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Hey Guys has anyone hit the snake or clearwater for salmon. just opened thought i would see if anyone has caught the first of the year. Im headed to white bird next thurs. Should be just rite with the numbers. All I do is plunk cause its easy and enjoyable. Anyone else plunk for salmon? I gave up on the drifting for them cause I never get to go when there are lots of fish. 2008 hooked 37 salmon in 4 days on the clearwater. Last year 3 days and only 4 fish. thanks and best of luck. If your near white bird and see a bunch of guys fishing stop and say hi we will have cold beverages.
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should be able to hit some fish right now in the lower part of the clearwater. ill be heading for lewiston in 3 weeks to give them a shot.
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You won't catch the first, my buddy's son did that yesterday. I'll be on the Clearwater 4 days this weekend. Cheers!
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I knew I wouldnt catch the first but wanted to know if anyone had yet. I wouldnt fish the clearwater this year. I love the clearwater but since you can only keep one that sucks. I have a 7hr drive to get there so when I go I want to come home with some fish. The way it looks the next 2 weeks should be hot. I know with so many fish headed for the salmon that would be the place to go.
its all in the eggs!!!
mike
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hey-
could you elaborate on this plunking technique? It sounds like something even I could handle...
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First step in plunking for salmon is to find a stretch of river that puts the majority of the fish on the bank you will be fishing. By using inside parts of corners along with channels that run close to the bank. 90% of the fish are withing 25 ft of the bank most of the time.
google plunking for salmon and you can see pictures of how the setup looks.
The basics are rods that can handle 5 oz. sinkers and about 200yds worth of 30-50lb test line. 3way swivel with 10lb line that goes to the weight and a leader that 25-40lbs (mono)line spin-glo(1 1/4") with a huge glob of eggs. You will know when a salmon hits. The jacks will some times play with it but for the most part they smack it really hard.
Once ya kinda learn how salmon head up the river its fairly easy finding water to fish without being crowded. I learned how to plunk in alaska and started fishing on the clearwater river with extremely good results. If anyone thinks my rigs are to big they mite be for 15lb fish but I hooked a salmon in 2008 that i fought for an hour with no real chance of getting him in. He jumped once I hooked him and never saw him again. I realed in a lot of 15-20lb with 25lb test in about 10 minutes but that hog showed me a lesson. If I only could have gotten him in to really see how big he was.
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What techniques do people use for fishing around lewiston from a boat? trolling? was thinking of heading down there now that the fish are moving in but need to know what kind of gear i should arm myself with before i head down. thanks!
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Kiwik fish with herring strips is what some friends use down there with jet divers. Ive never done it but you could check for more info! They have some good stuff on there for techniques out of the boat.
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Captain Black from Lake Pend Oreille went down there last fall and hammered 15 chinook with herring behind a dodger or flasher. I am going to try Brad's Super Bait this spring--guides down river have been hammering them with them, packed with tuna in oil. They aren't using the Brad's Super Bait cut plug, but rather the other one. Mike
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ive tried tuna balls behind spin-glos and have not had any luck but I hear that it works very well. I have seen guys use spin glos wiht herring and eggs together and they catch some nice fish. Kodiak1 are you on as well. I think I talked to you a few times when i was in Moscow going to school. I also use to talk to grizz thats on steelheader.net
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guys you cant post websites for other forums on bigfishtackle.com.
i have seen people land them on tuna balls, roe sacks, plugs, jig and bobber, ive seen quite a few of them landed with just a yellow and pink piece of yarn with smelly jelly rubbed on it banging on the bottom. i think its all about getting right in there face so it pisses them off.
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Have you seen the Super Baits? It looks somewhat like a flatfish but is hollow inside. It swings open, and you pack the tuna or chopped herring inside. There is a little sponge that you soak in the oils. You close it with a little rubber band provided. There are holes all along the side to discharge the scent. Google Brad's Super Bait, and you will see the youtube instructional film on how to use them. Mike
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So with the jet divers and kwikfish are they anchoring up and letting them work in the current or are they trolling? almost all the salmon i've ever got have been from shore, so now that i have a boat i need to learn a whole new ball game! thanks for the help!
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you back troll them you find a wide hole that you can anchor your boat in and let the current of the river do the work you set up a bunch of poles so that when schools of fish move through no matter what they have to swim by those plugs or quick fish i have never done it personally but i have been mad at people for doing it in the ellis hole they basicly shut off the entire hole to other people fishing. i saw a fist fight (involving a fellow bft member but i wont say names) last year because of it i have not laughed that hard in a long time.
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I would say it depends on what part of the river you are fishing. If you are close to the confluence, you might want to consider trolling. The water has very little current there. Plus, trolling certainly covers more water. Up a ways, you might want to throw out an anchor. This past weekend, up by the Super 8 and nearby ramp, it was about half and half. When night fishing for steelhead in the Clearwater confluence area, most people troll Brad's lighted lures. Bet suggestion: visit Water's Edge in Clarkston and get advice from them. Mike
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Thanks i will definately go talk to them.
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If I was going to fish from a boat I would get up river from lewiston a bit to get into some current to channel some fish. Im telling you the channels on the inside bend of curve of the river will produce fish. I would anchor up and plunk with spin-glo and eggs. Anchor up and spread rods out through the channel(perpendicular to the bank). Out of the boat using this method will cover the whole fishing channel and will increase your catch. Same as plugging but you can actually spread your rigs out a bit more cuz you will have sinkers to hold. Same thing I do from the bank but it takes a lot more lead for me to hold on outer edge of the current but since you will be anchored up out there there is no problem. Just remember lots of eggs and keep adding eggs every 20-30minutes if they are tough eggs. My eggs are like leather so sometimes I dont have to change them for about 45min-1hour but I never wait that long. will show you the plunking method.
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Oops my apologies for using the other website.
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It is all about backtrolling. PLEASE DO NOT ANCHOR UP IN THE SLOT WHEN PEOPLE ARE BACKTROLLING. Nothing screws up an area worse than one guy anchoring in the slot when 15 boats are trying to troll their gear there. There are places that are traditional trolling spots, and you will start a war if you are anchored there. Just a little word to the wise. We backtroll divers and bait, divers with kwiks behind them, and flatlines kwiks 90% of the time. We generally only anchor in the extreme lower parts of the Clearwater, and a couple places in the Salmon. Be prepared to pull your anchor and go to backtrolling if a bunch of boats show up to fish "your spot".
On another note anchoring is dangerous at spring flows. NEVER drop one off the stern to keep from swinging. Always have a knife ready next to the anchor rope. Wear a PFD when setting or retreiving an anchor. Several guys drowned on the Clearwater last spring due to anchoring mishaps. Don't be the dead guy.
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