The Quadfather
8/2/2010 10:24:00 AMYou got two, I'd say that was a decent day. Thanks for you info. it's always good to read at what current depth people are catching the cutts. at.
G-Man
8/3/2010 9:26:00 PMHey Happy, good to hear you are getting after those cutts. Rule #1, 100' of line out before you put it in the clip. In the winter, you may need to go back even further. Rule #2, use scent on spoons and bait on spinners, hoochies and Apex style lures. Use natural bait like worms, shrimp meat, perch meat, herring, pike minnow meat, etc. Power Bait and Gulp products don't seem to work on these naturally bred and raised fish. Scents to use are; krill, anise, smelt, shrimp, etc. , anything that you think these fish may encounter in the wild. Now those 10" fish you caught are probably kokanee. Fish about 10' to 15' below where you caught those and you'll pick up the cutts more consistently. Vary your speed up to 2.2mph, even the kokanee in this lake like a fast bait. The flasher that I have the most luck with is a custom made Abe and Al style unit. It is about 8" long and 1.5" wide. I used to use the 0000 and 000 dodgers and they worked as well, just throw a bit of UV tape on them for an extra edge. Also the Shasta flashers will do the trick and I'd go for the larger 5.5" size. As always, check your gear's action in the water next to the boat before letting it out. If you have too much bait on your lure it may not have the necessary action or you may need to speed up your troll to get what you are looking for. Good luck!
cuthroatkiller
8/4/2010 4:19:00 PMG-man you are an awesome dude and I think many will have to agree a fish god or devil depending on what side you are on. I have only one question that remains; how much leader b/w flasher and lure? Other than that what kind of boat do you have in case I see you on the water? Also what is your opinion of what they're eating this year? My uneducated opinion is they're eating sockeye smolt more than pike minnow or spiny prickly minnow (?). I've read that the Cutt's will change diets every other year. That was more than one question but I am very much abliged because my confidence was lost and needed some new tactics that I could fish with a bit more confidence.
fishmanjh
8/5/2010 4:01:00 AMI have never used a flasher nor Pop Gear in the Lake, as I really don't like the extra hardware and weight .... And as G-Man says .... way.. way... way...back behind the boat. Minimum for me is about 75' sometimes more. I do just fine with Canadian wonder spoons (2-3") and OLDE Abalone spoons my dad gave me. (circa 'late 40's and early 50's). I'll run them from 2.0 - 3.0 MPH depending on the spoon.
Homemade wedding rings with fresh Night Crawler meat is my best bet, or sometimes a thin and skinny Herring strip. If i'm running really deep, I make a 2 blade wedding ring .... One blade Silver, one blade colored. Just make sure to put enough distance between the two blades so the both work independently.
Most importantly ... is the fish-finder and what it's telling you. Late last fall I had a tremendous day with the Cutts, and I found them in shallow water (60') and they were all suspended over perch beds .. feeding on the small perch around 40' !!
Homemade wedding rings with fresh Night Crawler meat is my best bet, or sometimes a thin and skinny Herring strip. If i'm running really deep, I make a 2 blade wedding ring .... One blade Silver, one blade colored. Just make sure to put enough distance between the two blades so the both work independently.
Most importantly ... is the fish-finder and what it's telling you. Late last fall I had a tremendous day with the Cutts, and I found them in shallow water (60') and they were all suspended over perch beds .. feeding on the small perch around 40' !!