The Rooster Tails Fishing Club of Northern California, Inc. Educate

The Rooster Tails Fishing Club of
Northern California, Inc.
"There are obviously
people who like to fish
Educate ~ Entertain ~ Enhance
Volume 4, Issue 5 — May 2014
Rooster Tails Fishing Club of
Northern California, Inc.
PO Box 7441
The Evolution of Fishing Trolling Flies
Auburn, CA 95604
As fishing technology evolves, anglers and
lures made from natural fur that are designed
530-887-0479
their tackle become more sophisticated for
www.roostertailsfishingclub.org pursuing various fish species, including
trout, kokanee, and salmon. The Rooster
 Radio show host, Tails Fishing Club is pleased to announce
Denis Peirce, owner of Arctic Fox Trollauthor, newspa- that
ing Flies, will be a special guest speaker for
their May 16 breakfast meeting to share his
per writer
expertise for using trolling fly lures.

Trolling Fly Lures

Underwater Video

Swarm
Switchblade
Flasher System
Artificial flies were created to mimic terrestrial or aquatic insects which have been traditionally relegated to fly fishers using specialized fly rods, reels and lines. Denis has
created a wide selection of specialized
to be presented by trolling behind a boat. He
has teamed-up with Wiggle Fin, a manufacturer
of action producing devices that create a swimming action when the trolling fly is pulled
through the water column. The end result is a
realistic, natural looking creature that swims
like a bait fish. During Denis’ power point presentation, he will have underwater video of this
unique action. Even though a properly trolled
fly with a swimming action, the line of travel in
the water is a relatively straight line usually
Continued on page 4
Inside this issue:
Trolling with Wind Power 2
May 20th—NTO-Collins
Lake
2
Weird Trout Baits
3
Volunteers Needed
3
Jackpot Contest
4
Delta Tournament
4
An Arctic Trolling Fly, Wiggle Fin & Hook
Calendar of Events
RT Fishing Swap Meet
Sun
Mon
Tue
Collins Lake NTO — May 20
1
2
3
4
BBQ Picnic — June 13
8
9
10
15
16
22
23
29
30
Swap Meet — May 17
Saturday—May 17, 2014
Monthly breakfast — June 20
8:00 A.M. — 3:00 P.M.
Ocean Fishing — June 25
Mt. Vernon Grange Hall
*Buy *Sell *Trade
June 2014
Volunteer Meeting — May 10
Wed Thur
Fri
Sat
5
6
7
11
12
13
14
17
18
19
20
21
24
25
26
27
28
Page 2
Trolling with Wind Power
Spring time weather often brings windy conditions making fishing
difficult and keeping anglers at home wishing they were pursuing
their favorite prey. Although wind can be a challenge on any open
body of water any time of the year, springtime’s approaching storms
are the most common source of steady blowing wind and rough water. Windy conditions make fishing difficult but
with water in turmoil, the ‘chop’ often stimulates
the bite because the wind deposits various insects and other food for foraging bait fish. Small
fish come to the surface to feed on the wind’s
bounty, drawing predator fish along with them.
Unlike smooth surface water conditions, feeding
fish in wind-churned water are not as spooked by
boat shadows, engine noise, or lure images being
dispersed by an undulating surface water. The
problem for the angler becomes wrangling their
boat and controlling it as it is being pushed by
the wind. A technique and equipment often used
by big water anglers, who frequently face windy
conditions is using a drift sock for a controlled,
wind-powered, trolling drift without using the
boat’s motor.
the sock’s large ‘mouth’ and is restricted by a smaller ‘exhaust’ exit
forcing water in the opposite direction of the wind.
A drift sock is best suited for boats with a V-hull design with substantial free-board to off-set the drag on one side of the boat. Although
there are many drift sock designs, some features
that are desirable in choosing a ‘sock’ is that the
down-side of the sock ‘mouth’ has a weightededge with the opposing side made of a floating
material along with a ‘collapsible retrieval line’. To
deploy this design, simply requires tying-off the
drift sock’s straps with 5’ to 8’ of line attached to
a cleat on the boat’s gunnel and throwing it overboard. This drift sock’s design will automatically
‘inflate’ without having to pull on the attachment
straps/line to fill it.
Another use of the drift sock is to slow down the
forward motion of a boat’s big motor to reduce the
boat’s trolling speed. This is accomplished by
attaching the drift sock to the boat’s front hull clip.
