THE SONIC BAITFISH™ FOR BOTTOM FISH BY JOHN KRUSE | MACK’S LURE PRO STAFF I stopped by the Mack’s Lure spring, we found ourselves fishing shop and spoke with President Bob close to shore in 30- to 60-feet of Schmidt and Sales Director Bob water. Loomis. Schmidt had fished this area before and suggested using some one-ounce Sonic BaitFish™ (SBF). He had great success catching rockfish with these lures jigging Last year I got the opportunity them vertically, just off the bottom, to go fishing with Tom Burlingame, with the line tied to the nose and a This time around the rockfish were owner of Excel Fishing Charters, for hook on the tail end of the lure. Bob not on the surface, but they were rockfish and lingcod out of Neah Loomis also recommended the SBF. suspended in the middle of the water Bay, Wash. Our destination, the Specifically, he suggested using column all the way to the bottom. Pacific Ocean just off shore from the a 1/2 oz. lure to target fish on the I initially fished the lures provided northwestern-most point of the lower surface and a 1 oz. lure for fish on by our guide, but eventually got a 48 states. We had an incredible day the bottom. His suggestion, casting chance to tie on a Sonic BaitFish™. catching limits of rockfish in 25- to out and slowly working the lure to Casting out I had several hits as the 90-feet of water and I was amazed make it flutter as it sank from the lure fluttered down and if I didn’t hook to see rockfish throughout the water surface. up right away when I was halfway to column and a number of yellowtail “ the bottom, I found that I was more rockfish were literally boiling to the likely going to be hooked up in a surface. I FOUND OUT IN A HURRY THAT I WAS hurry jigging the Sonic BaitFish™ just GOING TO BE HOOKED UP IN A HURRY off the bottom. This got me thinking that targeting JIGGING THE SONIC BAITFISH JUST these bottomfish at the surface “ We caught multiple species of would be a whole bunch of fun and OFF THE BOTTOM. — JOHN KRUSE rockfish, as well as sculpin and with another trip planned for 2019 I greenling fishing a white Sonic decided to do just that. As for casting out, his advice was BaitFish™ 1 oz. and I have no doubt I to figure out which way the boat was could have caught a limit in no time drifting and cast a good distance into if given more time! the drift (similar to casting upstream while stream fishing) to maximize Oh well, there’s always next year the time the lure woulud stay close and I’m looking forward to seeing to the bottom once it reached there. what else I reel up next spring fishing out of Neah Bay! It turned out both pieces of advice were spot on! When I went out with Special thanks to Excel Fishing Excel Fishing Charters again this Charters and the Inn at Neah Bay. MACKSLURE.COM Page 1 GARY’S FISHING CORNER bottom lure, as mentioned earlier. PRODUCT RELEASE The big advantage to the Shuttle Hawk™ system is, that after it’s released, it will plane back to the NEW BALL TROLL surface so you can reset it without bringing your downrigger up. There’s a video on MacksLure.com (link below) for a better understanding on how to use the Shuttle Hawk™ and it comes with an Ultra Release™ and a stop, as well. Now, after setting my second rod, I like to add a drop line to my stacked DOWNRIGGER FISHING FOR rods. A drop line is basically a 3-foot TROUT & KOKANEE leader with a lure on one end and a BY GARY MIRALLES snap swivel on the other end. I like to use the Hum Dinger® or spinners like WENATCHEE, Wash. — Mack’s the Scorpion™ or a Wedding Ring® Lure, Inc., manufacturer of popular Targeting lakes during the summer for this particular setup. downrigger trolling products such months can be rewarding. However, as the Shuttle Hawk™ and Ultra fishing deep water required special Take your snap and attach it to the Release™ recently released the Ball equipment. Leadcore, weights line going down to your second rod, Troll™. and divers can help you get to the then toss it back behind in the water. depths required to catch fish, but The second lure will slide down to the “We are happy to provide a consistency can be an issue. middle of the bow on the line due to product, which is used as a trick of pressure of the water. the trade for many fishing guides,” Downriggers are obviously the said Mack’s Lure President Bob most proficient