwind to your target. This is what happens when done correctly First: you avoid spooking fish by your SBF reaching the fish before the fish sense the movement of your boat; Second: With your straight line, you are able to feel your SBF against structure, and any strike, so much better; Third: In case of a snag, your SBF can be easily retrieved as your boat drifts over the opposite side of the snag. If you have no idea where your lure is, in relation to the structure, you have little chance of catching fish! [Windy days present a problem in an attempt to fish without encountering a bow in your line. Don t cast sideways in the wind. This is bad as control is lost. Instead, position your boat to enable casting directly into the wind or directly downwind. Downwind is best for best control. If line control is still a problem, when casting in depths greater than 15 feet, it is better to vertical jig the SBF instead.] c) Use the lightest SBF possible to effectively reach your target. This will reduce snagging and permit your SBF to enticingly swim, dance & flutter through the structure where the fish lie in ambush. This is an absolutely deadly technique, for all bottom species, when done correctly on a straight line!! d) This is a finesse jigging technique since the SBF is loaded with action that requires minimal rod movement no hard jerking which can actually spook, instead of attract, fish. Ten to eleven o clock rod lifts works best. e) Attach the line/snap to either the nose or tail on the SBF with a single siwash hook attached to the opposite end. Hook on the tail has a wider downward flutter. Hook on the nose has a tighter downward flutter. f) Keep a sharp hook! Bouncing your SBF through hard structure will have a dulling affect on the hook point. Be in the habit of checking your hook on your fingernail not your skin (it always feels sharp on the skin). If the hook slides, and not dig in on your nail, lightly file until sharpness is restored. A dull hook is a major cause of missed strikes and lost fish with metal jigs. g) Finishes. My personal favorites are silver/blue (for sunny days) and glow chartreuse or glow white (any time, cloudy or sunny days). All painted finishes contain high quality fluorescent, phosphorescent and ultraviolet pigments to enhance appearance and maximize attraction. The basic appearance of most bait fish is a blue/green back with a silver/white belly. Special parting tip for anglers fishing reservoirs. Water drawdown in the fall is an excellent time to scout your favorite shoreline fishing locations in preparation for next year s fishing. Especially, if you love wading as I do. Mark those normally submerged stumps, boulders and rock piles with poorly visible floats that only you know where they are. Better yet, without visible floats, triangulate those structures with tree line or other horizon landmarks and save those drawings for next season s reference. In my younger days, adding just a single concrete block, over a hard gravel bottom, was enough to hold fish every time I returned to that spot. In next months Mack Attack I plan to cover my favorite topic vertical jigging. It is my sincere hope that this series of Tips & Techniques will be instrumental in increasing my fellow angler s future enjoyment and success on the water. Captain Pete Stan s Space A Winner Shares His Ways By Hall-of-Fame Angler Stan Fagerstrom Part 1 Well, by golly, I was right! If you follow these Stan s Corner columns here, you may remember what I had to say about a guy named Lance Merz shortly after he joined the Mack s Lure headquarters team quite some time ago. I said in a column then that unless I missed my guess, this guy Lance would turn out to be a winner. And now I m pleased to say he s proved it. This is the time of the year in many parts of the country where tournaments are held for those great eating landlocked sockeye salmon we call Kokanee. One such contest is called the Something Catchy Kokanee Derby that was recently held on the beautiful Lake Chelan, which is located in North Central Washington. The contest is sponsored by a non-profit organization designed to help foster kids and low income youngsters get into fishing. Next time you have opportunity to attend a seminar on kokanee fishing conducted by Mack s Lure executive Lance Merz---better listen close and careful. Here Lance shows why. He s displaying the trophy he and his teammates won in a major kokanee fishing derby held recently on Washington State s Lake Chelan. Continued on Page 5 Page 4
