Will Wetline

BR has helped me refine and expand on presentations of baits I'm somewhat familiar with such as wacky rigging Senkos and successfully throwing baits I hadn't used before - Strike King's Red Eye Shad for one. Of particular interest is the Tacklemaking Forum and especially posts by smalljaw67 and Cadman. One aspect of BR that I really appreciate is that this site does not permit the often juvenile, mean-spirited trash talk found on other forums. One final comment: Contribute! You may not be an expert but you do have something to say. Just about all questions are "intelligent" - ask. If you're working on a project, post a few pics and write some commentary on unusual aspects. You may be helping someone else and you may receive some constructive criticism to improve whatever you're working on. Participation is what makes a forum fly and I'm happy to be an active member of Bass Resource.

It's been among my top 5 go-to baits for years. I fish the 5" usually in color #176 T-rigged with a 3/16 oz. bullet, a faceted 6mm red glass bead and a 2/0 regular wire Gamakatsu EWG hook. This is tied to 10 lb. copolymer line. I use a drag and pause retrieve around rocks and weed for smallmouth.

I'm holding this steelhead out away from me because I want the viewer to focus on the Woolly Bugger I tied in its mouth. I generally want the fish to look its actual size. Here's the smallie in my avatar pic: If you guessed 6.0 lbs. you'd be in agreement with the digital scale that weighed her.

Wow! That's a bunch of big fish!

I don't think pheasant is your best bet, free or not. Check out these materials from barlowstackle.com: http://www.barlowstackle.com/Jig-and-Fly-Tying-Material-C19.aspx I'd try some imitation polar bear hair which is also used for small jigs for cold water bass. http://www.barlowstackle.com/Synthetic-Hair-and-Fur-C158.aspx As far as learning to tie goes, I highly recommend the spiral bound version of "Fly Tying Made Clear And Simple" by Skip Morris. Better yet, attend a class for hands-on instruction. Bring some jig heads and material. Hopefully the trout fly guys won't throw you out!

Thanks for this info.

Excellent post and pics.

A-Jay, you've given an excellent account of a remarkable trip. Thanks so much. And congratulations to all you bassmasters!

Stunning.

I'm not asking which rock you were standing on, but would you tell us what state you were in when you caught those beauties?

Any hook that's plated you will want to sharpen before use. I believe the file came from northernbass.com and works fine on larger hooks. Use a small, flat stone on hooks smaller than say, a size 1. I tried Cabela's grooved, cylindrical sharpener but like the stone better. I don't sharpen Gamakatsu or other chemically sharpened worm hooks thinking I'm better off replacing them.

I'll recap: You will not be able to compete with the major players making a small investment of tools and materials. The right understanding going in is that you enjoy detail work as a separate but obviously related hobby. Expect to spend around $200.00 for start up supplies. And yeah, it makes for a bigger smile when you bust a bass on a jig you designed and made.

Made a one day trip back to New York's Salmon River, November 16. Very fortunate to have exceptional late fall weather with sunshine, high 50ºs and light breeze. This trip I wanted to see if I could fine tune a presentation that worked a few weeks ago, throwing a Woolly Bugger variation weighted with a slinky to get it bouncing the bottom in the 500 CFS flow. If you have an interest in my five day trip October 21 - 25, you'll find it here: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/126928-salmon-river-ny-steelhead-trip-october-21-25-2013/ The morning of the last day of my annual trip on the river was very slow. Figuring I couldn't do worse, I switched from throwing egg pattern flies (which are commonly and effectively used this time of the steelhead season) to streamer flies. Below is a pic of one of the most popular, Woolly Buggers. This pattern in white caught the interest of two fish, neither of which were landed due to terminal tackle failure. The second, a steelhead easily over ten lbs. but under "braggin' rights" size (15 and up!) was a real thrasher and cut the leader when it wrapped in the snap of the swivel of the slinky. I've been using this type of weight for many years and don't recall this happening before. It occurred to me that a permanent fix for this rare failure would be as simple as a dab of epoxy. Okay. Now we're back to the early morning of November 16. I sized up the water in front of me and tied on a four ball slinky to get the size 6 Wooly-Wife drifting in the path of a moving steelhead.

