Fish with JD

Extreme Fish Porn: 30-Pound Steelhead Edition!

JD — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:33:54 +0000

OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!

Well, sometimes you just need a little fish porn. And man, what a week it’s been for that! I probably should have saved this fish for last because it dwarfs the 20 pounders below, but holy giant rainbow trout, Batman…that is one amazing specimen is it not?

All I know about this leviathan is that it was caught on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula last weekend and measured 44 inches by 24 inches, which using the steelhead weight formula, comes out at 32 freaking pounds! WOW!!!!! My jaw just hit the floor!

And, just for kicks, here are a couple other 20 plus pounders…

This one was taken by Paul LeFebvre of Brookings, OR. He caught and released the fish Feb. 1 on the Chetco River while fishing with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. The steelhead hit a cluster of roe and took a half hour to subdue!

Twenty plus pounds of Perfection!

Our pal Greg McElroy sent in this pic of Tim Obert who fished just south of the Chetco, on California’s Smith River with Mad River Eggs for this low 20′s buck.

Damn, raise your hand if you work day just got totally screwed…

California Fish & Game Commission votes 4-0 against proposed striped bass regulations!

JD — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:06:38 +0000

Thanks to the Commission's vote, stripers should remain a viable fishery in California

The California Fish and Game Commission did the right thing and rejected the proposed changes to striped bass regulations that would have reduced the minimum size to 12 inches and increased the bag limit to 6 fish (and as many as 20 in some areas).

To thunderous applause and a near standing-ovation from the throng of 200 plus anglers who packed the meeting, the Commissioners voted 4-0 not to pursue a the proposal. By the way, anglers all over the state need to pass along a hearty thank you to Fish & Game Commission President, Jim Kellogg, who really took a stand for the state’s outdoorsmen on this deal.

The regulations changes had come about not because DFG thought they were warranted, but instead because the Department was sued in 2008 by the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta. The Coalition is a group of San Joaquin Valley water districts, who asserted that striped bass are harming native species, including endangered salmon and Delta smelt.

Now, nobody denies that stripers eat fish like salmon smolt, but come on here people…the two species have coexisted since striped bass were introduced to California in the 1850′s. And during many of those years we had excellent salmon…and striped bass runs. This is a political play to divert attention from the fact that record water exports are putting the entire Delta ecosystem in great peril.

It’s pretty clear when you look at the overall trend in Delta species: all of them have been on a sharp decline, which points to the fact that it’s the health of the system…not the striped bass…that’s the culprit here.

In any case, this is good news though I’m sure we’re not out of the woods here yet. Expect more lawsuit to follow. A nice victory in the meantime however!

All time greatest Baitfish Blitz!

JD — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:05:35 +0000

Check out the pandemonium as this South Florida harbor erupts with baitfish getting absolutely lit up by predators. Funny thing is, the guys in the video don’t seem to realize WHY the mullet are going crazy. For pete’s sake, boys grab a rod!!

432.4-pound Yellowfin Tuna a New World Record?

JD — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:07:09 +0000

Could this be the next world record for yellowfin?

This 90×62-inch yellowfin tuna was taken taken by Ron Tegland out of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and weighed nearly 30 pounds more than the current world record! We’ll have to see what develops with this story in the near future. Regardless of the outcome, that is one massive tuna!!

Read the whole story at my former longtime employers and good friends: WESTERN OUTDOOR NEWS

Underwater Video: The Alabama Rig in action

JD — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:11:27 +0000

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!

Hot Steelhead Stick: Lamiglas’ X82MS

JD — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:02:53 +0000

The X82MS is a sweet steelie catching tool...but it's also great for several other applications!

Ok, so Lamiglas’ new X82MS spinning stick, (8’2″, rated for 6-12 pound line) has quickly turned into one of my favorite all-around rods. It’s really a steelhead rod but I’ve found it does quite a few other things well too…

Now, in the interest of full-disclosure here, I’m going to come straight out with it and say that I helped design this rod (along with the slightly heavier X711 MTS), but I can also tell ya that I didn’t receive payment for the process — I simply asked them to build a couple rods that I needed that weren’t in their lineup.

Short Stick Side-Drifter

My main concept for the X82MS was for side-drifting steelhead. There’s been a trend, particularly in the Northwest, for many years towards very long, limber side-drift rods. Up north, a lot of folks like parabolic 9’2″ or even 9’6″ rods rated in the 4- to 8-pound class for this technique. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that thought process, but I just feel a shorter rod is easier to handle in a boat — especially in the confines of a drifter.

I also wanted to a soft tip so the fish could grab the bait without feeling much resistance — but I designed this one to shut off faster than those longer rods so that my sinkers would have less opportunity to pull the tip down and fall into the cracks between rocks on the bottom. It had to be light and sensitive as well, and that’s why Lami went with their Certified Pro graphite material for the blanks.

