Techniques

With the Northwest experiencing the best Steelhead runs in years, the staff here at Hungryhook decided it would be a great idea to give you tips on how to catch these giant Rainbows.  Whether you are brand new to Steelhead fishing,  or a seasoned vet, we're sure you will be happy to use these tips.

1)  The Rig: We like to use 12 lb test Stren Extra-Stength Mono on a 7 1/2 ft fishing rod.  You need to ensure you have a longer fishing rod in order to have enough action and play to fight through the current.  We then use an 1/8 out pink or black jig hooked with frozen shrimp.  Make sure you hook the shrimp on like you would a grub on a jig.  Then attach a bobber-stop and bead on to your line, and use a weighted bobber to keep it straight in the water.

2)  Depth:  We like to test the bobber-stop.  On your first cast, you want to be able to hit the bottom of the river so that you can then raise the bobber-stop incrementally until you are 1-2 feet off the bottom.  If the fish are rising, you can obviously lower the bobber-stop to allow less leader.  If it is your first time out, find the bottom, and then lift the bobber-stop up your line about a foot.  You do NOT want your lure dragging on the river floor, or you will be cutting your line all day.

3)  Landing the Steelhead:  Make sure that you have crimped down all of your barbs, as most waters will not allow you to fish for Steelhead with a barbed hook.  Due to the loss of the barb, it is crucial that you have your drag set loose enough to let the fish run in the current without snapping your line, but tight enough to allow no slack in your line.  I like to tighten down drag as far as possible, and then loosed it about 3 turns.  Also, do not allow your fish to run with the bait without landing the hook.  The moment you feel a hit, reel down the slack, and HAMMER it!  Then hold on, fight the fish out of the current, and bag a lunker.

4)  Fishing Area:   Here in Idaho, we love to fish the Snake River, and the Dam in Orofino.  These are both hot spots, and capable of producing a great day of fishing.  Watch for the currents that drop into deep pools.  These pools will hold the most fish.  Finally, ensure that your Steelhead has a clipped fin.  This is a sign that they are a planter fish, and ok to take. 

Now get out on the river, get your rig set up, and land a lunker.  When you are done, submit a pic here at Hungryhook, and we will get you up on the wall of fame.

Happy fishing, and as always, respect the lake....

Throughout the rest of September, and into the third week of October, the Salmon will be running in the Coeur d'Alene River.  There is nothing like landing a 20+ lb. Salmon in just a couple feet of water.  Make sure you are working a bobber on a bobber stop with a Salmon Egg Sack below the bobber.  This is a great opportunity to bag yourself a lunker.  Happy fishing.

Our Hungryhook friend Dan had no trouble landing this Largemouth Bass at Hayden Lake, ID.  Using a 5" Yamasenko in Green Pumpkin with purple and copper fleck, he hammered this largie on his 1st cast of the day.  We were fishing docks in 12-15 feet of water.  This is his first bass.  Congratulations Dan!

Well, we are definitely beginning to enter the fall bass pattern in the Northwest.  If you can disregard the ridiculous fist pump, here are some fall bass tips that will help you bag more fish.

The shad and other baitfish are starting to move back up into the bays and creeks at this point.  This 3+ pound largie that I caught this morning was taken at Hayden Lake, ID, in a foot of water.  If you read our post entitled Late Summer Smallmouth, you will see that we have been fishing 25-40 feet deep jigging throughout August.  However, water temperatures fluctuate often in the Northwest, and can move fish patterns in just a matter of days. 

The Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass have moved up into the shallows once again, and present an excellent opportunity for anglers from boat and shore to capitalize on this opportunity.  The water temps are currently ranging from 72 degrees to as high as 80 degrees during high sun days.  With water temps still high, bass are very aggressive.  The largemouth from the picture above was taken on a 5" pumpkin pepper sinking worm by Mr. Twister.  I was also throwing a 7" Senko by yamamoto in Green Pumpkin color.  7-9 inch worms result in less hook sets by smaller bass, but can definitely help you find that lunker.  For those of you who have not tried a Mister Twister lure, they are excellent, high quality, and almost half the price of Yamamoto lures.  I love both Yamamoto and Mr. Twister, so pick by preference and wallet size.

If you launch at the back of Hayden, for fish the back of Spirit, Fernan, etc, you may be having trouble chasing the largemouth into the thick weeds.  Unfortunately there is a big millfoil problem at Hayden, causing much of sportsman's access to be unfishable.  I found size 2 Wacky, Weedless hooks at Cabelas for about $2.50.  These will help you fish your senkos or twisters wacky, while still hitting these high vegetation ares.  Buy yourself a couple packs, as you will use them.

Night time topwater will still help you land more bass during fall.  The bass are still rising and hitting bugs off the top, so take advantage of the opportunity with flies, jitterbugs, poppers, and topwater plugs.  Work varying retrieves, and make sure that you allow the bass to take the lure under before you set the hook.  The large majority of anglers set these topwater bates too quickly, resulting in a missed strike and wrapped line.

In conclusion, during the Early Fall Bass Pattern, take it to them in the shallows.  Match the bait with Green Pumpkin, and Pumpkin Pepper colors.  Finally, don't be afraid to swap out baits often, or change the size/color to make a better presentation.  Sometimes it takes a subtle change to bring the lunkers out.  Fall might be the best fishing time of the year if you approach the bass right.  Feel free to leave a comment should you have any questions, and most of all, respect the lake.

