The Fish Creel

Fishing Opens Saturday! Alright!

2010-04-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

I am working on a new swim bait! Look for it soon. The Leeches work great for early season smallmouth, but what do you do in the dog days of summer and later season?
The smallmouth are trying to fatten up for the winter and they are feeding mainly on any fish they can get in their mouth. I have created a plastic swim bait that is so realsitc looking that my wife thought I had caught some small fish and brought them home to eat.
I call it the Kokanee Minnow Available in 3" or 5" size.

3" Candle Worms

2009-07-11T14:26:00.001-07:00

These Baits were made to imitate the small candle fish that the coho salmon feed on in the area of Sandy Point and Point Whitehorn Area of Strait of Georgia.

The candle fish in this area are exactly 3" long and are translucent olive color back with pearl white belly.

For the humpies we have a hot pink color and the all white and Grn Pumpkin/White baits for Coho.

Lake Whatcom Smallmouth

2009-06-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

I have been out fishing on Lake Whatcom for the past three weekends. I have worn out my arm everytime and I must say that I caught very few fish under 2 1/2 lbs.
The Fat fish Mama's Leaches and Grim Reaper in the new Watermelon Frog Color were working great.
I use these on a Split Shot Rig with a #1 EWG Worm Hook. Fish it very very slow.

Blackmouth Salmon - What are they?

2009-02-14T06:52:00.000-08:00

Blackmouth are pretty much everywhere out there right now it's just getting the right weather and tides. I Shared about tides in my previous post.
Blackmouth are just immature and/or locally feeding Chinook Salmon and they can actually be pretty nice size even this time of year.
If you get a nice day, go for it.

Salmon Fishing in the San Juans!

2009-02-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

It is now Blackmouth season in Area 7 and it should be a good one.
If you are going out of Bellingham try the Thompson point area on North Shore of Orcas just before, during and up to an hour after tide change.
also West Bank area can be good at the same times.

If you are going out of Anacortes area Middle Bank is almost always good if you can get there!
Tide point and Strawberry Island areas are generally good this time of year.

Make Sure your Boat is Winterized!

2008-12-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

Make sure to put storage stabilizer in the fuel, Change the fuel filter, change the oil and filter, Change the lower unit lube and drain the manifolds if you have an inboard engine. If you don't know how to do these things call your dealer and pay for the service. This can save you lots of money next season.

The Best Winter Vacation

2008-12-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

The Best Vacation we've ever taken was a two week stay on Crooked Island, Bahamas. You may think that you need shopping and lots of people and party activity on a vacation, but I bet you would change your whole outlook on life if you spent 2 weeks on the family Island of Crooked Island and you will have plenty of Sun and Sand and almost all to yourself. You will become a part of the family in no time and the food is great. If you like seafood you won't be dissappointed. Great Family style meals. When you take a 4 mile walk on the beach you most likely won't see any other footprints and if you like to fish you will find plenty of action. To the crew of Village Bonefish Lodge; Thank you for the great food and Fishing trips.

Early Season Bonefish Fishing Crooked Island, Bahamas

2008-11-28T09:34:00.001-08:00

Early season Bonefish fishing in the Bahamas is sometimes very good and the other nice thing about it is that the flats are almost all yours. You should contact Scott Christensen at http://www.cribonefishing.com/ he knows the best dates to go because of the tides and such. It really makes a difference. I've gone as early as December 1st and done real well and I've been there in the middle of January and done real well. I've never been disappointed. Village Bonefish Lodge on Crooked Island is the place to go.
If you want to purchase flies or fly boxes before you go visit http://www.fatfishtackle.com/
Otherwise Scott and the local shops on Crooked Island have a good selection there for you. A lot of these are hand tied by Scott or one of the locals.
Maybe Scott will check in and give us some early season insite. He is down there now and preparing for another good season of sunshine and fishing.
Michael and Clinton are excellent Local guides and you will have the time of your life.
You should also check out the live bait fishing at least one day while you are there. What a Thrill! Barracuda, Mutton Snapper, Shark, and more.

Smoking salmon!

2008-11-21T16:08:00.000-08:00

Tis the season to smoke salmon. This is the time of year that most salmon get smoked.
The best recipe I've found for a good brine is as follows
3 cups water (filtered) we don't need clorine.
1 cup of salt
1 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 cloves garlic (minced)

Put the fresh fillets into brine and let it sit for 8 hrs.

Remove fish from Brine and let them air dry on paper towels.

When the pieces are dry then put in the smoker with alder chips until desired doneness is reached (for average Salmon filets, about 10-15 lb fish, that will be about 8 hrs). Make sure to keep the smoke going for at least 6 hrs).
It works real good for me!