Steve works hard to clear the other lines, as our anglers strap in for the fight. 1st fish comes in, textbook- rod tip up, secure the trolling weight, leader the fish up , for Steve to make the perfect gaff. 1st fish, in the low 30’s, hits the deck, but we still have lots of work to do. This fish is acting like The Man. Even though our angler is inexperienced, he is hanging tough in rough seas and reeling like a pro. We finally see the fish as he approaches the boat- and he’s a good one. I turned over the wheel so I could secure the weight and leader the fish. When the fish got within ten feet of the stern, he made a short dash, landing his head straight between the engines. Steve reacted quick, and sunk the gaff into his head. After getting a couple more hands on the gaff, he flew over the stern.

Wahoo baby! The Man!
This fish is pushing 80 pounds… – that’s what I’m talking about! Even though fish over 120 lbs are caught each season off of the break in NE FL, we were pretty happy to have this one in the box. After a couple hours of more trolling in building seas to no avail, we decided to change the plan and drop down for some trigger fish to top off the box. Why not field test some of the new Trokar Saltwater circle hooks and see what happens. A trigger in the boat on almost every drop including  a beautiful Queen! Yea, I’d say the new Trokars hold up just fine, can’t wait ’till they hit the shelves! After an hour or so bring triggers over the rail it’s time to call it a day and make the 64 mile run home.
As each of the clients found their cozy spot for the ride home, Steve and I couldn’t stop talking about new tactics we want to try and when we can get back out to he blue water to feed our wahoo addiction.

Wintertime Wahoo- Gotta’ get back out there! Slimy 5’s,

Capt Don

When it came time for packing for the trip, we asked to include our rods in his carrying case.  He chuckled and stated that the rods and reel that we had chosen were too small and would not stand up to the silver salmon of Alaska. At first glance of the size of his rods and reels we thought we might have come unprepared.

Upon arrival we adventured our rented boat through the Valdez Arm into Jacks Bay & Galena Bay.  At first we used down riggers and the larger gear to troll pop gear and herring for the silver salmon.  While we did catch a number of silver salmon it almost seemed unsporting as you couldn’t really feel the fight of the fish.

We then anchored in Jacks Bay for lunch, and unsheathed our W&M Alaska Medium Drifter rods & the Eagle Claw Endure Cast reels.  We rigged a small amount of weight and a herring, and cast over side.  As we were unpacking lunch my buddy shouted “the Wright McGill!”  My son grabbed the rod, set the hook, and it was fish on!  We had a modest set on the drag, when the salmon saw the boat it went for an immediate run stripping line off the reel.  After a good fight, we netted the silver salmon, which was our largest fish caught yet.  Immediately following the catch, the whining drag of the second Wright McGill sounded off, and my buddy grabbed the pole.  Like a kid in a candy store, he said “now this is fishing!” as he reeled in yet another big silver.  Lunch was delayed as we all took turns catching our limit with the Wright McGill fishing gear.

For the remaining days of our vacation we caught our limit using the Wright McGill fishing gear.  With each catch you could feel every twitch and pull of the fish, the responsiveness could not be beat.

My friend stated that he is getting rid of the other poles and from now on will only use Wright McGill.  I’m hooked, and cannot wait for our next trip!

My friend Chris and I decided that we would go fishing for perch on Edgemere road. We had caught 20 perch before it began to rain.  As we were packing up I noticed that my light action rod was being dragged into the water. I ran over and picked the rod up, set the hook, and felt what I thought was a whale.  It took a grueling 45min to real in this mud puppy! I was forced to run up and down the road to avoid running out of line or snapping the 4lb test. When I finally landed the monster it felt like a cylinder block. It ended up weighting 53.4lbs.  Thanks to Eagle Claw hooks I was able to catch this giant carp. I can finally say that  my Rocheser outdoors club finally got popular! – Bobby

“I attended a ladies fishing seminar in Stuart, Florida a few weekends ago called “Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing”.  I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of it or not, but it’s a weekend seminar to help us ladies become more comfortable with the sport of fishing by teaching us the simple basics.  Someone by the name of Sam Hudson was there on behalf of Eagle Claw and set up a station to teach us how to rig live shrimp on a circle hook.  He also gave us some handouts to help us learn the difference between hook sizes and shapes and in-line vs. off-set.  And finally, he gave us all a pack of different sized circle hooks to put in our tackle boxes.  I just wanted to take a few minutes and tell you ‘Thank-You’ for supplying us with someone willing to help us and for the hooks to get us started.  It was really an awesome experience and I hope Eagle Claw continues to be a part of it.”

Eagle Claw continues to remain dedicated to teaching and helping people around the nation become more involved and interested in the sport of fishing. Whether it be salt water inshore fishing, trout fishing in the rivers of Colorado, or off-shore marlin fishing, Eagle Claw wants to be involved.

Thank you to Delores and all of the rest of our faithful users and fans out there!

REEL TIME FISHING

Where are you located? What bodies of water do you fish? Lewiston, ID. Clearwater and Snake Rivers. Also the Kenai River in Alaska.

