Northwest Fishing Reports

Could someone explain to me how to setup a pole for the snake river to catch these (Blue Gill/Crappie/Sunfish)? I saw an asian couple doing this the other day and every other cast they pulled in a sunfish or bluegill. I went with my wife and I used my grasshopper lure and jig and my wife and I both got 1 crappie and I got one blue gill with the jig. The problem is with the grasshopper lure I get mostly bass (and lots of them) and with the jig I caught 3 bass and a channel catfish and only 1 crappie and one blue gill. It was a really fun night for fishing but not as productive as I wanted because the bass were mostly small got a couple keepers, and I don't know how to skin catfish so threw it back.

you can try the little 1 inch chartruese not sure on the spelling sorry .. power baits they have in the stores they work well for the crappies and for perch as well .. add a maggot for flavor lol.. I use the powerbaits just because they hold onto them abit longer .. Bass fishing with the poweer worms i have actually lifted gills out of the water because they will not let go of the bait right away .. (Go Figure)....They also have little 2 inch monnows now as well you can use as is or cut/pinch to size... For the gills try red worms .. You can get them at pets smart... Aewsome gill bait or a purple jig with a maggot works just as well.. hope this helps alittle ...

Helps a lot. Do you happen to know how to setup a pole with bobber and worm too just incase the purple jigs don't work?

Proverb wrote:Helps a lot. Do you happen to know how to setup a pole with bobber and worm too just incase the purple jigs don't work?

As far as the purple jig color goes. I would switch to a different color. Try: yellow/pearl, all pearl, nite brite, red/pearl, chartreuse/black. Pearl is just what they call white. I have never actually tried purple, but I always use those colors I just named, with all pearl or nite brite being my favorite. For casting get a 1/32 oz or larger, and for jigging try a 1/64. It also helps to tip your jigs withe a maggot. Perch meat works well too or a piece of worm

I am guessing based on the responses here that worm and bobber isn't preferred. I'll go to tristate today and buy a few more jigs. I already have red and pearl (what I caught 1 blue gill, 1 crappie and 1 catfish on yesterday).
I saw a guy using worm and bobber succesfully is why I wanted info on how to set one of those up.

Thank you for all the info.

Proverb wrote:I am guessing based on the responses here that worm and bobber isn't preferred. I'll go to tristate today and buy a few more jigs. I already have red and pearl (what I caught 1 blue gill, 1 crappie and 1 catfish on yesterday).
I saw a guy using worm and bobber succesfully is why I wanted info on how to set one of those up.

Thank you for all the info.

Jigs are great, but take a little more practice to get the hang of. But dont give up on the good old fashioned worm and bobber. In fact this year I caught my biggest bass on a worm and bober, not a huge fish but was still 18". Also this was after I tried numerous plugs, plastics and spinner baits. With bobbers there are tons of different kinds, slip, weighted, float, casting, huge, tiny, round, long, wood, foam ect. I think this is why there wasnt a lot of responses for the bober, because it is such a huge topic. So what kind of bober are you interested in fishing? The good old fashioned red/white? Or another kind. But let me know, Ill point you in the right direction.

I like jigs a lot that is how I learned how to fish I just wanted to expand my knowledge since I saw another person so succesful using one and I hate losing gear on the boulders heh. I have never caught anything on a worm and bobber so my problem is I do not know how to setup a pole that way. I purchased several bobbers a few tiny red and white ones, normal size red and white, and an intermediate that is clear. I just need to know where on the line the bobber/swivel/weight all go in relation to each other.

Proverb wrote:I like jigs a lot that is how I learned how to fish I just wanted to expand my knowledge since I saw another person so succesful using one and I hate losing gear on the boulders heh. I have never caught anything on a worm and bobber so my problem is I do not know how to setup a pole that way. I purchased several bobbers a few tiny red and white ones, normal size red and white, and an intermediate that is clear. I just need to know where on the line the bobber/swivel/weight all go in relation to each other.

If its just a plain red/white round bobber you dont need any weight or swivel. Just put the bobber 2' - 3' above your hook and cast er out. A slip bober is a TOTALLY different story. The clear bobber you are talking about is probably a casting bober. I have never used one but just bought some and understand the idea. With those you pull out the pin and fill the bobber with water, to the desired weight or buoyancy. With these they stay under the water, but still say buoyant. So if you are fishing a weed choked body of water, you can use these w/ a rooster tail, or any casting lure and stay above the weeds, w/o hampering the action of your lure. But like I said I have never used one, so if anybody has any info on a casting bobber that would be great.

That is exactly what I needed to know thank you.

yea don't give up on the worm.. I like to use them as well you can catch anything on them .. They can make your day .. But like I said try red worms as well they are very small and wriggle around like crazy .. By far a great gill bait as well... they keep forever as well if you keep them cool.. GPC pretty much said it all about the bobber set up ..They also have weighted slip bobbers wich can be nice just because you can keep trying diff depths without messing up your line to badly.. Quick and easy to use once your set up ..

Alright I bought several packets of different colored jigs pearl, black, chartuese(spelling), and a red that is supposed to glow to try out. I'll give each a go this weekend if all goes well. I also bought some size 6 hooks to try the worm and bobber technique. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

Bobber fishing for perch, crappie, bluegill, etc. is our favorite way to catch them. I have never fished in the Snake River but this method works in every lake I've fished. Don't use the classic round bobber. They have almost no sensitivity or ability to work the bait below. We use a 5 1/2 long by 3/4 wide pencil type bobber. Here is a picture of one that is very close to what we use, the only difference is we use the plastic ones. http://www.lindyfishingtackle.com/tackl ... 470&page=1
We use a 1/16 or 1/32 oz jig with a twist tail or skirt tipped with a worm or 1/2 a night crawler below these bobbers. Yellow, black/yellow, red/yellow, brown/orange, purple and black colors have all worked well. Adding the worm will increase your catch greatly. A 1/16th oz jig is enough weight to stand the bobber upright in the water. By watching the top you can detect the slightest hit. If a fish picks it up, the bobber tips over. If they hit and run, it offers little resistance in the water. A slight tug on the line will twitch the jig below. A slow retrieve will swim the jig below. Drop it in the water with a couple feet of line below the bobber close by where you can see the jig and see how you can make the jig come alive by twitching or retrieving the bobber. It sure beats a bait that just hangs there. We cast this set up and use a very slow stop and go retrieve or drift or troll them dead slow behind the boat. We have caught just about every kind of fish out there using this method, but spiny rays in particular will really go for it.

All I have is round ones but I have these really tiny round ones that I can try with a jig.

Well my fishing trip was not very succesful I only caught 1 blue gill which was a yellow grub on a jig with a tiny piece of worm, and a bobber 3 feet up. It seems all I could get with the various colors was bass. I caught a lot of baby bass with the white jig.

Worm and bobber didn't work at all for me I didn't even get a bite. I finally switched to my rebel grasshopper which is what I use to get bass and caught a lot of small ones again.. tossed all but 4 small-med ones (enough for a two person meal) and that was it.