Wilson Report 12-3 & 12-4

Spanky · 12-05-2003, 09:29 PM

For all who are interested...Went 2 for 2 on the third behind the guide shop (8lbs and a baby at about 3 lbs) and 2 for 3 on the fourth at the MP6 hole (about 10lbs and around 15lbs) All were hatchery bucks crome bright. Gear: Small pink pearl corkie, small tuft of hot pink and white yarn, Mikes Anise oil, number four hook, eight pound leader and eight pound main, about 6 feet of leader.

ZaQ · 12-05-2003, 09:38 PM

Now theres a good report, thanks! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

ultralight · 12-05-2003, 09:48 PM

Didn't your parents teach you to have some secrets?

Good job, and thanks for the report!

Spanky · 12-05-2003, 10:58 PM

I do have secrets...They just don't involve fishing...
Spanky

ANDYCOHO · 12-05-2003, 11:04 PM

Way to go on the fish [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

And thanks for such a great report!

Riverliver · 12-06-2003, 05:36 AM

Spanky
Thank you for the info

Thank you for sharing!

Spanky · 12-06-2003, 05:57 AM

Any time...Too bad the river is gonna be blown today...I might have another report for ya.
Spanky

Chris Nordling · 12-06-2003, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Spanky:
.... about 6 feet of leader.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Whoa !

Why such a long leader?

Typically we're fishing about a 24" leader on the Wilson,a little less if the water is steelie green.

Those fish aren't line shy, so why add the extra distance to feel the bite?

I'm not trying to knock ya, just curious is all.

Great Report and Tight Lines,

Chris

bob'r down · 12-06-2003, 07:27 AM

Spanky,

Thanks for the report. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] That's what I thought this board was about when I first joined. Reports like this are really appreciated. Hopefully this will help other people to share. :smile:

:smile: Thanks.

Bob

ZaQ · 12-06-2003, 08:24 AM

PEOPLE! The Wilson is not a secret fishing river, get over it!

FISH HAWK · 12-06-2003, 08:44 AM

Neither is the J.D.

steelheadfreak · 12-06-2003, 10:52 AM

Nice report. Keep it up. Zman

spookalotafish · 12-06-2003, 12:17 PM

My intention is not to start a zipperlip war, but...

Does anyone else see a correlation between the 18 million hits ifish had in November, and the number of people on the rivers?

I agree that the Wilson is not a secret, nor are any of the coastal rivers, but I wonder if reports that the fishing is hot from Mills to Sollie funnel people from other destinations.

One idea would be to limit location reports to registered members?

[Imagine can of worms icon here.]

Spookalotafish

Captain and Marie · 12-06-2003, 12:23 PM

For a great picture go to Marie's Fishing reports!

Marie [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img]

12-06-2003, 12:37 PM

Sweet river no doubt.

[ 12-06-2003, 02:03 PM: Message edited by: ****** ]

go fisch · 12-06-2003, 12:41 PM

What a great report. Now that's what we more of need.

BUGLEMAN · 12-06-2003, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by spookalotafish:
My intention is not to start a zipperlip war, but...

Does anyone else see a correlation between the 18 million hits ifish had in November, and the number of people on the rivers?

I agree that the Wilson is not a secret, nor are any of the coastal rivers, but I wonder if reports that the fishing is hot from Mills to Sollie funnel people from other destinations.

One idea would be to limit location reports to registered members?

[Imagine can of worms icon here.]

Spookalotafish

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Doesn't someone see a correlation between the number of hits ifish gets when there is actually fish in the river?

ultralight · 12-06-2003, 01:45 PM

Yeah, I too was wondering about the 6' leader :whazzup:

Grandpa Lynn · 12-06-2003, 06:57 PM

I thought the whole purpose of this forum was information? Both getting and giving. Why else would over 5000 folks join it? If we're not going to give out GOOD information, then why would someone kept coming back to the forum?

A couple of weeks ago, 11/23 to be exact, I caught my 1st winter steelhead of the season, on the Wilson, drifting eggs & peach colored corkie with a 1/0 hook, and posted the information, with a picture. I was using heaver line and leader, because I was expecting to hook into a Chinook.

I can't really say that I've seen any more or less folks down there fishing due to my post here! About the same number now, as before..

I for one, think we'll all benefit by sharing GOOD information with each other. If someone wants to share that he/she caught a fish at the Guide Shop, is that really any big secret? A lot of folks catch fish at the Guide Shop, and it's generally pretty crowded. I personally don't fish there much, for that very reason!

Keep up the good posts, Spanky!

By the way, any steelhead which make it up into Gales Creek, have to get there, from the Tualatin River!

Spanky · 12-06-2003, 09:10 PM

6 foot leader...I find that alot of the fish I'm catching aren't holding on the bottom but further up in the water column...Using 6 foot leader and a smaller hook help keep it off the bottom...in fact alot of the hookups I've been getting are after the slinky comes off the bottom at the end of my drift...Thus the longer leader...In fact the trip on the 4th I was using a three foot leader all day...switched to 6 feet and just enough weight to bump twice on the way through and hooked all three fish back to back within 20 minutes of changing weight and leader lenght...coincidence...maybe...we'll see next time out...Tomorrow probably...Good luck all!
Spanky

SKP · 12-06-2003, 09:10 PM

And to think of the hundreds of fish I've caught at the coast the past 16 years, I've never once made a cast in the Wilson. One of these days, I'm going to have to change that. Perhaps the water will be fishable by next Saturday. I'm going steelhead fishing then. Drop water drop.

