Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3819 Aug 30-Sep 13 | Página 8

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HOW TO...
Aug 30 - Sept 13, 2019
VOL.38 • ISS. 19
Plastic Talk!
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The trout version of the
Apex (left) comes rigged
with a single J Hook while the
kokanee version comes equipped
with a pair of octopus hooks. Both
versions can be used to catch
trout, kings and kokanee. Apex
Lures are offered in a bunch of
different colors and they all catch
fish. For trout and landlocked
salmon, the watermelon and UV
Clear versions are Cal Kellogg’s
personal favorites.
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When author Cal
Kellogg fishes Apex
Lures he typically runs them
naked without blades. Yet
that doesn’t mean they
don’t work in the company
of blades. You’ll have solid
results if you team them
with a Sling Blade or Gold
Star dodger, particularly if
landlocked kings are the
target.
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Grubs like the
Berkley Power Grub
shown here are super
effective trout baits. You
can use them in situations
that traditionally call for a
threaded worm. Here we
see the grub rigged behind
a set of Vance’s flashers.
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Hoochies are
excellent baitfish
imitations and that
means they are deadly
effective on both
trout and landlocked
salmon. Better still they
are very economical
and come is a huge
array of colors.
presents
I
Thinking Trout & Salmon?
Think About Pulling Plastic…
was going through my tackle
assortment the other day, getting
everything dialed in for fall trout fishing.
That’s when a thought struck me, some of
my favorite trout and landlocked salmon
offerings are made of plastic.
So, I figured why not devote
this week’s how to column to
a discussion of some of my
favorite hard and soft plastic
trout and salmon offerings!
The Apex
Apex Lures are manu-
factured by the HotShot
Company. HotShot is a
top manufacturer of ocean
salmon fishing gear and
the original generation of
Apex Lures were designed
for ocean kings. These large
Apex Lures ranging up to 6
¼ inches remain a favorite
of ocean salmon trollers from California to
Alaska and throughout the Great Lakes.
With large Apex Lures slaying ocean
salmon, it’s not surprising that a member
of the HotShot brain trust came up with
the idea of offering smaller Apex Lures
designed for trout and landlocked salmon.
The end result of this thinking is the Apex
Trout Killer Series and the Apex Kokanee
Special Series.
Truth be told, I’ve caught trout on
Kokanee Specials and I’ve caught kokanee
and kings on Trout Specials. Over time
I’ve concluded that the hooking arrange-
ment on the Kokanee Special is better
overall then the set up on the Trout Killer,
so in the end all of my trout and kokanee
Apex Lures end up rigged the same way
with a one basic difference.
When kokanee are the target I go with
a pair of either Gamakatsu or Eagle Claw
Lazer Sharp No. 8 octopus hooks. I use
red hooks if I have them, but black nickel
works just as well for me.
When I’m looking for trout or kings I
employ a No. 6 octopus nearest the lure
and put a No. 8 hook behind it. When I’m
trolling Apex Lures for trout and kings I’m
really targeting fish in the 3-pound class
or larger. When I’m successful in drawing
strikes from these larger fish, knowing that
a No. 6 hook is embedded in
the jaw of the battler gives me
confidence!
Leader size and tipping are a
couple issues we should focus on
for a moment. Some guys get a
new Apex and run in right out of
the package and don’t re-rig until
the leader gets frayed. Other guys
re-rig right away. I’m in the re-rig
right away club. For kokanee, I
like a 10-pound test fluorocarbon
leader. When I’m aiming for trout
and kings I go with 12-pound
fluorocarbon. Again, when I’m
pulling Apex Lures, I’m thinking
big fish and I want a leader that is
up to the challenge.
When I refer to tipping, I’m referring to
tipping the lures hooks with strike trig-
gering bait. For kokanee shoe peg corn or
Pautzke Fire Corn is the way to go. All you
want is a single kernel on the rear hook.
For trout, I rarely tip at all, but if I do, I’ll
use a tiny bit of worm. For kings, you’ll
benefit by tipping the rear hook of your
Apex with a tiny sliver of anchovy fillet
that has been cured in Pautzke Fire Brine.
And what about lure color? For most light
conditions or depths Kokanee Specials in
Hot Pink, Flame Orange or Kokanee Red
produce well. These finishes have high
fluorescence on their backs for bright light
conditions, while the bellies are glow in the
dark for low light conditions or deep water
fishing.
For bright days when the fish are in the
top 15 feet of the water column the Flame
Sparkle finish is good since it has high fluo-
rescence on both sides with added sparkle.
When the day is overcast and the fish
are holding in water that is 60 feet deep or
FISH SNIFFER
HOW – TO
by Cal Kellogg
CONTINUED ON PG 23