How to avoid getting snagged while fishing

Fresh from the Slab Seeker production studio: How to make your sinkers snag proof

Halibut Sandwiches

1 lb Halibut
Flour
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper
1/2 green pepper
1/2 red pepper
1/2 onion
Pepper jack cheese
Mayo
Ciabatta buns

Slice halibut into 4 pieces making each piece no more than 1/2" thick. Cover halibut pieces with flour, salt and pepper. Place in hot pan with olive oil. In the meantime, simmer peppers and onion in a pan over med/low heat with a drop of olive oil to prevent from sticking. Cook the halibut until both sides are golden brown flipping twice. Place pepper jack cheese on halibut. Toast and Mayo buns and serve!

Beverage of Choice: Nordeast Grain Belt

Planning your Dream Alaskan Vacation

If you’re like most fishermen and women, you’ve probably always dreamed about taking a fishing trip to Alaska. You imagine yourself wading through the clear mountain streams chasing rainbows or taking a charter trip to catch giant barn door sized halibut. Maybe you would prefer casting into giant schools of bright red sockeye salmon or floating a river in pursuit of the next world record king salmon. Originally I assumed a trip like this would involve a remote location that was a huge investment in time, and well, let’s not forget about money. However I found an Alaskan vacation was easier than I ever imagined. You can actually do all of these things with a flight to Anchorage and a 52 mile drive to Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula.

In the heart of Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula lies the famed Kenai River. The Kenai River is home to many world class fishing opportunities. The sockeye or “red” salmon enter the Kenai River in two runs starting in mid May and continuing through August. The sockeye salmon fishery is the most popular fishery in Alaska because it is easily accessible to any angler wearing waders. The rainbow trout of the Kenai River are residents and can be pursued from April to October throughout the upper and middle stretches of river. These fish are known to reach magnum proportions of 30” plus. The Kenai was also home to nine of the top ten largest king salmon ever hooked. Anglers flock to the Kenai every summer in hopes of beating the current world record of 97 pounds 4 ounces. 

    

The Russian River is located in the town of Cooper Landing and is one of the first towns you will encounter on your pilgrimage. The stretch from the Kenai and Russian River confluence up to the Russian River falls offers a great area to wade and fish. A ferry brings anglers across the Kenai where they can choose to fish the confluence or travel upstream on the Russian. It is here that the term combat fishing was born. Anglers from all over the world flock to the area to intercept migrating sockeye salmon. While the area is not a destination for solitude, it does provide for some fantastic fishing. Pods of sockeye salmon can even be seen making their way into the Russian. Where you find big numbers of salmon you will also find bears. Last year my wife and I had a sow brown bear and cubs pop out right behind us while fishing the Russian. We quickly surrendered our hot spot to mama and the cubs, and were left alone downstream the rest of the afternoon. I would highly recommend a can of bear spray in this area.

 The area downstream from the Russian River confluence to Skilak Lake is known as the Kenai River National Wildlife Refuge. This stretch provides some of the best fishing for resident rainbow trout and dolly varden. Anglers have a few areas that can be accessed from the highway to wade and fish. Many guides also offer drift boat trips through this section. The section just above Skilak Lake is known as the canyon. This section takes you through the most beautiful remote section of the river. It is home to many white water runs and also those magnum sized rainbows that you’ve been dreaming about.

A short drive will take you to the town of Soldotna which offers restaurants, laundry facilities, tackle shops and all the other conveniences of the lower 48. The city also offers many areas to access the middle Kenai River. After learning a simple bottom bouncing technique, you will be ready to hook your first sockeye salmon. Remember to use a heavy diameter line because these fish know how to use the swift current of the Kenai to their advantage. Pound for pound these fish fight harder than any fish this guy has ever hooked. If you go too light the first drag burning run from one of these rockets may leave you standing there with a dumb look on your face. Several public campgrounds in town offer camping safely outside of bear country. Soldotna is also the place you will likely meet your captain if you plan on taking a king salmon charter.

            The coastal towns of Seward and Homer are the most popular ports for halibut charters. Some charters will also offer multi species trips which include ling cod, rockfish and salt water salmon. On your voyage out to the halibut grounds you will pass glaciers, see bald eagles and may catch a glimpse of sea otters, puffins and even whales.  

