March 2020 | Mack Attack Magazine

KOKE-A-NUT ™GLO® SERIES MACK’S LURE RELEASES A DEADLY KOKANEE LURE FEATURING TWO TIME-TESTED KOKANEE PRODUCTS

”The rubber head features high UV plastic combined with high UV flashabou.

“Add in a tournament-proven Mack’s Lure Glo Hook and you come up with a small profile, high UV lure that is deadly for kokanee, trout and landlocked kings.”

BY MACK’S LURE

PRESS RELEASE

Mack’s Lure, Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading kokanee lures including the Wedding Ring®, Smile Blade® and dozens of others, has released the Koke-A-Nut™ Glo® Series — yet another incredible option to its constantly evolving line of innovative products.

The Koke-A-Nut™ Glo® Series, which was extensively tested in Northern California, British Columbia, Oregon and Washington prior to its release, is available in a size 4 and six irresistible colors.

Koke-A-Nut™ Glo® “ The Series is a small, high

UV lure that is deadly for kokanee, trout and landlocked kings.

— BOB LOOMIS | SALES DIRECTOR

The combination of two timetested kokanee lures — the Koke-ANut™ and Glo® Hook — is a kokanee lure that no angler should be without.

Be one of the first to experience the effectiveness of this highly anticipated lure by picking a few up at your local bait and tackle shop or ordering them at MacksLure.com.

“The Koke-A-Nut Glo is a fantastic Kokanee trolling lure that utilizes a number of great products,” Mack’s Lure Sales Director Bob Loomis said.

For more information, contact Mack’s Lure at 509-667-9202 or via email at media@mackslure.com.

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LAKE ROOSEVELT:

CHECK OUT THESE MONSTER KOKANEE ON ROOSEVELT!

THE COVETED KOKANEE

BY BENITA GALLAND

ML PRO STAFF

Lake Roosevelt is a National Park, which has 130 miles of pristine, scenic recreational water. It stretches from British Columbia to the Grand Coulee Dam, and is fed by the Columbia, Spokane and Sanpoil Rivers, along with other tributaries.

This fishery is co-managed by the Spokane Tribe, Colville Tribe and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). They have done an excellent job of protecting and enhancing the Roosevelt Reservoir.

Currently, there are 63 net pens in the Reservoir. Pen locations range from north to south — from Kettle Falls to Keller Ferry. These net pens are operated by a group of volunteers and the WDFW Sherman Creek Hatchery. The tribes and WDFW have been very successful in establishing a fantastic rainbow trout fishery, but they are also invested in boosting the kokanee numbers by enhancing the wild population and planting a sterile kokanee strain. Last year alone, over 700,000 sterile kokanee were released and very few of those fish have shown up in the creel.

Several factors have been working against the effort, however. Water fluctuation, the species itself (which has the urge to go to salt water) and heavy predation have all combined to create a challenging planting. The good news is, though, that no one is giving up. Work is being done to provide solutions to these challenges and this year another attempt to plant kokaee will hopefully result in better success.

Roosevelt Kokan“ Lake ee can easily grow up to 4- and 5-pounds.

— BENITA GALLAND

The kokanee in Lake Roosevelt are the coveted catch within the reservoir, however often times, tey’re the most difficult to come by. It is primarily a wild fish population that waxes and wains, depending on conditions experienced during their life cycle. They have an abundant source of food and, when conditions are right, can easily grow into the 4to 5-pound range.

If you want to target these trophy kokanee and you have a boat, the following tips should help bring you some success on the water. In the following sections, I’ll discuss depth, speed and lure presentation, which I call the “Holy Trinity” of successful fishing.

DEPTH In the late fall, winter, and early spring, when the water is cool, trolling boards or side planers are an awesome advantage because usually the game fish can be caught in the top 10- to 25-feet of water.

With the use of equipment such as trolling and planer boards, you can troll your line along the shallow shoreline, spacing your lines at multiple depths using weights or diving lures.

This method also enables the angler to space presentations different distances apart, covering more water. No planer boards?

Try using a Mack’s Lure Double D™ Dodger. The Double D™ not only has the proven traditional dodger action, but also delivers its patentpending stop-and-go action to your lure.

With five attachment points, you can spread your lines while doubling as a side planer.

The added advantage of a twopole endorsement allows you to play with some trial and error options to hopefully discover the lure, dpeth, speed or presentation that’s working that particular day.

When the fish are in the top strata, leaded line also does very well.

Downriggers are effective, too, as is long-lining a lure with a light banana 2

or snap weight. As the water warms, the fish follow the cool water and gravitate to the lower depths or areas of cool water flow. In the summer, the kokanee can be foudn as deep as 100 feet.

TROLLING SPEED Targeting kokanee calls for slower speeds. Typically, a good speed for kokanee is in the 1.0- to 1.4-knot range, though you can even fish slower than that. It is also dependent on your lure and how active the fish are. Speed up or slow down to find that magic tempo. Bear in mind that it may change as the day brightens, water warms or the fish decide to mess with your head, which is a common occurence.

When it comes to speed, I want to know my lure-through-water-speed exactly. Yes, your electronics and GPS will measure your speed, as do some other high-tech methods, but they’re not correct indicators of lure through water speed.

One of the most important pieces of fishing equipment on my boat is the Luhr Speed Indicator. Most of the time, that indicator speed will be at odds with the high-tech readouts.

A difference as little as 0.2-knots may determine a successful day of catching versus a day of sight seeing. If you get frustrated and can’t hook a kokanee, speed up. You will most likely catch a nice rainbow as a consolation.

