By Jason Brooks
My neighbor stopped by one afternoon to invite me on his annual trip to fish for coho out of the small oceanside town of Sekiu. I was happy to join him, and when the time came to head to the marina, I handed him a thank you bag of assorted lures I use to fish for coho. I included a couple of my favorite Wiggle Hoochie lures. These pre-tied rigs consist of a Wiggle Hoochie bill with a 4 inch hoochie skirt tied with tandem red VMC octopus hooks.
Later that day, we were on the water, and he grabbed one of the Wiggle Hoochie lures from the bag, pulled it out of the package, and before I could say how much I liked them, he cut the hooks off.
I watched with surprise as my neighbor took the brand-new lure and disassembled it into components right before my eyes. Asking why he did this, his answer was simple. He said he liked the Wiggle Bill and hoochie color combination, but he preferred to use a size 4/0 Octopus circle hook as the trailer and a 3/0 Octopus hook as the leading hook, along with a tinsel insert and some glow beads.
I realized he was considering that saltwater salmon fishing requires barbless hooks, but the octopus circle hook, with no barb, is legal to fish, and since the inward point tends to dig further as the fish fights, the hook is less likely to come out while reeling the salmon in. His strategy made perfect sense. His out of the box thinking is an example of how expert fishermen think about their tackle.
When fishing with experienced anglers, you will quickly notice how closely they pay attention to the smallest details. A thoughtfully considered adjustment often makes the difference in turning a slow fishing day into a productive one. Using a circle hook, tailoring a particular color combination, or tweaking the action of a lure ever so slightly can result in a bite.
Tackle companies also know this and often make lures that are “tunable” or ones that can be modified, such as adding a hoochie skirt or a smile blade or some other variation to make their lures more effective for a variety of fishing conditions. However, tackle companies must also turn a profit. A lure color or size might be “hot” in one region or during a particular fishery, but if it cannot serve a large enough audience to offset the costs of bringing the lure into production.
For decades, Mack’s Lure has been serving the needs of serious anglers who stake their reputations and make their living on catching bigger and better fish. These individuals consistently tweak their lures for performance in the field and ocassionally invent new ones for purpose. Mack's Lure pro staffers and guides have always tested lures in the field and reported back on performance and findings. This close relationship guides the company's product line as well as research and development. Only the best lures from the field make it into the catalog and onto store pegs across the continent. However, many more ideas remain closely-guarded secrets of these top anglers who leverage their knowledge and skill to outfish their friends and neighbors.
Here are some ways you can start to tailor your color combinations using exisiting lures or bring your own ideas to life. Now you can begin to expand your lure collection in ways that will allow you to bring your creativity and thoughtful experiments out into the field. Hopefully, your journey into the world of lure development will lead you to putting better fish on the stringer and provide you with a few closely guarded secrets of your own so you can outfish your friends.
Wiggle Hoochie bills are very versatile components, and I use them often when I build custom lure presentations. Like that trip for coho out of Sekiu, my neighbor ran a self-tied Wiggle Hoochie Bill lure by using a UV bill, a hoochie skirt, and then a series of beads that he had confidence in to attract coho. The hooks, as previously described, also completed this lure. The odd part was he fished it “naked,” meaning there was no flasher or dodger, no added bait strip, and no scent. Coho were actively feeding, and we prefer to fish with single-action reels.
Silvers are also known as “top water” salmon feeding near the surface. My neighbor would use a downrigger, dropping the lure tied right to the mainline with a bead chain swivel, and run it about 35 feet under the surface. I preferred to use a flasher, and I joked with him that he was mooching off my flasher, which drew the curious coho to the back of our boat, where they found his lure. The Wiggle Hoochie Bill provides an erratic action to the lure, which is enough to get the coho to bite. Same with pink salmon, with next year being a “pink year” as the fish return during odd-numbered years. Trolling a pink Wiggle Hoochie Bill with a pink hoochie skirt is all that will be needed to catch pink salmon.
Cha Cha Pill Floats are more than just a way to get the bait off the bottom of the lake or river. The Cha Cha Pill Float is versatile, often drift-fished like other small attractors, and commonly used for walleye fishing. For the diehard steelhead angler, they can be used in conjunction with a rubber pink worm. A contrasting color or one that matches the worm color will add profile and buoyancy. They can also be used as spacers when fishing a standard or Wiggle Bill and a hoochie. Since they are lightweight, they can help increase the action of the hoochie behind a flasher as they will not weigh the lure down, and this means you can use a lighter leader.
