cess, and that boils down to one simple question — how many fish are seeing your presentation?


STAY IN THE ZONE Staying in the “zone” is perhaps the


single most important aspect of success when trolling herring on the Columbia. Tapping your lead on the bottom occa- sionally will put you in the zone maybe 50 percent of the time, but the goal is to be there 100 percent of the time. The vast majority of the Columbia is sand bottom, so your lead should be drag- ging, making near constant contact. One reason for failure to stay in the


zone is a strange aversion some anglers have to using heavy 10- to 12-ounce lead. There’s simply no advantage, and plenty of disadvantages, to lighter lead. Picture this — you are trolling along


with your 6-ounce lead lightly tapping bottom in 20 feet of water. Suddenly


proper rigging; check bait frequently, and watch the angle of your lines. Two of the more important rigging


tips are to always have the line between your flasher and main swivel (the swivel where your main line meets your leader) longer than your lead dropper, and to use heavy, 40-pound-plus line for this piece. Some folks have gone to super-heavy line (100-pound) or even to wire for this piece since the most common tangle is for the lead dropper to come in contact with the line to the flasher. Having this piece longer than the dropper prevents the flasher from making a potential mess worse. It’s also helpful to use high-quality


ball bearing or chain bead swivels with a “tee bead” in front to prevent moss or weeds from fouling them. The Columbia isn’t particularly weedy in the spring, but when fishing close to the bottom you will occasionally encounter various types of debris.


PAT HOGLUND


boat when trolling or backtrolling. This advice has paid big dividends for me over the years. Purchasing five rods and reels at a time isn’t cheap, but by using identical gear and set-ups, it’s easy to identify if something has gone awry. I’m usually fishing four or five anglers and rods in the boat. If one gets tangled dur- ing deployment or if someone snags a stick during the troll, the difference in line angle is easy to see so you can iden- tify and correct the problem quickly. If you’re paying attention, you can often even tell if your bait has pulled off and is hanging by the rear hook.


ADAPT, ADAPT, ADAPT The majority of lower Columbia fish


are caught on trolled herring, and while there are days that nothing beats a fresh out-of-the-package, green-labeled herring, there are many other days where bait brined in sugar and salt (sometimes with scents) will make a big difference. Brined bait is tougher, so it can bet-


ter withstand the rigors of being fished close to the bottom. It also allows the addition of scents, dyes or chemicals to develop a pattern to increase the num- ber of bites. One good, over-the-counter brine to consider is Pro-Cure’s “Brine and Brite,” with a little bit of their char- treuse green dye and pure anise oil added. A favorite simple brine of mine is to add a cup of kosher salt, a half-cup brown sugar and some Pro Cure char- treuse dye and anise or garlic scent to a quart of nonfat milk. For every piece of advice in this article


the bottom drops to 24 feet and there are three Chinook right on the bottom. In all likelihood, they don’t even notice your bait spinning 4 feet over their heads as you make your way down- stream. Right behind you is a boat drag- ging 12-ounce lead hard on the bottom. When their presentation goes off the same ledge, their lead follows the bot- tom, putting the bait in the middle of the fish’s kitchen. They hook a double. You start wondering what color flashers they are using or what’s in their brine, but the real issue is that your offering was never presented to the fish. In addition to staying in the zone, it’s


important to make sure your gear is actu- ally fishing. There are three ways to do this: Avoid tangles and weeds with


18


Brined bait is tougher, so it can better with- stand the rigors


of being fished close to the bottom.


Bait checking does take you out of the


game for a couple minutes, but in gener- al you are better off checking every 20 minutes or so to make sure everything is working well. Nothing is worse than getting to the end of an hour-long pass only to reel in a bait-less rig. In an article some years ago, local


angler/author Carmen McDonald made the case for matching all the gear in the


www.joincca.org


I can think of a time or two where the exact opposite was true. It’s critical to be a keen observer of what’s going on around you and to have a network of angling buddies with whom to share information that will begin to reveal trends. This is especially true in the beginning of the season and again when any major changes, such as high water, occur. Every year, through net- working with friends, we come up with new spots or techniques that result in more fish in all of our boats. If you are lucky enough to live in the


Pacific Northwest, make this the year you take your springer fishing to the next level.


Bryan Irwin is the former Executive


Director of CCA Pacific Northwest and is an avid outdoorsman and lifelong fisher- man. He specializes in catching both spring and fall Chinook.


TIDE


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