Thank you for the excellent account of your muskie adventure. That's a great pic of a magnificent catch. Congratulations!

Fine way to finish your home season.

Fine fish and pics, Mitch.

AssassinAngling et al, I buy a "Magnum Slinkies 4 pack" from http://www.allseasonssports.com/contactus.asp?catid=19670&fileID=7431 and cut the lengths down into the sizes I want (4, 5, 6 ball - whatever). All Seasons doesn't have this listed online so call them. This product is manufactured by www.madriverflytyingmaterials.com. Other items you will need are size 12 snap swivels, pliers and a flame from a cigarette lighter or a candle. If the flow is low I use lead shot from Cabela's rigged on a tag end off the swivel between line and leader (tippet).

Good pics and fish. Thanks, Mitch.

KyakR and Activist Angler both quoted Thoreau. I will ponder "Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after" for the rest of my life. You might also mull over what Norman Maclean says in "A River Runs Through It" : " . . . all good things - trout as well as eternal salvation - come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy." I've got the idea that you aspire to a competitive career. I wish you luck. Fame and fortune is highly valued in our society. I also ask you to stay open, however, to the idea that a quieter, more contemplative approach to fishing has its own rewards as well. You will find these harder to express in words and there is no money involved. Listen to your own drummer, as Thoreau put it.

Great Lakes tributaries steelhead fishing is about big fish, light line, moving water and harsh weather. And, as much as I love catching big smallies, I have to say there's no better game in freshwater than steelhead fishing. Here are a few pics to give you an idea what it's about: Don introduced me to steelhead fishing in 1996. Don's son, Aaron M., joined us seven or eight years ago and this year took Top Rod honors two days out of five! Aaron H. travels from N. VA with Aaron M. This is his third year with us and he has become an accomplished steelheader. Talk about traveling . . . Ben had been planning his trip for nearly two years. He came from the Basque Country to spend thirteen days in the river. That's right - he lives in France! It was my great pleasure to net five fish for him one day that he joined us. Here's yours truly holding a steelhead that's maybe a pound heavier than average for the Salmon River. Fishing an 8 lb. leader, you take your time and chase 'em downriver if that's where they want to go. Gee-haw! It rained Wednesday and it hailed for a couple of hours Thursday a.m. Besides hail pellets in a very cold puddle, you're looking at a size 8 Frammus, one of many so-called egg imitation flies, and a 5 ball "slinky" (lead shot in parachute cord sealed at the ends) that I used to tap the bottom in the 1200+ cfs flow. Birch in the late afternoon sun. It's a beautiful spot to hang out for a week. But we all have to go home at some point. This steelhead was advised to eat well and grow huge - and maybe we'll meet again next year.

When I first started fishing steelhead in the late '90s, I used skein (egg sacks). After I saw how effective egg pattern flies could be for spin fishermen I learned to tie them. I had been molding jigs and spinnerbaits for something like 20 years at that time. Nowadays I enjoy catching both steel and smallies on baits I've made (on a good day, you understand). There's always more to learn.

Yes. I make a yearly trip late October to the Salmon River in Pulaski, N.Y. I use a Shimano Stradic 4000 filled with 8 lb. Berkley Sensation on a TFO 9 1/2' rod. Here's a box of size 10 egg pattern flies that I tied: Here's a look at a steelhead that ate one of them: AssassinAngling is correct to advise that steelhead fishing is addicting. You'll find no other species in fresh water that's faster or more berserk. I'll report on this year's trip in early November.

I mold and paint jigs, design and make the skirts ( both rubber and hair), assemble spinnerbaits and inline spinners from components and tie flies for steelhead trout. It would certainly be less expensive for me to buy finished products considering the small quantities I use, but I do it because I enjoy the design work and the hand craftsmanship involved.

Great day and story, Mitch. Thanks for sharing it.

smalljaw67, thanks for your comments on the bio silk material. I have always preferred rubber skirts but have noted the same problem with this material clumping together if not dried properly. I'll be trying the bio silk on jigs I mold this winter.