I was thinking the other day how many different rivers I've caught fish at the coast. It ranges south to the Rogue, and north to Astoria, and many places in between. Yet I've never touched the Wilson. I don't know why.

I'm going to have to change this.

SKP

Spanky · 12-06-2003, 09:16 PM

Thanks everybody for the posting support...I haven't had a single nasty pm yet this year for posting details...Catch some fish! Hope to see y'all on the river!
Tight lines,
Spanky

snowball · 12-06-2003, 11:33 PM

now that's a non-zipperliped fishing report. Finally, someone with some nuts.

12-07-2003, 12:17 AM

6 foot leader huh? hmmmm.....let's just say I'm skeptical.
Sure glad you don't know where I fish Spanky :grin:

Grandpa Lynn · 12-07-2003, 07:39 PM

I personally never used a leader that long, however, I have talked to other who swear by it. Certainly worth a try. Thanks again for sharing.

Deepline · 12-07-2003, 08:15 PM

FWF 1

I usually never use less that a 6 foot leader drift fishing. In my opinion, I feel that the presentation to steelhead is more natural. I have a qestion for you: Do you vary the length of your leader depending on the river you are fishing?

Deepline · 12-07-2003, 08:21 PM

FWF 1

I usually never use less that a 6 foot leader drift fishing. In my opinion, I feel that the presentation to steelhead is more natural. I have a qestion for you: Do you vary the length of your leader depending on the river you are fishing?

Spanky · 12-07-2003, 08:58 PM

I ususally vary the length depending on water condition and the hole I'm fishing rather than the river...If I think the fish are holding near the bottom I use a short leader unless the water is gin clear...I always use light gear though even when chinook fishing...I just seem to get more hits that way...(just personal experience)...Sure if I lay into that monster in fast water it creates a bit of a problem controlling the fish but thats half the fun right?
Spanky

steel_beaver · 12-07-2003, 10:29 PM

i like long leders too, never fish shorter than 4ft(except when there's blackberry bushes behind me

[img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] )
great report!!!

see ya on the water
SB

Spawnsack · 12-08-2003, 09:34 AM

Thank you for telling it like it is, need more of that attitude, anyone can show up but not everyone can catch fish, nice day on the river it sounds like.

spawnsack out

LazerFisher · 12-08-2003, 10:27 AM

Thanks for the great report Spanky. I also use at least a 3 foot leader and agree the fish seem to be holding higher in the water colomn so far....

Dragfreedrift · 12-08-2003, 01:28 PM

I think we all need to realize that it IS possible that a member MAY catch a fish on one of our local rivers and post it occasionally, dont ya think? Face it, there arent many secret spots in the local area anymore!

HC

12-08-2003, 02:01 PM

Hey FM, we shuda' registered "Spanky" and "Wanky" as toaster logo's when we had the chance? :grin: :grin:

Nothing at you Spanky, just some Columbia River fun with FM. :smile:

[ 12-08-2003, 04:12 PM: Message edited by: ****** ]

steelhead22 · 12-08-2003, 05:13 PM

A 3 ft. leader is the longest I use because I get most of my flossing done in the morning before I go fishing.

Deepline · 12-08-2003, 08:02 PM

<snip>

[ 12-09-2003, 07:48 AM: Message edited by: skein ]

DanS · 12-08-2003, 08:27 PM

Quote:

let's just say I'm skeptical.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">I'm not. I thought the explanation of his technique was spot-on.

Nice work on the fish, Spanky.

freespool · 12-08-2003, 08:56 PM

Deepline,sorry to hear your sad story. Sounds like some of your drift boat troubles stem from common courtsey errors. People fishing the bank don't like boats in the middle of their hole. Try reeling up and staying tight on the bank next to the fisherman. As for yelling on the boat ramp,were you ready when you launched or did you back down and then start getting the boat ready? As for leader lenth,if they are hooked inside out what's the problem?

free

Chris Nordling · 12-09-2003, 05:38 AM

Deepline-

Take a deep breath and RELAX !!!!!

First of al I never implied that I knew everything or that his method of fising was wrong. I simply asked a question.

And he answered with a great response

.

Now to answer your question. Yes, sometimes I do vary my length of leader for different holes or rivers, but typically we're fishing 18-30" leaders for driftfishing, even in the clearest of water in the summer. Steelhead in my experiences are rarley line shy, so my mainline is always 12#, and my leaders usually the same. Yes, we drop to 10# for clearer water, heck even 8# if we're fishing small streams.

There are other variables(mainly lead amount) you can change without increasing the leader length. IMHO, a longer leader takes longer for the angler to feel the bite. You might be amazed at how many fish pick up your bait, swim a few feet, then drop it, without the angler ever being the wiser :shocked: .

I prefer a sliding lead set-up,which I believe allows me to fish a shorter leader, and allows the fish to bite w/o feeling the weight of the lead. When we use fixed leads, maybe a 3 foot leader, but not much more than that unless we're boondoggin. For whatever reason, I bump it to 5' leaders( probably because the boat sets the hook 99% of the time, therefore reaction time is not as important).

That's all for now folks!

Merry Christmas and good fishing,

Chris Nordling