TIPS
Tip Index
Tip #1
Keep a Journal
Tip #2
Tic Tac Stow
Tip #3
Double Duty Bobber
Tip #4
Double Hook Shrimp Rig
Tip #5
River Rocker Gets a Knocker
(Add a Rattle to a Plug)
Try to keep a journal. Keep it any way that works for you - hand written in a regular journal, hand written or hard copy print outs collected in a binder, or as an electronic text document.
A journal will do many things for you - from giving you a great remembrance of all or your fishing days, to helping you discern patterns over time. While run-timing can be early or late in a given year, and will be affected by river flow rates, certain weeks on certain rivers are the best statistical bets for big native fish and a journal can help you figure it out. It can also help you pick the best methods and patterns for particular conditions.
So what might you collect in your journal? Some basic info about conditions -– river height/flow and trends (rising, falling), weather (precip, temp, cloud cover), and water temp. How you did - methods you tried, fishing partners, where and how you caught of hooked fish. Whatever else you may have observed or heard -– fish caught by others, what the fish checker reported, rumors you may have heard. It is all about gathering a bit of data and trying to see patterns.
Sketches or pictures of specific locations where fish were caught can also be useful.
Try to establish a routine about when you make entries in your journal. It can be hard if you are fishing a lot. Try to get it written down within a day or two, and certainly before your next trip, as things can start to run together.
Give journaling a chance. If you can stick with it, it will pay dividends.
OK, so it is barely a tip in the truest sense, but the little things are just so handy. Used Tic Tac mint containers are the best swivel storage units there are! One hand operation for those miserable days when you couldn't even turn a doorknob with your sleet numbed hands. Their handy shape is great for fishing vest or tackle boxes. Also good for small to medium small beads and splitshot. The green beads in the center are actually too large for the newer containers that now have an oval opening.
So eat up my hearties. Your fishing partners will thank you, you will get some handy storage units, and just maybe that sandshrimp under the front floor board of your boat from last season will become be the worst smelling thing on board.
So, if you read Tom's piece on float fishing, you know he is a fan of fixed/dink floats. The advantages he touts are greater certainty that you offering is where it is supposed to be - under the float - not riding up in the water column when you go for the hail mary drift and can barely see your bobber, let alone properly mend your line. Not that Tom would do that, just us other jig fishing mortals.
But seriously, even in relatively short drifts with tricky currents, or when the wind is blowing, it can be an issue. Plus there is the benefit of the faster delivery into the zone with a fixed float. No waiting for the weight of the rig to pull the line through the bobber.
Me, I am lazy and I hate the thought of having to retie my rig to switch to a slip float if I encounter deeper water than I can reach with my fixed float - so I always fish a slip float. I also do not like to be wasting my fishing time with rigging. Avoiding rerigging is supposed to be one of the benefits of float fishing. But having fished with Tom, I know there is some merit to the whole fixed float thing.
So here is my solution. Place a bead and two bober stops below your slip float. It will convert it to a fixed float if you lock it in place with both the upper and lower stops. When you need a slip rig, just move the top stop like you normaly would and there ya go. I use two stops on the bottom because one will sometimes slip when you cast, depending on the style and weight of your float. A single bobber stop is just not as good as a barrel swivel that would normally take the shock of the cast. It may not be necessary with braided line to use two stops, I would not know as I am still mono man. One other plus with this rig is that if for some reason you snag up and your line breaks on the main-line side of the swivel, the bobber stops will keep you float from, well, floating away.
This is one way to rig a shrimp for a bait trailer (it would also work for plunking). This method produces a well behaved bait trailer, the tail folds over and the shrimp usually won’'t spin. It also tracks well, which is important, especially if you have two rigs in close proximity -– there are few things worse than mating bait trailers
As mentioned in the plug articles, a double hook bait trailer rig is not particularly appropriate for use in fisheries where you expect to be releasing fish. This is even more the case when fishing the first day a river is coming into shape after a high water -– fish will often hit trailers with abandon. This seems to be less true in low water.
For winter fishing, I prefer the large (sturgeon) sand shrimp for this rigging. Some of the boxes of 12 count, (normal/ medium/average) that have some larger specimens will also work. On the largest male shrimp I will often remove the claw –- I sometimes feel like it causes spinning, but you can leave it on if you like, and see how it behaves.
