Brad's Wiggler's & Pic's

[Born to be Wild]

Even though Brad doesn't sell to the general public, he has a website now and you can check out all the different Wiggler's, Wobbler's, etc. and the different flavors they come in.


All the pic's below are of last Fall's early & late strain Coho caught on the Cowlitz (late strain) and Kalama (early strain).

http://www.ifish.net/uploads/25571647.jpg

My largest Coho ever. A 23# Buck, (of course)
http://www.ifish.net/uploads/30001747.jpg

Even Brad catches a fish every now and then!
Ain't he brutal?
http://www.ifish.net/uploads/30021747.jpg

Sturgeon Dave a friend of mine from Longview. And my dog "Mason" trying to spot us another one?
http://www.ifish.net/uploads/41041747.jpg

Took a friend I haven't seen for 30 years out on the Kalama (tidewater), and he caught his first ever Salmon. A 15lb. "Chromer" Hen!
What a way to get started!
http://www.ifish.net/uploads/59061747.jpg

Me the "bank maggot" at my "secret hole" on the lower Cowlitz.
http://www.ifish.net/uploads/01091747.jpg

Yum, those Coho sure like the taste of those Wiggler's! (And Steelhead like 'em too).
http://www.ifish.net/uploads/27111747.jpg

Oh, by the way, they work in tidewater too! :shrug:

[ 02-19-2003, 01:39 PM: Message edited by: DepoeBayDan ]

[Born to be Wild]

They also can catch limits for you.
A limit of two on the Kalama.

http://www.ifish.net/uploads/37131747.jpg

And my best day on the Cowlitz, a 4 fish limit. :smile:
Actually I hooked 11 fish that day and missed a couple. I caught 4, handed off 2 to Ron's girlfriend who was having a "bad hair day" and lost 5.
But, all my fish that day were hooked on the BW-08 (Pickle)? And one was a 20# Chinook! :shrug:

http://www.ifish.net/uploads/26011847.jpg

[ 02-17-2003, 06:27 PM: Message edited by: DepoeBayDan ]

[Diehard D]

Does anybody know of store that has a good selection of the Wee Wigglers. I haven't been able to find them in Eastern Washington at all. I'm specifically looking for BWW29. Thanks

[cannonball]

Diehard D try talking to the guys at fishin+ over in pasco. If they dont have it they will try to order it. :smile:

[Green Machine]

Sturgeon Dave!!!! That guy used to be my neighbor in Longview until I moved. Heck of a nice guy. Tried to buy his Duckworth. Very nice boat for its age. Tell him "hi" for me. Brad used to live close to Dave and myself also. Does he still work at Bob's Sporting Goods? Small world huh. I think Dave said he caught the 23 pounder and handed the rod off!! :grin:

Green Machine

[Born to be Wild]

Oh yea, he wishes he caught that fish!
I've been waiting to catch my first 20# Coho for a couple years.
There has been a lot of them in that range the last couple years with the great Ocean conditions we have had.

You're right, Dave is a real cool guy and still lives a couple blocks away from Brad. They are both very cool special guy's.


The BWW-29 was a mistake because Brad only ordered the BW-29 (a copy of a local custom color) and ended up with #29 in a Wee Wiggler also. A good mistake as it turns out!

I promoted the Wiggler's from the Kalama tidewater to the lower Cowlitz and even got a lot of "corkie" fisherman to switch after they saw how awesome they worked.

Then Bob's and the local wholesaler's ran out and some friends I met last year on the Cowlitz started trying the BWW-29 and some thought they worked even better than the BW-29!

The BW-08 (Pickle) was a hot one also, and I found out later, it was the hot one for Clackamas Steelhead last Winter.
Dan

[ 02-18-2003, 04:58 PM: Message edited by: Jennie@ifish ]

[Born to be Wild]

Green Machine,
I can get your e-mail off this site and send it to Dave if you would like. :cheers:
Dan

[Diehard D]

DBD, thanks for your help.

[Diehard D]

Cannonball,

I haven't been too impressed with the customer service at Fishn+ . They tried to tell me that certain products had been discontinued (when i knew they weren't and ordered them from a competitor) and they werent very helpful in finding the info that I was looking for. Just what I witnessed, other stores in the Tri-Cities seemed to be much more helpful. Don't mean to drop names.

[Born to be Wild]

Here's an e-mail I recieved regarding this thread and I decided to copy/paste it here to maybe answer the same question for other's at the same time.
I did x out the persons name in case he didn't want it here.


