6A Sports Outdoors Saturday, June 13, 2015 Ryan Sparks, sports editor • 541-469-3123 •
[email protected] • @rsparkspilot Fish Report Baitfish thrills anglers at Brookings-Harbor Last week, sardines, herring, smelt and American shad were being caught in copious quantities by anglers at the crab pier on the south jetty at the Port of Brookings Harbor, and anglers are all us- ON THE ing sabiki rigs to catch WATER them. Larry Ellis A sabiki rig is not a brand name, but a gen- eralized name denoting are anywhere between a type of baitfish rig 4- and 6-inches long, commonly used to catch and look almost ex- herring and sardines. actly like Pacific her- They go by numerous ring, except for one brand names, but they very important telltale all consist of at least feature — the bellies six very small hooks. of a shad are quite Some sabiki rigs have sharp when stroked wings and others only toward the head — so have colored beads. sharp that they can Sometimes you will find even cut you. Of course that the baitfish will on the Umpqua and hit the rigs with wings, Coquille Rivers, shad while on other days, will achieve weights they seem to go for the between three and six beaded varieties. pounds, but not in the A trick of the trade: Chetco River. If baitfish are hitting I decided to take a rigs without wings trip to the crab pier and you only have on Wednesday and The Pilot / Larry Ellis winged sabiki rigs on proceeded to catch To catch big lingcod and rockfish like Roland Hart of Stockton (left) did last week with close friend Howard Jones hand, simply tear off sardines, herring, shad while fishing out of the Port of Brookings Harbor with Captain Jim Bithell of Charthouse Sportfishing, it often pays the wings and you’re and smelt about as to jig for your own baitfish like Tommy Berg (right) did on Wednesday while using a sabiki rig at the Port’s crab pier.