Continued from Page 4 This event has been growing in interest ever since it started. This year there were 87 boats signed up for this year s contest. Another of the reasons, of course, is where it is held. Lake Chelan has some of the best kokanee fishing you ll find. And it s just as beautiful as it is productive. The lake is attracting an increasing number of anglers from both the US and Canada. My friend Lance Merz is a fast learner. He joined the Mack s Lure team not too long after having served in the United States Army for 20 years and one month. Some of that time, as I pointed out in my original story, was spent in actual combat out there in the shell torn Mid-East. That kind of life left precious little time for the sport of fishing. When he finally was discharged, one of his primary objectives was to spend more time near members of his family; most lived in Eastern Washington. Mack s Lures headquarters is located in the city of Wenatchee, as well. His work with Mack s lets him share time with his family as well as to start learning the tricks and tactics the members of guides, pro staff and Mack s staffers were eager to share with him. Lance Merz, center, and his two cousin teammates, display a sampling of the kind of beautiful Lake Chelan kokanee it takes to win a Lake Chelan kokanee fishing derby. Lance himself has talked about his learning experiences in past articles he has written for the Mack s Lure Mack Attack publication that appears here monthly. Like I said before, the guy is one heck of a quick learner. Let me share a bit more of the reasons I have for making that statement. Once I learned more about the tricks and tactics Merz had used to win the Lake Chelan Kokanee contest, I didn t have the slightest doubt about why and how he managed to do it. It was because he followed the procedures and practices I ve watched and written about over a sizeable chunk of the world; and I ve been doing so ever since I wrote my first fishing column way back in 1946. The more I learned about the approach Lance and his two teammates took at Lake Chelan the more I wanted to share what he had to say with the readers of this column. I asked Lance if he d send me a detailed account of his winning tournament experience. He s done that and his report is something I urge you to study and remember. It s going to make you a better angler. Here s what he had to say. The derby occurred between 16-17 April, but I started pre-fishing the lake on the 14th. During this time of the year, the fish are just starting to school, so fishing can be sporadic. Bobby Loomis has taught me a very valuable lesson that I pass on to anglers with the kokanee seminars that I give. Find the fish. Fish the fish. Don t leave fish to go find fish. This lesson has made me become a better angler all the way around. Just because the fish aren t biting, doesn t mean they won t. That s why I like fishing for Kokanee. It s like tapping your head and rubbing your belly at the same time! You re looking at the Mack s Lure Kokanee Hoochie held by Bob Loomis. Lance Merz and his teammates used this lure to win an annual kokanee fishing contest recently. You ll find all the specific details on this lure and how it was used in my next Stan s Corner column. Don t miss it! My decision to live in Washington was rather quite simple...family. I had been away from my family for so long, I wanted to be closer to everyone in my family. I asked both my cousin s Matt and Dan to fish with me in the derby and they happily obliged. They came up to pre-fish with me on Friday and before noon, we had 30 Kokanee in the boat. It was a great day of fishing. Lake Chelan s limit of Kokanee per day is 10 fish per person and there is an abundance of them. Don t miss my next Stan s Corner column. You ll find a detailed account of what Lance Merz and his teammates did during the actual tournament. You ll also get the details regarding a relatively new Mack s fish catching lure those Chelan kokanee just couldn t leave alone. -To Be Continued- Page 5
Hot Deals!!! Catch more Trout and Kokanee with the Mack s Lure Smile Blade Fly! During the month of June, enter code FSB616 and receive 10% off of this lure. FSB616 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: I ve purchased some of your Smile Blade Fly s, but how do you change out the Smile Blades to make it a different color? A: Thanks for your inquiry. The Smile Blade Fly is an exceptional lure that will help you catch more fish. Typically, this lure can be used to catch Trout, Kokanee, Walleye, Bass, and Panfish. You can cast it, troll it, drift it, or even use it with a bottom walker. It s a modified Woolley Bugger pattern with our added Smile Blade adjacent to the eye of the hook. How do you change the blade? You ll have to purchase different colors of Smile Blades that you wish to use. Take your fly and slide the existing Smile Blade off over the eye of the hook, then take your new color and slide it over the top; it s as simple as that! The beauty of these fly s with the Smile Blade is that you can match the hatch relatively easy. One of our Pro-Staff (Wes Malmberg) uses these fly s to fish for trout and has been quite successful. He normally uses a fly rod while trolling in his boat, but you can use the same with a light action rod while trolling. Casting is easy too; take a couple of split shot weights above your fly so you can cast it. Video of the Month Photo of the Month British Columbia fishing at its finest! Click here to watch the video of Bob Loomis and Lance Merz catching Kokanee. Click Here to watch the video. Our very own Pro-Staff, Host, and Producer of Northwestern Outdoors Radio John Kruse caught this 21 Rainbow Trout at Diamond Lake in Southern Oregon. He caught the fish with a Mack s Lure Promise Keeper. Great Job John!! Send your photo s to Lance@MacksLure.com for consideration to be included in a future Mack Attack edition or on Facebook. See more pictures by clicking here: Mack s Photo Gallery www.mackslure.com Page 6