Using a short attachment line (to prevent the line
from reaching into the prop), the drift sock reduces the boat’s speed without impeding direction or control and no
A drift sock is a simple cone-shaped device commonly made of a
tough denier woven fabric with attachment straps that slows the drift interference with fishing lines or other tackle. With a little practice, a
of the boat on windy fishing days. A drift sock is essentially the oppo- thirty-to-fifty dollar drift sock sure beats a couple of thousand dollars
for a kicker or electric motor.
site of a sail on a sailboat. On a sailboat, the wind pushes the sail,
moving the boat faster than the surface of the water. A drift sock
Drift socks come in various sizes, the following are the general guidesubmerged in the water and attached to the boat’s hull opposes the lines for matching boat length to the drift sock length:
wind’s push as it drags and resists the water being forced through it.
14’ or less – 26”
16’ to 18’ – 30”
A drift sock is sometimes referred to as a sea-anchor. Water enters
20’ to 22’ – 44”
24’ to 26’ – 65”
Hey Rooster Tails and Friends… What are you waiting for?
We are almost half-way through 2014! Have you participated in a
club organized NTO fishing outing with a fellow Rooster Tail, or with
your spouse, or guest? No excuses now! Plan on fishing with us on
NTO Tuesday, May 20th on Collins Lake. We launch at safe-light and
check-in for bragging rights at 2:00 p.m. in the launch area parking lot.
WHY COLLINS LAKE?
 Collins Lake, (7510 Collins Lake Road, Browns Valley, 95918),
is just a 67+ minute drive from the Auburn Elk’s Lodge, an easy
53.61 mile drive on good roads. Launch your boat on a spacious
ramp with docks in plenty of deep water. Spend the night in one
of their 300 camping sites or on-site cabins to get an early start
fishing. Oh, did we mention that the Collin’s General Store has
the best ice cream that people travel from the Bay Area to enjoy!
We dare you to do a ‘double scoop’!
 Join us in fun fishing for over 22,500 pounds of trout planted so
far in 2014, including many trophy trout exceeding ten pounds
and a great place to use your new found knowledge of using
trolling flies. The lake record is a rainbow trout that weighted in
at 14 pounds, 3 ounces. Think Jackpot big fish contest here!
 So you are not into trout fishing… how about spotted bass? The
Lake record spot came in with a 9 pound, 9 ounce beauty. The
large-mouth record is a monster 15 pounds, 8 ounces! But if you
are not still not convinced that fishing the Collins Lake NTO on
Tuesday, May 20th… How about a Lake record crappie that
weighted-in at an impressive 3 pounds, 4 ounces. You would have
to drive three-hours to Clear Lake to find a flatty this size! Are you
still thinking Jackpot big fish contest and folding cash at our yearend Awards Luncheon, hope so!
For newer club members, there is no sign-up to participate in a NTO,
no entry fees, fish from a boat or shore, with a gathering of everybody
meeting near the launch area for an optional no-host late lunch/
snack and beverage. Rooster Tail members must have a liability
waiver on file to participate in a NTO. Members with signed liability
waivers on file may have guests on-board their boats during the
event. An optional big fish dollar or two per angler for a cash-pot
paid before the NTO launching. Pay-out of a big-fish-pot would be
made at the gathering point, probably in the launch area parking lot.
The decision on what constitutes a ‘big fish’ would be determined by
the participants based on weigh and/or length. The winner would be
chosen by the participants.
We invite you to make a serious effort to fish the Rooster Tails spring
NTO with us, Collins Lake still has plenty of water, however now is the
 If you score one of the lakes many ‘tagged trout’ just present
time to enjoy fishing it, you may not have the chance later in the year
your catch at the Lake store and pocket a cool hundred bucks in as drought conditions persist. For more information contact NTO
reward money! Hey… do we have your attention yet?
Hosts Rik Cox 916-798-3893 or Co-Host Wade Webb 530-367-3665.
Page 3
Weird Trout Baits
What constitutes a viable alternative trout bait considering
that over-the-counter dough baits sell for five to seven dollars
per tiny jar? What are the components for a viable dough
bait? Scent (trailing smell), texture (hook malleability), and
practicality for use by the average angler that catches fish.
The following is not relegated to the perimeter of the fishing
community, but to basically shore ‘bankies’ with bobber-nhook rigs that often out-fish anglers on fancy boats and hundreds of dollars in tackle and exotic baits. The old standby of
course is the lowly night crawler which both bankies and boaters use universally in various methods often threaded, folded,
inflated, enhanced, and otherwise impaled onto a hook in conjunction with various hard tackle. The night crawler riggedhook is often embellished with a variety of enhancements including corn, grubs, eggs (real and artificial), scents, and other
novel ‘attractant’ enrichments.
