Fishing

Sockeye are arguably the best-eating salmon in the world, and as the summer rolls in, so do they. In Washington State, we are lucky enough to have several great sockeye fisheries to enjoy, both in the river and the lakes. No matter where you end up chasing them, there are a lot of basic building blocks to being a successful sockeye fisherman. Take those fundamentals and with a few location-specific tweaks, you can be successful just about anywhere you choose to target these tasty, feisty fish.

To start, let's talk about some basic sockeye fundamentals and what makes them tick. Unlike other salmon, sockeye are filter feeders, which means their diets mostly consist of krill and zooplankton. They are schooling fish who like to travel in numbers, which can make fishing for them more hunting and waiting that turns into a flurry of chaos. They also have the largest eyes of any salmon species, making them more light sensitive, but they can also see your gear from further away, bonus! We need to keep all these little quirks in mind while targeting sockeye to be successful. 

Because sockeye are schooling fish, we need to focus our fishing time where they are most likely to travel. In the rivers, we’re looking for soft seams and slower water, or places that will hold them like thermal barriers, as is the case at Brewster. In the lakes, sockeye will cruise around in pods, looking for more of their kind to join as they get closer and closer to spawning. We can use this to our advantage by using dodgers and flash to mimic a school of fish and pull them into our gear from a distance. My favorite way to do this is trolling with dodgers, with my go-tos being the Mack's Sling Blade in 9” or 6” or the good ole standby 0 Les Davis. Metallic finishes like just a plain chrome will work for sockeye in any water, but I do love having a mix of metallics and colored dodgers. Sockeye are pretty lazy fish, so our troll speed is pretty slow, fluctuating between 0.8-1.5mph. Once we have them joined and following our gear, it's time for our lures and bait (where allowed) to do their job. 

Since sockeye are filter feeders, and we target them in the freshwater, they aren’t attacking our lures as a feeding response. This means that they are grabbing our hooks out of reaction. Although the Lake Washington classic of bare red hooks still works, we can improve this reaction bite by using hoochies or flys, UV, flash or glow depending on time of day, and wings or blades that add even more flash and vibration. It’s pretty fun to have what my friends and I call “craft time” and build different lures and see what works best. My top color choices for sockeye, no matter where I go, are pink, orange, and red. I tie my sockeye leaders on heavy fluorocarbon, 25-40lb, with number 2 to 2/0 hooks. Not because they are big fish that are going to break your line, but because the heavier the line, the more action the dodger will impart to your lure. 

Sockeye are also hard-hitting, aerobatic, and chaotic. They will take off and tangle up multiple rods or wrap around downrigger cable or anything else they can find. You’ll be glad for the heavier leader when (not if) this happens. My basic sockeye leader is 12” overall, and always has no less than 2 hooks. Once you have your leaders tied up, if you’re fishing where bait is allowed, it's sure to help your odds of hooking dinner. Cured coonshrimp, in pink or red, is a pretty universal sockeye bait; however, chunks of cured prawns work great too. In the fisheries closer to the salt, like Baker Lake, the Skagit, and the lower Columbia, live sand shrimp work very well. Scents can help you as well, and maybe even more so than other salmon; sockeye have a real sweet tooth. Slammin’ Sam’s XXX is one of my favorite sockeye scents, and I will even go as far as sprinkling my baits with pure granulated sugar. Aside from those, the regular standbys work great, like anise, garlic, and krill. Keep in mind that if you are fishing somewhere like Lake Wenatchee, which doesn’t allow bait, you also are not allowed to use scent. 

These basics will get you started on the right foot when it comes to sockeye fishing, but each fishery has its own nuances. I approach each fishery differently, whether it’s a lake or river, how far from the saltwater I am, and water and weather conditions all play a role. We covered a little bit of this already, but let's get into a little more depth with some of my favorite fisheries. 

Baker Lake is what I consider my “home lake” and where I do most of my sockeye fishing, spending as much as 50 days a year there. Baker Lake is a big, crystal clear lake that tends to stay on the colder side. It has a lot of structure, being a reservoir, with a few original lakes being big deep spots, lots of shelves, shallows, and some sunken forests/stumps. We generally focus our attention on the deeper water areas and along the edges of shelves, with most of our fish coming in the top 40’ of water. This allows me to leave my downriggers at home and just fish “droppers,” which is using lead cannon balls ranging from 4-10 ounces on sliders, followed by a 24-30” bumper line and then my dodger and leader. My heaviest lead is on my rods closest to the bow, with my lightest leads being out the back of the boat, and my line out is the opposite (shortest at the bow and longest at the stern). 

An example of this, while running 6 rods, would be my bow rods having 10oz out 30’, my middle rods having 8oz out 40’, and my stern rods having 6oz out 50’. This gives me a good spread while keeping the rods from getting tangled with each other while trolling and turning, yet still keeping them pretty close in depth to give the illusion of a school of fish swimming together. This technique also allows us to get the gear out and fishing quicker, covers more water, and moves more in the water column during turns and speed changes. Baker Lake is also the place I troll the slowest for sockeye, with my target speed being around 0.8-1 mph. 

I take this same technique to Brewster Pool, and really, any excuse I have to leave the downriggers off the boat, I will take! Our biggest differences here are that there’s much more current to take into consideration, and we are fishing in shallower water. Those currents are something to watch too, with how busy this fishery gets, you have the main current of the Columbia River as well as the incoming current from the Okanogan River. This Okanogan current will slow you down and can push you sideways into passing boats, so be extra aware of your surroundings. Here’s another reason I love fishing “droppers” because you can really see the action of your dodger, and in changing currents, I watch the thump of my rod to tell me I’m going the right speed instead of my speed over ground on my electronics.

Here at Brewster, I tend to use lighter leads than at Baker, more 3-6 ounces and target 20-35’ deep on average. Although as the day progresses and the sun gets higher, if the heat doesn’t get me off the water, I will start fishing deeper as those big eyes balls will start to drive the sockeye down to escape the sun. My go-to bait here is coonies, and pink is definitely my top color. Some fish will take a detour before getting all the way to Brewster and end up in Lake Wenatchee. Although the one single lane launch can make this fishery a little difficult to access, the fishing here is usually great and the fish tend to be bittier than at Baker. 

This fishery is the most unique of all my sockeye fisheries, and I even have a Wenatchee-specific tackle box with all my tools of sockeye destruction. This is the one sockeye fishery I always bring my downriggers to, although I do still fish some droppers. I definitely have more success on the downriggers. Even though this lake is cold, deep, and clear like Baker, these Wenatchee fish seem to travel and be active deeper, and I catch most of my fish from 40-80’ deep. This fishery also doesn’t allow bait or scent, and to make up for this, we do some crazy stuff with our tackle. 

Barbless hooks are also required here, which means a lot of lost fish. I always fish with at least two hooks and often three to up the odds of landing a fish. I still tie heavy fluorocarbon leaders but keep them on the short side, 8-10” overall. I don’t use a whole bunch of extra stuff on my leaders here, usually opting for one bead above each hook and sometimes a Mack’s Smile Blade on top of that bead. If I’m feeling really crazy I’ll throw a little LP plankton hoochie on there too, but I like to keep my profiles small here. The crazy part comes when you start checking out my dodgers. Here again, I use 0 dodgers or large Slingblades, but I get really crazy with the bends and accentuate them by increasing the bends on each end. By the time I’m done with them, they resemble an “S” more than a dodger. All this gives my gear a really erratic action, and my troll speed is a little faster here, where I try to keep it around 1-1.4mph. 

