RETURN OF THE SOCKEYE SOCKEYE SEASON IS ON THE HORIZON AND JASON BROOKS HAS ALL THE TIPS TO CATCH YOUR SHARE
cycle and often start in lakes that have outflows creating rivers that lead to the ocean. But the fish is susceptible to temperatures. That is why these fish stage at the famed “Brewster Pool.” Here, the river is deep and cool compared to the shallow, slow-moving Okanogan River, which outflows from Lake Osoyoos in British Columbia.
BY JASON BROOKS
MACK’S PRO STAFF
Red and green navigation lights revealed the boats trolling so slow, you would think they were as stagnant as the water. This “lake” was actually the backwaters of Wells Dam, known as the “Brewster Pool” in the upper stretches of the Columbia River. The boats are filled with anglers and this is their last chance at the Upper Columbia Sockeye fishery. After traveling hundreds of river miles up the Columbia River, the fish would soon turn north, up into the Okanogan River leading them into Canada. The sockeye is an interesting salmon. They have a two-year life
Though not ferocious eaters, with a diet consisting of mostly krill, aquatic bugs and plankton, sockeye do strike lures.
not ferocious eat“ Though ers, with a diet consist-
ing mostly of krill, aquatic bugs and plankton, Sockeye do strike lures. — JASON BROOKS | PRO STAFF
The key is speed. Trolling at 1- to 1.5 miles per hour with a wide dodger — such as the Mack’s Lure Double D™ 5.8 or 7.6 — that swings a small squid skirt side-to-side, enticing a bite. The most popular color is pink tipped with a small piece of cured prawn. The smell of the krill’s cousin, swinging action of the squid skirt — we recommend a Cha Cha®
Sockeye Squidder or Smile Blade® Sockeye Pro® — and the flash of the Double D™ Dodger draws the fish in where they bite. Fighting a sockeye to the boat can be difficult as they are known to have “soft” mouths and when they get close to the boat, the fish thrashes and often times pulls free. When the season opens, usually in mid-July, the boats hit the water in the pre-dawn hours. The red and green navigation lights shimmer off the water and everyone gets ready for the bite. It comes on fast, just as the sun illuminates the eastern sky and, by the time it rises above the hillsides, the bite turns off. Sockeye are sensitive fish and don’t like bright sunlight. The only thing that can turn the fishery off faster than the sun is rain. Ultimately, the fish abruptly leave the Columbia and race up the Okanogan at the first shot of cooler water. Once they cross the border, the fish pair up and begin their spawning ritual, where they start the cycle all over again. FOLLOW MACK’S LURE ON INSTAGRAM
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WATCH NWO: LAKE WENATCHEE SOCKEYE FISHING
The crew took over the Rocky Ridge Outpost, an incredible venue that housed the majority to the 30+ members in attendance. It’s a quick 25-minute drive to the Buckboard boat launch, which is where the majority of our team fished during the 5 day stay.
MACK’S RETREAT FLAMING GORGE
BY MACK’S LURE
EDITORIAL
The Mack’s Lure staff and Pro Staff participated in the third annual Mack’s Lure Pro Staff Retreat on Flaming Gorge Reservoir (Nev./ Utah) last month and were treated, once again, to incredible fishing, decent weather and an all-around great time.
Last year, it seemed like you could have thrown a hot dog in the water and caught 3- to 4-pound kokanee with ease, but this year was a different beast. While limiting every day, it was much more of a grind.
The evenings were filled with good times, plenty of delicious kokanee and memories that will last a lifetime. We want to send a special thanks out to everyone who attended for an amazing time. Richy Harrod of The Northwest Outdoorsmen was there to catch all of the action, so stay tuned for that episode and be sure to tune in to our social media feeds, where we’re still pushing out all of the amazing content from an incredible week on Flaming Gorge.
