Fresh and Saltwater Fishing Thread

[lefty o]

On 8/21/2021 at 6:43 PM, Patrick_G said:

Evergreen reservoir is the one whith Tiger Muskie and Stan Coffin is the bass lake. In that area there’s a beautiful coulee with a couple of trout lakes. I lived in Ellensburg for five years and fished there a bunch. 
https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/locations/lowland-lakes/evergreen-lake

I haven’t tried targeting the Tiger Muskie. I’m not even sure how to fish for them! I did bring a heavier fly rod and give it a try with a big streamer but no luck. 

 

big surface jerk bait, or 7" rapala minnow for muskie. lots of patience, and lots of casting.

[Dwayne Brown]

@Patrick_G I hate to ask this question but do you know of any inexpensive starter fly fishing setups? I've only done spin fishing and would really like to try fly fishing soon. Problem for me is they have combo sets that run from $45 all the way to $500. Is fly fishing like spin fishing where you can buy a decent rod and a better reel make sure they all work for the same lbs line and your good to go or do you need more specified equipment. 

[Dwayne Brown]

On 8/21/2021 at 5:43 PM, lefty o said:

big surface jerk bait, or 7" rapala minnow for muskie. lots of patience, and lots of casting.

I have to ask, how big is big? I apologize I don't really know my average sizes for lures outside on pnw saltwater and trout so is a big jerkbait 5 inches or maybe something closer to 8. Also is muskie something you can do from shore or do you need a boat to get out far enough to find em. 

[Patrick_G]

On 8/22/2021 at 8:49 AM, Dwayne Brown said:

@Patrick_G I hate to ask this question but do you know of any inexpensive starter fly fishing setups? I've only done spin fishing and would really like to try fly fishing soon. Problem for me is they have combo sets that run from $45 all the way to $500. Is fly fishing like spin fishing where you can buy a decent rod and a better reel make sure they all work for the same lbs line and your good to go or do you need more specified equipment. 

We have the worlds most respected fly rod manufacturer, Sage, based on Bainbridge Island. They’re very expensive, but they have a affordable sub brand called Reddington. They’re probably the most recommended beginner rod and they have affordable combos. The Reddington Path li combo is around $150. The rod and line are the most important, so if you get separates put most of your cash there. 
there’s a forum called Washington Fly Fishing that is by far the best place to get info on the sport. 

[lefty o]

On 8/22/2021 at 10:52 AM, Dwayne Brown said:

I have to ask, how big is big? I apologize I don't really know my average sizes for lures outside on pnw saltwater and trout so is a big jerkbait 5 inches or maybe something closer to 8. Also is muskie something you can do from shore or do you need a boat to get out far enough to find em. 

you go from a 7" rapala to a 12" chunk of wood with hooks on it. if you like to troll, large mepps spinner baits work too. ive had monster muskie follow buzz baits on the surface too, but its hard to get them to hit them, and a bit unnerving to have a 60" fish up on the surface just following your spinner. muskie chasing is best done from a boat, but in the right conditions could be done from shore. the least fun way to do it, would be a large bobber with a 10-12" sucker minnow under it on a big hook, and wait for the bobber to go under.

[lefty o]

https://suick.com/our-history/ 

here's a classic, the suick thriller was the standard for muskie jerk baits for many many years.  pretty sure i still have a big red&white one in my tackle box.

[Patrick_G]

@Dwayne Brown, caught any pinks yet? I’m getting my gear ready and scoping out old and new spots. 

[Dwayne Brown]

@Patrick_G Not yet but planning to get out later this week. I can't seem to find any 2-2.5 inch buzz bombs for sale anywhere and last year I didn't buy any. So I'm making some pink salmon marabou twitchin jigs and will post photos of them here once completed.  I think my go to places are in the many rivers around here, deception pass, and fort Casey state park. 

[Patrick_G]

I haven’t checked my pink gear since 2017. I hope I hope have a few buzz bombs left. I know I’m ok on drift gear, jigs and fly gear. 
I’m actually excited about the catch and release rules on the Stilly. I bet I’ll have long stretches to myself on weekdays. I’ll probably do my catch and eat fishing here on Vashon. 

[Dwayne Brown]

I'm all geared up and getting ready to hit the Puget sound piers for squid. It's a little late in the season but it took me forever to find squid jigs. I'm using the beau mac jigs along with a slip bobber ultralight poll and rod with 5 lbs test line. I usually rig the setup so the jigs are spaced about 12 inches from each other. 

For anyone interested the Washington department of fish and wildlife had an excellent article about catching them. WDFW squid fishing basics

Heres another article by a blogger that's pretty informative Ultimate puget sound squid guide