RT's Insider Page
 
reeltruthfishing.com

* My insider page will essentially be my outlet for posting
information about new fishing technologies, pertinent news
updates, fish & scenic pictures, and occasional whimsical
'takes' on both the fishing scene and the world. Information
here will be to augment my RT book, with the best techs
and secrets remaining within it's pages.

Steve 'RT' Hanson

* I will also be accepting fishing questions from The Reel Truth book
owners and their friends, via my e-mail address:
reeltruth1@yahoo.com, most answered with an e-mail reply - with
some of the more interesting Q&A's being posted on this page.

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{scroll down with right tab - most recent postings listed first)

* BTW, I will be updating the tips in this Insider's Page a bit more often
now. If you have any questions or techs you'd like covered, or just feel like
ribbing me into posting, send me an email note to me at  
reeltruth1@yahoo.com. Thanks. ... Good luck and safe fishing out on the
water! -- Steve

* Late June '06 -

Well, this season's springer runs of up-river Columbia fish, headed above
Bonneville Dam, and the lower river tribs including the large Willamette run too,  
made for erratic poor fishing, with occasional exceptions for lucky and/or persistent
anglers. The CR run finally picked up quite late in the season, and the 'summer'
chinook run looks like it should be a decent one. Re-check some of the techs and
tips below to fish the mainstem for them. Also try smaller spinners and plugs in
shallower/faster water for the expected good run of summer steelhead out there,
particularly in July.

Of course the west side Cascade tribs had below average springer returns, with
resultant erratic to slow fishing being common. Summer steelheading has been
decent and should get better on into the summer. With this year's above average
rainfall and snowpack, in conjunction with later returning runs, these good sized
tributaries should provide good combo springers/summers opps thru July for
fresher brighter fish than usual. To fish good water that holds both species at the
same time, I like to backtroll standard size Wiggle Warts with combos of chrome
and blue colors. And also fresh sandshrimp about 55" behind the Hot-N-Tot or
Brad's divers. Try syringe injecting such as krill and/or code liver oil into the
shrimp's tail section, for a slow milk out of the smaller hole those provide than a
Gilly's bottle injector does. These are killer good for both species and will save on
good cured salmon eggs which the squawfish will more frequently eat off your
hooks in the warmer water of summer and fall. But if you have a real big supply of
them though, you'll know what to do.

Word has it that the coastal springer and summer steelhead runs should be closer
to normal seasons this year. In addition to those inland tactics above, in good
coastal river and tidewater holes, switch back and forth between float-fishing good
bait, and prawn meat tipped steelhead jigs (with strong hooks). The 'nooks really
go for those feathered marvels too! Then follow up with good hardware and plugs if
you know fish are there that just haven't bit yet. Try another good hole for awhile,
and then consider coming back - this time trying the lures first, followed by float
fishing.

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* Late March '06 -

As predicted, the mainstem Columbia (kept from I-5 bridge down this
season) , and the Willamette, are off the slow starts. Because of unusually
cold water early on, the fishing should pick up a lot in April and May. [MORE
on angling springers up the tribs and coast later.]
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EXPERIMENTATION - the importance, and doing it properly:

Many times I've made mention that anglers can put their targeted fish into 3
catagories.

1) Very aggressive, non-weary, territorial fish that will bite often when decent
things come their way. These fish usually don't spook as easily. Some are
downright careless, like a bull elk in rut. [Least % of fish in this group.]

2) Non-aggressive fish that will bite on occasion when the right
bait/lure/presentation comes their way and triggers their interest or an
instinctual re-action. [The % varies, but considerably less than half the fish.]

3) Won't bite anything in river environments, regardless -
spooked/weary/unaggressive and timid/careful by nature. [Highest % of fish
- or else catching salmon/steelhead would be super easy, and long ago
brought a halt due to severe low numbers remaining.]

Of course, the % of fish falling into those three catagories changes all the
time with water conditions, but there is always a catagory they will fall into;
and generally stay within those % guidelines. Some of the reasons (not
listed above) are still a mystery to us, and for us to solve some day. Keep
experimenting! You know the basic things fish like. Alter and improve those.
Show the fish new smelling and new looking things. Let your impagination
run wild with ideas of all kinds (within reason). IMPORTANTLY, do so when
there are at least some biting fish present, not when it's slow and you thus
think that's the time to experiment. Alternate experimental presentations to
the fish with different scents/cures/eyes/colors/etc with proven ones; or have
both out at the same time with a team of 2 or more anglers, giving all equal
chances. If you really think fish should be biting your new concoction or
presentation tricks, then don't give up easily at first. Give it enough time and
circumstances, and in different places! Preferably with the help of a team of
fishing friends you trust. A good team is certainly much more effective and
faster at drawing solid concludions.

The group 3 non-biters commonly have the highest % of fish present (as they
are referred to in a river - in reality there is no such 'breed', or they wouldn't
eat and survive as juveniles on the way down and out in the ocean).

Group 1 aggressive fish commonly have the lowest % of fish present at any
given time. These are sometimes called 'suicide' or 'dumb' fish. They don't
spook easily and they are definitely 'biters'.

In between in % are the group 2 fish that we truely angle for! They can be
referred to as marginal biters. They are commonly prone to spooking in
clear water conditions, but will recover reasonably well and soon from such
incidents, thus willing to bite the right combos of lures/scents/baits and so
importantly the right presentations. Since these are usually the fish that really
make our day, catching success wise anyway, I encourage fishers to do
everything they can to get these marginals to bite. One of those is putting
eyes on lures (see other thread). I do that most of the time, usually on plugs,
occasionally on other lures, ever since myself and team of buddies
discovered a small but significant difference. Many times the fish may well
have struck anyway, without the eyes, especially among group 1 fish. At
times some of the group 2 fish would not have struck and turned away at the
last second (as evidenced on under water film footage).

The same is true of adding small attractors to lures and baits. More than half
my plugs & Kwiks also have a small flame red or chartreuse arrowhead
shaped piece of lure tape at the back sides or underside, because we
discovered the extra attraction or aggrivation stimulous to make a small, but
again, important difference when added together with other positive factors.
The same is true of scents and of the caliber of cured baits used. But they
make a bigger difference than eyes & arrows. None of those things
commonly spook fish - at least in and of themselves. People and fishing
gear movement are what usually spooks fish. So get after it, and learn some
new tricks to give you and advantage over others.

Also try different approaches to holes, especially during low clear river
conditions. See if you notice a pattern develope of a particular strategy
working better than others.
----------

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*  March 1st, '06:

-- This month's promo is a $5 discount for ANWS (NW Steelheaders) members and
their friends. Ask your chapter president or other officers for the access url for the
promo order page. Part of the procedes will be going to the ANWS general fund. I
fully recommend non-members to look into joining this fine NW fish and fishing
opportunity organization:
( www.nwsteelheaders.org ).
-- Please also look into joining NSIA (NW Sportfishing Industry Association).
Contact NSIALIZ@aol.com for info. It's also a strong entity for enhancing
salmon/steelhead runs and more opportunity to fish for them. They use the small
annual membership fees to finance many helpful programs and also a couple
full-time Wash DC lobbyists on our behalf.

* IT's SPRINGER  TIME! (TIPS & MORE)

-- Just a few tips for early season springer fishing for now - more later.
Remember that the water is colder the first half of the season. That's why
using action packed K13/14/15 sizes of chrome/chartreuse Kwikfish and
U20/M2 Flatfish, with sardine or herring fillet wrap, are great for the lower
Columbia. They really 'wake up' frigid water lethargic biters. Try the
bead-chain with tapered foam buoyant hook off the belly eye-screw (see pic
at left) on the larger ones (K15/16 - T50) for an increased landing rate!
Same for the big fall 'nooks! Also try augmenting lures with some smelt
scent when those little grunions are still swimming up the CR with the
springers.

