Captain Pete Rosko is a legendary lure innovator and fishing educator whose groundbreaking designs have revolutionized the sport fishing industry for over four decades. Born in 1937 near Lake Erie in Ohio’s walleye country, Pete developed his passion for angling at age three and began designing fishing lures during his teenage years, eventually creating award-winning innovations like the Erie Shiner, which won the American Sportfishing Association’s “Best Spinner” award. After earning his D.D.S. from The Ohio State University and practicing dentistry until a career-ending neck injury in 1989, Pete transitioned full-time to lure design and development, applying his scientific background in anatomy and materials to create more effective fishing tools.
Pete’s lures have contributed to multiple state, international, and Hall of Fame fishing records, while his commitment to education through technical guides, seminars, and mentorship has helped countless anglers improve their success on waters from Alaska to Florida
By Pete Rosko
Peak Season for Coho and Kokanee in Washington Waters
In Washington State, the latter half of September and the first half of October are prime times for catching mature coho salmon and kokanee. A chartreuse Sonic BaitFish for coho and an orange Sonic BaitFish for kokanee can result in over 100 hookups a day during these magical weeks.
For coho, it’s an open-water casting and trolling fishery off Port Angeles. Further west, off Sekiu, the fishing includes open-water casting and trolling, as well as kelp-edge casting and vertical jigging.
For kokanee fishing, Lake Sutherland lies 15 miles west of Port Angeles. This 90-foot-deep lake has consistently produced both kokanee and cutthroat trout during my 43 years of fishing there.
Silver Salmon Success Off Sekiu and Port Angeles
About ten years ago, I was invited to fish for September silvers at Sekiu. My gracious friend Rob preferred trolling with cut plug herring off a downrigger. As I often do during early morning hours, I chose a simpler technique just as the sun appeared on the horizon.
This technique involves attaching a metal spinner blade to the tail of any metal jig I use while trolling. (Refer to the photo and NOTE at the end of this article.) Most salmon and trout are near the surface at sunup, although surface activity depends on the weather. Bright sun may push fish deeper within an hour of sunrise, whereas foggy, cloudy, or rainy conditions allow them to remain near the surface longer.
(Keep your eye on your fish finder to track fish depth and look for surface-feeding birds, which often indicate salmon pushing baitfish to the surface.
For over two hours, my flatline trolling technique with the Sonic BaitFish easily outperformed my buddy’s cut plug herring. Once the sun drove the fish deeper, I had to attach a diver to my line. Only then was my buddy able to keep up with my salmon hookups.
PRO TIP: Never hesitate to flatline troll at sunrise or on dark, cloudy days for any salmon species—especially silvers. Besides its effectiveness, the rod tip action when trolling with a Sonic BaitFish in a rod holder lets you know if the lure becomes fouled. If the rod tip stops vibrating, you know something’s wrong. This is a distinct advantage over using a downrigger, where the line is detached from your rod, requiring frequent lure checks for weeds or debris.
If I’m forced to use a diver, my favorite is the Luhr Jensen “Deep Six.” The smallest size dives to 40 feet, and the largest reaches 90 feet. A good rule of thumb is to use twice the amount of line as the depth you want to reach: for 40 feet, release 80 feet of line; for 90 feet, release 180 feet.
Kokanee Mayhem on Lake Sutherland
September 26 will always be a special day for me on Lake Sutherland. On my mom’s 95th birthday, I stopped counting the kokanee I released after reaching 300. It didn’t matter whether my Sonic BaitFish was attached at the nose, tail, or back—it was working.
I had the lake to myself on a calm day with a constant light shower and no noisy jet skiers. It was peak spawning season for kokanee. They were concentrated inside the no-wake buoy line northwest of the lake’s only public boat ramp. My annual ritual is to begin jigging inside the buoy at Falls Creek and work east to the next buoy. Year after year, this section is the lake’s most productive spawning area.
