By Gary Miralles, Lure Inventor
If you’ve ever struggled to find summer trout in deep reservoirs, trust me—you’re not alone. After decades of tinkering in bathtubs, designing new lures, and trolling across the West, I still get a thrill every time a fish proves we did something right. During a recent trip with Michael Kaal on Watauga Lake, we set out to show how I use Mack’s Lure gear and a few tricks I’ve learned to consistently put trout (and surprise bonus species) in the boat.
Let’s break down exactly what we did and why it works, with plenty of real-time observations, so you can adapt these lessons to your waters.
Like I told Michael onboard, “Most of my designs started in my bathtub. If a lure doesn’t have the right wiggle there, it’s not going to work out on the lake.” That spirit led to the Cripplure, Humdinger, the Sling Blade Dodger, and the Wiggle Hoochie—every one crafted to solve a particular angling challenge, whether it’s mimicking a wounded baitfish or getting more action out of downrigged plastics.
When that surface temp climbs in the summer, trout in places like Watauga push deep for cold water. Michael summed up our approach perfectly: “If you’re not where the fish are, you’re not going to get bit.” We set up with downriggers to control depth precisely. Using electronics and line counters, we started probing 50–80 feet, tweaking as we gotbites—because trout tell you what they want if you listen.
I walked Michael through my trolling setup, emphasizing speed. “Most traditional dodgers blow out at over 1.5 mph, and that’s just too slow sometimes,” I explained. “The Sling Blade is shaped so you can push 2–2.5 mph, which gets you more aggressive strikes.”
Michael noticed the difference too: “Gary, these Sling Blades still track at that speed, and that turns those plastics into fish magnets.” My own rule: keep that dodger about 24–28 inches ahead of your lure for optimal action. If you’re running something like a flat plastic hoochie—which doesn’t have its own movement—bring it in even closer to the dodger, 6–10 inches, so the kick gives it all the life it needs.
I always rotate my top producers:
I told Michael, “It’s not just about color or action. Fish feed by smell, too.” We added a dab of alewife, shad, and Pro-Cure Super Gels like Trophy Trout made for Mack's Lure, and it turned window shoppers into biters, especially during slower periods.
PRO TIP: Don’t overdo it. A little scent goes a long way. Reapply every 20–30 minutes or after a catch.
Our first trout came after some back-and-forth with depth and lure color. But when we found the zone, it was bang-bang action—two rods down at once. “That’s when you double up, because you’ve hit the mood and the level,” Michael pointed out.
Key: Use your line counter and keep your depth consistent between passes, especially during a bite window.
You never know what Mack’s rigs will draw up. As we hugged bottom for curious trout, Michael landed a nice walleye—we both got a laugh. “That’s why it pays to keep an open mind out here,” I said. “Trout, walleye, even bass—if it’s feeding, you can tempt it with these setups.”
In Michael’s words: “Watch how Gary never stops tinkering. That’s what makes him a legend. Don’t be afraid to mess with your setup. Sometimes one little change turns a slow day into a big one.”
Whether you’re new to trolling or an old pro, these principles—learned across a lifetime and shared between friends—are the secret sauce. Get out, experiment, and just maybe, next time you’ll invent the lure the trout have never seen.
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