serious squawfish question

[Camron]

Hey guys,

do you know what to cath squawfish on?

I am going to be fishing in black river in thurston for squawfish or whatever else i can catch. what to use? what kind of setup?

[Camron]

i dont know if black river opens same as all the others. but i think it does

[natetreat]

Worms yo. They'll bite 'em like crazy. They'll eat a corky while drift fishing, spinners, any kind of bait, but worms work great. Cath 'em all!

[kenimes]

Yup- spinners and/ or worms.

[G-Man]

I've always had good luck using worms, small plugs and spinners to catch pike minnows. The trick will be to find something that the trout don't like as much as the pike minnows do, if there are trout around where you plan to fish. I've found that slowing down the presentation when casting or trolling will help to pick up pike minnows if they are around. If bait is allowed where you will be fishing, I'd opt for a small jig tipped with worm or a small wedding ring type spinner tipped with worm. If it is an artificial only area, try a small green or black Mepps spinner or mini hotshot in trout pattern.

[natetreat]

Well I looked up the regs, and it's selective gear rules, so that's a no on bait. Which is gonna make it harder to catch the pike minnows. Small spinners will work, and little spoons, also flies under a bobber in nymph patterns. But the river doesn't open until june, so don't go out until then or you'll get a ticket. It had a nice run of sea run cutts when I was a kid, so you may catch some of those too.

[Camron]

Last year i caught one a worm.(didnt know that wasnt allowed i couldnt find rules anywher) i had a worm on the bottom. So do i use all the things u told me like on the bottom? Or what?

[G-Man]

Straight off of page 49 of the current regs.

Black river (Thurston Co.)
From mouth to Hwy. 12
ALL SPECIES: - selective gear rules.
TROUT First Sat. in June-Oct. 31 Min. size 14". Daily limit 2.
Other Game Fish First Sat. in June-Oct. 31 Statewide min. size/daily limit.

From Hwy. 12 to bridge on 128th Ave.SW (west of Littlerock)
ALL SPECIES: - night closure, anti-snagging rule, and single-point barbless hooks required.
TROUT First Sat. in June-Oct. 31 Min. size 14". Daily limit 2.
Other Game Fish First Sat. in June-Oct. 31 Statewide min. size/daily limit.
SALMON Oct. 1-Nov. 30 Min. size 12". Daily limit 6. Up to 2 adults may be retained. Release CHINOOK and CHUM.

From bridge on 128th Ave. SW (west of Littlerock) to Black Lake and all tributaries west of I-5, including: Blooms Ditch, Waddell, Dempsey, and Salmon creeks
ALL SPECIES: - selective gear rules.
TROUT First Sat. in June-Oct. 31 Min. size 14". Daily limit 2.
Other Game Fish First Sat. in June-Oct. 31 Statewide min. size/daily limit.

First thing you'll need to know is what section of the river you will be fishing. The way I read it, the middle section allows the use of bait, but you still need to use single point, barbless hooks. Selective gear rules are: no bait, single point barbless hook, no scent and if you use a net to land the fish it must be knotless.

[Stacie Kelsey]

Middle section is okay - do not wander into the other sections if you are going to use bait. Best way to do things, when in doubt, refer back to the regs - if still in doubt, call the office!

[BentRod]

I've caught them on plastics. Had a monster squaw hammer an orange and black fleck worm over by Vantage. If you're fishing in selective gear rule waters, might be an option.

[ruthven78]

Hey guys,

do you know what to cath squawfish on?

I am going to be fishing in black river in thurston for squawfish or whatever else i can catch. what to use? what kind of setup?

the serious answer is, what cant you catch them on?

True story (honest to God). A buddy of mine and I, back in high school, went camping at a local small camp site a few hundred yards downstream from Box Canyon Dam on the PO River. The boat launch there is, or at least was then, a good night fishing spot, but you have to watch for bears. Anyways we get camp set up and later on realize we forgot the worms.....well by then all the stores were closed (10pm). What we did have was a plethora of hot dogs. So with some treble hooks and bullet weights, we cut 1 inch chunks of hot dog, pushed the trebled down and through the hot dog, spun em em, and pulled the hooks back up to set into the dog.

It may have just been the area but we caught the largest squaw fish we ever have. My buddy caught one so big he broke a spring in his reel trying to get one in and had to pull it the rest of the way in by hand. It was large enough to put his closed fist into its mouth...I kid you not! He had red lines around his hand from the fishing line digging in for a couple days after that. We were hoping it was a decent fishin, he wasnt about to let it go!

It was about as big as the one in the picture below (picture from Montana F&W website).

[Camron]

thanks everybody

[ResQ]

so? Did anyone catch any squaws?