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

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.

Bernie Keefe will be hosting ice fishing seminars open to the public.

Jax sporting goods in Ft. Collins on December 9th.

Gander Mtn. Sports in Aurora on December 10th

Bass Pro shops in Denver on December 11th and 12th.

Please visit Bernie’s web site;  http://www.fishingwithbernie.com/

As far as fishing goes, I have been fishing pretty hard the last month. California has had some great weather lately (about 80). Over all this year has been a terrible for fishing …every time I go it seems like “should have been here yesterday”. I have been fishing Santa Barbara Island the last two weekends, the bite for yellow tail, white sea bass & halibut has been good. Two weeks ago we tried to get the island but was unable due to 25 knot winds. The boats that were able to get to the island did catch fish. We finally got there this past Saturday to find great weather but the fish didn’t bite. The sport boat that has been catching the most fish, close to 50 a day, caught only 6 on Saturday and 4 Sunday. We went 0 for 2 Saturday and couldn’t get bit on Sunday. Fishing there sucks because if yellow tail, white sea bass & halibut aren’t biting and there is nothing else to fish. The island is under the cow cod restrictions which has specific rules on species and depth. It is not worth getting caught.

Squid has been available all year which is strange. Squid is usually available only in the spring to early summer. I have been using the P140-5/0 and that has been a good hook for that application.  Here is a picture of a Sheephead that we let go. That hook was jammed right into the roof of his mouth.

I have put away the saltwater gear and will concentrate on freshwater.

–Jason Martinez 

For more info on the Cow Cod restrictions go to

http://www.fgc.ca.gov/regulations/new/2010/27_20isoratt9.pdf

Rene “Catdaddy” Shumway has been busy pulling in huge catfish in Kansas. Look at the size of these two monsters.
If you would like to catch giant catfish like these check out Catdaddy’s website for more information
www.Catdaddyguideservices.com

To be successful at fishing crappie you need to find underwater structure. Team Jones relies on the common fishfinder to navigate fishing hotspots. They look for canals, lumber, stumps, and any other structure to use to their advantage. The average fisherman has trouble reading or using their fishfinder. Learning to use your fishfinder correctly can make all the difference.

Look for the whole article coming out in Indiana Game and Fish

For tips and tutorials on how to correctly use a fishfinder go to:

http://www.lowrance.com/Support/Tips-and-Tutorials/

http://fishinweb.com/messages/messages/13028/13028.html?1258393767