What type of fishing do you specialize in? Salmon and Steelhead

What can guest expect from a trip with your guide service? A full day on the water with lots of laughs, excellent equipment and a shore lunch.

What makes your guide service stand apart from your competitors? I work for a top notch outfitter (Toby Wyatt) and our crew of guides keep in constant communication so we always know where the fish are, and we get them!

What is the best part about being a guide? Watching the smile on peoples faces when they see the fish they’ve just fought come in the boat.

What is a success story with guests? The day I forgot to bring my net and ended up landing 4 spring Chinook by hand. It was quite a circus.

What would you do if you were not taking guests fishing? I’d be fishing!

Favorite fishing tackle? Wright & McGill rods and Lazer Sharp hooks of course! I’m very picky about my equipment; everything has to be clean and in top shape. There is not a better salmon rod on the market then the magnum plug rod in my opinion.

What are your plans for the 2011 season? Spend more time on the water chasing spring Chinook and getting more kids out on the water.

What else would you like the public to know about you? I’m a tackle junkie. And love playing with different egg cures. My garage looks like a tackle shop.

What is your contact information and links? Bookings 1-208-790-2128 and the website is www.reeltimefish.com

Any words of wisdom? Just to always stay positive when the fishing’s slow. A rough day out on the water still beats a day behind a desk.

If you were stuck on your boat with one set up, what would it be? Salmon Fishing it would be a W&M magnum plug rod back trolling some fresh cured roe for sure!

DENVER, COLORADO — Lazer Sharp is proud to introduce a revamped and advanced line of Octopus hooks.  The new lineup of L1 & L2 Octopus hooks encompasses the size ranges and finishes demanded by today’s technically advanced anglers.

The biggest advancement on the L1 & L2 Octopus lines comes with the introduction of the first ever American-made needlepoint fishhook. Offering fishermen a sticky-sharp point that helps to improve penetration and hook-up ratios; the L1 & L2 needlepoint hooks combine all the attributes that the world’s best anglers look for in a fishhook.

The L1 Octopus hook is a short shank Octopus hook that is ideal for numerous applications including Salmon and Steelhead. Whether back-bouncing or drifting, the L1 has the durability and strength to reel in sea run behemoths. Finished in either a sultry Platinum Black finish or a bite inducing Red, the L1 is available in sizes 12 – 6/0 and in both small and large quantity packs.

The L2 Octopus hook is a long shank Octopus that is widely used in both salt and freshwater fisheries. The L2 can be used for drop shotting or wacky rigging as well as rigging up chunk baits and trolling. The opportunities for hooking up with the L2 Octopus increase with three color options: Platinum Black, Red and Nickel. The L2 is offered in sizes 12 – 9/0 (depending on finish) and are also offered in both a small and large quantity pack.

As one of the most versatile hooks on the market, the Octopus hook is a favorite among both salt and freshwater anglers. The L1 & L2 Octopus hooks will be available early in 2011 to all consumers. MSRP:  $7.00 – $14.75 depending on size/quantity.

Walleye can be found in Chatfield and Cherry Creek, Antero and 11 Mile reservoirs provide some of the best trophy trout opportunities in the western U.S. and salmon and lake trout of Colorado can be found coexisting in Granby and Blue Mesa reservoirs.  These bodies of water are just a few of the opportunities across the state of Colorado, but others include: Rifle Gap, Harvey Gap, Taylor, Aurora, Taryall, Georgetown, Dillon, Green Mountain, Gross, Twin Lakes, Turquois, and many many more!

Ice fishing technology has come a long way over the last decade from
heaters to huts and everything in between to keep you dry, warm, and focused on the fish.  Sonar and GPS technology has also advanced and truly takes the guesswork out of fishing, allowing any ice angler to identify potential fish-holding structure on a topo map, mark it on their GPS and then use color, HD sonar to identify bottom type, weeds, fish, and how the fish are reacting to their bait.  This allows an angler to eliminate dead water quickly and idenfy the fishes mood so that they can adjust quickly.

Sport Fish Colorado and its guides take full advantage of all the impressive new ice fishing technology to capitalize on the many awesome ice fishing opportunities Colorado has to offer.  We don’t like to sit and hope the fish come to us.  We actively pursue our target species in hopes of meeting the day’s goal(s) in order to achieve a fishing experience that provides an adrenaline rush and leaves you wanting more!  This takes a little more work and effort, but is usually well worth it!  For more information on ice fishing in Colorado check out Icefishcolorado.com.  Give Colorado ice fishing a try today for your shot at a true trophy like one of
the fish below!

Robby Richardson

Sport Fish Colorado

Ice fish Colorado

Brian Woodward is the director of the Wyoming Walleye Stampede.  Brian is in charge of running three different events. The 1st event is at Keyhole Reservoir on May 7th and 8th.  Second event is at Glendo Res on June 4th and 5th.   The 3rd event will be held at Boysen Res on June 18th and 19th to finish out the regular season.  Then the top 25 teams from the Stampede will go on to compete against the top 25 teams from Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, and South Dakota for a combined 125 team Championship.  Really exciting!  All good stuff!!