So you can see that there are a lot of similarities from one fishery to another, and if you take the basic sockeye building blocks to any of these places, you’ll probably catch fish. But if you can tweak your program a little bit to really fit where you're fishing, your success will increase, and space in your freezer will decrease!

Halibut, lingcod, and rockfish are the top three species of bottom fish here in the Pacific Northwest.
There are three main methods for targeting bottom fish, and the cool thing is that the tactic you use is more dependent on the depth and environment you’re fishing in, rather than the species itself. All species can be found in virtually any depth in the ocean. In fact, many of the biggest lingcod I have ever caught have been in less than 50 feet of water. This means that if you know your water, you can choose a tactic that will give you the best chance at success. 

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Tactic number one: Live bait rigs. Live bait is the most natural presentation to a fish. As the name implies, you need an actual prey item connected to your hook, and this often elicits the most aggressive feeding response. The flip side is that you have to spend considerable time catching bait. Additionally, it can be difficult to keep your bait alive throughout the day. I have found that live bait rigs work best when targeting ling cod on reefs that are under 150’ deep. 
Ling cod will readily take live bait of nearly any size, and often do not even need to be hooked to bring them to the boat. To decide between large and small bait, know your area. If you are fishing a particularly busy reef with lots of rockfish, and you are not allowed to keep them, try to use larger baits such as greenling or other sculpin to keep bycatch to a minimum. 
The best live bait rig I have ever seen, I learned from John Kerrigan of Seeking Limits Guide Service out of Everett, WA. John’s rig is devilishly simple. It consists of a sliding weight system where the plastic slide is connected to the weight with a rubber band, and it is stopped by a swivel to a leader (photo below). The rubber band keeps you from losing an entire rig if your weight gets stuck, and the swivel will keep the live bait tangle-free. Give it a try with surf perch on a single hook rig, or sand dabs and greenling on a double hook rig.

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The second bottom fishing method is jigging with soft plastics. This method allows you to go right out to the fishing grounds. Oftentimes, the soft plastic jigs come pre-rigged, so all you have to do is tie them onto a 50-pound mono leader and drop it near the bottom. My absolute favorite for jigging soft plastic is a Fisherman’s Gold Electric Eel jig. (photo below). It has caught absolutely everything from giant 50-pound lingcod to limit after limit of rockfish. The only consideration is how heavy and how big you want your plastic. Obviously, using a 32 ounce 12 inch eel won’t be the right choice for rockfish, but if you’re shallow, there is little better than catching black rocks on a 1 or 2 ounce eel. Fishing soft plastics is the most versatile of the 3 methods. You can fish them light or heavy, large or small, shallow or deep. Soft plastics can struggle in areas of intense pressure and is most difficult in areas where there are lots of toothy bycatch, such as arrowtooth flounder or dogfish that can tear up your bait. 

The last method is a combination of pipe jigs and unweighted soft plastics on a ganoin type rig. This method is great for deep drop fishing, particularly for halibut. The pipe jig not only allows enough weight for a rig in 500 feet of water, but it also can get chewed on for hours and not lose its efficacy. By running some unweighted plastics above the pipe jig, you can also take advantage of the extra color and action to bring fish to your rig. However, this method is really prone to snags, and can be expensive to lose if you are fishing the more shallow rocky reefs. 
I typically pair this method with electric reels in deep water and on flatter bars in the open ocean. You can build a ganoin by using a 3-way swivel connecting the main braided line to one end, a 6 foot ganoin of heavy mono (80 pound or heavier) to one of the other sides, and lastly a short heavy mono leader connected to a large 12/0 J hook that you hook your eel or flounder plastic to. 

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Making a game plan for your specific environment is the best way to set yourself up for success. Always consider the time you have to fish, the depth at which you want to target, and the overall fishing pressure to help you decide between durable baits like pipe jigs or if a natural live bait is the right choice. Get out there and try it for yourself!

The temperature and the sunshine won't be the only things that're hot this summer. Every year in July and August, Sockeye fever hits Washington. I'm sure you've scrolled through social media this time of year and seen glory shots of the delicious red-meat salmon limited out on your feed. While some of us make it look easy, there is definitely a learning curve that leaves many anglers scratching their heads.

For those who don't know what a Sockeye is, I'll give a brief biology lesson. Sockeye are one of the 5 species of Pacific salmon we have here on the West Coast. They start their lives in cool, clear waters, often adjacent to a large lake. What makes Sockeye unique is that they use a nursery lake to rear for about 2 years before heading to the ocean. 
These Sockeye make up the majority of their diet of shrimp, krill, and plankton, which give them that delicious sought-after meat. After 3 to 5 years (most Sockeye return at 4 years old), they return to the rivers where they were born. While there are a handful of naturally occurring Sockeye populations in Washington, the main ones that I will focus on are the Columbia River, Baker Lake, and Lake Wenatchee. Most of these fisheries target Sockeye trolling from a boat. However, bank anglers do have success plunking spinning glows and shrimp close to shore in certain areas of the Columbia and Skagit Rivers.

The Columbia River:

These fish start crossing over Bonneville Dam in Late May and early June, with the run peaking there around the 1st of July. Most of the fish are destined for the Okanogan River, Lake Wenatchee and Redfish Lake on the Snake River, with a handful going up Yakima and Deschutes rivers. 
As they make their way upriver, they can be targeted at several different areas, including below Wanipum Dam, Wells Dam, and the ever-popular Brewster pool. The Brewster pool is where the fleet will fish for the majority of the season and for good reason. All the fish in this upper reach of the river are headed up the Okanogan River and into lakes in Canada.

The Thermal barrier:

Sockeye do not like to slow down for anything. The only times they really stop are when they make it to their home lake, have to cross a dam, or encounter some type of obstacle. In this case, it's what we call the thermal barrier. You see, when the Okanogan gets above 70 degrees, the sockeye will stay down in the cooler Columbia, making them sitting ducks until cooler waters prevail. Most years, the thermal barrier will set in by mid to late July, but varies depending on snowmelt and weather temperatures. The last couple of years, the thermal barrier was set right from the get-go, and this year looks no different. You can find the Okanogan River temperature on the USGS river flows site.

The Brewster 500: 


You will not get solitude up in Brewster, but you will find great fishing. Most of the boats will fish right at the mouth of the Okanogan, but if you want fewer boats, you can fish down by the pump house. There is a nice shelf there, and the fish will sit all throughout there up to just above the Okanogan. 
To target these fish, I like to run a size 0 dodger in either chrome, chrome/ silverscale, or moon jelly. Followed by a Mack's Lure smile blade, 3 red beads, and a coon shrimp. I will run anywhere between a 12 and 16-inch leader, with 14 being my sweet spot. I recommend either a 2 or 3 single hook setup tied with 2/0 hook or 1 single and a size 4 to 6 treble for a trailer. 
These will generally be 10 to 25 feet deep and can be targeted with either lead balls or with downriggers. You'll want to troll slowly for these fish, often 1 mph or less going up river. Remember to speed up a bit going downstream. Levels and flows change throughout the day, so pay attention to the action of your gear. You want a side-to-side action on your dodger. If it starts to turn over and do a figure 8, then you are going too fast.

