kwiks

[garyk]

About moving...

Pretty much what rknh20 said.

I believe our Columbia River success has increased significantly by moving if a spot isn't producing that day.

My hunch is that the springers are following current seams; they're off to the side of the main flows. Sometimes you can find them as shallow as 8'. Depending on the current flow, these current seams can be closer or further from the shore.

On the occassional day when guys on the bank are hammering them, you better find an inside location to anchor up.

Then on other days you might have to go look in 15' to 20' of depth.

There are some places where you don't even have to pull anchor to move. Just move the anchor rope point on your boat to slide your boat one way or another, to see if that puts you in the traveling lane.

[ 02-02-2004, 02:30 PM: Message edited by: garyk ]

[Fishalot]

I talked to Buzz Ramsey when fishing the Wilson this Season and he said that the bungees work. He also said that they will have a black one on the market.
He told me that the bungees are kind of like a snubber, the big difference is that they stretch a lot more so the fish can turn, then the hook /hooks will dig in deep.


Fishalot

[Dinikin]

Regarding moving.
If it is sunny - stay dipper
If cloudy or rainy - closer to the shore.
Morning, afternoon, evening, etc....
As the day changes think strategically, as if you were a fish and trying to get somewhere easily and safe.

[Quasimodo the fish killer]

I dont know squat about anchor fishing the columbia but thought I might throw out my opinion on the bungee kwik fish thing.

I am not sure why anyone would want a bungee to be honest. they use bungee's for kokes to keep from tearing the mouths out but since thats not gonna happen with a nook I see no good reason to use them.

I have seen the other posts about people having a low hook up ratio but I dont see how a bungee that stretches is gonna help that problem.

I am curious though and wonder if maybe the people that have a poor ratio of solid hook ups arent using to light of a rod.

I use a very stout rod a 15 to 50 lb berkely they have great action and one heck of a back bone. when I see that rod fold and stay down I know they are stuck real good. I feel the rod with the heavier backbone helps to set the hook thats my reasoning for using it.

I also fish heavy on my lines for fall and spring nooks. I run 65lb tuff line to a ball bearing swivel then 40lb maxima ultra green there is very little stretch in that set up which I also believe helps to burry the hooks deep

I run my drags pretty tight not locked up but it takes some effort to pull line off the reel. I can always back down the drag a little when I grab the rod if I think its to much for the size of the fish.

lastly I do not even think about touching my rod when it folds untill it is laid out flat the mid section of the rod is bucking up and down and line is flat smoking off the reel.

this method has worked very well for me over the years when a fish nails it they usually end up in the boat I honestly cant remember a fish in the last 5 years that was hooked solid on the take down that I have had pull loose that didnt wrap around a snag or run the line across something untill it cut it.

I dont know if any of what I said will help anyone but I just cant imagine having so many poor hook ups unless your rod isnt stout enough or your grabbing the rod way to soon.


Quasi

.

[Fishalot]

I have seen a lot of fish lost because of a tight drag, most of the time you don't get a chance to take the rod out of the holder because the fish shakes loose.
The fish will turn and run with it, if it can and on the other hand a stiff rod with tight drag pretty much stops that.
I can see where the bungee will set the hook for you and then give the fish a little slack when it make a quick dart while reeling it in.
I think it might take a little getting used to however I will give it a try :smile: .

Fishalot

[ANDYCOHO]

husker,

I started out switching out my stock Kwikfish hooks with Owner's, but I did notice my action slow down on my K-14's, especially when the tide started to turn (my favorite time to fish :grin: )

So I switched back to my stock hooks, and I'm a much happier fisherman :tongue:

When my hooks become mangled from a fish or two I replace them with matching VMC Galv. hooks.

I don't think that the weight of the Owner hook is all that contributes to the lure slowing down. Take a look at the side profile, the Owner is a little thick, not much but enough to make a differance...IMHO

[husker]

ok..theres been lots of threads about kwiks....lately

however i was at fishermens today buying a few more kwiks....never have enough......

heres my question, i usually change my hooks from the stock hooks to owners in about the same size....and run a bait wrap.....the guy at the counter told me running owner hooks and bait wraps slows down the kwiks.....how much does it slow down??.....does it affect the catching ability of the kwik by altering its action?....i want my plugs to run they way the were designed....so inputs please

also today i had a couple of those bungee things and the guy talked me out of them for fishing kwiks.....has anybody ever used them anchored with kwiks?....good or bad results?.....

how long does a guy fish an area until he decides that he should move?...i know guides are always on the move...... i generally fish an area all day and rarely move when fishing the big C.....but some days u just know that the bite is gonna be slow in that local area....so then what?.....which way to move upstream, down stream?.....change tactics?....

