You just went ahead and put that third downrigger on your boat and now you’re scratching your head wondering how to effectively use it without turning your trolling spread into a seagull’s nest. Trust me…I’ve been there and I’d much rather be catching fish than untangling a mess of cables and fishing line. So, here’s…
With opening day of trout season just a few days away there’s going to be a lot, and I mean a LOT of bobbers flying off the shelves of local tackle shops this week. Like most items these days there are quite a few different styles of bobbers out there and where does the beginner…
Derek Floyd of Reel Class Charters in Sitka, Alaska is a marked man. Without question, he is in the crosshairs of every "salmon sharpshooter" participating in the upcoming Anacortes Salmon Derby. His recent success in the past couple seasons of the Northwest Salmon Derby Series is unprecedented…and very impressive! We're talking wins and in the…
On Presidents Day Weekend, we got to see… firsthand… why the Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby was nicknamed “The Iron Man”. Personally, until this year, I had never competed in this event, I simply admired the guys who worked the water for those days in February when the winds can whip the Straits of Juan de Fuca into…
Fishing coon shrimp for salmon and steelhead isn't a new technique. Pacific Northwest Anglers have been employing the procedure for decades. Nonetheless, in the last few years the application has seen an influx in interest, likely a reflection of modern formulas that make brining the shrimp easier and more efficient than in the past. There…
It's no secret that I get the steelhead bug bad, real bad in February. This is the time of year when those big bruiser wild steelhead enter the rivers in Washington and for some reason I absolutely geek out when that happens. It could be that they have a reputation as being the hardest fighting…
Ever since former Seattle Seahawk and WSU Cougar lineman Robbie Tobeck stepped away from The Outdoor Line, I've had to listen to the "Cantankerous Cougar's" complaints: "Boy, I never hear from you anymore,… We haven't been out fishing since I left the show"… etc,etc… you get the drift. So, after hearing fairly solid crabbing and blackmouth…
We're in the middle of our second La Nina winter in a row here in Washington and the weather maelstrom that many of the meteorologists predicted, well, it hasn't materialized yet. Knock on wood! This has been the driest December on record and that's dropped many of the cricks in Western Washington to near summer…
With memories of last year's San Juan Island (Marine Area 7) smokin' hot blackmouth (winter feeder chinook) opener spinning through my head, I couldn't wait to get up to the Islands for the opener! Add the fact that I'm going to have my pard' Robbo Endsley and Island guru Jay Field on board Big Red…
I seriously considered issuing a warning before posting this blog, something like: "Warning! Fish guts ahead" for example. So, consider yourself cautioned. The best way to learn how to consistently catch actively feeding fish is to find out what they are eating and mimic the "menu" by tailoring your presentation to represent the feed of…