Here are a few things to note here fishing Brewster. It gets HOT! Temperatures are normally in the 90s and triple digits. Drink plenty of water and wear appropriate sun attire. When fishing the Brewster pool, keep your head on a swivel. It's literally combat fishing with boats. Know your limits. If you're not comfortable with the main pool, don't be afraid to fall back to less crowded areas. Be mindful when parking your boat on shore. The Columbia River is dam-controlled, and water levels fluctuate rapidly, sometimes within minutes. Every year, boats get left high and dry.

Baker Lake:

Ah, the Westside's beautiful Baker Lake. I remember the days of plunking for sockeye on the Baker River. Back then, a Sockeye fishery in Baker Lake was just a wishful thought. Finally, in 2010, after some hatchery and smolt collection improvements, the Baker Lake Sockeye fishery was born and has been an absolute hit ever since. This year, there are 60,000 sockeye forecast to the Baker River, and as of the time of writing this article, there have already been a bunch trucked up to the Whatcom County lake. The Sockeye here are big, bright, and fight hard! 

As I talked about with Brewster, you'll be slow trolling with dodgers for these guys. Here is a rundown on the gear I use to consistently put Socks in the boat. I like to run either a size 0 or 00 dodger in Chrome, chrome/ silver scale, purple haze, 50/50, or moon jelly. 
Sometimes, I will put a slight bend in the dodger for a little more thump. Hoochies work very well at Baker, with orange, purple, and pink being my go-to's. I run a Macks Lure Smile Blade above them and tip my hooks with pink coon shrimp soaked in Slammin Sams XXX. Sometimes I will also run just a smile blade and beads, as well as just bare red hooks. 

I tie all my leaders with 8 to 10 inches of 20 to 30lb fluorocarbon. Any lighter and these crazy fish snap it like it's nothing. There are 2 main areas where people fish here. Down near the dam and up lake in the old Baker Lake bed. Don't be afraid to move around and hunt for these fish, as they will move around to get away from pressure. Troll .7 to 1.2 mph and watch your fishfinder for cruising sockeye. Typically the fish will hang anywhere from 20 to 60 feet down and are best targeted with downriggers or 6 to 12 oz of lead. There are 5 boat launches to choose from. Starting at the dam with Kulshan, Horseshoe Cove, Panama Point, Swift Creek, and Shannon Creek at the far end. In past years, Shannon Creek has been restricted to campers only. This is a fun fishery and should be good right from the get-go on July 12th when it opens.

Lake Wenatchee Sockeye:

Last but not least, my personal favorite fishery: Lake Wenatchee Sockeye! Watch the counts at Tumwater Dam. Once we've reached our escapement goal of 23,000 fish plus several thousand for harvest, WDFW will open the lake by emergency rule. This will usually be in either late July or early August. For gear, keep it stupid simple. 2 or 3 bare red hooks behind your dodger on a short leader, 8 to 10 inches. Shorter is always best at Lake Wenatchee. Check the regulations, as here it is no bait and single barbless hooks. The wardens are normally out in force. For depth, the fish here are much deeper. I usually catch them at 30 to 50 feet early on, and later in the season, I'll fish as deep as 115 feet down. Trust your electronics! Also, be mindful of the wind out here. It blows more often than not and gets extremely rough! 

Good luck out there, and if you're feeling ambitious, I recommend hitting all 3 fisheries!

This may or may not have taken place on one of my favorite kokanee lakes… but the advice is good whether it really happened or was just in my head…

KOKANEE: Ok, I'll admit it. I'm moody. But that does not mean I'm impossible. But being moody is as much fun for me as it is for the fisherman.

DUDE: You know, that might not be the case for all kokanee fishermen. Some can spend all day chasing you with no results. That is not fun.

KOKANEE: I suppose it is all in your perspective.

DUDE: So tell me why some days you cannot resist one particular color, and then the very next day you shun it.

KOKANEE: Well, it is a little more complicated. I hope you get it. If your readers had really carefully read and understood Kokanee University, Part 1, then the answer would be easy. But alas, you can lead some fish to water, but you can't make them swim.
So here goes.
Humans live in their world, and I live in mine. Most everything is different in my world from the human world. If a kokanee fisherman wants to become a whole lot better, he had better stop thinking about the material world and start thinking about what life is like in my water world.
I wonder how humans would like it if their favorite views were seen in contrasts of shades of gray, and light and dark. It might change their perspective a bit. Or suppose humans could only see color a distance of about 21 inches, and then only right in front of their nose. Or, how would humans react if they could not focus their eyes? Limited color vision and no ability to focus. For humans, limited color vision and no ability to focus would likely change a few things in your material world.

DUDE: You sound, maybe a little bitter. Only a guess, of course.

KOKANEE: I can do things in my world that humans only dream they could do. That kinda makes up for any human deficiency in my water world. Balance is achieved. It helps comfort me that my brain is the size of a pea, while the human brain…

DUDE: Please don't go there.

KOKANEE: As I was saying, my color vision is quite limited. And although I can see in shades of gray and black, the clarity of the water becomes a major issue for me. If the water clarity is limited, then that governs how far I can see contrast. Sometimes, the lack of water clarity makes it almost impossible for me to even see color within that 21-inch window.

DUDE: And the effect of light at depth?

KOKANEE: For sure, things get darker at depth. Go deep enoug,h and there is no light. Water literally eats light. Water gobbles light. Depending on the time of year, as much as 40-50% of the light that hits the water is reflected back and away from the water. That means there is less light under the water. Always. No exception.

DUDE: You said that water eats light?

KOKANEE: So I did. You are paying attention. When you go down the water column, things get darker. But not darker red or darker orange. As you descend the water column, it gets a reducing combination of darker green, blue, and indigo and purple before it goes completely black.

DUDE: So what happened to red, orange, and yellow?

KOKANEE: Dude, the water ate it.

DUDE: When?

KOKANEE: Up front. First the red, then the orange, and then the yellow. Gone. And this happens very quickly in fresh water. Except for early season, most of the fishing for us kokanee takes place in water that contains only green, blue, indigo, and violet light.

DUDE: Ok. I know that visible light can be put through a prism, and it then breaks down into the colors of the rainbow. In fact, as I recall, the colors of the rainbow are always displayed in the same sequence. Freaky?

KOKANEE: This is where you could benefit from having a pea-sized brain. When I am talking about color, I am really talking about wavelengths. Most colors that are visible are a blend of other visible colors.

DUDE: Let me stop you right there. You used the term "visible." Are there colors that are invisible?