-- For the same reason, early in the season it's good to try half of the boat's  
herring rigs with slightly quicker spin rates to tune in for any fish preference. I
suggest plug-cut blue label size and whole red/green pack size herring. Try
some chartreuse colored yarn strands tied onto the lower hook after skewing
the herring on, or above the upper hook, and use a variety of scents in it.
Definitely head to the larger tackle stores and pick up a new product called
"Fool-A-Fish", a spray that brightens herring for better flash attraction.
Excellent reports of increased success already! ..... Spinner/prawn rigs really
rock in the early cold and colored water! Those will get their attention, and
they love 'em!

-- For a different reason - change up bait and look - anchor fish or slowly
back-troll the lower mainstem Columbia springers with a size 4
'chrome/chartreuse' or 'fire-tiger' Spin-N-Glow above a good sized cluster of
eggs (cured in a powdered chinook cure). Use a Jet Diver or 2' lead
dropper for back-bouncing. Those fish don't just LOVE eggs up near Bonnie
and O.C.!!!

-- During stronger incoming tides that slow the big river's current, especially
when the water is on the clearer side, slowly troll downstream to cover lots of
water AND fish at an efficient rate.

-- Kwikfish/Flatfish aren't the only large plugs that will catch chinook from the
cold spring waters of the Columbia River. On 1 or 2 of the boat's rods, show
the fish something different for awhile (when they are there - NOT when it's
real slow). Try Mag Warts and Fatfish in the same productive 'Kwikie' colors.
Also try standard and Mag sized Hot-N-Tots as plugs, instead of just as
hookless bait divers. They work! .... [Later in the season when the large
Columbia & Willamette rivers become lower, clearer, and warmer, it's good
to use smaller lures and baits. Try the newer K11x & K13x Kwikies. And
smaller whole herring (red pack size) and plug-cut some green pack to troll
or back-troll, and use on anchor. Size 4 Colorado blade rainbow spinners,
with various tip and bead colors, can save the day in those water conditions.]

--------------------------------------------------

First tips posting (early spring '06):

-- YO, LISTEN UP!! Most consistently successful spring chinook anglers
know how important the scent factor is. And as alluded to above, in addition
to being incredibly capable of detecting smells from quite a long distance,
'nooks also are prone to being curiosity driven toward new quality smells
that come along on occasion. Migrating predators must have this ability to
help them survive. ...

-- Most of you will have things such as WD40 and high viscosity shrimp scent
on board or bank when fishing for these highly prized combos of fighting
machine and main course! Well of course! At the same time, too many of
you don't have a good enough supply of different scents and bite enhancers
along for the trip. As mentioned, I won't give away things such as the
top secret scents and fishing techs; which are reserved for those
who have figured out the tremendous fish catching value that The
Reel Truth book represents! And buy it - they are already on their way. But
I will state some of the basics and a bit more (on here, in addition to the
ones above) for those without the book. ...

In my opinion, the hottest new scent is the quality brand suppliers of Krill
scent (in thickened juice, oil, or paste)! It's superb for salmon, very
good for steelhead. Have a container of that along on springer outings.
Another top productive scent, which has been around for a long time, but not
publicized much, is canned or fresh tuna fat, oil, and/or flesh. I like to have
krill on some of my plugs. Fillets of fresh tuna bellies or bands of meat are
excellent bait/scent outright - but they are even better as a sudden change
up on holding fish. Two ways I use it are 1) As a Kwikfish fillet wrap, and 2)
as a small chunk of tuna meat to include along with egg clusters on the hook
in the loop. Sardine is also good for a double bait combo with eggs or
shrimp - commonly float fishing or back-bounced for in river 'nookie.  ;)  
Keeping some skin on one side helps it stay on the hook longer. Fish on!

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More tips and things will be periodically posted -- on any given day.