Techniques


Well, the Alabama Rig is nothing if not controversial these days! Who knows how long it will be legal, but here’s a look at what the hype’s all about from the fish’s perspective. Watch for the bite towards the end!

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Here’s a little video I shot to kinda get you started understanding how float fishing for salmon & steelhead works…

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The do-it-yourself Driftboat

by JD on January 15, 2012


Wish I had the skills, the time…and space in the garage…this would be a fun project!

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Halibut & Shrimp Cakes!

by JD on August 22, 2011

Halibut & shrimp: Two great tastes that taste great together!

The halibut fishing from Alaska to California’s Channel Islands has been good this year. While the firm, white flesh of both Pacific and California halibut take well to just about any cooking style, here’s a fun way to make some good grub with your left-overs: Halibut & Shrimp Cakes.

This one comes from our pal Scott “The Sporting Chef” Leysath, inter-galactic wild game cooking stud and co-host of the popular TV show, Hunt Fish Cook.

“This recipe works just as well with uncooked fish as it does with cooked leftovers, although the cooked fish is a bit easier to work with,” he says. “Treat the cooked, flaky halibut as you would crab meat. Make sure that it’s thoroughly dry, not soggy, before you start assembling the cakes or they will fall apart when cooked. If the fish is uncooked, finely dice with a knife or flake with the tines of a fork.” [click to continue…]

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California Salmon Techniques 101

by JD on July 15, 2011

Salmon Season opens July 16!

With the salmon opener on California’s American, Sacramento and Feather rivers coming up on July 16, I figured it might be time to help you guys shake some of the rust off from all those years of closures! Below, you’ll find some links to several how-to tips and techniques that will get ya back in the game. Good luck out there this season!

• BASIC SARDINE WRAPS
A step-by-step guide to wrapping up your plugs.

• PLUG WRAP VIDEO
Instructional video with cheesy host!

• DIVER & BAIT FOR KINGS

How to get your eggs down to where the fish are!

• SLACKWATER TROLLING
How to pull spinners and plugs in those slow water spots…

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Our pal Scott Leysath of Hunt Fish Cook fame shows ya how it’s done…

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Bait Brining Tips

by JD on June 22, 2011

Now, all we need is some wasabi!!


Pautzke Pro and one of our favorite “inmates running the asylum” that is Northwest Wild Country, Duane Inglin, dyed up these baits for an upcoming trip to Michigan. Using Pautzke Nectar and various cures, you can color and brine up all sorts of baits from herring to shad to eggs and shrimp.

For a cash course on how to make your baits taste like a Double-Double with extra cheese to the fish, click on the Fire Blog

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How to: Basic Sardine Wraps

by JD on June 13, 2011

Not many things work better for river kings than a sardine-wrapped plug!


For some reason, there seems to be a lot of mystery out there regarding sardine-wrapped plugs for salmon. It may be a bit intimidating to the uninitiated, but there’s really nothing to it. Here’s a quick crash course on how to do it… [click to continue…]

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