Mack Attack Articles

Fishing the SBF as a finesses lure — only using your wrist to work the lure without any arm or shoulder movements, is an effective way to fish rivers.

Predators of any kind are opportunistic. They key on an easy meal and do not waste energy on chasing healthy prey. The fall of a SBF is that easy meal — it mimics an injured, helpless baitfish. It is the best action in all of sport fishing that triggers fish to strike!

Whether fishing for walleyes — of any other species, including salmon — the presentation is either horizontal or vertical. Horizontal includes casting and trolling. Vertical basically applies to jigging when only artificial baits are used.

With the July 1, 2022 opening of the Washington State summer salmon season finally here, this monthly article discusses the techniques that I employ off Port Angeles (Wash.) Area 6, on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Many anglers have no true idea of the effectiveness of a metal jig. If they did, jigging would far-outnumber all other techniques. Three critical steps to out-fishing the competition by vertically jigging the Sonic BaitFish (SBF).

These are my time-proven tips to dramatically increase your catch rate when casting a Sonic BaitFish in shallow water from the shoreline, in a boat or to fish near surface in deep water. Once the angler becomes proficient with this technique, no other technique will be so consistently effective, especially in calm, clean water for a great variety of fresh and saltwater species.

Although my ice-out experiences have primarily been limited to Lake Erie marinas and its wester basin reefs, these techniques are highly effective in marinas and on its walleye pre- and post-spawning reefs.

Horizontal is when casting or trolling. This is primarily a swimming and darting action. In order to increase its flash and vibration, I routinely add a spinner blade to the split ring on its tail with the line attached to the nose and a snap swivel to minimize line twist.

There’s a well-worn phrase that’s used in our sport of angling that “90% of fish caught are by only 10% of the fishermen”. Is it because of superior skill or attention to detail? Probably, a little of each. This article is about you becoming an instant member of that “10% Club."

One of the most difficult presentations in sport fishing is fishing to suspended fish. A line counter on a baitcaster reel is one method of delivering your offering to where the fish are located. Another, is watching the fall of your lure on the screen of your electronic fish locator.

Vertical jigging on a slow drift is about as close to the perfect presentation that one can achieve in sport fishing because of absolute control of lure placement and its resultant downward flutter. The downward flutter is the most effective lure action that causes a fish to strike.

Last month I was walleye fishing on Lake Erie during perfect weather conditions — cloudy weather with a gentle "walleye chop." Rain was forecast for the next day, but the walleye were slamming my offerings on this day. They were nice fish, measuring in the 25- to 26-inch class. I could not wait to get back out the next day.