Northwest Reel Life January - February 2024 Volume 3 Issue 4 - Flipbook - Page 15
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all the other things you’d
expect to visit about. It was
a fishing trip I’ll remember
fondly because of the
time with a valued friend
and the opportunity for
breathtaking views. It was
also memorable due to a
trailer tire popping and me
driving on the axle for who
knows how many miles, but
that’s a story for a different
time.
Let’s not mistake the vivid
memories from our time
appreciating the tranquility
of the outdoors as more
meaningful than the
opportunities outside we
capitalize on through the
routine of our lives.
For me, those instances
take shape in the form of an
activity as easy as walking
my dog. He’s a hunting
dog by trade and at 7 years
old is still full of energy
and prey drive. Tracking
anything and everything is
still a large part of his world,
even if the hunting season
is a few short months.
28 | NWFISHING.net
Those other 9 months of
the year he’s relegated to
leashed walks around the
hardware store or some
off-leash trails and parks
around town. Taking the
dog out for a walk is not
unique or special. Perhaps
you reading this have a dog
yourself. You probably do
the same routine part of
your day as I do mine. Get
up, go to work, come home,
spend time with your
family, and take the dog
on an evening walk. Rinse,
repeat. I would challenge
you to be present in those
moments outside if you
aren’t already. I’m guilty
of putting on a podcast
during a walk or listening
to music like anybody
else. But I’ve tried to make
a habit of putting these
things aside if I’ve got the
opportunity. A leashed walk
down the street?
Fine, music’s not a big deal
provided you’re on the
sidewalk. The hardware
store? Well, we’re here
buying stuff so it’s not
much of an outing for the
dog, but it is a chance for
socialization and to break
up his day. What about a
hike on a trail or a stroll on
some public land? Those
are the outings I try to
be cognizant of. Quiet. A
passing hello to another
person briefly, and then
back to isolation. Although
built into the day-to-day of
everyday life, something as
simple as a walk with the
dog can bring a calmness
and recognition for
everything we experience
beyond our home’s front
door or the office. Why
drown out the peaceful
silence when in that
moment?
These are some of the
best days on the water, in
December and January,
when a lot of other
sportsmen are watching
football. Fly-rodders watch
the weather and hope for
a hatch of midges and
look forward to the little
black stoneflies, but there
are better ways to tempt
bigger trout in December
and January. Plastic worms
and minnows can tease big
trout out from beneath the
undercut banks and beads,
tailored to size and color
can turn on the bite.
TWITCHING PLASTIC
Plastic worms tend to
produce as many fish as
natural baits. And you don't
have to dig through the
compost pile to find them.
Adapted from steelhead
drift fishing the best rig is
a six-pound main line tied
to a barrel swivel. A sliding
sinker on the main line is
a good way to get the bait
down but another option is
to leave a tag on the main
line knot and crimp on
removable split shot. The
leader should be 20 inches
long terminated at a No.
10-8 single egg hook.
Rig to drift the edge of a
seam with just enough
weight to tickle the tops
of the rocks. Jeff Warner,
founder of X Factor Tackle,
relies on three main colors
in cold winter water - hot
red, fluorescent pink, and
natural worm.
Warner's go-to for brown
trout on his home water is
a 1/16-ounce jig head on a
No. 4 hook and an X-Factor
Teaser minnow. He fishes
without a float.
"In my experience, it is
better to allow the bait to
do its work as an injured
bait fish. I don't want a
natural drift, I want violent
rips and jerks. It's why I like
the lightweight jig. I don't
need it to be down on the
bottom. It lets the bait look
more erratic than it does
with a heavy jig head."
Warner's favorite on a
bright sunny day is motor
oil with red flake. Warner
recommends a plastic
minnow in the tail-outs
and along the seams and
ripping it back.
"I like to cast it upriver and
then work the clock so to
speak. Even cast it straight
downriver and twitch it.
If I don't catch a fish by
that time there ain't one in
there."
The bite can be hard to
detect. Keep the index
finger on the line to stay in
touch with the rocks and
set the hook at the least
tug that signals a grab.
FLY ROD EGGS/BEADS
When fishing egg
imitations and hard beads,
the big challenge is to get
them at the level the fish
are holding and allow a
dead-drift presentation.
Try to position the bead
about two inches above
the hook. This can be
accomplished in several
different ways. One easy
way to do it is to nail knot
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