        

Alaska has many regulations in place to protect this phenomenal fishery. Regulations exist that limit hook size, use of bait, and where fish can be cleaned just to name a few. To prevent the spread of invasive species, Alaska has a ban of felt sole wading boots that’s new for the 2012 season. I wear Korkers wading boots that have an interchangeable sole and allow me to easily switch my felt soles to a rubber sole for Alaska. I would suggest you grab a copy of the regulations upon arrival.

Hopefully you will decide that your dream Alaskan vacation is more achievable than you ever imagined. I can smell the halibut fillets on the grill already!

Map Courtesy of: Kenai Peninsula Bed and Breakfast Association:
http://www.kenaipeninsulabba.com

By: Garett Svir

Photography By: Kim Svir

Split Shot Patterns for Steelhead

Well the secrets are out! I've been working on some diagrams for the Water Gremlin Sinkerizer. These are the rigging methods that we commonly use while float fishing for Great Lakes Steelhead. They can be employed anytime you're river fishing, no matter what species you pursue. The important thing to keep in mind is that steelhead are on the bottom so keeping bottom contact is essential. Don't be afraid to experiment with different sizes and amounts of split shot. It is also sometimes necessary to pull back slightly on the float during your drift, a practice known as "trotting". This is not a complete list of split shot patterns, but should get you started in the great sport of float fishing!

Diagram #1 Bottom Bouncing 2 Fly Rig

This is my high water blow out conditions method. It allows you to bottom bounce and use your float as a strike indicator to signal strikes. The rig starts out by placing your float onto the main line. We then attach a high quality barrel swivel. We then attach 3' of line and a split ring. From the split ring we run 4" of line out to   a fly. We then attach 9" of line to another small split ring. From there we run another 4" to a second fly (where legal). We then run another piece of line down 12" to a Water Gremlin Snap-Loc Dipsey Sinker. I like to bring a few different sizes of Dipsey Sinkers to experiment with and make sure I'm keeping good bottom contact. Following these lengths will allow you to cast this rig without tangling your line. To adjust your depth simply slide the float up on your main line. This is high water steelheading at its finest and will allow you to fish when others are stuck at home on the couch! 

Diagram #2 Stacked Shot

I like to use this shot pattern when fishing heavy current like the head of a hole. This rig will punch through the heavy surface current and get you down to the fish quick. Start out with a Raven FM float and attach a high quality barrel swivel. Add a leader of 3-5" feet depending on the depth of the hole. Go down half the distance to your hook and stack 3-5 size 3/0 Water Gremlin split shot. Hang on tight a chromer is in your near future! 

 Diagram #3 Shirt Button Shot Pattern

 This pattern is for the deep tail outs and holes with moderate current. It starts out by adding 4 BB Water Gremlin Split Shot under the float. An even distance away I place 3 BB's. An even distance away I place 2 BB's, and eventually taper down to one. This rig is designed to keep your bait out ahead of your float and in the strike zone. This is the most popular pattern for float fishing steelhead and is highly effective under many conditions.

Spring Sunfish

Great day on the water fishing bluegills! Caught one 10 1/2 inches, most 8-9 inches. Huge fish, awesome photos, great company! 

All images are property of Slab Seeker Fishing. 

If you are interested in stock images of fishing related content, please contact me at slabseekerfishing@hotmail.com 

Kim

Fishing Minnesota Trout Lakes

Fishing Minnesota Trout Lakes

June, in Minnesota, is a great time of year to be a fishing enthusiast. In the land of 10,000 lakes we are fortunate enough to have approximately 180 of these lakes managed for stream trout. The stream trout lakes in Minnesota are stocked by the Department of Natural Resources with rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout and a hybrid of brook and lake trout called splake. The DNR stocks approximately 400,000 rainbow trout, 150,000 splake, 90,000 brook trout and 20,000 brown trout. While a majority of these lakes lie in the northern most part of the state in Lake and Cook counties, trout fishing opportunities lie as far south as Rochester. Not only do these fish raise havoc on light tackle they also make for great table fare.

            Growing up in the Arrowhead Region a majority of our June consisted of fishing the remote trout lakes of northern Minnesota. Many of these lakes you would later lie to your mother about in fear she may name drop at the office water cooler. In the world of inland trout fishing a 17” fish is respected, an 18” fish is coveted, and fish over 20” most people are lying about.  