KOKANEE: No. And I guess I have to make an admission that you humans and we fish actually have something in common. We are both vertebrates, and we have vertebrate eyes. Within our eyes are structures that connect our eyes to our brain. We both have corneas, and attached to these corneas are both rods and cones. Although we have them in different proportions, these rods and cones operate the same way. Simply stated, rods help us differentiate between light and dark, while cones take care of visible color detection.
Color is only a visible concept. If you put all of the visible colors together, you get white. White light is what daylight is all about. Run that white light through a prism, and you get a display of the rainbow.
When you look at that rainbow, the colors are always displayed the same way. That is because visible colors have specific wavelengths. Wavelengths are measured by frequency. Frequency can be thought of as a way to measure how long or how short the wavelength is. In the visible spectrum, red has the longest wavelength, whereas violet has the shortest. All of the other visible colors are in between.

DUDE: OK. But how does water eat light?

KOKANEE: It eats light by wavelength frequency. As you descend the water column, the longest wavelengths are eaten first. That would be the visible color red. Go a bit deeper, and you also lose the visible color orange. Go deeper, and you also lose the visible color yellow. The very last visible color to get eaten is violet. After that, the water is black.

DUDE: I guess that black is the absence of light.

KOKANEE: Technically, black is the absence of visible light. There are other wavelengths out there that you might understand and feel the effects of, but their wavelengths are outside of the visible color spectrum.

DUDE: I hear so much about UV light. All of the manufacturers want me to buy their stuff because it is "UV."

KOKANEE: Here is where I get to "see" how much you have been paying attention. "UV" is short for ultraviolet. It is called ultraviolet because it is in that part of the spectrum that is beyond violet. It has shorter wavelengths than violet.

DUDE: But if UV light has a shorter wavelength than violet, then that means that it is not part of the visible spectrum.

KOKANEE: Exactly.

DUDE: So what about the claims that fish can see UV light?

KOKANEE: That claim is nonsense. Go back to our discussion of the vertebrate eye. We have rods and cones. There are no rods or cones that can detect UV light. There is a study that attributes UV detection to the Japanese Dace and some goldfish. It has never been shown that salmonids can detect UV light.

DUDE: But the fishing tackle makers would never lie to us, would they?

KOKANEE: Decide that for yourself. I can tell you this: their terminology is incorrect, and the reasons they give for their product's effectiveness are incorrect. However, the products are effective.

DUDE: Now you are really confusing me.

KOKANEE: I specialize in confusing fishermen.

DUDE: Well then, what is the correct terminology for "UV?"

KOKANEE: The correct terminology is the term "fluorescent."

DUDE: Then why don't the tackle makers call it "fluorescent?"

KOKANEE: I suppose because it is a lot harder to spell than "UV." And "UV" is a lot easier to text.

DUDE: Is that black light charging the material, you know, to make it glow?

KOKANEE: No. Glow is phosphorescence. It gives off light energy (glow) regardless of whether there is light present, provided that it has been "charged. Fluorescent materials do not need to be charged. All that is required is for some available light to act on it. Fluorescent materials retain their color all the way down the water column. There is no color fade.

DUDE: Color fade?

KOKANEE: Ordinary colors can fade as you go down the water column. Ordinary red will turn black in just a few feet of water. But a fluorescent red will remain red all the way down the water column, provided there is some light to act on it. Even if there is only one percent light way down deep.
Fluorescent red will remain red in the absence of the red wavelength in the water column. And you will recall that red is the first wavelength to be eaten by the water as you descend the water column. Because I have cones in my eyes, I can see a fluorescent red at 50 feet - if there is some light - even just blue/purple light at that depth.

DUDE: So no fading. Does this work the same for all fluorescent colors?

KOKANEE: Yes. In fact, some fluorescent colors are so effective, they get brighter in the water as you go down the water column. In any event, no fade.

DUDE: You said that the stuff marketed as "UV" is mislabeled.

KOKANEE: All of the stuff marketed as "UV" is really fluorescent. So all of the stuff you bought as UV is still good stuff, but call it UV as much as you like, it is not a dragonfly - it is fluorescent. Remember, since that stuff is in fact fluorescent, there is no color fade as you descend the water column and likely gets brighter as well.

DUDE: Would using UV/fluorescent materials increase the visibility of my presentation?

KOKANEE: That is exactly what it does.

DUDE: But you earlier told me that you can only see color about 21 inches in front of your snoot.

KOKANEE: True. But you forgot that I can see contrast in shades of dark, light, and grey at a farther distance. Fluorescent material can still be detected outside that 21 inches because they do provide good contrast.

DUDE: Fluorescent colors retain their color all the way down the water column, independent of your ability to detect them at distance, correct?

KOKANEE: Correct. Color is not the way I get attracted to your lure. What makes me want to investigate is not color, but vibration.

DUDE: Vibration?

KOKANEE: Yep. I'm thinking about good vibrations.

DUDE: Is there a difference between the way sound acts in water than it does in the air?

KOKANEE: Yes, and very much yes. For one thing, sound travels in air at about 1,000 feet per second. You humans see a flash of lightning, then count off one/one-thousand, two/one-thousand, three/one-thousand to determine how far away that lightning struck.
But sound travels way faster in water than in air. Sound travels in water at 5,000 feet per second. And I'm not just talking about sounds that you humans can hear. I'm talking about sounds that are beyond human ability to detect. I assure you that I can detect sounds that you cannot. Just because you cannot hear such a sound does not mean that such sounds do not exist.

DUDE: My head is starting to reel.

KOKANEE: It is fine with me if you would like to take a break. A few minutes to stretch, perhaps?

DUDE: Yes, that would be fine. Catch you then.

KOKANEE: Not likely.

To be continued....
 

It was a windier day than we had hoped for, but the waves were not white-topped, and we had a 40-horse Merc and a trolling motor to fight the wind with. It was my first trip to Ochoco for the season, but my dad had been fishing it since March and knew right where we wanted to start. It didn't hurt that the wind was blowing us that way, too. 

We started at the top of the lake where the creeks come in, around the flooded willows. 

For my main rod, I had selected a rust-colored, sparsely tied mohair leech and was using a floating line with a 4X tippet. 

My young dog Pepper was with me for her first time fishing. She thought she was expected to work and was watching tweety birds while we unlimbered the fly rods. I tried to keep her from tangling in the expensive tackle. Once she got so excited, she jumped into the lake. After she realized this was just supposed to be a pleasure trip for her, she settled down and was just irritated for the rest of the day. 

A big trout took my fly on the first pass but was able to throw the hook after a brief battle. Dad was also using a rust-colored fly, and our friend Keith Gran, fly-fishing for the first time in his misspent life, was using a fly called the Autumn Splendor, which might have reminded Keith of someone he used to know because he kept whispering to it, saying her name. 

Whatever he was whispering to the Autumn Splendor was working because soon he hooked and landed a trout. And then caught another. 

For my part, I began catching bass. And dad, running the trolling motor and a 4-weight rod, began catching bass too, and a crappie. 

OCHOCO AT FULL POOL  

After three winters of better-than-average snowpack, a lot of central Oregon waters that were very low, even dry in some cases, are back and better than ever. Ochoco Reservoir has always been a bit of a local's secret. It is only six miles outside of Prineville, and when conditions are good, the trout grow fat, putting on an inch a month. Better yet, this reservoir has good wintering conditions, meaning that holdover trout are common, going 16 to 17 inches in late spring and early summer. 

