[Previous entry: ""] [Main Index] [Next entry: ""]
03/09/2008 Entry: ""
HAPPY BASSIN' NEW YEAR!! 2007 was another 'barn burner" for us with over 750 client days. Thanks to you all. We were too busy to do the daily fishing report, but here's a brief summary: 22-Master Angler Smallmouth Bass (20"+), 57 Trophy Smallmouth Bass (18"-20"), 111 fishermen with inducted into the 100+ Club with 6 of those actually catching over 200 fish in one day. Here's a number you need to sit down for, on the fully guided trips our clients caught and released over 25,000 smallmouth bass, and probably another 2,500 on the self guided one-man pontoon boat trips. We found some new colors and techniques that really paid off BIG. The four Master Anglers who tied for first with a 22" smallie: Joe Piazza (3/27), Greg Rickman (4/2), Lamont Miller 4/9), and Dike Dame (4/23). The all time best "Fish Catcher" was Jim Ramsey (7/24) with 275 smallies in ONE DAY, followed by Bobby Ellis (7/6) with 254, Glen Russell (8/25) with 221, Bob Barnes (8/25) with 218, Lex Strom (9/7) with 209, and last but not least Dave Hilles (8/15) with 200. Our website has a complete listing since 1998 on the Master Angler, Trophy, and 100+ Club results. But in a nutshell 80 % of the big fish come in March, April, May, and 80% of the 100+ come in July and August.
February 22,2008: Took two friends Dennis Wittkopp, Prineville, OR, and Ken Mauk, Lacenter, WA for a float trip. It was supposed to be a steelehad trip, but the water had just jumped up with the snow melt and was running dirty and cold. They did a great job, but their guide couldn't get it done and we ended up empty handed. Yuk! It was 32 in Fossil at 5 Am, 32 at the river, the water was running 37, and 8-9 on the clarity scale, but it was a clear nice day. We saw squawfish jumping, 8 wild horse, and got a 1 1/2" scale (carp) on one of our hooks.
March 4, 2008: For many years we've been eyeing the booboer and jig system for catching snallmouth bass in very cold water, but have just not gone after them. I took a trip with an excellent fly fishermen and center-pin fishermen, Bruce Belles, last December when Bruce came up and went on a steelehad trip with me. He is a master with a center-pin setup and I hoped I may have found an effective way to go after smallied in cold-cold water. We assembled a Center-Pin Team: Bruce Belles, owner of Clackacraft Boats (the finest boats I've ever rowed), 503-655-9532; Captain Manuel Torrez, Island Point Lodge in Peterburg, Alaska,907-772-2719, great guide an fly fishermen and tier; and somebody to write about our efforts, Terry Sheely, well know writer from Black Diamond, WA; and somebody to row the boat-me.
Day 1: started with breakfast at 7 AM and on the water at 9 AM. It was 32 in Fossil at 5 AM, 44 at the river, the water was 38 degrees, river had come down from 5500 CFS two days earlier to 3110 CFS, 7-8 clarity, and a beautiful light cloud day. Nothing happened in the morning when we were centerpin fishing for steelhead, but at 2:25 PM Captain Manuel boated a nice 17" smallie on a Lamiglas 11' 3" center-pin rod, Okuma 1200 reel, Raven 8 pound high vis main line, P-Line 3 swivel, 5 feet of P-Line 6 pound flouracarbon with a sliding float, another P-Line 3 Swivel, 2 more feet of P-Line 6 pound flouracarbon, and some special 1/16 light fly jigs. At 2:40 Bruce caught a nice 15" smallie, and Terry followed shortly after with a slightly smaller smallie. All were caught on roughly the same set up with Bruce using a 13" 6" Raven rod and a fixed float. We did not catch lots of fish but caught some very nice fish with a jig and bobber set up. I fished all day on my usual tried and true Texas setups with grubs and got only on bite, but no fish.
March 5: Day 2 started with breafast in Fossil at 7 AM, it was 18 degrees in Fossil at 5 AM, 45 at the river at 9 AM, water was 38 degrees, river had dropped to 2700 CFS, on a very clear and warm day. The morning was again slow with only a couple of suckers caught on the the Center-pin setups. Captain Manuel Torres caught a nice bright steelehad at noon, and after lunch at 2 PM he boated a Trophy 18 1/2" smallie. About 3 PM Bruce Belles caught and toad at 19 1/2" and the boat was singing the praises of Center-pin fishing. Captain Manuel caught another smallie about 4 PM and that was it for the day. Again I fished most of the day with Texas style grubs, and produced another goose egg.
March 6: Day 3 started with breakfast at 6 AM, and only Captain Manuel Torrez and Terry Sheely went out with me today. It was 21 degrees at 4 AM in Fossil, 30 at the river at 7:30, water was 38 degrees, 7-8 clarity, and the water had dropped to 2390 CFS, but the sun was shining. Captain Manuel caught the first fish at 9 AM, a nice steelhead on a Center-pin set. We took out a 2PM and Terry Sheely caught a Trophy 19" smallie on a crankbait at that time. The air was up to 50 degrees and the water was 40 degrees. We didn't catch lots of fish, but we now have another techniques for catching cold water smallmouth bass and steelehead-CENTER-PIN BOBBER AND JIG SETUPS.
March 7: I had the pleasure of taking a good friend and his sons fishing. I used to cook for Mike Crawford, Battle Creek Outfitters, 541-389-4078, at one of his elk camps. They run the best camps and offer some of the best fair chase elk and deer hunting around. His two sons, Eric and Conrad of Terrebone are super young men.It was 26 in Fossil at 4 Am, 32 at the river at 7 AM, was was 37 degrees, 2170 CFS, 6-7 clarity, and slightly overcast. We started out the day with Mike Landing his first ever steelhead at 8:25 Am and Eric landing his first one ever at 10 AM. These were both native fished, and nice and bright. This is about the tail end of the run. The river water rose to 40 degrees after lunch and Mike boated a nice Trophy smallmouth bass 18 1/2". We didn't catch many, but had a couple of firsts with their two steelehead. If you are looking for a great hunt and camp experience contact Mike at 541-389-4078.