The hook size, separation, and bait length are all related for successfully rigging a sand shrimp with this setup. In this example a pair of 2/0 hooks is paired with a jumbo shrimp. The critical dimension in all of this is the hook separation. In order to thread the shrimp without having the line connecting the two hooks rip the shrimp while rigging, the separation (A to B) needs to be almost as long as A to C, as measured around the outside curve of the hook.
B A
C
[ Note: It (A to B) can be a bit shorter, and if your hooks are rigged a little too close, you can still make it work up to a point. You can do this by starting the first hook and when you have it 3/4 -7/8 of the way through, starting the second hook through the same hole alongside the first and pulling them both through - – it kind of depends on the size of the shrimp (width of the tail) and the size of your hooks as to whether or not this cheat will work, or just tear up your shrimp. This note will make more sense after you have read through all of the steps - maybe. ]
To get started, pierce the first full tail section, in the middle, from the top side, with the trailing hook (see inset).
Once the eye of the first hook is just through, follow with the second hook.
You should now have both hooks through the shrimp, with the leader passing through the single hole you have made in the first full tail section.
Now set the upper hook. Hook it through the lower shell (only) of the tail, at a distance such that the eye of the hook snugs to the tail just below (below in this case means towards the shrimp's head) the hole you made in the tail when you threaded the hooks (see the inset in the next step).
Correct placement of the upper hook -– hook eye just below (headward) of where the leader comes through the tail.
Next you need to set the lower hook. Hook it at a distance that leaves the connecting line just relaxed. A bit loose (closer towards the tail) is better than hooking it too far towards the head of the shrimp and putting a kink in the shrimp that will prevent it from laying straight.
Typically, you are going to insert the hook point just tailwards of the legs and rotate the hook downwards through the legs. Take care to help the point find a way through the legs, while not separating the leg structure from the rest of the body.
The finished product - hopefully you have a rig that resembles this.
An alternate rigging would be to lengthen the distance between the hooks and tie them one up and one down. The trailing hook is then pulled all the way through the thorax and points upward with the bend of the hook extenting just past the shrimp's eyes.
Although not currently one of my must-have-go-to patterns, the egg flourescent spin and glow pattern with white wings (shown) has worked well in 18-30" visibility with a heavy green fuzz.
Should your shrimp slide down the hook from a short strike, heavy current or a bait bandit attack, and not be too tattered, you can try a couple of things to keep it in the game. Sometimes simply sliding it back up the hook, or re-hooking the upper hook will extend its use. The other option is to throw a half hitch (loop with half a twist in it) around the shrimp tail about where the line passes through the tail. Be sure that what you "tie" will pull straight if you get a fish and not leave a knot in your line. Using multiple beads helps ensure that the spin and glow turns freely even if the half hitch fix is used.
Next time I have some shrimp, a camaera and a bit of time all at once, I will post a single hook setup which features the half hitch approach. - Rod Down!
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Shake It Up
Add A Rattle To A Plug
So Lindy has their River Rocker Line of plugs that appear to be tadpolly clones - interesting. They come in some colors that interest me, but alas, not with rattles. So this tip will cover how to remedy what some might feel is a short coming.
It may also be the case that you have found a plug pattern you have been looking for in you local tackle emporium that does not have a rattle - what to do?
I have never fished a River Rocker yet, but this technique has worked for adding rattles to Tadpollies and Kwikfish (standard, not Xtreme), so I will be bold and assume it will work for a River Rocker - you have been warned - Entering the Beta Zone.
Today's Volunteer
Recommended Tools and Supplies:
Useful Tools: Scissor style pet nail trimmer, medium channel locks, anvil style pruners (one bladed).
The BB's that I have used (a lifetime supply I hope). Use 1 for Tadpollies / River Rockers and K-14's.
For K-15's and 16's use 2 BB's (I have also thrown in a couple of additional #71/2 bird shot extra for laughs on these big boys.)
For BB Cal (.177") use a 3/16" (.1875") drill bit and wood dowel.
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Plug Marked for Drilling
Do your best to keep it on the centerline.
