FLAMING GORGE UNREAL

[sockeyeslayer]

HAD A COUPLE CALIFORNIAN'S DRIVE UP FOR A CHANCE TO CATCH THE BIG KOKES OF THE GORGE AND THE LAKE DIDN'T DISAPPOINT!!! WE FISHED THURSDAY MOURNING AND THE ONLY WORD I CAN THINK OF TO DESCRIBE IT WAS " MAGICAL" THE FISH WERE HITTING LIKE FREIGHT TRAIN'S AND THE SECOND FISH OF THE DAY WAS AN INDICATION OF HOW THE FISHING WAS GOING TO BE (5 .1 POUNDS AND 24.5 INCHES LONG), AS I LOOKED ON AT THIS FISH I COULDN'T HELP BUT REALIZE THAT IF I HAD ONLY CAUGHT THAT FISH A WEEK EARLIER IT WOULD HAVE WON THE BUCKBOARD FISHING DERBY AND ELEVATED ME FROM MY FOURTH PLACE FINISH, BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS!! WE CONTINUED ON AND GOT OUR LIMIT'S AND THEN TURNED OUR ATTENTION TO THE LAKER PUP'S..LOT'S TO BE HAD AND IT WAS AN AWESOME DAY ON THE POND. (WINDY THAT EVENING SO NO FISHING TO BE HAD). FRIDAY MOURNING TURNED OUT TO BE A BEAUTIFUL DISPLAY OF GOD'S CREATION AS WE WATCHED THE SUN RISE OVER THE SQUAW HOLLOW CLIFF LINE IT WAS NEAT... THE FISHING WAS FAST AND FURIOUS FOR THE FIRST HOUR AND 40 MINUTES OR SO AND AS FAST AS IT STARTED IT STOPPED, BUT WE HAD ALREADY DONE OUR BEST AND BOATED 3 KOKES IN THE 4+ POUND CLASS...HOT BAIT'S WERE THE SLING BLADE DODGER IN PINK GLOW WITH A NICKEL PINK SAND HUMDINGER AND A ORANGE COPPER SLING WITH THE NEW HOLO ORANGE KOKANEE KILLER FROM PRO-TROLL. WE ALSO DID BETTER THEN I EXPECTED ON THE PINK AND ORANGE HOOTCHIE/SQUID'S "PEE-WEE'S" BEHIND JUST ABOUT ANY DODGER!! THE FISH IN THE MOURNING WEREN'T AS DEEP AS MY BUDDIES EXPECTED AS WE NEVER CAUGHT ANYTHING BELOW 25 FEET!!! THE KEY IS BEING UP EARLY AND THAT IN TURN WILL GIVE YOU A SPOT AT THE BREAKFAST TABLE AS YOU WILL HAVE YOUR LIMIT BY 7:00 AM!!!!!
I WILL BE BACK UP THIS WEEKEND WITH A COUPLE MORE OUT OF TOWNER'S SO LET ME KNOW IF I CAN BE OF SOME HELP AND GOOD LUCK
JARED JOHNSON SHASTA TACKLE CO.[][]
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Sounds like a great trip. The size of the kokes you caught are awesome. 5.1 pounds! Ya got to love it! IFG and I are thinking about hitting the Gorge this coming weekend. Let me know where you'll be staying and maybe we can hook up on a little evening BS if we get up there.[/size][/black][/font]
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[Flycasting]

Great report... Sounds like you had a great time, and put people on fish as usual. I can't wait to get up there.
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[fishley]

come on Jared 5.1. Ok nice fish Dude sorry we didnt get hooked up this week honey does and mac fishing got me all screwed up now I'am a local. FISH
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[macscabin]

I am going up to hideout on tues thru fri so any help would be appreciated. I have ben trying to call you but I guess you have been fishing.

Macscabin
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[Lundman]

Hi Sockeye Slayer - A few questions from the peanut gallery.

