David Johnson
01-30-2001, 07:18 PM
Be good to our wild fish.
First of all NO DIVER AND BAIT!!! Diver and bait will kill fish. Last year there were several dead natives found on the Trask that were killed with diver/bait leaders in them.
These fish are so agressive they will take plugs great, you don't need to kill them with a diver.
Drift fishing bait is OK, it almost always hooks them in the corner of the mouth for a safe release.
Next, replace your plug hooks with single siwash hooks. This will help in easy release as well as get you better hookups as there will be wider hook gaps to bite into the fish's jaw.
I use two #1 or #2 Gamakatsu siwash on my plugs. I will crimp them onto a small barrel swivel and then attach with a split ring. I do use a treble hook sometimes but only one on a small Hot Shot like a #30 or #40. I use a #4 Gami for this. One hook is a lot better on the fish than two.
Be carefull when wading so that you don't walk through redds, also don't drag you anchor, there are also fall chinook redds down there.
Please don't use your lightest gear and line so that you have to play the fish until it's dead. Play them quickly and revive them before you let them go.
If you must net the fish use soft mesh net, not a nylon. And never, ever lift the fish into the boat. The only time I net a wild fish is if it isn't safe to get to shore and tail it. You shoud be able to see if it is clipped way before you net it.
Again, please treat our wild fish nice.
David Johnson
First of all NO DIVER AND BAIT!!! Diver and bait will kill fish. Last year there were several dead natives found on the Trask that were killed with diver/bait leaders in them.
These fish are so agressive they will take plugs great, you don't need to kill them with a diver.
Drift fishing bait is OK, it almost always hooks them in the corner of the mouth for a safe release.
Next, replace your plug hooks with single siwash hooks. This will help in easy release as well as get you better hookups as there will be wider hook gaps to bite into the fish's jaw.
I use two #1 or #2 Gamakatsu siwash on my plugs. I will crimp them onto a small barrel swivel and then attach with a split ring. I do use a treble hook sometimes but only one on a small Hot Shot like a #30 or #40. I use a #4 Gami for this. One hook is a lot better on the fish than two.
Be carefull when wading so that you don't walk through redds, also don't drag you anchor, there are also fall chinook redds down there.
Please don't use your lightest gear and line so that you have to play the fish until it's dead. Play them quickly and revive them before you let them go.
If you must net the fish use soft mesh net, not a nylon. And never, ever lift the fish into the boat. The only time I net a wild fish is if it isn't safe to get to shore and tail it. You shoud be able to see if it is clipped way before you net it.
Again, please treat our wild fish nice.
David Johnson