03-22-2018, 01:02 PM
[#0000FF]I too learned about steelhead floating spin lures in Oregon, Washington and northern CA. Brought some with me to Utah and have caught both walleyes and cats on them. And on a recent TV fishing show in Canada the guys were using the winged Spin-N-Glows for walleye...slow trolling crawler harness style.
I used corkies ahead of a bait hook, for fishing minnows for walleyes when I first got back to Utah about 2005. I caught walleyes, white bass and catfish on just about any color I tried. Again...just a big floating bling bead. That is what promped me to start making and using more fligs.
One of the big positive differences I have discovered about fligs is that the rigging...with the hook pointing downward while floating above the bottom...is that they act almost like circle hooks. Almost all the fish are hooked in the corner of the mouth.
When I fish them I usually do not have much line trailing out behind me...zero slack line...instant connection when you get bit. And with those sharp Matzuo hooks there is a very high percentage of the fish that hook themselves. Yes, that should help when fishing with kids. You just have to pay close attention because you go bendo quick and with a closed bail you can lose an unsecured rod easily.
I do believe that having something colorful slightly up off the bottom DOES make for more aggressive strikes. Cats will rise a surprising distance up to take a bait or lure and their natural instinct is to get back down to their comfort zone...near the bottom...as quickly as possible after attacking their prey.
I also fish below a bobber at times...especially when fishing over hungry rocks (Bird Island?). I almost always use a "bobberhead jig" below the bobber. The ones I use most are made with "shad dart" heads and then flattened vertically...to present a wider profile (more visibility). These dart heads are also weight balanced to produce almost a horizontal hold...as prized in ice fishing.
Like the fligs, I have found fishing bobberhead jigs under a float to be especially effective during cold water times. You can fish an area more slowly and allow cold-slowed fish time to move up to the bait and take a chomp. Early in November one year, at Lincoln Beach, I was fishing bobberheads and a half minnow about 5 feet under a bobber in 7 feet of water. The bobber would slowly stand up then slowly sink below the surface. The first time it happened I thought I had found a rock hump. But when I pulled to free it, it pulled back. For the next few hours the bites were slow to come, but they came a lot better than I did by dragging bait on the bottom. I caught several cool cats over 24 inches after blanking the earlier part of the day.
When the fish are active I don't believe you could use a lure/bait combo too big for them. In Utah Lake the cats "eat big". Even a "small" 5 pound cat may have a 10-12 inch whole white bass in its innards. That is a lot bigger than anything I present...even on the bigger fligs.
We can firm up plans by midweek next week. But the current forecast for Friday the 30th looks good. Now Mama Nature has time to make some changes.
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I used corkies ahead of a bait hook, for fishing minnows for walleyes when I first got back to Utah about 2005. I caught walleyes, white bass and catfish on just about any color I tried. Again...just a big floating bling bead. That is what promped me to start making and using more fligs.
One of the big positive differences I have discovered about fligs is that the rigging...with the hook pointing downward while floating above the bottom...is that they act almost like circle hooks. Almost all the fish are hooked in the corner of the mouth.
When I fish them I usually do not have much line trailing out behind me...zero slack line...instant connection when you get bit. And with those sharp Matzuo hooks there is a very high percentage of the fish that hook themselves. Yes, that should help when fishing with kids. You just have to pay close attention because you go bendo quick and with a closed bail you can lose an unsecured rod easily.
I do believe that having something colorful slightly up off the bottom DOES make for more aggressive strikes. Cats will rise a surprising distance up to take a bait or lure and their natural instinct is to get back down to their comfort zone...near the bottom...as quickly as possible after attacking their prey.
I also fish below a bobber at times...especially when fishing over hungry rocks (Bird Island?). I almost always use a "bobberhead jig" below the bobber. The ones I use most are made with "shad dart" heads and then flattened vertically...to present a wider profile (more visibility). These dart heads are also weight balanced to produce almost a horizontal hold...as prized in ice fishing.
Like the fligs, I have found fishing bobberhead jigs under a float to be especially effective during cold water times. You can fish an area more slowly and allow cold-slowed fish time to move up to the bait and take a chomp. Early in November one year, at Lincoln Beach, I was fishing bobberheads and a half minnow about 5 feet under a bobber in 7 feet of water. The bobber would slowly stand up then slowly sink below the surface. The first time it happened I thought I had found a rock hump. But when I pulled to free it, it pulled back. For the next few hours the bites were slow to come, but they came a lot better than I did by dragging bait on the bottom. I caught several cool cats over 24 inches after blanking the earlier part of the day.
When the fish are active I don't believe you could use a lure/bait combo too big for them. In Utah Lake the cats "eat big". Even a "small" 5 pound cat may have a 10-12 inch whole white bass in its innards. That is a lot bigger than anything I present...even on the bigger fligs.
We can firm up plans by midweek next week. But the current forecast for Friday the 30th looks good. Now Mama Nature has time to make some changes.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]