Salmon and Trout

 Many tailwaters rank among the most productive trout fisheries in the planet, but anglers must understand the volatile personalities of these dam-driven flows and must be prepared to adapt quickly to changing conditions.

Sage advice for the steelhead obsessed everywhere.

I dug frantically through my tackle bag for anything that might trigger a strike. What I came up with provoked a chuckle from my fishing buddy: A neon yellow marabou jig, the same lure we’d used on crappie trips last spring.

NAFC friend, Frank Scalish, is best known for his achievements as a professional bass fisherman, but when the weather cools, the tourneys are over and the last bass has been weighed, he dons waders, grabs his fly gear and prepares to spend the fall and winter months guiding steelhead fishermen on any number of rivers.

Here are three simple options for preserving single eggs, skein chunks and spawnbags.

Its name is “bacon.” Good name. Everyone loves bacon: Toddlers, college kids, balding thirty-something guys (like me) and pretty much all members of AARP. Fishermen often order huge plates of it, next to eggs, while in relaxing in restaurants after early-morning fishing trips. But I’m not talking about wonderfully-greasy slices of meaty heaven. I’m talking about a fishing fly.

Compared to most other trout species, rainbows are willing biters and can be taken on most any kind of bait or lure including spoons, spinners, plugs, flies, worms, leeches and even marshmallows.

The fish deteriorate quickly once in the stream, so the fish you catch may not be fit to eat. If you can intercept the fish in the lower reaches of the stream or in intertidal areas, however, you can enjoy some fast action for pinks that are still in good condition.

The largest golden trout are taken from remote waters at high altitudes (10,000 feet or more). There, the only access is by hiking, and the fish have a better chance of long - term survival.

They are less wary than most other trout and will strike practically any kind of bait or lure that is the approximate size of their food. Cutthroat are not as acrobatic as rainbows, but a hooked fish usually wages a strong subsurface struggle.