With water in it, Ochoco Reservoir is three miles long. Because it is an irrigation reservoir, water levels can change over the year. Surface acreage at low pool can go as low as 120 acres, but filled to full pool by early spring this year, the reservoir is full at approximately 1,100 acres. 

At full pool, Ochoco averages 30 feet in depth with a maximum of 100 feet near the dam. A few lava outcroppings fortify the banks but because of up-and-down water levels, shorelines are composed of exposed silty bottom and muddy flats. Mill Creek and Ochoco Creek form channels in the reservoir. In the spring and summer, afternoon winds can be substantial.

When targeting rainbows with a fly rod, try trolling from a float tube, canoe, or a pontoon boat. Fish along the riprap near the dam or on the east end of the lake near the inlets. Use an intermediate sinking line and troll leech patterns like the Woolly Bugger, Lake Bugger and Mohair Leech or a soft hackle wet fly like the Carey Special.

Crappie are often in large schools and may hold at specific depths around sunken structures. The challenge lies in locating them and plumbing the precise depth where the school is holding.

Because of the abundance of water, the trout fishing is going to continue excellently through July. But this is a great time of year to target smallmouth. And there are some surprisingly heavy bass in the lake. If fly-fishing is the game, use "bass nymphs" which are generally on No. 4 hooks tied like Woolly Buggers but with a heavy bead and black or yellow or orange rubber legs. These can be presented on floating lines under indicators or cast tight against the rocks or other structures. Bass will often take the fly on the drop. And you might be surprised by a big rainbow. 

When fishing with spinning gear, use spinner baits and crankbaits, or curly-tail grubs. 

Ochoco Reservoir has been overlooked for the last ten years because it has been hard to fish. But those days are behind us. This Central Oregon fishery is running full pool, and the trout and bass fishing is full tilt. 

The list of saltwater salmon fishing options in early summer are far and wide, and in this column, I’ll break down the path to success around Puget Sound and off the Washington coast.

One important factor to keep in mind, when planning a fishing excursion is that the entire 2025-2026 season package won’t be officially adopted until sometime in early to mid-June. What tends to happen is that these early-season summer fisheries will require emergency opening approvals, so anglers should regularly check the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) website (https://wdfw.wa.gov/) for possible updates and changes.

Back in mid-April, the Pacific Fishery Management Council held meetings in San Jose, California, and the 2025-2026 tentative statewide salmon fishing seasons were adopted by the Council. The season recommendations set forth by WDFW are then moved forward for federal approval by NOAA Fisheries.

While we wait for the ink to officially dry on the approval process, let’s visualize the possibilities of where to go and wet a line in the upcoming weeks, as well as a few pro tips to improve your chances of hooking a fish.

Since no salmon fishing season mirrors another, anglers have learned to become more adaptable to the constant ebb and flow of change. First off, anglers should be mobile and willing to move from location to location to maximize their time on the water.

Don’t focus all your time on one specific area. By doing a little bit of homework and reading this column below, you’ll likely find more choices by going outside of the box. Second, since many seasons are driven by catch quotas/guidelines, it is wise to go sooner rather than later.

Next, build a communication network to stay informed about the latest fishing trends, including the WDFW website and blog posts. Many other social media platforms can be used to gather this kind of information. Attending fishing seminars is another good avenue to gain more knowledge.

Other tips include reading blogs and watching YouTube videos from fishing influencers, especially publications like this magazine, which provide a plethora of information.

Where to go in June

For the past several summers, Marine Area 10 (Seattle-Bremerton Area), mainly the northern portion, has been good for early coho and is open daily beginning June 1. The resident coho average 2 to 4 pounds, along with a few larger ones, and are fairly snappy. Their bright red-orange meat is excellent for the BBQ grill. This is due in part to the abundant schools of krill: small, microscopic, shrimp-like crustaceans found in Marine Area 10 during the summer.

Most will target coho in the shipping lanes off Jefferson Head to the Kingston-Apple Tree Point boundary line, and from the Edmonds oil dock to Richmond Beach. Other locations worth a try are Point Monroe off the north side of Bainbridge Island, West Point south of Shilshole Bay, Blake Island/Southworth area, and the entire eastern side of Bainbridge Island.

If you’re looking to catch an early summer hatchery Chinook, then Marine Area 11 (Tacoma-Vashon Island) is an option and open Wednesdays through Saturdays only from June 4 to 30. These hatchery kings average 8- to 15-pounds along with some topping exceeding the 25-pound mark.

WDFW will regularly monitor the Marine Area 11 fishery and could close sooner if the quota or other guidelines are attained. The Chinook catch quota for June is 1,423 (1,423 in 2024 and 2023, 580 in 2022, and 431 in 2021) with a total unmarked encounter of 818, and a total sublegal encounter of 1,601. The Chinook fishery is managed under two separate summer quotas, and a second window of opportunity happens in late July. Commencement Bay east of the Cliff House Restaurant/Sperry Ocean Dock boundary line is closed to salmon.

Those who fish for salmon regularly in Puget Sound marine areas – especially in the Tacoma region – know that dogfish can be an issue in the summer.

To avoid pesky schools of dogfish, anglers will jig or troll with downriggers and meat liners using plugs, spoons or a plastic hoochie squid. If you drop a whole or cut plug herring, make sure you’ve got plenty of extra leaders tied. The sharp teeth and abrasive sandpaper-like skin of a dogfish will fray leaders. Lesson learned, I’ve burned through more than a dozen in a matter of a couple of hours.

In Marine Area 11, look for Chinook lurking around the Clay Banks to Owen Beach at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, the Slag Pile off the Tacoma Yacht Club, the “Flats” outside of Gig Harbor, Quartermaster Harbor, and Point Dalco on the southwest side of Vashon Island.

In the northern part of Marine Area 11, try Dolphin Point and Point Robinson on the northeast side of Vashon Island, south of the Southworth Ferry Landing, Colvos Passage, Dash Point, and Apple Tree Cove to Redondo Beach.

Keep in mind that the salmon fisheries mentioned above for Marine Area 10 and Marine Area 11 are only for June, and that additional salmon fishing opportunities will occur in both areas. Anglers should check the WDFW North of Falcon webpage for additional season information.

Another June option for hatchery Chinook is south of the Tacoma-Narrows Bridge in Marine Area 13 (South Puget Sound), which is open seven days per week. Look for fish are Gibson Point, the concrete dock off Fox Island’s east side, Hale Passage, Johnson Point and Point Fosdick.

The Tulalip Bubble Fishery (Marine Area 8-2) is open through Sept. 1 with fishing allowed from 12:01 a.m. Fridays to 11:59 a.m. on Mondays of each week, and closed June 21. Before going, anglers should check the WDFW website as intermittent closures may be needed to ensure the hatchery is meeting spawning escapement goals. Fishing is also open Sept. 6 to 21 and allowed Saturdays and Sundays of each week. The bubble fishery is open within the terminal boundary only – closed east of a line from Mission Point to Hermosa Point – and can be decent for summer Chinook in the 10- to 20-pound range, and is mainly a trolling or jigging show.