DepoeBayDan-
I have a question for you, my wife and I started fishing that same
"tidewater" area of the Kalama last spring in our 11 foot sportcat, I have
always been a bait fisherman (pink prawns!) and would love to know to fish
those wigglers on the kalama. Are they trolled or anchored and plunked?
Also without giving away all of your secrets, if I was to buy a couple of
wigglers to try out what colors/sizes would you recommend on that stretch of
water? I appreciate your photos and info!!

xxxxxxxxxxx, iFish <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv"> Are they trolled or anchored and plunked? <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">All the Coho I caught last year was by casting the Wiggler's either by drifting and casting or anchoring and casting except for in the Cowlitz where the majority of the fish I caught was from casting Wiggler's from the bank.

They work very well trolled and I saw quite a few boats get them that way, but I prefer casting over trolling. I'm not a troller and find it boring to me.

In the Kalama I had my best results throwing with the tide and reeling back in against the tide. I did catch a few by casting perpendicular to or across the tide and saw a lot of them caught that way. Most of the time I had better luck on the incomming or out going tide vs. slack tide. It seemed the fresh fish moved in and back out with the tides because of the lack of rain and wouldn't commit to entering the river itself.

In the Cowlitz, it was a whole different story.
Even though I was fishing the lower section and it was effected by tidal conditions, there was always current flowing down stream.
From the bank I would cast straight across or down stream and again reel against the current. After a short time I realized it a waste of time casting up stream. (This was my first year fishing plugs, normally I catch most of my fish on eggs and a few on spinners).

From a boat in the Cowlitz, we would either drift and cast, or anchor and cast.
Drifting, we would throw either down stream or across the river, never up stream. Casting up stream never worked for us.
Anchoring, we would do best casting down stream and reeling back up against the current.

I did see some friends and other's catch fish in the Cowlitz by plunking and trolling the Wiggler's.
I never caught one either way. Tried trolling a few times and caught nothing. Started casting and caught fish.
Plunking was effective and a good way to go if you felt like relaxing or the weather was bad.

It is an easy way to catch Coho. (We also caught Chinook and saw other's catch them on plugs even though it was a bit on the late side for Chinnok). Another advantage of fishing Wiggler's is that even an inexperienced or first timer can be sucessfull in catching fish where as they might not fare as well drift fishing lacking that technique.

Another advantage to fishing plug's is that I only know of one fish I accidently foul hooked the entire season. (There were many fish lost that I never saw). It's difficult to foul hook a fish with a plug.

Colors...
There are several colors that consistently catch Coho, but the top two producer's were the #29 and #08.
The BW-29 (Wiggler) and BWW-29 (Wee Wiggler) and the BW-08 (Wiggler) were hands down the best.
I had so much confidence in those I started leaving other colors, eggs, spinners at home and never missed a beat!

This year I will replace the two treble's that come on the plug with a single siwash and bead chain (you attach to the front of the plug, not the back).
This has at least three advantages;

One: There was a large amount of wild Coho on the Cowlitz this year. I felt guilty netting them when bank fishing but it was the only way I could get one or two treble's out of the fish's mouth. Sometimes it is very difficult removing them from a dead fish.

Two: Coho seem to have the tendency to do the "coho spin". If one treble is in the mouth and the other dangeling, often times the line will catch on the loose hook and cause it to wrap and sometimes breaking your line.

Three: Your plug doesn't hang up as easily on submerged trees, etc. when you are using a single hook.

I also have concerns about the many fish broke off by myself and others that some of them didn't survive because there mouths were "buttoned" shut.
I had several I had to work at to get their mouth open in order to get at the hooks.
There is no way that some of these fish had they broke me off would have been able to spit the hooks and open there mouth.

Dan

[Bounty Hunter]

Dapper Dan! (couldn't resist :wink: )

Thanks for the info. I love catching fish on plugs, but have had limited success. I will definately give your suggestions a shot. I wish I'd known the hot colors while they were on sale at Bobs and Fishermans, but it sounds like I can't afford not to try those colors!

:cheers:

[Born to be Wild]

Bounty Hunter.

No worry, you can make up for it this year.
They will bite those same colors again this year and they will be on sale at Bob's again this year and elsewhere.

I would be surprised if the Cowlitz and a few other rivers aren't open to 4 fish this year.
I know they will up the limit at least in-season.

Maybe catch up with ya and cast some Wiggler's this Fall.

Dan

[ 02-19-2003, 01:53 PM: Message edited by: DepoeBayDan ]

[willierower]

Hey Dan,
2 years ago, I dipped about 300 Chrome/ blue herring bone Wiggle warts in cerise Lure coat. I see that brad now makes that color.......

That plug cathes damn near anything that swims in the rivers around here. Ive got Coho, Chinook and Steelhead on those.

Try trolling them in tidewater for silvers..........

[ 02-18-2003, 03:28 PM: Message edited by: willierower ]

[JeepMcMuddy]

Thanks for all the info DBD!!! Its nice to learn a new technique to add to the arsenal. Is there anywhere around Vancouver that sells the wigglers? (Maybe a dumb question, but I've never been in the market for plugs)

[dampainter]

Hey nice pix!! especially that last one of that stringer of fish!!! :shocked: graemlins/applause.gif Those guys don`t look too happy tho especially guy on the left, was that stringer that heavy?