LURE, COLOR & PRESENTATION Kokanee are the most challenging game fish to catch on Roosevelt.

Their favorite fare seems to be the Wedding Ring® or the Pee Wee™ Hoochie setups. Use a two hook set up with a single or treble trailing hook, tipping it with a peice of pink corn or a maggot. Try running a Sling Blade™ Dodger in front of them for added movement.

My favorite setup is a pink and orange Wedding Ring® spinner behind a Sling Blade™ 6” UV Pink. The Cha Cha® 1.5” Kokanee Squidder behind a Sling Blade™ 6” Nickel Pink also produces well.

And the best part about the Sling Blade™? You can bend it to change its action through the water. Try different dodger sizes to adjust the lure action. Mack’s Lure offers the Double D™ Dodger in 4.4” and 7.6” while the Sling Blade™ is available in 4”, 6” and 9” sizes.

Another tip to be aware of is to shorten or length your leader to slow or hasten the action of your lure — “some like it hot, some like it cold.” If you’re looking for even more action to your lure, replace your blade with a Wiggle Hoochie™ Bill, now available in clean and a high UV option.

Green, pink and orange lures and blades seem to be the most effective colors twelve months out of the year.

That being said, it is always wise to give some other color combinations a try if you are not getting the strikes you want. Give brown tones, chrome, pruple and black a try, too. UV is always a great setup and, in deeper water, glow lure and beads often give you an advantage. Often times, water color, temperature and depth will dictate the winning color of the day.

I wish you the best of luck in your pursuit of these sometimes elusive kokanee. I hope these tips will bring you some success. If you decide

to make a trip to Lake Roosevelt, I suggest that you read my prior Roosevelt articles in the February issue of the Mack Attack Magazine, which can be found at MacksLure. com in the Mack Attack Archives section. That article holds some key information on the reservoir and various fishing techniques for a variety of game fish held within this amazing fishery.

For more information, join me at my seminars on March 19-22 at The Spokane Big Horn Show. I’ll be giving seminars every day of the show on trout and kokanee fishing. Hope to see you there!

SONIC BAITFISH™ (SBF)

TIPS & TECHNIQUES

JIGGING THE SBF in

COLD WATER

BY PETE ROSKO

SBF TECH GUIDE

Many winters ago, I received a phone call from Spence Petros, a writer for Fishing Facts Magazine.

Spence had just fished a Lake Michigan warm water discharge power plant with a Wisconsinlicensed fishing guide.

The guide was fishing with live baitfish and Spence was jigging with a Crippled Herring metal jig.

Nineteen brown trout were caught that day. Almost all were caught on small Crippled Herring jigs.

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Since that outing, small Crippled Herrings under 1/2 oz. are no longer being manufactured. Fortunately, Mack’s Lure stepped in to fill that micro metal jig size void with the Sonic BaitFish™.

The advantage of a micro jig is that they can catch large fish when larger jigs are ignored. This is especially true in cold water environments when fish are lethargic and lack an appetite. Almost always, these fish will refuse a sizeable offering. But, almost always, they will “nibble” on a tiny morsel — just like us humans without an appetite.

The lure’s action, that triggers a strike, is its downward flutter. Most live minnows, impaled on a hook, struggle horizontally, but seldom vertically. Many times, my 1/10 oz. SBF will out-fish a live minnow because of its fluttering and downward action.

Do not overwork the jigging rod.

The goal is not to spook the fish, but imitate an injured bait fish with represents an easy meal. Finesse the jig with twitches and short rod lifts.

Glow white and glow chartreuse are productive finishes anywhere.

2) Boat Docks — Jig next to metal dock posts and exposed rocks that line the docks that are absorbing the sun’s rays.

3) Dock Lights — Jig on the edge of the illuminated water.

Note: Casting to these same structures in seldom successful with jigs because they fall too fast through the strike zone. In comparison, vertical jigging keeps the jig constantly in the strike zone and is extremely successful in triggering instinctive strikes. Gently bottom-bounce jig in 5- to 10-feet of water during these cold water marina environments. Tipping with bait is not necessary.

Thank you for being a subscriber to the Mack Attack Magazine. It is my pleasure to share my tips with you that have resulted in plenty of memorable catches over the years.

Best wishes for good health and excellent catches. — Capt. Pete

Vertical jigging from a boat (works both in very cold and very warm water): 1) Lake/reservoir — Slow driftjigging, or anchored, over deep water river channels. A good working jigging depth range is 25- to 55feet.

2) Creek/River — Deeper holes, especially in the winter.

Note: Fish only when the tributary is not in flood stage and start jigging only after locating marks on your fish finder.

Over the years, my cold water vertical jigging success, in fresh and saltwater, includes the following examples.

Jigging from land (After ice-out): 1) Marinas — Finesse jig next to concrete or metal walls that are absorbing heat from the sun’s rays.

ATTEND THE 11TH ANNUAL CCA NCW BANQUET FRIDAY MAY, 1 AT 5 PM IN WENATCHEE, WASH.

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HOT DEAL | USE CODE: SCENT25

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 Phil Nichols captured this gorgeous shot of a cutthroat caught on a Hum Dinger® while fishing Pyramid Reservoir (Calif.). Look at those markings!

VIDEO OF THE MONTH Mack’s Lure’s Bob Loomis and the Northwest Outdoorsmen head to the Cariboo in British Columbia to target kokanee on Ruth Lake. What a trip this ended up being.

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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