You can jig drop down a glow, chartreuse, pearl-white, green-nickel, blue-pearl or blue-gold pattern in three to six-ounce sizes depending on the current and wind. Remember, store-bought jigs have a treble hook, and they’re illegal for salmon in all marine areas. Only single-pointed barbless hooks and one fishing line with up to two hooks may be used.

Trolling is the popular method with downriggers and a flasher combined to plug, spoon, and/or a plastic hoochie squid. Before or at daybreak, the fish tend to be found from the surface down to 90 feet, and as the sun rises, they’ll go deeper up to around 100 to 175 feet.

Many anglers are making plans to visit the coastal ports where Chinook and hatchery coho fishing get underway in late June. The ocean salmon season includes a recreational Chinook quota of 53,750 (41,000 in 2024) and a hatchery-marked coho quota of 99,720 (79,800 in 2024).

Marine Area 1

(Ilwaco)

Is open seven days per week from June 25 through Sept. 30, all salmon, with a subarea guideline of 16,600 Chinook (12,510 in 2024) and a subarea quota of quota of 49,860 marked coho (39,900 in 2024). The daily limit is two salmon and one Chinook only. Columbia Control Zone closed.

Marine Area 2

(Westport-Ocean Shores)

Is open seven days per week from June 21 through June 28, with a subarea guideline of 22,270 Chinook (17,430 in 2024), and the daily limit is one salmon, release all coho. Open seven days per week beginning June 29 through Sept. 15, all salmon, with a subarea quota of 36,900 marked coho (29,530 in 2024). Beginning June 29, the daily limit is two salmon, and only one may be a Chinook.

Marine Area 3

(La Push)

Is open seven days per week from June 21 through July 3, with a subarea guideline of 2,280 Chinook (1,630 in 2024), and the daily limit is one salmon, release all coho. Open seven days per week beginning July 4 through Sept. 15, all salmon, with 2,590 marked coho subarea quota (2,070 in 2024). Beginning July 4, the daily limit is two salmon. No chum retention beginning Aug. 1.

Marine Area 4

(Neah Bay)

Is open seven days per week from June 21 through July 3, with a subarea guideline of 12,600 Chinook (9,430 in 2024), and the daily limit is one salmon, release all coho. Open seven days per week beginning July 4 through Sept. 15, all salmon, with a subarea quota of 10,370 marked coho (8,300 in 2024). Beginning July 4, the daily limit is two salmon. No chum retention beginning Aug. 1. Beginning Aug. 1, Chinook non-retention east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line during the managed ocean fishery.

WDFW fishery managers will monitor the number of salmon caught in season and may close areas earlier if quotas or guidelines are met. In-season management may be used to sustain season length and keep harvest within the overall Chinook and coho total allowable catch.

Piers open year-round for salmon in Puget Sound include the Edmonds Marina (usually a good place for early summer kings in June), Fox Island, Mukilteo Ferry Landing, Seacrest in West Seattle, Dash Point Dock, Point Defiance Park Boathouse, Les Davis, and Des Moines.

Note: The salmon daily catch limits, species and size restrictions, and other regulations vary for each marine area. Emergency closures or adjustments to marine area seasons are also possible. Anglers should check for details on the WDFW website or the 2025-2026 regulation pamphlet.

(Mark Yuasa is a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Communications Manager and a longtime local fishing and outdoor writer.)

It’s no secret that last year’s razor clam season was a banner year. Record number of clam diggers swarmed beaches, working hard to get their limits. 484,388 diggers showed up, harvesting 8,352,279 clams, over 120 total harvest days. That’s a lot of razor clams! This was a welcome success after the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons closed early due to COVID-19 and domoic acid, respectively. Thousands of eager razor clam diggers are wondering if this season will be as successful as the last.

Dust off those razor clam guns and get your hip boots ready, because the forecast is looking promising! WDFW assessed razor clam populations throughout the summer and all had strong, harvestable populations except for at Kalaloch, which will be closed this year to allow recovery. Let’s take a closer look at this year’s forecast, and how WDFW determines annual razor clam harvests.

Razor clams have been enjoyed by millions of people over thousands of years. They are a valuable resource to hungry fishermen and local economies. WDFW estimated the fishery value to be $71,689 last year. So how are these crucial resources managed? Since 1929, WDFW has managed the coastal razor clam harvest. It’s a difficult job- they have to balance the demands of recreational fishermen with the rights of the tribes, all while keeping public safety in mind. Management strategies have been ever evolving.

From 1929 to 1942, there was a year-round season, and a 36-clam limit. In 1943, WDFW limited the season from March 1st to September 30th, and in 1960, the clam limit was reduced to 18. In 1973, the seasons were further reduced, and in 1974, the 15 clam limit we are familiar with today was implemented. In 2000, the seasons became much less set in stone and varied from October to May, depending on counts conducted through the “pumped area” method. In 2004, WDFW switched to the system still in use today, the “adjusted exploitation rate” method. Management strategies are ever evolving based on the increasing amounts of clam diggers every year, and changing oceanic conditions.

There are 3 pieces to the puzzle that WDFW must take into account before announcing razor clam digs: population counts, domoic acid levels, and tribal rights. The first piece of the puzzle is population counts. Each summer, WDFW conducts population counts at every beach: Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks, and Kalaloch. Based on these counts, they estimate the total number of clams measuring under 3 inches, and the total number of clams measuring over 3 inches.

They allow a certain percentage of razor clam population over 3 inches to be harvested each year, in order to make sure the population stays sustainable for years to come. Up to 40% of razor clams 3 inches and above may be harvested every year for the population to remain sustainable. After every harvest, WDFW calculates the remaining TAC (total allowable harvest), and sets further days based on that number. This way, poor tidal conditions and weather don’t mean we get shorter seasons. Alternatively, if conditions are great and there are more harvesters than predicted, the season may close early on that beach. Population counts are closely monitored throughout the year to make sure this popular fishery will remain for years to come.

Before WDFW opens recreational harvesting, they must also determine whether the clams are safe to eat. WDFW’s goals are not only to keep the resource around for years to come, but also to protect public health and safety. Unfortunately, clams are subject to accumulating marine toxins in their bodies which can make harvesters sick. Harmful algae blooms are naturally occurring, but concentrate in razor clam tissue. The most prevalent toxin is domoic acid, caused by consumption of marine plankton, called diatoms.

Eating a razor clam that has high levels of domoic acid can cause nausea, dizziness, memory loss, and stroke-like symptoms. There is no antidote, and the toxin is not destroyed by cooking/freezing. WDFW carefully tests razor clam populations for domoic acid throughout the year, and will close seasons accordingly, even if TAC (total allowable catch) hasn’t been met.

The final piece which WDFW must take into account is tribal fishing rights. Each year in August, WDFW discusses population estimates and domoic acid levels with the coastal tribes that have fishing rights on razor clam beaches, and comes up with the total allowable catch (TAC). 50% of the TAC goes to recreational fishermen and 50% goes to the tribes.

The coastal tribes work with WDFW staff to come up with joint population assessments, and share their data together. Tribal seasons take place on different days than non-tribal seasons, and each group makes their own harvest estimates and enforces the rules themselves. Razor clams are a co-managed resource that tribal and non-tribal stakeholders take very seriously.

