When salmon go off the herring bite , look to anchovies as an alternative . Be sure to use an anchovy hood .
Reviving theAnchovy
KNOWING HOW TO FISH ANCHOVIES HELPS WHEN SALMON IGNORE YOUR CUT-PLUG HERRING . BY JASON BROOKS
theAnchovy Hood jason brooks photo
SLOWLY TROLLING ALONG ON A flat calm sea , it was one of those rare perfect days with no breeze or clouds . It was almost too nice and the fish apparently agreed as the fishing was slow . Looking to the west I saw what I thought were raindrops hitting the water but there wasn ’ t a raincloud in sight . Then the tiny flash showed it was a school of baitfish being forced up to the surface . Knowing that predators such as Chinook will attack the schools of bait from below and cause them to form a tight ball which is then pinned against the surface as they run out of water . This makes for an easy meal and also means salmon are feeding nearby .
Turning the boat and making several passes through the marked bait ball we came up empty . The sonar screen showed large arches making their way up from the bottom and gorging on the prey . Our cut plug herring didn ’ t draw a single strike and then it dawned on us , the bait fish were anchovies . Quickly switching out our leaders to some pre-tied anchovy hoods , the new baits were in the water and soon the first rod went off followed by the second rod on the opposite side of the boat . The rest of the day went on like this ,
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