The remote nature of many trout lakes makes fishing from shore or in a canoe great options. A productive method for shore bound anglers is to inflate night crawlers full of air with sliding ½ ounce Water Gremlin egg sinkers. Slip bobber fishing, casting small spoons, spinners and stick baits all produce results. It pays to be versatile and experiment with presentations. I’ll often bring several rods rigged for different fishing methods. Prolific bug hatches also make the fly rod a viable option on certain evenings. Pay attention to the size and color of bugs that are hatching and try to match the hatch.

Larger lakes will typically have boat ramps and allow for more conveniences to aid in your search. Early in the season fish will be located high in the water column and around shoreline structure. I typically start out trolling spoons or small stick baits. Make sure to let out plenty of line to get lures away from the noise of the motor. These fish have an aggressive nature so don’t be afraid to go fast, even reaching speeds of 2.5 mph. This is a search technique and will help you eliminate unproductive water. Another highly effective technique is to troll a small cowbell rig. Cowbells are a set of spinner blades attached onto a piece of cable. I run a 2’ leader off the cowbells to a #6 hook baited with a half night crawler. I like to pinch my night crawlers in half to leave a big scent trail in the water. The rig produces a lot of flash and vibration. It is meant to mimic a school of bait fish with the added scent of a crawler to seal the deal. These can be fished off a downrigger, or simply weighted down with a Water Gremlin Rubbercor sinker.

 Keep an eye on the depth finder for suspended fish. Once I connect or locate fish on the electronics, I’ll often stop and finesse fish. For this I like to use night crawlers or dough baits like Pautzke’s Fire Bait, fished on slip bobbers. Pautzke’s Fire Bait caters to the instincts of fish that grew up on hatchery pellets consisting of similar ingredients.

As summer progresses the fish will move away from shoreline structure and suspend near the thermocline. This is the layer of water with the greatest temperature change. This layer contains food, adequate oxygen and the preferred temperature of these cold water fish. The thermocline will actually show up on your depth finder as a broken line with heavy shading below it. You will also notice a lot of fish located at this level. This is the time of year when a downrigger really shines. It allows you to fish fast and search out fish at a consistent depth just above this layer of water. Clamp on downriggers can be purchased for a minimal investment and can aid in searching out trout.

A complete list of stocked stream trout lakes is available on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Website at: dnr.state.mn.us. It has been said that trout fishing takes you to some of the most beautiful unspoiled places around. I assure you that the remote trout lakes of Northern Minnesota will not disappoint.

            

Casting River Mouths for Lake Trout and Steelhead

It's getting to be that time of year when I'm seeing fewer and fewer steelhead everyday on Lake Superior's North Shore Tributaries. The days are getting longer and people's attention are turning to warm water species, bbq's and lawn care. Some savy anglers however, are going back to where they began the steelhead season, and fishing river mouths.

 According to trout and salmon guru Gord Ellis, lakers show up when the water pushes 50 degrees. Coaster brook trout as well. I'll add drop back steelhead to the list. Like many other species in post spawn mode, steelhead will drop back out into Lake Superior and gorge themselves on available forage to recover from the spawning cycle. This period can be a short window but can still provide for some angling excitement. 

Gord Ellis recommends jerkbaits like Rapala X-Raps and Husky Jerks in sizes #10 and #12. His favorite colors are clown and silver. He likes the fact that you can work these baits slowly and not get hung up. I've had success with Krocodile spoons from Luhr Jensen in hammered brass/ fire. I replace the treble hook with a 1/0 VMC siwash hook to make it more snag resistant. 

Sometimes you've got to go natural and lakers (much like the author) can't resist a smelt fry. A Water Gremlin Snap Loc Dipsey Swivel Sinker, fished with a 25" leader and a dead smelt is going to produce fish. I simply inject the smelt with a shot of air from my worm blower to float slightly off the bottom. Floating a spawn bag off the bottom will also yield results.


Another secret bait according to Ellis is the bucktail jig. He has the most luck with black, fished with no meat attached. I might have to see if I can get the crew over at Jeff's Jigs to make me some lake trout specials.


It's not over till it's over. Get out and chase some last chance steel faces, lake trout and if your lucky a coaster brook trout. Trust me when I say it's going to be a long time till fall!

Garett Svir

Slab Seeker Fishing