The Derby Winner by Mack’s Lure uses a Cha Cha Pill Float inside a small hoochie skirt and a Smile Blade. Walleye anglers know using Cha Cha Pill Floats on a worm harness can be deadly. Trout anglers can use them to get bait off the bottom of lakes with many weeds. Drift fishing them with a small gob of cured eggs will help anglers catch trout, steelhead, and salmon, and of course, a shrimp rig uses a Cha Cha Pill Float, Smile Blade, and tandem hooks.
When you think of Mack’s Lure, it is hard not to think of the Wedding Ring Spinner, which has been a staple for kokanee and trout anglers for years. Then, looking at the Salmon Tech Spinner and walleye lures, you can see how these beads can be used in many ways. The best thing about using components such as tapered beads is the color combinations you can produce. One day, the fish might like red; the next day, orange, chartreuse, or even black. Trout anglers who fish in rivers know a stonefly in the nymph stage has a big black segmented body. A single black tapered bead in front of a hook mimics the stonefly. Anglers who fish Idaho’s Salmon River for steelhead often put a small float, such as a Cha Cha Pill Float, two feet in front of a sizeable black stonefly and then drift it along. Tapered beads can tie up a setup where the hook is more exposed than a tied fly. Kokanee and trout anglers can adjust the colors and come up with their own color combinations. Same with Salmon Spinners or making walleye and panfish lures.
The Smile Blade is one of the most versatile and highly used components in the Mack’s Lure catalog. The best part is that when you buy them as a component, they come in packs of 5 blades. Every fish that swims will bite a lure made with a Smile Blade. For the trout angler, the Promise Keeper, Wedding Ring, and Double Whammy come to mind but do not forget the Smile Blade Fly. Now, anglers can assemble these lures using components to come up with various color combinations and adjust the size and location of hooks. Trolling a Carey Special or Whooley Bugger fly with a small bead and a smile blade in front is deadly for trout. Early morning, use a bright silver or gold flake blade; then switch to a metallic purple or green blade in the afternoon. Easy to switch out and Smile Blades can be fished from very slow speeds to faster speeds without worry. Sockeye anglers use the Smile Blade with a few beads and tandem hooks; now, imagine using a trailing small red treble hook to grab the soft-mouthed sockeye. This is the best part of using components; you can tailor your lure to your fishery.
My stepfather Willie Ross, better known as “Walleye Willie,” was a full-time guide in the Columbia River Gorge. Known for his walleye fishing, he was often followed to his favorite spots by fellow guides trying to figure out his fishing techniques. Though they would find his spots, they never could figure out his fish-catching lures because he tied his own. When he passed away, I was left with his fishing gear, including totes full of hand-tied walleye rigs. One of the most notable components of his lures was they all had Smile Blades on them. Assorted colors and sizes for different water conditions, hooks tied perfectly to hold a worm straight, and some of them had beads while others had Cha Cha Pill Floats. He knew the importance of using components and producing his own lures. Not only did this increase his success rates, but it also meant he never had to worry about whether a tackle company discontinued the lure or color.
Instead of buying pre-tied lures and trying to make them work or only disassembling them to use their parts, try looking through the Mack’s Lure catalog and ordering the components. Often, you find that you can assemble your own lures, come up with colors, sizes, and styles that fit your fishery. Once you find your favorite combination, it is up to you if you want to invite the neighbor along for a fishing trip to learn your secrets.
Holy smokes folks, it’s time for our 100th episode. And WE WANT YOU TO JOIN THE RECORDING! We will record this episode on November 12th, 6-8 pm at the Eagles Lodge in Wenatchee, WA. The first 10 listeners to arrive...
Fish Like the Pros By Jason Brooks My neighbor stopped by one afternoon to invite me on his annual trip to fish for coho out of the small oceanside town of Sekiu. I was happy to join him, and when...
As an expert angler, you understand that having the right gear is crucial to your success on the water. To elevate your game and fish like the pros, consider creating your own custom fishing lures using Mack’s Lure tackle components....