Beach has by far the largest TAC (total allowable catch) share at 5,865,490 clams, and Mocrocks has the smallest, at 1,964,732. Interestingly, the average size of clams is slightly smaller this year. Last year, they were 4.4 inches long, and this year they were 4.22 inches on average. Although the clams are a little smaller, there are plenty of them! Overall, the forecast looks promising. WDFW always tries to schedule razor clam digs on weekends at least once a month during the months of October through May. The WDFW director checks marine toxin levels and looks at the remaining TAC for the year before announcing that the harvest dates can proceed. Clam digs have been tentatively approved throughout November and December.

In an unprecedented move, WDFW increased the limits from 15 to 20 razor clams last year. Will it happen again this year? For now, keep an ear to the ground and always check your rules and regulations before heading out. Speaking of rules and regulations, it’s always a good idea to brush up.

Make sure each harvester has their own container to put clams in. Many sporting goods stores sell clam nets, which readily tie to your wading belt to keep your hands free for digging and holding flashlights. Remember that the first 15 clams dug must be kept, no matter the size or condition. We’ve all accidentally crunched clams while digging them, or dug up a tiny one, but they still must be retained as part of your 15-clam limit. That being said, there are plenty of clams out there to be had. It’s shaping up to be a good year, so go out and get those razor clams!

Summer is an exciting season for bass anglers. The bass are done spawning and are actively feeding in both the shallows as well as deeper depths. There are also a variety of ways to catch bass, both largemouth and smallmouth, this time of year.

Perhaps the most exciting way to catch bass during the summer months is using topwater baits. Watching a largemouth bass explode out of the water to smash your lure is always an exhilarating experience! Just make sure you don’t set the hook when the bass comes out of the water. Pause and let them take it first. Easy to say, I know, but hard to do.

When it comes to topwater fishing, have a frog rigged up on at least one rod.  Whether you use a standard frog or a popping frog, you have the advantage of fishing this weedless offering in heavy cover, whether it be weeds, grass, or lily pads.

If you are casting into more open water, I like to fish a topwater popper.  My go-to popper is a Berkley Bullet Pop in either a bluegill, bass, or frog pattern. The Whopper Plopper made quite a splash in the bass fishing world when it was introduced in 2008, and many anglers insist it’s still a great offering. However, this is a low-confidence lure for me, and while I’ve had a blow-up or two, I’ve yet to catch a fish with a whopper plopper.

And then there are the classics. The Arbogast Jitterbug and Hula Popper have been around for over 70 years, but they still work, especially in the evening hours. Speaking of which, when is the best time to fish with a topwater lure? Conventional wisdom says you should fish topwater lures in the early morning and in the evening.  However, if the weather is cloudy, you can experience good topwater fishing all day long.

LIPLESS CRANKBAITS

Lipless crankbaits like the original Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap or my favorite, the Berkley War Pig, are great search lures. You can cast them a “country mile” and retrieve at a fast or moderate pace, which means you can cover a lot of water while looking for schools of bass. Places to fish lipless crankbaits are in shallow water (two to eight feet deep), especially parallel to brush lines, weed lines, or near points of land. These lures also work well over submerged grass or weed beds. One thing that can be particularly effective is to pause your retrieve, just for a moment, from time to time while you reel.

SPINNERBAITS

The spinnerbait, like the lipless crankbait, is used to search for schools of bass. One advantage the spinnerbait has is that, by design, it is more snag-proof than lipless crankbaits or topwater plugs with treble hooks. The spinner bait can be fished a couple of different ways in the summer. You can fish it mid-depth with a moderate retrieve, just under the surface of the water, creating a wake, with a fast retrieve. Or slow roll it, letting the spinnerbait sink to the bottom in six to 15 feet of water and bringing it slowly back just off the bottom. While ¼ and 3/8-ounce spinnerbaits are widely sold, I prefer to use a ½ or ¾ ounce spinnerbait, especially if I am fishing deep.

DEEP DIVING CRANKBAITS

High summer temperatures will drive those bass into deeper waters, especially smallmouth bass. So, how do you reach them? With a deep diving crankbait! Rapala and Berkley are two lure companies that make quality deep-diving crankbaits. I tend to use two types of crankbaits in the summer months. That would be lures that dive 8 to 12 feet deep and lures that will dive to 25 feet deep. Once you locate the fish, you can stay put and cast to them or switch over to a jig to pull bass out of the deep. As for crankbait colors, I try to “match the hatch” and use patterns that are forage for bass. Trout, perch, bluegill, and largemouth bass patterns all work well if these species live where you are fishing.

JIGS

I always have a weedless jig with a crawfish trailer tied on to one of my rods because they catch bass in the spring, summer and fall months. They can be fished in partially submerged brush, under docks, around beaver huts, trees and other areas where bass live, but other lures would get hung up.

 Jigs can also be fished in deeper water on sloping banks, on underwater humps and other structure. Your choice is also wide. In addition to weedless jigs, you can fish neko rigs, which work great for smallmouth bass, and swim jigs, which have become a favorite for many bass anglers.

SOFT PLASTICS

You can’t go wrong fishing soft plastic baits. Drop Shot fishing with a weight a foot or two below a hook tied on the same line can work great, especially on heavily pressured waters. Put a small 4-inch worm or other small plastic grub or swimbait on your hook and just drop it to the bottom. Texas-rigged worms still work great for bass on the bottom, as do the tried-and-true Carolina rig, where a weight and glass bead are placed above a swivel. A foot to 18 inches of leader with a worm is tied behind that. Finally, tube baits, which were all the rage 25 years ago, still work fine today for bass.

The bottom line is this: When it comes to catching bass this summer, you have a lot of options. Don’t get stuck on one or two baits. If they are not working, try something new. As you can see, there is more than one way to catch a bass.

John Kruse

www.northwesternoutdoors.com

A fishing derby? I'd better set up a team and sign up. I’m the “Fish Whisperer", my buddies and I can outfish anybody! Actually, that’s not fair. Although the fame and money would be nice. Most people sign up for a derby just to participate in the event and to enjoy the camaraderie and fellowship. Winning would be a sidebar to enjoying the fishing trip, enhancing the overall experience.

Fishing derbies and tournaments for just about everything that swims are organized throughout the country each year. In the US, there are 30,000-50,000 derbies and tournaments organized each year. In 2023, there were around 58 million licensed anglers. Even if only a small percentage of licensed anglers participate in an event, participation could range from 1.5 million to 5 million anglers annually. 

Here in the Pacific Northwest, there are derbies for trout, kokanee, walleye, tuna, salmon, surf perch, halibut, razor clams, and chowder cook-offs. There may be derbies targeting other species, and those anglers will know the whens and wheres. The basics of this article will cover all species.

Although over the years the Castello clan has enjoyed occasional success while participating in various derbies, overall success has been metered. That said, I’ve had many “almost” in the money derby experiences. 

Many years ago, while fishing in a big money tuna tournament out of Ensenada, Mexico, we hooked a large big eye tuna with just hours to go before the weigh-in. By the time the fish was secured on deck, we only had a short few hours to make a 40+ mile run back to the marina for weigh-in. Despite having one of the fastest boats in the tournament, we did not make the weigh-in queue in time.  We were quite the talk around town, but made the drive back to the border with nothing more than a stack of swag bags and my own flip-flop print on my board shorts.

