August 2019 | Mack Attack Magazine

SCENTFLASH UV PADDLE FLASHER A GAME-CHANGING 11” ROTATIONAL FLASHER FEAT. A PATENT-PENDING SCENT RELEASE SYSTEM large scent chamber and it also features a removeable paddle fin or rudder.”

CHRIS COUNTS / PRO STAFF

WENATCHEE, Wash. — Mack’s Lure, Inc., manufacturer of popular trolling attractors such as the Original Sling Blade™, Double D™ Dodger and the new ScentFlash™ UV Triangle Flasher, have expanded their ScentFlash™ product line with the ScentFlash™ UV Paddle Flasher, a gamechanger in the salmon markets.

The ScentFlash™ UV Paddle Flasher is made of two transparent, high UV body colors — UV Chartreuse and UV Clear — with very reflective, double-sided silver tapes and can be filled with your favorite fish attractors and scents, including oil packed tuna, herring or sardine filets, ground-up fish, nightcrawlers, corn or bottled scents and gels applied to a premium ScentFlash™ Pad, which are sold separately in four-packs.

And while most paddle flashers become useless once their rudders or fins break, the ScentFlash™ includes a removable fin, accessed from inside the scent cavity, that can be replaced if it becomes damaged or

lost or simply to change the action of your flasher. Additional Paddle Fins are sold separately.

The ScentFlash™ UV Paddle Flasher is now available at MacksLure.com and will soon be available at your favorite bait and tackle shop. For more information, visit MacksLure.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube for tips and tricks.

For more information, contact Mack’s Lure at (509) 667-9202 or media@ mackslure.com. More information can also be found at MacksLure.com. Images are available upon request.

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MORE INFO

The ScentFlash™ UV Paddle Flasher features a patent-pending scent release system, as previously featured on the ScentFlash™ UV Triangle Flasher. Simply unsnap the lid from the body, apply scent, then snap back into place and start catching fish.

“The new ScentFlash UV Paddle Flasher is 11” long and fishes the same as all of the other paddle flashers on the market — large rotation, good rod thump, great movement on your terminal tackle and no extra weight,” Mack’s Lure Sales Director Bob Loomis says, “however, the ScentFlash features a couple designs that others don’t — it can be opend up and used as a

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SONIC BAITFISH™ (SBF)

TIPS & TECHNIQUES

Conditions conducive for success in casting small metal jigs are as follows: 1) Near-surface baitfish concentrations.

2) Working surface water conditions (Tide movement forming eddies and rips. Cast to cleaner sections to avoid foul-hooking debris.).

3) Predator fish present in area (Jumping or boiling on surface).

My chinook salmon equipment: 1) 6 ft G. Loomis IMX SJR 724 heavy / fast action spinning rod.

SMALL LURES CATCH BIG FISH

BY CAPT. PETE ROSKO

3) Suffix 20 lb braided main line.

Whether you are a troller, moocher, jigger or caster, this technique should be in your sport fishing arsenal if you are a serious angler. Because, when the opportunity presents itself, this technique will be the most effective and enjoyable you will ever use!

For half of my 82 years, metal jig fishing in many different locations, including chinook (king) salmon fishing in Alaska and off the north coast of Washington State, has taught me that small lures catch big fish.

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2) Shimano Stradic 3000 Ci4 spinning reel.

For half of my 82 years metal jig fishing in many different locations ... has taught me that small lures catch big fish.

- CAPT PETE ROSKO

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My last trip was another example of going small. The salmon were few and scattered. My buddy and I were jigging deep with larger metal jigs. After an hour without a strike, and not seeing any action from several dozen boats around us, I went to fan-casting in search of chinook salmon.

Before my second cast, my fishing partner pointed towards a surface boil in open water. A cast in that direction produced an immediate explosive hook-up resulting in a 19 lb. king. For the next three hours, my fishing buddy persisted in vertical jigging and I continued casting a 1/4 oz. original Sonic BaitFish™ in a bright silver finish.

That finish matched the silvery flash of 1 ½ inch Pacific Herring schooling in the top 20- to 25-feet of water. My day ended in hooking nine kings between 18-23 lbs.

My partner never hooked a deep king and no kings were seen caught by the trollers.

4) 2 ½ ft of Suffix 20-25 fluorocarbon leader with the wide bend snap attached to the terminal end.

5) Metal jig attached to the nose. Use the absolute smallest size jig to effectively reach your target. The smaller the size, the slower the fall for longer retention in the critical strike zone near the surface.

