TIPS & TAILOUTS
Renew Old Lures With Tape
Look through your tackle box and there ’ s a good chance you will find lures that have lost their luster . Paint chipped , rusted hooks , and tarnished brass . You can take the time to repaint or polish these treasured fish catchers or you can simply tape them up . There have been several advancements in tapes and glues over the years and fishing tackle companies have been using these advancements on many lures and attractors . Take a look at the triangle flashers and you will notice they are a translucent plastic with tape on them for flash . You can do the same thing with old lures . Hyper-Viz is a Pacific Northwest based company that specializes in lure tape . Custom colors and reflective finishes can be mixed and matched to create your own favorite fish catching combinations . The tape itself is waterproof and the glue is strong enough that it won ’ t wear off . The sheets are small enough that you can put them in your tackle box which makes it nice to change colors of the lure to fit the fishery . Several years ago we were fishing in a remote area in British Columbia . Noticing the feeding salmon where gorging on anchovies we quickly switched out the colors to match that of the smaller baitfish .
Prism tapes and other lure tapes come in many colors and finishes including ultraviolet that will help renew those old lures . Don ’ t throw away a tried and true lure just because it no longer has any flash , instead tape it up and put it back in the tackle box . You can also save money too , as it will extend the life of your lures . JASON BROOKS
SPOT PRAWN TIP : You Need 1½ Gallons of Bait
When it comes to catching shrimp and prawns there is one detail that can make a big difference between full pots and barely enough to make an appetizer . The bait you use . Shrimp are scavengers of the ocean , feeding on dead and decaying matter which puts a premium on having “ stinky ” bait . Canned cat food is the staple for most shrimpers but there are ways to increase your catch by making your own baits that leach out scents and attract more shrimp . With most fishing days only open for a few hours and increased competition at the best spots , your bait makes a big difference .
Make enough bait that you can refresh it often . Each time you pull up the pot it is best to top off the bait container or even better to replace all of the bait . Here is a time-proven recipe on creating a shrimp catching bait .
Equal parts of shrimp pellets , canned cat food , canned mackerel , and enough Pro-Cure crab and shrimp attractant to mix all of the ingredients to the consistency of peanut butter . Crush the shrimp pellets to make it easier to mix it . Using a paint stirrer and a cordless drill helps speed up the mixing . Depending on how many pots you will be fishing , and for how long you can set them , will determine how much bait you will need . Plan on pulling each pot every hour and refilling the bait containers . This means if you have four pots , each one has a bait container that is 16-ounces , and you have a four-hour window to fish , you need enough bait to fill the containers three times . Keep in mind the last pull of the pots you will not be rebaiting as the window of fishing will be over . That is 4 ( pots ) x 16 ounces x 3 = 192 ounces of bait . There is 128 ounces in a gallon , so you will need about 1 ½ gallons of bait to fish for the day .
Don ’ t make the mistake of not having enough bait as any leftover bait can be frozen and used the next time you go out .
8 SALMON THE TAILOUT & STEELHEAD JOURNAL
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