Northwest Fishing Magazine May 2025 Volume 4 Issue 7 - Flipbook - Page 26
Many will soak their bait in
a brine mixture to toughen
them up. After bouncing
off the bottom a few times
or running into debris
they’ll tend to get blown
out or will lose their quality
spin. To get the right spin
on a whole herring, I like
to insert a toothpick in the
anal vent of the herring
and bend the herring to a
45 degree angle. Then take
the top hook and insert it
under the lower jaw and
out through the hard spot
between the eyes.
About halfway down the
side of the body insert and
pull out the trailing hook so
it dangles freely.
Others like to pin a plastic
bait helmet – Krippled
Herring or Rhys Davis – to
avoid wear and tear on the
herring. Before dropping it
down, add some scent and
make sure it has the right
spin. Other top choices are
a 3.5 spinner and prawn,
flat fish wrapped with a
sardine or a Brad’s Super
Bait. Downsizing to smaller
Kokanee Cut Plugs, or a 2.5
or 3.0 Spinfish filled with
tuna to tandem trailing
hooks are effective in
warmer water conditions
and when it gets crowded
during a slow troll like at
Drano Lake.
Colors are also key to
catching fish. Be sure
to carry a wide variety
but usually chartreuse,
silver, orange and red
work well. The scent of
bare hands can be a
deterrent so keeping some
environmentally safe liquid
soap, clean hand towels
and elastic nitrile gloves
will enable you to stay in
the game of catching fish.
Have a small bucket to
wash down your lures and
be sure to keep your rod
handles and cranks on the
reel clean.
Be sure to check the
WDFW website at
https://wdfw.wa.gov/ for
current daily limits, other
area-specific rules, any
emergency rule changes,
and closures or openings
that tend to occur during
the spring Chinook
fisheries.
Tight lines, and I’ll see you
on the water very soon!
Mark Yuasa is a Washington
Department of Fish and
Wildlife Communications
Manager. He was also the
outdoor reporter at The
Seattle Times for 28 years.
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& SNAKE RIVERS
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20 8.7 90. 21 28
RE ELTIM E FI S HIN G .C O M
