HOOK AND FUR By Bob Brown When fishing for salmon and steelhead GÇô and for that matter, any other fish, the most vulnerable part of a fishing line is the section closest to a fish and it needs protection. A safeguard against abrasion from rocks, a variety of submerged objects and mostly from targeted fish, leaders are the most important part of the fishing line. If the mainline breaks, the fish is lost. Fishing line protection is the job of a leader. By any definition, a leader is the length of line between the hook and swivel/weight. When choosing leader line for salmon and steelhead, the first choice should be monofilament because it is less visible to the fish and its suppleness enables lures and rigged baits to produce a livelier and natural action. Also, its suppleness makes it easier to cast. Bill Herzog, noted author and Northwest steelhead fisherman, said in his book, "Color Guide to Steelhead Drift Fishing,GÇ¥ that color of monofilament is important when choosing a line for leader material. Pick a natural tone, either green or brown, then match the leader material to water conditions. A leader that matches the surroundings will blend in with the background and not alarm the fish. However, the best color choice for leaders in any situation would be a green tint line, because it is the natural color in all river surroundings, winter and summer. Also, leaders should always be a pound or two lighter than the mainline. Monofilament is not the perfect choice for every type of fishing. Some sharp toothed fish such as pike, walleye, muskie, barracuda, mackerel, wahoo and sharks can slice through a monofilament leader quicker than a hot knife blade through butter. If fishing for any sharp-toothed species some other type of leader material such as single-strand wire or braided or twisted wire is recommended. Herzog emphasized it is important to choose a brand of line that is low-stretch, has high knot strength, is abrasion-resistant and has a hard finish. Low-stretch lines allow fishermen to feel light pickups more easily and quicker hook sets. What leader length is practical? This depends on water conditions and visibility. Ideally, fishermen should used the shortest leader possible for conditions because it will allow for felt pickups sooner and the sooner the bite is felt, the less time the fish has to eject the hook. Fish should only see the drift bobber/bait coming downstream, not the swivel or the weight. In conditions where there is some color in the water, only the brightness of the drift bobber/yarn/bait will be noticed to any degree due to minimal light penetration. A steelhead will not see a dark swivel/weight before the bobber/bait. Therefore, a short leader is the order of the day. Twelve inches should be the minimum length to allow bobbers/bait enough leeway to ride up away from rocks, and keep the gear length legal (there are regulations that state the hook may be no closer to a weight than 12 inches). When fishing cloudy or colored water, the ideal leader length is between 18 and 22 inches. Those laws were put into effect to prevent or discourage snagging. Carrying extra leaders can be a pain in the neck, but it is important. Some anglers wrap their leaders around a leader card, but there is a better way. Mack's Lures has manufactured an extra leader storage container (Pip's Hook and Leader Dispenser that fishermen might want to take a look at. It is a round dispenser with a soft cork center that can store hooks without dulling them and will hold approximately 40 leaders up to 36 inches long. The dispensers can be labeled for identification and can fit nicely into a vest pocket. Mack's Lures, located in Wenatchee, can be reached at 509-667- 9202. -á FISHING REPORT
The Bonneville Power Administration has paid anglers targeting northern pikeminnows a total of $ 460,000 as of July 8. The top angler so far this season that opened May 1 has earned $32,000. The runnerup has earned $30,000. During July 7-13, 949 anglers caught 8,969 pileminnows and 8 tagged fish worth $500 each. Also, 601 small mouth bass, 32 walleye, 182 channel catfish, 168 sturgeon and 42 yellow perch were caught during the week. " During July 7-13, Tacoma Power recovered 906 spring chinook, 108 jacks, 186 mini-jacks, 858 summer steelhead and two sockeye at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery. Also, 201 summer steelhead and two sockeye were recycled downstream to the Interstate 5 boat launch. Samplings of 78 boat anglers showed 53 summer steelhead were kept and one released. Thirty-five bank anglers had 12 adult chinook and one summer steelhead. All salmon were sampled at barrier dam; most of the steelhead at the trout hatchery. " On the lower Columbia, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) fish samplers checked 1,542 salmon anglers (including 226 boats) with 36 adult and nine jack summer chinook, 20 sockeye and 421 steelhead. In Bonneville Pool, including fish released, sturgeon boat anglers averaged a legal per every 4.2 rods while bank anglers averaged one per every seven rods. " Trout fishing has slowed in local lakes, but some excellent spiny ray fishing is being had. Spiny rays are so named because of the stiff points on the tips of dorsal and other fins. Bass, perch, crappie, bluegill and catfish fall into that category. -á Bob Brown is a freelance outdoors writer. He can be contacted at robertb1285@fairpoint.net
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