Then locally, with a derby contender, coho on ice, I’ve missed the weigh-in for the Everett Coho Derby by probably 15 minutes because of another last-minute fish. These were all skipper miscalculations where I knew the rules but pushed the time limit. The list goes on, but you get the idea. These kinds of errors can be minimized by creating a plan and then sticking with it.

If you plan to fish a derby or tournament, have a plan! Although it doesn’t hurt, your plan does not need to be written out. Either way, you and your fishing partners need to sit down and come up with a plan for derby day.

In working out a plan, consider basic things like getting enough sleep, being on time, and not showing up at the dock hung over. 

One of the first items to discuss is how to handle winnings. On my boat, there is usually an agreement that all winnings are split evenly. Occasionally, we just let the prize go to the person catching the fish, but either way, this should be agreed upon before Derby morning. If a juvenile is part of the team, they always get their winnings in full. 

There are many variations of how to distribute derby winnings. The team should consider a means of covering the day's expenses, such as fuel, launch fees, and moorage. Back to my boat, I usually cover the boat-related expenses, fuel, bait, and provide all the gear, but this is a team decision. Again, discuss winnings as an element of your derby plan, friendships depend on it!

In your derby plan, you should also discuss your catch rotation. Again, on my boat, we do a rotation through solid hookups with the skipper being last. Many teams will take a more traditional route where each angler runs with their personal gear, but this is a team decision. 

Your derby plan needs to address technique, gear, and location. It is important that the boat fishes as a team, and everyone knows what to expect. At the end of the day, you want everybody to have fun and feel like they had an equal say in your potential success or if so, disappointment.

The plan should include an agreement for a meeting place, time, and ensure the skipper has everyone’s phone numbers. Also, decide what each angler should bring. Example: ice, lunch, derby tickets, license, and gear if required. Maybe also discuss parking and usage fees at the launch area.

For derby day, you want your deck as clear as possible, so it could be a good idea to address storage space and limit personal items. Use a common ice chest for fish. I have a case of fish bags, and each angler gets 1 for their Derby catch.

Back to location, your derby day plan should include an agreement regarding fishing location throughout the day or changes required for changing conditions. This is especially important when fishing in marine areas influenced by the tides.

The skipper is responsible for making sure the boat and gear are ready for derby day.  This includes a rod and reel check, replacing line and or top shots as required. I always have a backup rod or three on the boat. Typically, I have two nets on board anyway, but having two nets available is especially important on derby day.

Depending on the derby, it is also important that at least one other team member can run the boat, drive the tow vehicle, and be familiar with the boat’s electronics. (Mostly in case the team gets tired of the skipper and the flipping plan, thus throwing the skipper overboard.) 

As the skipper, I find Derby days pretty stressful. To be honest, I experienced this for any fishing trip, but for me derby day is worse. It’s not that I’m not having fun, but I feel a true responsibility towards my crew’s success.  

That said, don't forget to have fun. Turn setbacks into opportunities and laugh in the face of calamity.  Winning is icing on the cake of an otherwise enjoyable fishing trip.  By developing a derby day plan, the skipper and crew are more likely to enjoy the day, even increasing their chances of putting a fish on the leader board.

Be the best big stick by slowing down the presentation and lightening the tippet. 

Last year, in early June, we fished a small reservoir in the high desert. Like a lot of private waters in Central Oregon, the lake had tules along one side and willows on the other. 

We started in float tubes, backing into the water, then settling in. 

My dad called out that he was seeing lots of damselflies. For which I thanked him and immediately tied on a damselfly imitation. 

Kicking away from the launch into deeper water, I observed midges, PMDs, snails, dragonflies, and damsels.

My first fish to the net was a 21-inch rainbow. Dad was on the other side of the lake and could not get a picture for me. While I was using a damsel, I was thinking about how I usually like to start with a Renegade or a Brown Hackle or some other snail imitation.  

A person has a chance in the first hour of daylight to catch trout close-in to the tules on snail patterns before the fish sense the vehicle traffic or start to feel pressured by people in float tubes. But a lot of my friends don't want to fish using snails. It is not something they think about. Why would fish eat snails? And what do snails even look like? I think the real reason a lot of us don't fish using snails is because we are too restless. The snail just sits there on the surface or just under it. Until a trout eats it. It is so simple to fish snails. 

The best thing to do is walk along the reed beds and scout the weed lines with polarized glasses. Look for swirls. Look for shaking tules. Watch for fins and tails or the white gum line as a trout opens its mouth and flares its gills. 

Pattern choice is as simple as it gets. A No. 10 Woolly Worm. A Brown Hackle. A Renegade. These are all suggestive of snails when fished at snail speed. Cast or dap, and let it sit. Wait for the butt of the fly line or the leader to move. The fish will often have to change course to take the fly, so as the trout turns, it will feel the fly and spit it. Don't wait to feel the take, set the hook when the leader starts to move. After the sun comes up, the fish tend to retreat to deeper water, and now is the time to switch to a leech, damsel nymph, or dragonfly nymph. 

While it is tempting to use old standbys like the Woolly Bugger or even the Thin Mint, don't forget, the fish have seen all these flies before. We can catch more fish if we use lifelike patterns that are faithful to the profile, contrast, and color of the food source, but also incorporate rubber legs, gill movement, and eyes. 

It's okay to experiment with retrieve, but in general, these critters don't move fast and can spend a lot of time at rest. One-inch increments are my rule for retrieves. Unless I am fishing a minnow imitation. 

We need to be more patient and precise with our presentations. Once I watched a guy in a float tube. He was using the right fly, but his tube was underinflated, so when he kicked, he leaned way back, transmitting all of that back-and-forth motion to his fly rod and his fly. His fly was probably making two-foot moves. No bug does that. Some guys don't like to be told what they are doing wrong, so I just kept my mouth shut. While the guy's buddy caught half a dozen trout that morning, this guy didn't land one. The difference between a poor day of fishing and a good day might just be the way the fly swims. 

A good presentation is one where the bug swims and rests naturally. Since real bugs don't get towed around on lines, we have to minimize the way the line affects the movement of the fly. The smaller the tippet, the more that the fly will work in the water like the tyer intended. If you have been using 3X, go down to 4X tippet or even 5X on smaller flies. Don’t forget, fluorocarbon was made so that you can catch more fish. And the guy with fluoro will probably out-fish the guy with mono five-to-one if everything else is equal. 

Like it or not, you might have to learn a new knot. Try a non-slip or a perfection loop and see how the fly behaves differently at rest. My biggest fish of the morning was a 25-incher with a thick wrist, one of my best trout of the year. But it was in the late afternoon with a low-pressure system coming in when I earned a 20-inch rainbow. 

"What are you using?" Dad wanted to know.

"A damselfly."

"Oh, good idea," Dad said. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Because you told me, I figured you already knew."

"Oh yeah, I'm pretty smart," Dad said.

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For a copy of the Fishing Central Oregon book, send $29.99 to Gary Lewis Outdoors, PO Box 1364, Bend, OR 97709 To contact Gary Lewis, visit www.GaryLewisOutdoors.com