1) Are you using rubber snubbers? If so, are they postioned above or below the sling blade/dodger?

2) What pound test line are you running between your sling blade/dodger & lure?

I was up at the pipeline over the weekend and I lost a lot of larger kokes due to break off with 8 pound test and no snubber. I ended up loosing too many lures so I re-grouped and put on rubber snubber and purchased some 10# Vanish.

The main reason for the snubber question is I noticed other anglers had on very large snubbers - 10" to 12" above their sling blades and I was using the smaller 4" snubbers below mine.

Again thanks for the reports and hope to see you on the water...
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[chinook]

You make me so jealous. I would love to hook up sometime with you and really see how it is done. My friend that has a boat has been hard to get out and we still have not been to the Gorge I am still trying to get a group together to go to the Gorge. We are trying to come up on the 28th now for 3 or 4 days. Will you be at the Gorge then? Also, I am interested in the snubber question also. Do you use them?

Thanks for the report.
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[sockeyeslayer]

TO BE COMPLETLY HONEST WITH YOU I NEVER HAVE USED SNUBBER'S...THAT BEING SAID THERE IS ALOT TO SAY WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT TYPES OF RODS AND REEL'S ARE BEING USED...I USE OUR 7 FOOT ULTRA LIGHT ANGLER'S TOUCH GRAPHITE ROD'S WITH SHIMANO CARDIFF LEVEL WIND'S...THE KEY HERE IS BUYING A REEL THAT'S DRAG IS "GOOD" ENOUGH TO OBSORB THE RUN'S THE KOKANEE MAKE. MOST PEOPLE MAKE THE MISTAKE OF HAVING TO HEAVY OF A ROD AND THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE WHEN YOU ARE FIGHTING KOKES!! WE ONLY LOST TWO FISH LAST WEEKEND AND THEY BOTH THRU THE HOOK WHILE IN THE AIR OR RUNNING AWAY BOTH TIMES OUR GEAR WAS INTACTED...AS FAR AS LINE I PERSONALLY USE CUDA FLORACARBON WHICH HAS BEEN NOTHING SHORT OF AWESOME..I USE TEN POUND ON MY REEL WITH 8 POUND CUDA IN GREEN AS MY LEADER...I HAVE YET TO HAVE ONE BREAK OFF THIS YEAR, NOW THAT BEING SAID SOME PRE-TIED APEX'S AND A KOK-A-NUT DID NOT FAIR AS WELL, CUDA JUST MAKES A GREAT PRODUCT. SO I GUESS THE MORAL OF THIS LONG WINDED REPLY IS USE GOOD GEAR AND YOU WILL HAVE LESS PROBLEM'S .
TIGHT LINES
JARED JOHNSON
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[walleyed]

Headed for Flaming George the week of the 4th of July.
Where to fish and what to use would you recommend.
I have a couple of your dodgers and humdingers. I purchaser from you at an Outdoor show in Salt lake City Several years back. If you could give me some help I probably get what I need on line in time. Pleas provide Shasta tackle web site; on line store.
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[pinksnapper]

I'm surprised to hear the Slayer does'nt use rubber-snubbers, I was looking forward to that response.

For what it's worth, I use the smaller snubbers, above the dodger, and then a slightly longer leader back to the baits (about 30 inches).
I usually have pretty good days with that, usually not as good as Slayer, but I rarely have a problem nailing an early limit and then onto the Macks.
Also I agree, a longer (7 ft) lighter action rod is better, and I run 10 lb. P-line on the reels and tie the baits with pure 8 lb. florocarbon.

I hope a few other Kokers will chime in about rubber-snubbers.

Pink-
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[bkidder]

i dont use them either. i just get the slack out and then let the drag and sensitive rod do the rest.

the shasta website is [url "http://www.shastatackle.com"]www.shastatackle.com[/url] you should be able to get all you need there.

sounds like jared had another great day on the lake! i dont know when i'll be able to get my family up there again... probably not until the second week of july.
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