way to work the So, now we have the entire Schmidt. “The Ball Troll provides lots thermocline effectively. They put thermocline covered with a total of of flash and action without the drag you at the exact depth you require, six lures in the water. The fish can’t of the attractor being in-line when and with downriggers, you can fish escape this setup. you reel in the catch.” multiple rods and lures. The Ball Troll, which has been field- Here’s a typical set up with two tested fishing for trout, kokanee, downriggers, two fishermen, and salmono and many more species two rods each: throughout the country, is a long rotational flasher, designed to snap A typical thermocline for trout and to your downrigger ball. kokanee is 20- to 60-feet. With that in mind, I would run one downrigger at This 26” troll is made of large 60-feet and the second downrigger nickel willowleaf blades and high at 55-feet. I would also run a second UV beads, which will attrack fish rod on each downrigger, typically from further away by combining a 10-feet abvoe the bottom set. That tremendous amount of flash and would put the stacked rods at 50- vibration, bringing fish right up to and 45-feet. your gear. The high UV blue beads and red tubing, combined with the When stacking, I use the Shuttle premium willowleaf blades, is proven Hawk™ because it is by far the to attract fish. easiest and most productive way to stack two rods. What is the Shuttle The Ball Troll also includes an Hawk™, you ask? It’s a downrigger Ultra Release™, a simple, ultra-light release carrier. Attached to your downrigger release, which includes downrigger cable, the diver takes a tension screw adjustment to fit the your release, line and lure down to thickness of your line and can be set a preset stop placed on the cable, MACK’S LURE SHUTTLE HAWK™ light enough to relesae on even the usually about 10-feet above your CLICK TO VIEW VIDEO smallest of fish. Now for sale online. MACKSLURE.COM Page 2 was in Cortland where I invented about trolling in a hurry! I feel this SONIC BAITFISH™ (SBF) the Crippled Herring and the Erie technique is the nearest thing to how Shiner, a main competitor for the fly fishing is approached. Basically, TIPS & TECHNIQUES Erie Dearie. But, that’s a story for when casting micro metal jigs over a another day. rocky reef, or any other anatomical structure, your success is based on To this day, I respect Bob Hammer how well you learn how to approach for making that call to me because its particular architecture. The single he was on the competing weight- most critical mistake made is losing forward spinner team. The contact with your lure when working information he shared with me, it through structure. Without feeling during that phone call, dramatically your lure bouncing against the changed how I fish metal jigs to this structure, the lure is moving more day. The Crippled Herring was the horizontally instead of vertically. first of three metal jigs that I have It’s the vertical drop of the lure that created. The other two are the triggers most strikes. Work the lure Kandlefish and the Sonic BaitFish, a with a short rod lift, then short rod CASTING SMALL METAL JIGS hybrid of the Kandlefish. drop followed by a 360 degree turn TO LAKE ERIE ROCK PILE of the spinning reel handle then WALLEYES A few days after that April repeat this sequence. Basically, a BY CAPT. PETE ROSKO | SBF INVENTOR call in 1988, I was fishing on Bob bottom bouncing rhythm is created. Hammer’s boat. Instead of drift- Last May, I was Lake Erie drift fishing casting weight-forward spinners, we with a good friend of mine by the The first half of my 82 years of were casting 1/6 oz gold Crippled name of Ray Steidel. walleye fishing was spent trolling. Herrings. By casting small, light- The difference then, compared to weight metal jigs over Lake Erie’s today, is the rod was held by our shallow western basin rock piles, hand and not by a rod holder. We it was almost a walleye on every caught more fish by working the cast. That is what got Capt Bob so rod. It was the drop back of the excited! The design of that metal rod that triggered strikes, similar jig caused the lure to swim, flutter, to the fall back of today’s metal glide and vibrate as it was being jig. When jigging, almost all strikes slowly bottom-bounced through the are on the fall.