[Jennie@ifish]

Sigh....

I just got e mails from several unhappy ifishers who may not advertise on ifish, yet someone else can.

I have edited your contact information for the product advertised above, and sent you an e mail. Please respond...

...and remember, talk about any product you want, but only ifish sponsors can post contact information.

All good and helpful information, and we thank you for that, but please... no contact info. It makes it not fair for those who do pay for this service.


Thanks,

Jen

[ 02-18-2003, 05:08 PM: Message edited by: Jennie@ifish ]

[Pirate]

DBDan
Last fall on the Columbia we did best on the BW-17, but they were the original Wiggle Warts not the Brad's. We found Brad's were lighter weight, more irratic and hard to tune. Glad you did so well. I will have to give some of your recommended colors a try.

[Born to be Wild]

First and foremost;

I owe Jennie an apology for non knowingly breaking the rules. I'm sorry she had to deal with complaints on my behalf.
(I need to take the time to read the fine print before clicking). graemlins/stupid.gif

I also apologize those of you that thought it was unfair I promoted Brad's Wiggler's in a way that was advertising for him. I never realized the implications in that sense. :depressed:

I promoted them on the river's last fall to improve/promote a new method that I learned and was a real effective way of catching fish that I just learned myself. :smile:

Anyway that all said and done, I will attempt to answer a few questions regarding this plug and/or fishery.

Hey nice pix!! especially that last one of that stringer of fish!!! Those guys don`t look too happy tho especially guy on the left, was that stringer that heavy? <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Dampainter, The one on the left was my friend Ron, and the one on the right was me.
Yes, that striger was very heavy and we were all tired and his girlfriend forgot to say "cheese"!

Hey Dan,
2 years ago, I dipped about 300 Chrome/ blue herring bone Wiggle warts in cerise Lure coat. I see that brad now makes that color.......

That plug cathes damn near anything that swims in the rivers around here. Ive got Coho, Chinook and Steelhead on those.

Try trolling them in tidewater for silvers.......... <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Hey good to meet you willierower!
So, you're the one!
Dog-gone-it, I heard about you!
Hope it didn't Financially hurt you with Brad copying that color!
The reason he did it was a friend of his and now mine, suggested he do so.
Too many folk's want to take credit for inventing that color scheme. Do you know the actuall person that came up with that?
You are right, that is a hot color (#29), and people kept commenting all season, wonder how it will work for Winter's.
You must be from the Kalama area from the rumor's I heard?
And if you are, what do you think of the possibility of closing the Kalama down to wild fish only?

It might make for a thread someday, but I think (and have some insight), that the Kalama could be a potential wild fish producer that would blow everyone's minds? :shrug:

I'm going to push for it because I think it has the potential (no dams and a fishy river), and I think it would be great to put aside a potential river like that to see what happens!
Folks that need or want to take home a fish for dinner could go next door and catch dinner at the Lewis, or the Cowlitz, or the Toutle, or the Elocoman.
Save the hatchery funds and pump them into the other rivers.
You might be against the idea, but I could almost guarantee you, everybody would soon see some impressive results.
And it would be a great test to see if the pro wild/native fisherman are right!

Thanks for all the info DBD!!! Its nice to learn a new technique to add to the arsenal. Is there anywhere around Vancouver that sells the wigglers? (Maybe a dumb question, but I've never been in the market for plugs) <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Well, maybe I'm not suppose to say where or whatever, but you should be able to get them there at G I Joes in Vancouver.
If not, you can get them at Bob's in Longview where Brad is the buyer.

Some of you have maybe read some things I have posted on different threads.
I don't hate hatchery fish which is obvious by the pic's above.
But, I do think where there is available habitat and natives, let's let them do there job and make life easier on all of us.

Dan

[ 02-19-2003, 04:28 PM: Message edited by: DepoeBayDan ]

[fishahoy]

[ 02-19-2003, 05:24 PM: Message edited by: fishahoy ]

[Born to be Wild]

[ 02-20-2003, 01:43 AM: Message edited by: DepoeBayDan ]

[Born to be Wild]

[ 02-19-2003, 11:26 AM: Message edited by: DepoeBayDan ]

[willierower]

Dan,

Actually my ex- brother-in-law was the one who started dipping the warts in the Cerise Lure coat. two years ago my then wife and I took over the tackle shop by the pipeline when some stuff went down and my ex brother-in-law had to take off................. Anyways, I bailed out of the tackle biz when the then wife and I decided to call it quits. She and her mother sold the store to Prichards who then sold it to eliminate the competition.

You may have met me if you stopped in that store between 7/91 and 12/91. I was only there 3 days a week due to having a full time job down here in Oregon.

