Northwest Fishing Reports

Hey guys I'm a 63 year old vet of the nam era and the va has me on all kinds of pills. I hear about people who have a scent that fish don't like. I came back to fishin last year and haven't hooked up at all and yet the folks beside me are nockin them dead??? - Befor I quit (health reasons) I didn't have a problem at all, now I'm back and hold an empty card! Are there any vets out there taking blood/colestral/asprin/mood and sleep/and pain meds that are also having this problem????? I realize I'm fishin here for an answer thats easy but damn. I'm on the bank or out in my sled and no hook ups - got any clus and thanks????

I'm not a Vet. but thank you for being there for us!!! I would suggest wearing rubber gloves or using one of the many sents available to cover any odors that the drugs leave behind. Good Luck!!

An interesting thought. Were you with anyone while fishing? Sometimes others may be doing something different but if you are with someone doing the same thing with same gear in same area etc I would definitely be more curious what's up.

On the surface, I'd say what Jerry H says- put a little scent on if regs allow it and maybe let the presentation sit in the water for a few seconds before throwing it out.

Well FishLips I have no honest clue as to if a scent from drug will hurt your fishing or not I would guess no as I see alot of smokers catching fish. Hell I have even eating burgers while fishing, taken tyenol 3 and drank beer not all at the same time but last year I would of agreed with you I must of stank as i didn't not catch but 4 fish all year. I had no clue what I was doing before I found this site.

I think it may be due to the gear or method of fishing. I am by no means a pro fisher nor even a good or great fisher. I have been fishing here little over a year now.

My questions what rod and line are you fishing with?

Method of fishing. Drift bobber spoons ect.

As I have a Rod I can't catch a legal hook with and the foul hooks are when I am reeling my drift in to re-cast. And this is with people all around me catching fish. ask them what they are useing how long the leader is If drifting corkeys and yarn or bobber fishing.

And if you want we can go out during the week if you want I only have from around 4pm until dark as I am off work at 4:15 but I drive around for work so let me know. I will help as much as I can to get you hooked into some fish! I will toss my Spinning setup in my car tonight also. just in case.

and thank you for your time and service!

I am also a vet of desert Storm and also the current war on terror!

Just remember the person with the best bait gets the fish. If your using same setup as me and Im hooking fish and you didnt hook any at all and we drifted through the same slot then its something that your not noticing. Did I use scent on my gear? Did you? Did I hold my rod high or low did you? Am I working the water a lil different then you? Is my weight different and do I have lighter line or heavier then you? There is sooooo many veriables that can make or break a day. My last two trips out Ive gotten skunked. I was fishing a river that I dont usually fish and did good enough to hook into near 20 fish. But I did bad enough to not land any of them. I had one within 3 ft of me, in the mouth silver around 12lbs or so. Spit the hook and ran away. As far as blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, allergy meds I take those daily. I smoke and I catch alot of fish so not sure if it would be from meds.

I'm not sure if the drug thing is your issue but I'm not an expert in that field. However, I can relate an experience to you that may help. I fished side by side with a guy for 2 or 3 trips. I watched as he caught fish, using the same baits as I did, and I was getting skunked. This was Walleye fishing mind you mut never the less, same boat same exact bait, I even tried to mimic his jigging techniques. No luck. On our 3rd trip he said, wash your hands and try this rod. I did, he handed me his spare rod and I started catching fish. When I asked he just laughed for a while and when he finally got tired of hearing me ask why the heck I could catch fish on his rod and not mine, he said smell the handle of your rod. I did and guess what, it smelled like suntan lotion. I couldn't remember using suntan lotion for I don't know how long. He said the lotion smell could stay on there for a long time. The smell of the lotion from the rod handle would get on my hands, I would handle the jigs and grubs, and the fish could aparently smell it. I washed the sponge handle of the rod with no scent soap from the local sporting goods store and the next time out I had no trouble catching fish with it. I'm not saying that you necessarily have suntan lotion on your rods but it's possible. It's also possible that you got something on the rod handles while they were sitting in the garage or wherever you had them stored during your time away from fishing. It may even be something the fish can smell and you can't. Try washing of the rod handles with no scent soap. If that fails, you may just be holding your mouth wrong. LOL

I'm also 63 years old and on cholesterol and high B/P meds from the Vets. I've cut my dosages in half because the Vets has a tendency to over medicate, and it's working fine. Before I go fishing I put on my sun screen and then wash my hands with over the counter dispenser soap. If you need to gas up before you go, do it the night before or wash your hands again thoroughly afterward. Last time I went fishing, the two of us limited out. I was eating Crunchy Cheetos out of a bag though. I hear fish like cheese. So do I. We were fishing from a boat and trolling shallow because the fish were aggresively rising. We're going out again today. Same lake. I posted a report last weekend about Clear Lake in Spokane County.

:bigsmurf: thanks to all that responded to my dillema - I'VE GOT SOME NEW IDEAS DUE TO YOU FOLKS - including holding my mouth a different way. I'll wash the old fennwick off and have taken note of the other ideas. A guy can get frustrated out there but I'm on a new mission so......keep on catchin!!!