As always, I locate the fish with my fish finder before starting to jig. To hook 300 fish in a day, you must keep your eyes glued to your screen—follow the fish! Vertical jigging offers a clear advantage over trolling if your goal is non-stop catching.
Any Sonic BaitFish color will catch kokanee. As an experiment, I’ve even fished with a colorless, bare-metal Sonic BaitFish. It not only worked for kokanee but also for chinook, coho, and pink salmon. It’s the action of the Sonic BaitFish that triggers strikes. That said, during the fall spawning period, GLOW ORANGE is my most productive finish.
TIP: Don’t overwork your rod. Kokanee fishing is a finesse technique. I use only my wrist to twitch the lure rather than jerking it. Dead sticking can also be highly effective. Just drop your Sonic BaitFish to the depth where you see fish on your screen, and hold it there—no movement. It’s like offering an earthworm to a trout.
You can also do this from a rod holder using a second rod. The key is adjusting the holder so the rod is parallel to the water's surface. This allows subtle rod-tip vibrations to move the Sonic BaitFish—often a deadly presentation.
I first tried this technique years ago on Lake Erie for walleyes. It not only caught lots of fish, but also the biggest ones. The key is to bottom-bounce the jig in about a one-foot chop. The unmanned rod created a consistent jigging motion I couldn’t replicate by hand. Back then, I used a ¾ oz Crippled Herring metal jig, as the Sonic BaitFish hadn’t been invented yet.
This was no “fly-by-night” trick. Under the right conditions, it was a deadly and consistent walleye producer. Just ensure your jig is bouncing—not dragging—along the bottom.
The Tail Blade Advantage: A Game-Changing Jig Innovation
When I began designing metal jigs in the early 1980s, I was intrigued by the idea of adding a metal spinner blade as an attractant. To my surprise, it hadn’t been done before—at least not on metal jigs. The closest example was the disposable red plastic tail flipper on the Swedish Pimple, which tore off easily during strikes.
I wanted a blade with three essential qualities: flash, strength, and vibration. I experimented with three blade styles—Colorado, Indiana, and willow leaf. The Indiana blade eventually stood out as the best all-around option.
Over 40 years later, that blade is still used on the Crippled Herring—my first metal jig, now manufactured by Rapala. It’s attached via a split ring.
TIP: I prefer attaching the blade to the split ring using the same snap included in the Sonic BaitFish package. This gives the blade more freedom of movement. Place the blade on the smaller end of the snap, opposite the wider opening. This allows for a quick switch between jigs in case you only have one blade/snap rig.
Always attach the snap to the split ring on the back side of the hook, away from the hook point, to prevent the blade from striking it. (This configuration is shown in the accompanying photo.)
Try not to let the blade extend beyond the length of the hook. This blade acts as a “teaser” to enhance, not overpower, the jig’s action. Experiment with blade sizes #00, 0, 1, and 2—#00 for 1/16 oz and #2 for 1 oz Sonic BaitFish.
With this tail blade setup, you get flash, sound (from the blade striking the hook shank), and vibration. I primarily use this technique for trolling, and occasionally for casting. When combined with the Sonic BaitFish’s darting action, it’s extremely effective.
As time marches on, the seasons seem to quicken their step. I hope you all had a pleasant summer. Thank you for subscribing to the Mack Attack and for trusting our products.
Until next time—take a kid fishing, keep your hook sharp, and handle your catch with care. Be especially safe on the water and wear your life preserver. Your life depends on it.
By Linda Schmidt On this hot July day, the Snake River confluence shimmered under the bright Eastern Washington sun. Boats peppered the water, a typical weekday for one of the region’s most popular walleye haunts. Each angler chased their own...
By Pete Rosko In Washington State, the official saltwater salmon season off Port Angeles (Area 6) begins on July 1 and generally ends in mid-October. The first major salmon run starts with chinook salmon, with a few 3–5 lb. coho...
The Sonic BaitFish was invented with two primary goals in mind: ease of use and versatility. Ease of use means that anyone—regardless of age—who can hold a rod can catch fish with the Sonic BaitFish once those fish are located....