[ 02-02-2004, 12:17 PM: Message edited by: husker ]

[FishinMission]

Husker...pay attention to when the "bite" comes on.....in past years, it's happened at the top of the incoming tide, or maybe at low slack, or generally...when the water slows down.

There's been days where nothing happens most of the duration of the tide...and I see people bailing out just about the time the bite is due to come on.

I don't switch hooks on the Kwikies, and I don't go to the trouble to wrap them, and we catch alot.

Can't tell you about the stretchy things...but some here have posted about them before.

Mark

[Silver Hilton]

I don't see how changing one size 2/0 hook for another is going to have much difference. The weight difference is minor in relation to the action of the plug itself. I don't bother changing the trebles from one brand to another - I think Owner hooks are a waste of money. Good hooks, to be sure, but the stock hooks are just fine once you touch them up.

My own experience is that changing hooks doesn't change the catching ability of a kwikie. I have plugs with stock hooks, siwashes, owners. They all work. They all catch fish with wraps on them, too. If slowing the actions down with fillets hurt the catching, we wouldn't be catching any fish when doing it, and FishinMission would be even more in our faces about not using wraps.

As to the spot, I don't get real worried about my spot, if it's a spot I know. The fish have to come by, it's just a matter of time before they will. If I'm fishing a new spot to me, other people are getting fish, and we aren't getting bit, I'll motate.

[Mark Vickers]

I do switch out the hooks with Owners on Kwikfish after the OEM hooks get mangled (usually by the first fish). It seems to me that the hooks they come with are a little softer and bend pretty easily, although that could just be a perception thing.

I don't use baitwraps. Infrequently, I just put a little Smelly Jelly or some other waxy scent stuff on the lure. But even then, I don't do it regularly. Regardless, I still haven't had problems catching lots of fish.

More than anything, I think its just being in the right place at the right time.

Which brings me to your question about moving around. I'm basically a transient fisher... I hate endlessly sitting there waiting for something to happen, so I move around to where I find fish on the fishfinder. Or I move and work the "lanes" where I know the fish pass through.

[luguando]

I swap out the stock hooks with Owners on my Kwiks. I noticed that there are (at least) two styles of treble hooks manufactured by Owner that are available at Bob's Sporting Goods. I don't have the hooks in front of me but one style uses a heavier gauge wire/metal (I use these on my wobblers for the fall run). The other style is much thinner and I use these on my Kwik fish. I can see where the thicker hooks could affect the wobble action during the slow flow periods of the tide. I've also noticed that the best bite usually happens near the end of the tide. My quest is to find a lure that works affectively during this slow period where a Kwik fish seems to have lost its ability to noticably wobble (judging from the rod tip action). I suppose that's the time to get the trolling gear out?! That's such a prime time of the tide.

[Lured In]

One more thought on moving....

If you are in a hogline and there are only a few boats getting fish in the line, MOVE NOW! The bite is on and you ain't in it.

I used to be a hard head about moving. I was confident in my spots, but somedays just flat out stunk. Somedays we were right in the thick of the fish and other we were just a boat off the action. I would watch others in the line bail out and re-anchor up or downriver in the approximate depth of the boats that were getting fish. Better than 50% of the time these boats got fish, while I watched.

In many spots the reality is that the fish are pretty much running a tight current seam or bottom structure up the river. If you are not in it, you will catch little or nothing. The other thing to keep in mind is that the flows change so the seams move. Keep an eye on the height of the Columbia and where you are in the tide. This will allow you to adjust with something more than blind luck. (I have watched the bite move in and out in a hogline as the tide progressed or regressed, presumably following a current seam)

In other areas it is not so much the current, but the bottom structure the fish are following. Rises, shelves, and channels (structure). With these a GPS can be helpful. I know of a handful of spots like this that no matter the water height, they produce fish.

Watch where fish are caught in any given area. Scout it out when the hog lines clear out (like during the incoming) and graph what the bottom is doing approximately where the baits sit. You may be suprised to find some structure there that doesn't exist where the boats are anchored. If you don't see anything, this would be an indication the fish are running a seam or are randomly moving across the area.

[Gun Rod Bow]

I have used Owners and stock hooks. I wont use Owners in the Bonneville area because of the scurge of oversize sturgeon. With the factory hook and 50# leader I have a better than even chance of getting my plug back. Owners will not let go. With normal drag settings I don't straighten stock hooks.

I haven't bought into bungies, have to see it work consitantly to change.

Wraps and hook changes do change action, also have advantages. Weigh the ballance.

Moving???? That's why I just say "Nope to Rope"

My .02