Brian Woodward is also the president of the North Platte Walleyes Unlimited.  Brian spends most of his summer (when he is not fishing) reaching out to youth in the local area and throughout the state of Wyoming.  North Platte Walleyes Unlimited donates over 1500 rod and reel combos to young anglers.  The club has 3 major events that they participate in and giveaway fishing rods. The major event of the year is at the Sportsmans Expo in Casper where the organization gives away around 900 combos.  The club is also the primary sponsor for a life jacket loaner program that the Casper EMS department runs.  Last year the North Platte Walleyes Unlimited received some great recognition for saving two lives due to individuals wearing our jackets after getting swept away in the North Platte River.

During the winter months Brian coaches a competitive girls volleyball team that competes at a junior national level.  The girls team will travel to Colorado for 5 tournaments.  The team will be attending the Junior National Qualifier in Minnesota.  This year the girls are competing in the 18 year old division. Lets wish his girls team the best of luck this year.

Brian is involved in many different organizations. But when he does have time he like to fish. Here is a list of the tournaments that he will be fishing.

Masters Walleye Circuit West Division Includes:Devils Lake ND,June 24-26th, Mobridge SD, July 22-24, Cass Lake Sept 16-18

The Cabelas NTC @ Bays De Noc, Escanaba MI,  & the World Walleye Championship, Praire du Chien, WI

Glendo June 11th and 12th and one tournament at Big Mac with the Nebraska Walleye Trail in May.

http://www.wyomingwalleyestampede.com/j/

http://www.npwalleyes.com

A few weeks ago, Jack Dlugitch and his two mates David and Charlie delivered a yacht from Cozumel Mexico to St. Thomas USVI. The three of them were planning to take the south route (south side of Cuba) and sail straight there with no stops. Each day they would set out lines in hopes to catch dinner. The crew was fishing for small Tuna, Wahoo or Mahi to feed them on their journey. The unexpected adventure began when, on the second night of the trip, a large flying fish landed in the boat. They all had the same idea to use it as bait, so they threw the giant fish on ice. Finally on the fourth day they rigged the 2.5 lb flying fish using an Eagle Claw O’Shaughnessy SS Hook # 10/0. What happens next becomes a story of a life time.

At 8:10am on Day four Jack, David and Charlie were at position 19° 28.200′N / 79° 51.821′W as they set out the lure. The boat was a 53′ day charter catamaran with a 28′ beam. David set the rod in an improvised rod holder (the base of the table). David turns back to meet up with Jack but before he reaches him the reel begins to scream. David immediately turns back and jumps over the fuel drums to reach the rod. David dips the tip of the rod for a second, pulls it up, and starts reeling.

They all see the marlin jump and take the bait about 75 yards behind the boat. “BLUE MARLIN 150LB” David calls out. There immediate reaction was excitement because of the size of the marlin. The crew was also a bit disappointed because they were  trying to catch dinner. Without a moment to think, the beast takes off straight down taking 3/4’s of the 450 yards of line on the reel. Of course they don’t have a fighting belt with them because they were not looking to catch trophy fish. Jack used the only thing he can find which was a life jacket to wrap around David’s waist. After about 20 minutes David says he needs a little relief , the crew immediately calls David a  girlyman. Jack takes the reel as Charlie relives him at the helm. As soon as Jack puts the life jacket in the correct position he is convinced the marlin is not 150lbs but probably closer to 200lbs. Jack now sees why David was so tired. The crew searches for a better solution to use other than just a life jacket acting as a belt. They decided that the edge on the metal drums would give them the best leverage. The only problem was that a metal 55 gallon drum that was full with diesel and hard to move. As the beast was throwing them from side to side they had to move to the metal drum. Now they had leverage and began to start to set the drag. Three hours later they had the drag set full. Their idea on the size of the fish changed throughout the fight.

On the first hour mark they had all agreed that the fish was more than 200 and thought about 300lbs. At the 2 hour mark they changed their estimate to 400lbs. At the 3 hour mark, they now were guessing over 500lbs. Jack and David shared the fighting duties, both of the guys’ arms turned to rubber. Jack was on the rod most of the time with David standing behind him helping to hold the rod tip up. At the 4 hour mark the team had finally brought the fish up to the leader which was about 30′ behind the boat. The monster fish stayed about 10′ below the surface which gave them their first  good look at marlin. The only time the fish jumped and was at the surface was when he  first took the bait. What they saw and thought was only 150lbs, was actually only the giant head of the beast.

Finally David grabs the leader (making it an official IGFA catch) and starts to pull him in the direction of the boat when he spooks and runs again. 20 minutes later David grabs the leader for a second time and starts pulling. The crew gets a second look at him and confirms the estimate. The beast turns to starboard and runs and before I can swivel around the drum, the line gets caught in the roller guide and breaks. Jack and David fought the Beast for a total of 4.5 hours. Jack spent about 3.5 hours and David about 1 hour total. Their final estimate was that the fish was over 10′ long without the bill and weighed more than 700lbs.

Click Here to Watch the Fight

Jack Dlugitch

http://www.cozumelboatingsupplies.com/