I feel it would be a mistake to make the Kalama a wild fish only stream. The Kalama is located too close to two major population centers. People need a place to fish and the Kalama offer a great year round fishery to both boaters and bank bound anglers. Then there would be the added pressure on other nearby streams from people who fishing for something they can take home. All in all I think it would be a bad move to make the Kalama a wild fish only stream.

[Born to be Wild]

You may have met me if you stopped in that store between 7/91 and 12/91. I was only there 3 days a week due to having a full time job down here in Oregon. <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Actually I didn't fish the Kalama that year but almost did. That was the "big" hatchery Coho year ('91). 2.1 million!
I was living in Gladstone Oregon then right on the Clackamas River. Learned to catch Springer's that Spring. Watched the like's of Rich Paradinski and Siverton Dan and next thing you know, I was catching limit's of Springer's on bobber and sand shrimp. Caught one drift fishing, but I didn't know how to drift fish yet.
Went down to Meldrum Bar one day after catching a springer in the Clack that morning. I couldn't catch a second springer in the Clack because the first one made for 6 in a week. (Clack limit back then).
I always tried to incourage the plunker's into trying a bobber and shrimp at the bulkhead but none ever did.
So, I grabbed my rod out of my truck and went over to the bulkhead and first cast, fish on.
The guy's all yelled over to me and asked,"what ya got"?
I replied, "oh, a carp or some kind of garbage fish".
Well, when that springer got close and saw the bank, he high tailed!
I yelled back, "woe, this ain't no garbage fish"!
It was just a little guy (10 or 12lbs.) but what an experience!
Kind of funny, the next time or two I went down there, the guy's (plunker's) had bobber rod's leaning up against there trucks.

Anyway, later that fall, I called Brad at Woodland Larry's or Lewis River Sporting Goods and asked him, "Brad, where should I go tomorrow, the Lewis, or the Kalama"?
He told me to "stay home and fish in my back yard".
I said, "you mean the Clack"? (I had never had any luck on the Clack except for Springer's earlier that year).
He then told me about his experience at Barton Park the day before. The rest is history.
There were so many coho that year, that it became too easy. That's when I learned to drift fish. How could you not? It was like fishing Alaska.
I'm still not the World's best drift fisherman, but it doesn't matter. I catch plenty of fish (except for Steelhead) and have fun.
And in fact, Brad who had lived most of his life there at that time, told me, "cherish this Dan, you will never see it like this again in your lifetime". He also said, "people pay good money to do this kind of fishing in Alaska"!
I discovered how to hike into the mouth of Deep creek, and it was phenominal
I've only been to Alaska once, and it didn't top that year ('91) on the Clack!
So, I never made it up to the Kalama that year.

I feel it would be a mistake to make the Kalama a wild fish only stream. The Kalama is located too close to two major population centers. People need a place to fish and the Kalama offer a great year round fishery to both boaters and bank bound anglers. Then there would be the added pressure on other nearby streams from people who fishing for something they can take home. All in all I think it would be a bad move to make the Kalama a wild fish only stream. <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">You're probably right.
I don't know that much about the Kalama, I've just fished it a bit.
I have seen Chinook spawning there.
Do they stock it with hatchery Chinook, or are they all wild?
I believe they trap them there at the weir, so they probably do stock them.
People still could catch and release, and I believe there would be plenty that would, but there is a lot of fisherman like myself that like to catch and release into there boat, or car.
I do think it would be a relatively short time before fisherman could retain some wild fish, even if it were only one fish a day.
We would be ahead of the game though, if all the sudden there became a lack of funds to operate the hatchery.
Anyway, tough one!

You know last year I was fishing near the Sportsman Club on the Kalama and someone came down in a drift boat and was using the "old style" Wiggle Warts with a siwash and bead chain swivel.
Was that you?

Too many folk's want to take credit for inventing that color scheme. Do you know the actuall person that came up with that? <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Do you know who came up with that awesome color scheme (#29) that you used to dip?

And what was it like fishing coho in the Kalama
that awesome coho year in 1991?


Dan

[ 02-19-2003, 01:33 PM: Message edited by: DepoeBayDan ]

[willierower]

I didnt fish Kalama last year at all, so it wasnt me in that boat.

In 91 The fishing silver fishing was insane at times. I pretty much stayed away from the the lower river. I spent time on the Lewis until the rains came. But when the rains finally did come, It was crazy. I fished on a sunday evening by the trap and limited on both silvers and steelhead. The next 3 days 54 salmon found their way into my boat :grin: . That 3 limits a day for 3 days......... I had numerous days where the boat limited on silvers going from the Pipe line to Modrow........ :dance:

[Born to be Wild]

[ 03-03-2003, 03:28 PM: Message edited by: DepoeBayDan ]