Plug Secured for Drilling
Pad the vice with sticky backed foam, or use a thick soft rag. You can do this free hand without the vice, although it does not always work out as fine. Do remove the hooks, especially if you are doing it free hand - no matter how big a hurry you are in, oh yeah - been there. You can drill a 3/32" pilot hole to help keep you centered, although if my bit is sharp, I usually do not. Use moderate speed and pressure when drilling. High speed and pressure + dull bit = melted plastic. High pressure and slow speed can also cause the bit to "screw" into the hole. Drill a 3/16" hole.
3
Plug Drilled
Dowel Plug in Progress
Making the dowel plug - You are shooting for about 1/8" length. With the pet nail clippers (or whatever tool you have) make a series of shallow cuts as you rotate the dowel in the tool - this will help keep the edges from splintering. Before you cut it completely off the dowel is a handy time to lightly chamfer the insertion end, you want a snug fit. Once the "plug" is cut off the dowel, sand the outward end lightly. A sanding sponge is good, because it will naturally put a convex finish on it which will help in setting it and with the final step in the gluing process.
4
Reposition Plug
Reposition the plug so that the tail end is down. This way the BB will not be directly below the hole when you glue the "plug" in. Glue on BB = Failure (mostly).
Insert the BB
Insert the BB (tweezers not required, just a photographic consideration.) Insert the BB BEFORE you glue the hole - sometimes easy to forget, arrrgh.
5
Packaging blisters make handy mixing cups. Mix the glue until the 2 different colors (shown) become 1 even color. When actually applying the glue, draw your glue from the center of the mixed glue, to avoid any unmixed or improperly mixed (wrong ratio) glue. Again, best results are going to be from using extended working time glue - varies by manufacturer but typically 30-90 min.
MIx the Glue
Pre-gluing the Hole
Go sparingly on the glue for the pre-gluing. Photo is of the small end of a flat tooth pick, and even this drop is a bit on the heavy side. Apply the glue to the edges of the hole, hopefully avoiding a drip into the plug (although not fatal if you are following these instructions).
6
Hole Pre-Glued
Set The "Plug"
Set the "plug" into the pre-glued hole, chamfered end in. Just get it lined up square as best as you can. You can usually drive them by hand - but don't. Seating them by hand increases the chance of driving them completely though the hole which is pretty much terminal. [You can actually recover from that by breaking the "plug" up into 3-4 pieces with a straightened 5/0 siwash, skewering the pieces and retrieving them through the hole, and setting the plug aside for a day. If you managed all of that without getting glue on the BB, you can salvage it. Best to avoid the risk, and seat the "plug" with the channel locks.]
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Seating The "Plug"
Seat the "plug" with the channel lock pliers. Use a rag or other protection for the plug on the jaw that contacts the back of the plug (not visible here). Make sure plier jaws are centered on the "plug" so that the lure body stops the jaws from over-driving the "plug". Seat the "plug" flush with slow, light pressure - it does not take much. If you did a nice light sanding of the exposed end of the "plug" and got a slight convex crown on it, the edge of the wodden "plug" should be just slightly below the surface of the lure. This will help with the last step which is sealing the "plug" with a glue cap.
8
Sealing The "Plug"
Seal the "plug" with a bit larger drop of glue than pictured earlier. Spread it around to cover all wood and to seal the seam at the edge of the hole-"plug" interface. You can do a bit of scraping to draw any excess glue from the pre-gluing into to the glue cap, but do not be too concerened about small amounts of excess. Try to minimize them, but active clean up usually leads to a worse situation. This sealing step is really why you want the extra working time epoxy. 5-minute-set glue will not readily form a glue cap without whiskers and "whip" peaks.
Let the plug dry for several hours. If you are trying to do a batch of several, you will need to move them very carefully and have a place ready to support them at an angle - do not let the BB roll around as it may pick up some glue. If that should happen, once it is dry, you can try whacking it loose, and if it is just the tiniest amount of glue, it may come free.
If you feel so led, a bit of touch up paint will not hurt and will help to reduce any permiability the epoxy may have to water. I have generally not bothered to paint them and they have been durable. On rare ocasion a fish will get a tooth on the "plug" and cause problems, so check them after a fish and repair as required.
Good luck.
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©2003 -– 2012 Steelhead Trout Club of Washington