6) A fine tooth Luhr Jensen file. It’s the best of any file that I have used. Your hook must be frequently checked for burs on the hook tip that might cause the loss of the fish of a life time. Lightly stroke your file, in the direction of the tip, over three sides of the hook point where you will easily feel, and remove, the rough burs.

Note: A rusty file is useless! To preserve its life for many years, lubricate it with WD 40 after each outing and keep it in a protective sleeve. My file is about 7 years old and like new. I keep it in a homemade sleeve of dense foam completely, and tightly, wrapped in duct tape with only the entry exposed. The entire file portion is embedded in foam with only its yellow handle exposed. Slide your hook point over your fingernail, not your skin, to check your sharpening efficiency. It’s functionally-sharp if it digs into your fingernail. If it slides over your nail, it will not effectively dig into the hard jaw of a fish like a chinook salmon.

My technique: 1) Cast to any surface water that will create drag against your line and lure.

This slows the fall rate of your lure and increases it fish-attracting flutter, darting and sonic vibrations. Examples are cross-currents and down-currents and rips near eddies. Effectiveness is increased when combined with ambush

points like kelp edges, weed lines, rock piles and deep water points coming off of land points. Whether for saltwater or freshwater (rivers, base of waterfalls, warm water discharge plants), these are just a few examples for the use of this deadly technique.

2) Once your cast lure hits water, twitch or short-stroke your rod tip from a 10 to 11 o’clock position to further increase its erratic action on the fall. Do not work the rod sideways and do not over-work (hard-jig) your rod. All of my metal jigs are finesse-type jigs, designed with strike-triggering action. They mimic an injured baitfish, an action that predator fish key on. They need no extra help through forced jigging.

3) Cast to fish “boiling” on surface or to working birds.

Variables: 1) Casting with a taut line, vs. a bend or loose line, increases your lure action and hook sets. Casting directly with the wind maximizes line control. Guard against large wind-blown bends in your line! However, the beauty of fishing with small lures is that even when you may be fishing out of control, because of the weather, fish do not feel its light weight and will hook itself before you feel the weight of the fish on your line.

2) Moving your rod tip one inch will move your lure 4-6 inches.

3) Metallic finishes emit more flash, with better flutter, than painted finishes with heavier layers of material.

Mistakes by novices & professionals: 1) Not using a fine tooth file to maintain hook sharpness.

2) Not attaching the supplied wide bend snap to the nose of the lure. A direct tie of leader to the lure reduces the action of the lure.

3) Jigging out of control results in spooking fish. This includes violent rod jerks. A properly-balanced lure requires very little rod movement to be successful.

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4) Jigging with rods too long...5 to 6 ½ ft rods are best. The longer the rod, the less the control and feel in its presentation.

with one thing and tha’s spawning. This, of course, presents us with a greater challenge of how do you get them to bite?

There are a few simple technique changes that will help you to convince a pre-spawn fish to bite.

5) Jigging with rods without good backbone for good hook-sets.

Before I get ahead of myself, let’s talk about locating these big fish. Electronics are crucial to locating fish this time of year.

Look for paired fish hanging close to the bottom or in areas of structure. Working the bottom is important for catching prespawn fish. However, dragging the bottom creates some serious concerns.

In closing, thank you for subscribing to the Mack Attack Magazine. It is our hope that our monthly articles increase your success and enjoyment on the water.

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TECH GUIDE

GUEST COMMENTARY

GO TO BCFISHN.COM | @BCFISHN Introduce this trolling technique regardless if you are long lining or fishing off a downrigger. Find a consistent speed that is making your lures work the most effectively. Then, every couple of minutes, adjust your throttle to mimic a bait fish bursting through the water trying to escape from a predator.

TROLLING TIP: ALTER SPEEDS

BY DANNY COYNE, MACK’S LURE PRO STAFF Most anglers are aware that paying attention to trolling speeds is critical in achieving a successful day of fishing. If we troll too slow, some of the gear we use won’t work correctly. And if we troll too fast, our gear can actually repel fish rather than attract them. There are numerous factors to take into consideration when selecting your trolling speeds, such as the lure you’re using, the species of fish you’re targeting and the time of year, to name a few.

The one trolling technique that remains consistent when targeting predator fish, such as rainbow and lake trout, is not to troll the same speed for the entire time in which you’re fishing. We hear and read all the time that precise trolling speeds can be ideal, however this doesn’t mean that you only troll that one speed consistently.

Predator fish like to chase their prey!

