Jon P Posted October 1, 2021 Report Share Posted October 1, 2021 Stuck two solid squawfish while fishing for browns on the Clark Fork. Drifting an 8" cut plug back in the current and cranking it back upstream grinding bottom. This bait runs about two feet down, but with the combined weight of a few hundred feet of heavy fluorocarbon it'll hit bottom in twenty feet of river. Annoyingly whenever you hook a squawfish on a big bait, it feels like a massive brown until it gives up. The bigger one, the one with the tail hook in it's mouth and in the release video, took about twenty feet of drag through a boulder field and I was prepped for a 25"+ brown or bull. As for the bait, it's very similar to an AC Plug or a Z-Plug. A local guy up in Kalispell is making them on a lathe and selling them under the brand name "Plug-It Tackle". I think they've a lot of potential as a trolling plug for bass, but they're built for downrigger fishing. Which means high buoyancy for fishing at high speeds (relative to trolling for bass) behind a trolling rig. I modified mine with some lead tape to get it waking, but it seems to need more weight than the tape can provide. IMG-6147.MOV willlliw, CG_Fishes, aholodnick and 7 others 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CG_Fishes Posted October 1, 2021 Report Share Posted October 1, 2021 Pikeminnow are badass, they definitely don't get enough credit, especially since they have more right to be in those rivers than the browns do Swimbait302, Jon P, Bakerlounge and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BASS_SWINGER Posted October 1, 2021 Report Share Posted October 1, 2021 Squaw fish were what was up when I was a kid running the creeks we would specifically target them Swimbait302 and Jon P 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon P Posted October 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2021 6 hours ago, CG_Fishes said: Pikeminnow are badass, they definitely don't get enough credit, especially since they have more right to be in those rivers than the browns do Montana's hypocrisy when it comes to prioritizing "native fish" with fisheries management is ridiculous. Invasive trout species which decimate our headwater spawning grounds get protection, while native species that have been here longer than humans get chucked on the bank. Drives me nuts. On top of that we have dozens of trout hatcheries that spread non-native trout, while only two (to the best of my knowledge) raise our native westslope cutthroat and bull trout. Hell, we used to have extermination tournaments for the bull trout because they competed with the non-native trout that were being imported in the early days of Montana. On top of that we don't have any bass hatcheries, and the most backwards bass regulations in the few areas that regulate bass harvest. The only bass hatchery we have is a guy privately selling bass fry from a bait pond for private usage. Someday I'd really like to start a bass hatchery. With the proper genetics in our lakes, and the proper laws governing harvest we could be cranking out double digit fish yearly. A lot of good water has turned into dink city from overharvest. CG_Fishes and Swimbait302 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loudsplashbassn_ Posted October 2, 2021 Report Share Posted October 2, 2021 Didn't even know these thing's existed outside of California lol fun fight . had a buddy loose a pole to one Lol Jon P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon P Posted October 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2021 41 minutes ago, Loudsplashbassn_ said: Didn't even know these thing's existed outside of California lol fun fight . had a buddy loose a pole to one Lol You should look at the subspecies endemic to the Colorado river, Ptychocheilus lucius, They get HUGE! CG_Fishes 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bakerlounge Posted October 2, 2021 Report Share Posted October 2, 2021 I have caught a few big ones, during the winter they school up in big schools, a couple years ago I was watching 3 birds (looked like ducks with fancy hairdos) hammer on a school of pike minnow, all sizes up to 18", it was a big school and they were feasting. Jon P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CG_Fishes Posted October 2, 2021 Report Share Posted October 2, 2021 2 hours ago, Bakerlounge said: I have caught a few big ones, during the winter they school up in big schools, a couple years ago I was watching 3 birds (looked like ducks with fancy hairdos) hammer on a school of pike minnow, all sizes up to 18", it was a big school and they were feasting. Hooded merganser? Not sure if they're out west but the fit the definition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bakerlounge Posted October 2, 2021 Report Share Posted October 2, 2021 6 hours ago, CG_Fishes said: Hooded merganser? Not sure if they're out west but the fit the definition Not a hooded merganser, I will hit my bird guide books and figure out what they were, was cool to see them hunt as a group. CG_Fishes 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon P Posted October 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2021 On 10/1/2021 at 11:55 PM, Bakerlounge said: I have caught a few big ones, during the winter they school up in big schools, a couple years ago I was watching 3 birds (looked like ducks with fancy hairdos) hammer on a school of pike minnow, all sizes up to 18", it was a big school and they were feasting. In the early spring they spawn in shallow water. Usually on gravelly surfaces in creeks and springs. The bass will be in the same area getting ready to spawn and will absolutely whale on them. The first time I realized bass will eat BIG baits was watching a bass eat a 12" squawfish off a stringer. I'd imagine it's the same instinct that leads bass to go after bullheads and gills in the prespawn, to outcompete the predators of their fry. CG_Fishes and Bakerlounge 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bakerlounge Posted October 4, 2021 Report Share Posted October 4, 2021 7 hours ago, Jon P said: In the early spring they spawn in shallow water. Usually on gravelly surfaces in creeks and springs. The bass will be in the same area getting ready to spawn and will absolutely whale on them. The first time I realized bass will eat BIG baits was watching a bass eat a 12" squawfish off a stringer. I'd imagine it's the same instinct that leads bass to go after bullheads and gills in the prespawn, to outcompete the predators of their fry. this makes a lot of sense, I have seen bass hammering on them early spring as well, they school up and spawn real early the last couple years. Jon P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.