The fish weren’t as stacked up this year and we found them in the upper 30-feet of the water column, most of which were even shallower at about 15- to 20-feet. While most boats were fishing sideplaners, our team predominantly relied on the the Double D™ Dodger 4.4 and 5.8 to get our gear out away from the boats in order to not spook these already shallow kokanee. Despite some winds, every boat seemed to get into the fish using a variety of Smile Blade® spinners, Cripplures™, Hum Dingers®, UV Magic Imperial Spoons and Pee Wee™ Wiggle Hoochies, each of which were fitted with Sling Blade™ 4” or 6” or, as mentioned, a Double D™ Dodger. We put the entire arsenal to work with great success. 2
NEW PRODUCT
SPOTLIGHT
BY MACK’S LURE
HUGE KOKANEE ON PEE WEE WIGGLE HOOCHIE
SHOP NOW
WENATCHEE, Wash — Mack’s Lure, Inc., manufacturer of the Pee Wee™ Wiggle Hoochie™ and Wiggle Hoochie™ has released two new colors of their popular Wiggle Hoochie™ Bills. “Since acquiring Shasta Tackle four years ago, Mack’s Lure has vastly expanded on its entire line of new kokanee and trout products,” Mack’s Lure Director of Marketing Britton Ransford said. “With the Wiggle Hoochie line, we had a lot of consumer interest in additional bill colors, including UV Orange and Hot Pink.” These unique bills, which have an unbelievable look and action, can be fitted on a squid skirt and skirt and provide a crank-style wiggle to the lure. The Hot Pink version is now available in the 1.5” and 2.25” option, while the UV Orange is available in the 2.25” version. A 1.5” version of the UV Orange will be available later this year. You can now order these Wiggle Hoochie™ Bills online at MacksLure. com or at your local bait and tackle shop in the near future. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our marketing department at media@mackslure.com or call the order desk at 800-525-8737.
SONIC BAITFISH™ (SBF)
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
TIPS FOR GREATER SUCCESS: 1 OZ SBF BY PETE ROSKO
SBF TECH GUIDE
This article discusses the 1 oz. Sonic BaitFish™ and proven tips to achieve consistent and dramatic success with all sizes of the Sonic BaitFish™ (SBF). For over forty years, I have been professionally designing a variety of fishing lures for sport anglers across our country and abroad. In addition, thousands of on-the-water hours were spent fishing with both professional guides and novices alike. The Sonic BaitFish™ 1 oz. | My
passion is designing, and fishing, the metal jig. I exclusively fish a metal jig wherever my travels lead me. To date, three different metal jigs and (35) different sizes have been created and marketed. The most recent is the SBF 1 oz.. One might say that over 40 years of experience went into the creation of this particular Sonic BaitFish™. In that regard, one would expect a lure with better performance. In my final water-testing days with the SBF 1 oz., I knew this was a special lure. It had achieved a degree of balance and action, seldm realized in a fishing lure, including a metal jig. See and feel the difference when you drop this lure in your favorite body of water. On seven previous outings, I have saltwater-jigged the SBF 1 oz. Gold for lingcod, rockfish and chinook salmon in the Strait of Juan de Fuca (Wash.). The treble hook was replaced with the single hook that is included in the packaging. All three fish species aggressively attacked the jig on every outing. Note: On its 8th outing, the enclosed photo (next page) was taken on June 18. The SBF 1 oz. was exclusively being jigged for lingcod in an area not known for chinook salmon. However, a large chinook salmon was attracted to the lure and aggressively struck it. 3
The fish was released while still in the water as it was not in season. Whether in fresh- or saltwater, the SBF 1 oz. should be a critical go-to lure for serious anglers.
Proven tips to achieve consistent and dramatic success while jigging with all sizes of Sonic BaitFish™: 1) Always use a fine tooth file to maintain a sharp hook point. I see too many fish lost because a blunt hook point prevented a complete hook set. 2) When the bite dies, always down-size to the smallest lure size that can still reach the fish. Just like people, fish may refuse a big meal, but it’s difficult to refuse a little snack. I have consistently turned the bite on by going really-small and by finesse jigging (substitute active jigging with rod-twitching and even dead-sticking — especially effective on kokanee and chinook salmon). 3) Sensitivity (important). Without knowing what your lure is doing, your success at catching fish is dramatically reduced. It is imperative to be able to react to a subtle strike or feel your lure being worked over structure. Maximize sensitivity by jigging with braided line and not monofilament line, reducing your total rod length to no longer than 6 feet (the shorter your rod, the better the control and feel), fishing with a light-weight/strong backbone rod that does not bend more than 1/4 to 1/3 of its entire length from its tip.
4) Wind and fast-moving water, at anchor or drifting (very important). Line control is critical when wind is up or water is moving. To avoid a bow in your line when casting in wind, it is critical to cast directly up-wind or down-wind — never sideways to it unless you are fishing in calm water or light wind. Without maintaining a taut line, you will be unable to detect strikes and feel your lure working over bottom structure. The direction of your cast depends upon the location of your target fish species in the water column. If fish are located near or on the bottom in fast-moving water, cast directly up-wind or upcurrent and bottom-bounce the lure back to you. (This technique extends the time your lure remains along the bottom structure. As effective as this technique is, very few anglers use it). If the fish are suspended, either vertical jig or cast down-wind and/ or down-current. (The drag of the wind, or current, against the line and lure keeps it in the strike zone of the suspended fish longer by slowing the fall rate of the lure).