When a bait fish is trying to escape a predator, it doesn’t swim exactly at one rate, but rather they make quick bursts through the water. Think of casting a spoon or a crankbait and how we retrieve it. We don’t just keep reeling the lure in at one speed — we jerk the line, speed our retrieve up and down to create more action to the lure. Many anglers experience very good results when using planer boards and there’s a reason why — when the planer board surges in and out of the water with the waves, it transfers erratic burst like action to the lure, which encourages a striking reaction from the trout.

When practicing this method, be sure to select lures that mimic a bait fish, such as plugs, spoons, Wiggle Hoochies™ and a variety of bucktail flies. I can guarantee you that this will increase your hook up ratio and put more fish in your net.

GARY’S FISHING CORNER

You need to pay close attention to your electronics and watch your downriggers closely. Unless you have a real consistent bottom or the benefit of having digital downriggers, that are programmed to track the bottom, you may need to stand over your downriggers to raise or lower them as you troll. A good ten pound bar weight is a real benefit with this technique as they tend to snag less often.

Now, let’s talk about changing our technique up a bit. Remember, these pre-spawn fish are no longer feeding, so we need to use a more reaction-type presentation. A tactic that often works well for me is to double up Sling Blades.

Actually, connect one Sling Blade to the other. Seriously. This will create a much more aggressive action. The front blade will wobble, which will occassionally cause the back blade to throw harder and even spin at times.

This more aggressive action will create more vibration and will incorporate a more erractic action to your lure. Behind this double Sling Blade setup, I like to run lures with greater action.

For spoons, I like the Hum Dinger and Cripplure. The rolling lateral action of the Cripplure is hard to resist in this presentation. If your preference is to use squid or hoochie type baits, go with the spinner type hoochie, such as the Pee Wee Spinner Hoochie, with the larger Sling Blade or even a Pee Wee Wiggle Hoochie, which has a more aggressive action. There is one more important suggestion while using this technique, however.

REACtIONARY BITES IN AUGUST

BY GARY MIRALLES, MACK’S LURE TEAM Night temperatures will begin to fall at the end of the month and that’s a sure sign that fall is just around the corner.

It also means that fishing for kokanee and landlocked chinook is coming to an end -- in some parts of the United States.

On a positive note: late August and early September are times when you can catch some of the biggest fish of the year.

Catching these big fish, however, can be a challenge.

We’re not talking a trolling speed of 1.2 mph with this setup; we’re looking to get that reaction strike so we’re going to troll up to 1.8 mph. I like to get my speed up to where the back blade will actually roll completely around occasionally.

Varying your speed faster or slower can also help. Go with bright colored Mack’s Lure products. They make a ton of glow colors -- and that’s always a good choice.

Good luck fishing!

Like all salmon, these fish are reaching the end of their life cycle. They are no longer feeding and they are only concerned

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QUESTION

HOT DEAL OF THE MONTH

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 know you have products for trolling for sockeye, but I was wondering if you have any cast and retrieve type lures that would work for them that I could use from shore?

A: As it sounds you are well aware, we do have some killer trolling products which target sockeye and other salmon, such as chinook.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH Mack’s Lure Pro Staff Mike & Jill Roth of Team Takedown Guide Service show off a gorgous salmon caught on a Wedding Ring 3.5 Salmon Tech on the Columbia River.

What a lot of people don’t know, however, is that the Sonic BaitFish jigging spoon is a toll that can be effectively used to target all salmon from the shore.

Kokanee are a land-locked sockeye and, therefore, both species seem to be triggered to bite by the same fishing methods and colors. With that said, there are a lot of anglers that vertically jig or cast and retrieve the Sonic BaitFish for kokanee.

Since the sockeye swim up the banks of a river and always seem to be in the top of the water column (from the surface down to about 20-feet). Therefore, we would suggest using a 1/10, 1/6 or 1/4 oz. Sonic BaitFish in Hot Pink or Hot Orange. rig it with the duo-snap attached to the nose and fish it slow with small, methodical movements (twitching the lure as retrieving it).

You could also use the Sonic BaitFish underneath a float. With this method, we would use the 1/10 or 1/6 oz. in the same colors mentioned above and fish it on a slip bobber to get it down to the desired depth.

Bot of these methods are an effective way to target sockeye when fishing waters where the fish congregate and stack up.

For more information, visit MacksLure.com.

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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.

PHOTO CREDIT: TEAM TAKEDOWN

VIDEO OF THE MONTH Mack’s Lure Pro Staffer Brad Hole targets cutthroat trout on Lake Sammamish in an episode of Angler West TV. Hole shows the versatility of the Pee Wee Wiggle Hoochie