Further proof, as submitted by our Hungryhook friend James, that pike just can't handle spoons.  This 23 lb lunker was taken in Lake Coeur d'Alene near the chain lakes on a Silver Minnow dressed with a red Zoom kicker chunk.  Pike are very aggressive in the last weeks of August, so stick to large spinners, silver minnows, and the infamous Red and Yellow 5 of Diamonds.  Troll the back of bays in 12-20 feet of water, and work varying retries.  Black, red, and yellow are sure to bring the pike it.

Great job James, and here's to hammering the Northerns.

Congratulations to our Hungryhook pal on his first lunker smallie.  She was caught at 27 feet deep on a 5" Yamamoto Grub in Green Pumpkin on an 1/8 oz jig.  The smallie was safely released after the picture.  Awesome job pal, and I am sure this is just one of a lifetime of fish memories to come.

Shadows might be your most important resource for catching bass on hot August days.  For about 3 weeks (Starting after the 10th), the bass in lakes all over Eastern Washington/North Idaho move into the shadows next to walls and trees like no other time of the year.  I've spent days on the lake testing this theory, and 9 times out of 10, I can fish in the sun 6 inches out of a shadow, and not take a hit.  However, the moment I drop my shaky head or Senko into the middle of that shadow, it is almost instantly engulfed.  I've tested this way on lakes ranging from Long Lake, WA (near Suncrest) to Hayden Lake, and even Rose Lake.

I understand that most fishermen would say, "Of course they're going to be in the shadows during late summer."  I agree with that comment.  Again, though, there is no other time for shadow fishing in the year quite like these 3 weeks.  The bass are that finicky right now, and you must think like them.  It's not to say that you can't catch fish up on the banks in the sun during August.  You can...but I'm talking about quality.  If you want lunkers, stick to the shadows.  I like to troll around the bank looking for a shadow, and then hit it 3 or four times before moving on.  I can cover an entire half of the lake in 3-4 hours fishing this way, and I assure you my strikes per cast ratio goes through the roof.

Now for the lures.  Of course you have your staples like Slug-Gos and Senkos in white and green pumpkin.  I have a good friend who swears by the "Black Death Senkos" (black with gold or silver fleck), and he knocks them dead on Long Lake all day with them.  Make sure to wacky rig them if possible.  If you are fishing a weedy area, turn the hook back into the worm and hide it to make it weedless (the lure should look like an upside down V when rigged this way).  I tend to stick to Green Pumpkin in clear water, and white in the stained waters.  Lakes like Fernan, Hayden, Twin, Hauser, and Spirit all tend to work with the Green Pumpkin.  Get into more stained waters like Long, Bear, and Newman, and white or black tend to garner more strikes.

For those who don't want to break the bank with Yamasenkos, you can find Mister Twister Exude Sinking worms at White Elephant on Division in Spokane.  I don't believe that the Spokane Valley store carries them.  They are cheaper than Senkos, have good action, and tend to last longer.  I buy them in white, and slay the smallmouth bass at Long Lake all day.  We've caught as many as 41 in just over 2 hours at long during August.  Again, we are looking for the shadows.

In addition to the Senkos, you can use the 4 1/2" Yamamoto Tubes, and even up to 9" ribbon tails rigged with an 1/8 ounce bullet wait.  Green pumpkin, pumpkinseed, white, and black tend to pull the most strikes depending on water clarity.  Fish them slow in these shadows, and give them a big bounce off the bottom.

In conclusion, you have 3 weeks to make a difference with the shadows in August.  Please feel free to try this, even for an hour, and leave a comment about how it worked for you.  I guarantee you will land some lunkers, and cover a ton of lake in a short time.  I would also add to read our article about Late Summer Smallmouth when fishing the hours between 11am - 4pm on high sun days.  It will teach you what lures to use, and how deep to fish these bass in the middle of the day.

Good luck, respect the lake, and fish those shadows.

With August quickly approaching, we are certainly in the dog days of summer.  It’s easy to head out to the lake and cast out hundreds of times pulling nothing out but weeds.  Now is the time to think…DEEP.  Due to the increasing water temp, it is important to press out to 25-30 feet deep.  It is here where you will find the lunker you are looking for. 

Currently, Smallmouth Bass in Northern Idaho Lakes such as Lake Coeur d’Alene (particularly Cougar Bay and the Chain Lakes area), Hayden, Cocolalla, Preist, and Pond Oreille are hitting Twin Tail Grubs on a football jig bounced on the bottom.  Colors such as cinnamon with black fleck, or smoke with black fleck are garnering bites.  Work a bounce and slow retrieve motion, and don’t be afraid to let it rest on the bottom for 3-4 seconds at a time.  In stained water, stick to chartreuse or white.  Make sure to lookout for long points, or changes from rocky shoreline to sand.  Finally, look for drop offs of 7-8 feet or more.  These drop-offs will generally hold bass throughout the late summer pattern. 

Finally, Smallmouth Bass love rocks and boulders.  Take the time to know your lake floor.  Look for easy access routes to cover or deeper water.  Most of all, vary your retrieve pattern until you find the one that gets the aggressive bites.  Remember, a slow day on the lake is better than a good day at work.  So take your time, have fun, and land that lunker Smallmouth.