They say an angler is a man who spends rainy days sitting around on the muddy bank of a river doing nothing. Because his wife won’t let him do it at home.
Once I made a rainy day road trip through Central Oregon early in the spring. I didn’t fish much, but I talked to anglers, most of whom were doing nothing. Here’s a sample of the folks I met and how they were fishing.
One guy had the door of his Mercedes propped open while he fished the Deschutes at Warm Springs. He had tied a hook direct to the end of the main line and had a worm on it. No swivel. No leader. No split shot. Just a hook and worm.
He couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t cast farther than the end of his rod. I couldn’t figure out how he had generated enough brain activity to afford a Mercedes.
At Taylor Lake in The Dalles, a father and son were sitting in a Chevy watching their poles. I walked up about the time they reeled in. They had split shot crimped on main lines, big snap swivels, and short, heavy snells on big No. 4 worm hooks. Okay for catfish, maybe, but not for trout. They told me the trout weren’t biting today. When they went home they probably said, “The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad.” News Flash: It ain’t ever gonna be good.
At a kids-only trout pond in Bend, I saw a man and wife in their 90’s fishing with fly rods. They were seated on lawn chairs right next to the sign that said Fishing For Children Aged 17 and Under.
Tied to very short leaders, they had huge Spin-N-Glos with nightcrawlers on 2/0 trebles. Too big for anything smaller than a 30-pound Chinook. Their baits lay on the bottom about two feet out from the bank.
Call me old fashioned, but I think people when they go fishing for trout, should know how to rig for trout.
Here are three easy ways to catch ’em.
PASTE BAITS/JAR BAITS
Use a paste bait, particularly when the water is cold in the early season. Slide a bullet sinker onto the main line and then tie on a barrel swivel. Then tie on a 30-inch four- to six-pound test leader terminated at a No. 12-16 treble hook. Pinch a bit of the paste bait (Power Bait, Gulp! or similar), roll it in a ball and cover the hook with the dough.
Cast out, let the bait sink to the bottom, then leave it. Set the rod down and watch it. When the line starts to move, pick up the rod and reel in.
This rig catches fish and it kills them. So don’t plan on fishing for sport, for catch-and-release. Use this method when fishing for a fish dinner.
BOBBER AND WORM/BOBBER AND EGG
The bobber and worm rig is just as effective as it ever was. Rig this way when fish are active and higher in the water column.
Tie a swivel to the main line. Tie on a leader about 24 inches long. Tie on a No. 8-12 bait holder hook if fishing with a worm. Use a No. 12 hook if fishing with salmon eggs. When using nightcrawlers, cut the worm into pieces instead of using the whole worm. Pinch on a bobber above the swivel. Pinch a couple of small split shot on the leader.
Cast out, set the rod down and watch the bobber. When the bobber starts to move, let it bounce a couple of times then set the hook.
FLY AND BUBBLE
Use a fly and bubble when the water is clear. One of the most effective rigs for catching hatchery trout in clear water is a spinning rod rigged with six-pound test mainline and a float and fly combo. Slide a clear plastic bubble over the main line. Tie on a swivel. Tie on a 48-inch 4-pound test leader and finish with a No. 10 Red Tag Woolly Worm. At the lake, fill the plastic bubble with water which provides the weight necessary for long casts. If the fly doesn’t sink fast enough, put on a small split shot.
Cast and reel it back S-L-O-W. Keep moving around the pond until fish are located. This is a good method for catch and release.
Fishing is not hard, but using the wrong baits and fishing in the wrong spots will lower an angler’s success rate. Make it easy for the fish to find your bait or fly. Fish where fish are.
Still need help? Stop at a sporting goods store. Take your rod and tackle box inside. They’re going to sell you something, and that’s okay. But get a tackle expert to rig the rod the right way. They’ll do it if you ask nice. Pay attention so you can do it next time. Then go fishing. Your loved ones want you to get out of the house.
As has been said before, “Give a man a fish and he has food for a day; teach him how to fish and you can get rid of him for the entire weekend.”
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For a copy of the Fishing Central Oregon book, send $29.99 to Gary Lewis Outdoors, PO Box 1364, Bend, OR 97709 To contact Gary Lewis, visit www.GaryLewisOutdoors.com