horizontal and vertical presentations. Horizontally, as in trolling and casting, it vibrates, swims and darts. Vertically, it vibrates, flutters and darts. The prime strike-triggering action of a metal jig is its action on the vertical drop. No other lure-type comes close in the erratic vibrating, fluttering and darting action it creates. This is the #1 lure action that ignites predator fish to strike! Seasoned trollers are aware of this and will troll in an “S” pattern to cause an erratic drop-back of their lure as line tension is reduced on the rod located on the inside turn of the boat. However, when trolling, the main difference between traditional trolling lures, and metal jigs, is that the traditional lures lack the dynamic fall-back of metal jigs on the turn and the darting action on a straight troll course. In closing, I have enjoyed every method of fishing over most of my 83 years. Trolling for walleyes was our
5) Snaps. A duo-lock snap is included in each Sonic BaitFish™ package, in addition to a single siwash-style hook. The snap should be attached to the lure to maximize its action. Directly attaching line to the lure will reduce its action. Personally, I only use the single hook that is in the package for better hook-ups and for less snags in structure. 6) Lure fouling. If the lure’s hooks fouls on the line, the lure is being jigged too hard. The Sonic BaitFish™ is designed with action and down not need to be overworked. Hard jigging actually spooks fish — slow it down. 7) Fish finder. Do not fish blindly! Locate fish before fishing by using your electronic fish finder. The mechanics of the Sonic BaitFish: The Sonic Baitfish has two distinct actions that apply to
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JIGGING ACTIONS OF THE SONIC BAITFISH™ 1 OZ
primary family sport fishery during those early years. As an offshore skipper in the Gulf of Mexico, I also trolled. What dramatically changed my approach to fishing, in both fresh and salt water, was the metal jig after relocating from the Great Lakes region to the Pacific Northwest. I could never catch (171)*** mature chinook salmon, or (300)*** kokanee in a single day trolling but I did by vertical jigging. The salmon were caught (all released on barbless hooks) in July, 1999. I was fishing with Astoria Oregon school teacher, Gordon Thomson, west of Port Angeles, WA. September 26, 2014 was the day when I stopped counting after releasing (300) kokanee on Lake Sutherland while vertical jigging Sonic BaitFish. These are just two examples of the extraordinary catches that can be made once you locate the fish and jig over them! I have no problem with trolling if you cannot locate fish to jig. But, once those fish are located don’t leave them by continuing to troll, especially in calm water. Stay with those fish, by constantly monitoring them on your fish finder, and vertical jigging to them. This is a great way to involve the entire family in enjoying constant action.
BUY THE SBF 1 OZ. that by sharing our personal onthe-water experiences, they will add to your own future success and enjoyment. Above all, protect yourself and your family from Covid-19 by masking and distancing especially while onshore. Use the versatile fishing neck gaiter as a pull-over for your mouth and nose. It’s more comfortable than a conventional medical mask. Pete (Capt. Pete Rosko, D.D.S.)
As always, thank you for subscribing to the Mack Attack. We are dedicated to your fishing success. It is our hope 5
QUESTION
HOT DEAL | USE CODE: DDX20
OF THE MONTH
Have a questions you want answered? Send your inquiry to us and yours may be featured! Simply send an email to media@mackslure.com or reach out to us on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. Just search @MacksLure and you’ll find us!
Q: I’ve heard the term “pop gear” from a lot of people recently. What are they talking about? A: That’s a great question! Pop gear is another name for a gang troll, which can be used in an assortment of ways when trolling. They generally consisten of a wire leader that can have anywhere from 2- to 6-blades that spin to create extra flash and attraction to a line. Mack’s Lure carries a variety of gang trolls called Flash Lite® Trolls, Hot Wings® or Troll Lite™ Flasher. The Flash Lite® is our gang troll that offers both versatility and added attraction, allowing you to catch more fish. The blades themselves are similar to our Smile Blade®, made of mylar plastic, reducing the drag on your rod by up to 85%. The Hot Wings® are smaller in size when an angler wants a lower profile in the water column. The blades also counter-rotate to increase flash and attraction.
PHOTO OF THE MONTH Mack’s Lure Pro Staff Jaime Rodriguez of J ROD ANGLING has been hammering the Columbia Walleye. Here’s his son showing off a dandy caught on a Smile Blade rig.
VIDEO OF THE MONTH Mack’s Lure’s Bob Loomis, Richy Harrod and the Northwest Outdoorsmen crew head to the Lower Columbia to target walleye. Give this awesome episode a watch.
Gang trolls can be used in-line with normally a 2- to 3-foot leader when using an in-line spinner such as a Wedding Ring® or just above a Double D™ Dodger, which not only provides rotation to the blades, but the side-to-side action of the dodger. .
Facebook.com/MacksLure @macks_lure To submit your catch, send us an email at media@mackslure.com or tag us on social media using #MacksLure.
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