Well, anyway, that’s the genesis of the X82MS. For this rod, I had in mind smaller rivers — ones without gigantic steelhead. For the bigger, more brawling rivers with the 20 plus pounders in it, check out the X711 MTS.

On the Water Test

When these rods came out of Lamiglas’ factory in Woodland, WA, it was striper…not steelhead…season for me. But, I just couldn’t wait to put ‘em to use. So, I took a group of clients out on the river throwing plastic worms and we quickly gave the rod a workout. Dale Milam hooked and landed a 40-pound striped bass!

Not a steelhead, repeat: NOT A STEELHEAD!

The rod was pretty much bent to the cork, be we eventually landed the beast and the X82 emerged from the battle none the worse for wear. While I wouldn’t want to try to land 40 pounders all day long on the rod, it clearly is tough and has plenty of muscle if you do happen to hook Moby!

When side-drifting season eventually came along, I found the X82 MS to have a crisp action that delivered extremely accurate casts, even with the big lumbering splash ball type sinkers we’re throwing more and more down here. It transmitted bites cleanly and clearly and, most importantly, felt good in my hands.

Later last winter, I tested the rod out on small streams on the Oregon Coast and found that it also excelled as a small water drift rod. Then, just for kicks, I rigged it up with a float, not expecting too much. I generally want at least 9 foot of rod for float fishing, but I quickly found that the X82 works very well on pint-sized rivers. In fact, we caught a mess of steelhead that trip, including a 16 pounder on the rod, so again, it can hold its own.

Trout Rod? Surf Rod?

Now, it sounds kinda funny, but on the way home from some steelie trip awhile back, we were driving past a greasy-calm ocean, which inspired a quick impromptu surf perch casting session. As you guys know, I’ma huge light tackle perch fishing fan, so we busted out the X82′s and had a ball catching nice red tails. Now, it’s my go-to surf stick as well!

Fun times with landlocked kings, too!

The rod is also light enough to make trout fishing a blast. This season, we were fishing Lake Berryessa in Nor Cal for rainbows and landlocked kings. The deal was this: huck a spoon as far as you could and crank it back in. Well, the 8’2″ length throws light lures like they’ve been shot from a cannon and the light tip was soft enough to make rainbows and mini kings a lot of fun.

For more info: Lamiglas X82MS Certified Pro 8 ft.2 in. Rod

Pebble Mine: A Monumental Environmental Disaster in the Making

JD — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:10:50 +0000

The Basics: Fishing Floats for Salmon & Steelhead

JD — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:01:38 +0000

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

Your 2011 Smoker of the Year Champion!

JD — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:29:58 +0000

Ron's Stinky Pinkie takes top honors for 2011!

Well, the public has voted and Ron Milam’s stinky pinkie won this year’s Smoker of the Year Contest by a landslide!

As the “lucky” angler who bested this year’s nastiest fish, Ron has of course won the Harrison Ibach perpetual crown, along with a lifetime supply of Cooter’s Chawspit Doughbait for carp, a subscription to Squawfish Enthusiast Magazine and a free guided sucker fishing trip. Way to go, Ron!

For those of you who missed it, here’s the story behind Ron’s trophy catch:

Not two minutes before this “slightly past its prime” pink salmon inexplicably ate Ron’s lure, he had suggested a change to the Smoker of the Year Contest rules.

“I think that anyone who enters has to hold their fish up…with bare hands,” he said.

Then this stinky ol’ pink comes along and I suddenly make an executive decision that yes, the rule change has been officially adopted. Time to pick that thing up, Big Boy!

To his credit, Ron bravely adhered to the bare hands regulation, now know as “Ron’s Rule,” and went skin-to-sores with this tired fish. He gets high marks for the ratty fins, “money shot,” and the fact that he didn’t even ask for some hand sanitizer after releasing the living carcass!

If you’ve got a Smoker to enter, click HERE

Underwater Video: Salmon Bites…and misses!

JD — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:54:01 +0000

If you’re like me, you probably have spent a considerable amount of time wondering what goes on under the surface. What’s it look like down there? What are the fish doing? What do my lures look like? Well, I’ll be doing a seminar at the Sacramento International Sportsmen’s Expo today Friday, Jan. 20 (at 3 PM) and again on Saturday Jan. 21 (6 PM) in the California Sportsmen’s Theatre…the topic: Underwater video.

I’ll be showing some interesting footage of all the bites you miss but never know you had, an underwater view of the controversial Alabama Rig in action, what some of our favorite salmon lure look like underwater, what it looks like 100 feet down on the bottom of Lake Tahoe…and more. Here’s a sneak peek: