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I’m a flatlander from Florida but I typically spend my major outdoor pursuit of the year in Canada canoeing. I used to work at Mt Rainier back in the day and after a few decades I have decided to head back to the mountains. The plan is Snoqualmie pass to Manning Provincial on the PCT during the month of August. Fishing will be a major component of the trip. I will be hanging around and listening in and trying to learn a few things, just thought I would say hi……….and thanks in advance.
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Hi Brian
Well I have 34 days total but that includes traveling logistics getting to and fro. So maybe 30 days on the trail. I figure 10 miles per day which makes 26 days of hiking with a few rest days thrown in. Hopefully I will arrive and set up camp each day early enough to get some fishing in as it is always my focus.Not opposed to do some gentler bushwacks to try some side lakes which will probably receive lots less pressure. What I learned in Yelowstone was quite formative in my education of wilderness trout fishing. If you are willing to walk a little further than everyone else the fish tend to be a bit more cooperative. Back before the day I believed in law and order and the civil society I fished the Yellowstone River and had only follows even with 2 lb test. Then in desperation I decided to fish the “no fishing” stretch of the Yellowstone (due to buffalo interactions). 2ft cuts were literally falling over each other to clobber my small Rapala.
I have always done fairly well on trout in moving water but still water not so much. I generally use spinning and 4lb test and have found spoons all around best but think I should be doing better than I am. So I will listen in and hopefully get some tips.
Thanks, MT -
Brian
I couldn’t help but notice you like the jakes lure. Sounds good……..do you use them with a snap or a clip (fas snap) or do you use a ball bearing swivel? Another option would be a clip at the lure and a short leader to a small barrel swivel to create the illusion of one small bait fish pursuing some lunch.
Just curious what you advise……..if used with just a snap how much problems do you experience with line twist?
I am assuming 4lb test? Can most of the fish in the high country be beat with 4? Or do some bigger fish lurk in some of the rivers where 6 might be better? I will be passing through stehiken and have some some pics of some pretty good trout that might make fun of 4 in the current.
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I use a snap swivel. Normally just the cheap, small ones, but I’ve used ball bearing swivels at times. I have a slight preference for black swivels, but not enough to really care all that much.
I had to google Fas-Snap. I’ve never used one. I’ve got some tiny swivels with cross-lok snaps, but at those small sizes they can be a pain to thread lures on and I prefer a plain old snap swivel.
I haven’t had much trouble with line twist. It doesn’t hurt to let he line dangle and un-twist every so often, however.
I would stick with 4-lb line.
While I love my Jakes Spin-A-Lure, I’ve probably been using 3/16 oz Daredevils (brass with red or orange) more often the past couple years. It kind of depends on the size and depth of the lake but the Daredevils fish really well in shallow water.
I’ve never tried fishing with a leader setup like you describe, but it seems like unnecessary complexity.
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I’m a salt water guy and have come to appreciate the illusion of one fish chasing its dinner (a lure chasing a swivel). It really is a strike trigger for virtually all game fish wether fresh or salt water IMO. When bait is preoccupied making its own living it is vulnerable and easy pickings for game fish.
Do you stick with the stock treble hooks that come with the daredevil or do you change them out for premium trebles or go with single hooks?
Thanks for your help
MT -
I normally use the stock trebles.
I tried the Berkely NanoFil line this year. That stuff is awful. I lost two spoons yesterday. The first was on a fish. It hit and the line immediately parted. Based on the other fish we caught it, the fish was probably running something over 14″. The second was when I was out in my raft and I hit the bail when I was casting. Now I’ve snapped lures off on a big cast when I flipped the bail, but I wasn’t hauling off as hard as I could, just taking an easy cast. I’m going to buy some different line today.
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Ha! Funny you should mention the nano stuff. I have read very mixed reviews and was toying with getting some. I hear casts are a mile long. I will probably just go with gamma with one spool 4lb and one spool 6lb.
I was at bass pro today looking for the 3/16 gold daredevil spoons but all they had was the size below and above. No jakes as well……looks like I will be ordering. I did pick up some other offerings though. Pins minnow looks interesting as well as a sinking UL rapala shad, a lure from rapala which I had never seen before. Probably a little slimmer wobble and it is a fat little package.
Have you ever done well with plastics and a jig head? Worked well for us with some stocked rainbows in a Tennessee mountain stream, nice fish of 20″ which is pretty impressive for a cold December day.
I like doing my own thing and thinking outside the box so 1/2 of my offerings will be my own but I also like catching stuff to so I appreciate the lure advice (when all else fails listen to those who know 😉
We did very well on trout in the above mentioned River with a lure which was introduced to me by my fishing accomplice. It is called an Ugly Duckling………did very well for us with 2 other 20″ rainbows caught on them. Of course River fishing with crankbaits is a whole different game than River fishing. I killed the big trout in rivers with an original floating rapala in brown trout finish……nice big fish in Yellowstone and glacier parks. But on flat water it was a whole different ball game. Seems like the spoons do better.
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It does cast a mile, I’ll give it that. I bought some Sunline mono to try. I keep going back to mono.
I have never caught trout on plastics/jig. I’ve tried, but never had any luck.
I had to google the Ugly Duckling lure. They are made of balsa. That’s seriously old-school! Cool.
I’ve never had much luck on Rapalas, but I know people that have. I generally use Flatfish when I’m going that direction.
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Never get tired of talking fishing……
Ordered 4 of the 3/16 daredevils today……2 in gold (brass) and 2 in brown trout. The 3/16 are hard to find but they are coming compliments of cabelas. I was tempted by the crackle frog which has yielded several large northern.
Looking at ordering the jakes…….trying not to get redundant. What color do you like? I was leaning towards the black with some dots. What say you?
Concerning spinners……..any good? Or are the spoons best? I have done well with rapalas and spinners in moving water and not so much in still.
Plastics……I have some “trout magnets” which are basically a gold dart jig and a plastic grub. Thought about putting them out on a tiny slip bobber and just let them sit there while I do some journaling. Thoughts?
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The Cabelas site is a bit difficult because it doesn’t tell you what color is on the back. I recommend the red/white stripe in brass and something like the Orange Potato Bug. The Brown Trout pattern looks interesting, but I’ve never fished it.
I’ve found that patterns like the crackle frog seem to be more effective in low lakes then in high lakes.
For the Jakes Spin-a-Lure I like them in this order: gold/red spots->black/yellow spots->white/red spots->sliver/red spots. Quarter oz is the sweet spot. I don’t like the lighter version (Li’l Jake) and the heavier version is too heavy. Looking at their website I see there are some new patterns that look interesting, but I’ve never fished them. I’ve only fished the 4 classic patterns.
Spinners can be very effective. I tend to not use them very often because they don’t cast as well and can be fussy. But they definitely work. The guys I was fishing with on Sunday were having good luck with black Panther Martins. If there is a big black ant hatch then a black Rooster Tail can be especially effective.
You’ll have to let me know how you do on plastics. I’ve never tried fishing them on a slip bobber like that.
I do highly recommend carrying some flies that you can use with your bobber.
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There is a group stocking trip on Tuesday, June 23rd up at Serene lake by Index. You are welcome to come as a guest, it is an easy hike and you can see how we put the fish in the lakes, etc and at the same time try some of the setups that you and Brian are discussing.
Just a thought. :camping:Johnny C
Thomas Lure Specialist
Care of Mr. Curtis -
Yup that would be cool thing to be a part of……..alas I am trying to make a buck here in the Midwest where I hang out during the summer. Flying into Seattle come August. I’ve been hanging out at the tops of tall buildings trying to get acclimated……..not sure it’s working though. 😉
Hey have you checked out the UL rapala shad? Fished with it this week and was I impressed. Slow sinking lure with a curved lip. Retrieved with a whipping action of the rod and 4lb test the lure has excellent erratic but lifelike motion. I will probably remove the belly hook to keep it snag resistant but premium hooks as well. Will it catch trout? I ilke my chances, very different from most crank baits. Remove the split ring and use a fas snap for a much improved connection.
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Hi guys
just back from 20 days in Alpine lakes……….most of what I brought did not catch much if any fish. The small crank baits which work so well for me in streams caught zero fish in the alpine lakes. Power bait and gulp were mostly duds as well. What was a notable and HUGE success were the little daredevils which were suggested to me. A giant THANK YOU is accorded as you made my trip a success. I started the trip out with 4 of them………2 gold and 2 in the Brown trout pattern. The Brown Trout pattern is much better IMO. I ended up giving all 4 of the lures away before the trip ended to people I met along the way but it was worth seeing other folks have a good time.The Thomas spoon I had, was a little bigger than the 3/16 oz daredevils and were generally less effective on the little trout but it did better getting the bigger fish to commit. I ended up losing it to a bigger trout who got the best of me wrapping me up on a log.
So thanks again for sharing your knowledge as it factored heavily into being able to have a quality experience. When I pull the trip report together I will share it as some may find it interesting.
MT
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Hey folks, I met Jim on the Tenas creek trail to Boulder and Pear lakes. He told me he had just stocked Pear lake and about what the Trailblazers do, the mission and focus. I had been up at the lakes the weekend before and there was a apparently a very thick may fly hatch and the fish were fat and happy on the bottom. Me and a buddy hiked up to Pear in the rain and pulled a couple nice rainbow out of there but not much action despite spotting some large fish. Hard fighters.
The weekend after was the hike i ran into Jim when he stocked Pear lake. The fishing was excellent but i was pulling in mostly larger and juvenile rainbow from Boulder lake below. Seems like the cutthroat have been fished out or hiding since July. There was a new fire near Glacier peak and the smoke rolled in thick the next morning and we had to hike out the air quality was so bad.
I was at the last meeting, new prospect sat in the back called the raffle drawing. I was impressed with the work you all do and would like to volunteer if anybody needs assistance stocking lakes. I’m a strong hiker, not a quitter, respectful and very interested to learn and flexible. I didn’t realize you all existed and that there is such a short window to get the work done. Please let me know if i can be of service.Mike
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