However, what is seldom in the angling news is some of the
weirder trout baits either from boat or shore…
Velveeta cheese – Velveeta is the predecessor to the multimillion dollar dough-bait market. Despite the likes of Berkeley,
and their competitors, Velveeta cheese is the original dough
bait! Rolled into a dime-size ball and pressed onto a small
treble hook it still emits an odor that travels through the water
column as it did almost forty-years ago! A drop of food coloring and/or garlic powder added to it can change it into the
latest dough bait color and scent.
Bubble Gum – You gotta be kiddn’ me! Anglers can chew the
sweet tasting gum for a few seconds, form it into a small ball
and place it onto a treble hook and allow it to drift with the
current for a gum-chewing-trout! The gum’s sweet smell entices the trout to hit and try to engulf it… honest, I am not making this up!
Canned dog food – the meat chunks in gravy canned dog food
mixed with a few spoons of cornmeal and flour and molded
into an excellent fishing dough ball, especially dog food that
has a liver or chicken flavor. The meat chunks can be placed
directly onto treble hook by themselves and the gravy on the
meat serve as a good scent in attracting fish. We are talking
trout here and not catfish.
Popcorn – yeah, popcorn! It floats and can be enhanced with
a drop of scent and is also cheap on a mega scale. Orville
Redenbacher probably never thought of his popcorn on a hook
to attract a trout to bite. Popcorn also can be used as a
What I have always suspected is the semi-moistened dog food
floater to suspend a small piece of night crawler or egg.
pellets that is supposed to be fed to planter trout – To fish for
planters, is to simply press dog food nuggets onto a treble fishSalad shrimp – sans the dressing and lettuce! The small
ing hook right out of the bag which is usually good for up to 30
salad shrimp are perfect as a trout bait. They have a major
minutes in the water before replacement is necessary. A handscent and different from the usual offerings. Put a handful of ful of dry dog food submerged in water while fishing can be
these shrimp in the microwave for about 20 seconds to
molded into a dough ball right on the shore while fishing, and
toughen them up and use them to tip a treaded night crawler while it won't last for more than ten minutes in the water, it
or fish them solo. They are fragile bait, but release a major
works well when fish are actively feeding trout. Although skeptrout attracting scent. Add them to a threaded night crawler
tical… do they really feed hatchery trout dog food?
and you have a major ‘different’ offering.
So much for technique, tackle, science, expertise, and that is
promoted to us…
Volunteers Needed
As a perspective for Rooster Tail members that joined our club
after 2008 and an expression of gratitude to the twenty RT’s volunteers that hosted a fun and successful club swap meet six
years ago (see adjoining photo), we invite you to share in the camaraderie for our May 17th Swap Meet. We have a dozen+
Rooster Tails that have already signed-up as Swap Meet volunteers, however, we need more to cover important areas of the
event. At 12:00-noon on Saturday, May 10th, Jim Petruk will have
an open invitation for Rooster Tail members that have already
signed-up and to ask others willing to volunteer for the Swap
Meet set-up and clean-up, direct traffic, price donated tackle, and
organize for our club’s fast approaching event. Also, if you have
fishing related items that you would like to donate, drop them off
on May 10th and have a slice of pizza and a cold-one with us! Do
not bring donations to our May 16th breakfast meeting, there will
not be enough time to clean and price your items.
Jim’s address is 11063 Rosemary Drive @ Shirland Track Road,
Auburn, 95603. Email Jim at [email protected] or call 530887-0479 to let him know you will stop-by and to determine how
much food & beverages to have for you.
Thanks
for supporting
the
Rooster
Tails, all
Swap
Meet
proceeds
go to
member
benefits…
Page 4
The Evolution of Fishing Trolling Flies—
2014 Jack Pot Entries (to date)
continued from page 1
attached to a leader behind a common single-blade dodger or
flasher. To alleviate this straight-line situation, Denis’ solution is
to present his trolling flies in conjunction with a new device
called the Swarm Switchblade Flasher System. This flasher
system creates a large circle of erratic, random, multiple
flashes drawing feeding fish to the trailing vibrating trolling fly.
Made of a low-drag, lightweight and durable polycarbonate material, the Switchblade teamed-up with an Arctic Fox trolling fly
is a fish catching combination.
Stay informed and expand on your knowledge of state-of-art
fishing tackle and techniques by attending this very informative
Rooster Tails Fishing Club breakfast meeting. Reservations are
not necessary to attend this breakfast meeting which is open to
the public and all men and women who are interested in fishing.
Denis Peirce has been a lifelong angler. He was introduced to
fly fishing by his grandfather in the 1960’s. He moved to
Truckee California in 1978 to seriously pursue trout fishing. He
moved to the western slope of the Northern Sierra in 1981 to
fish year around in the milder climate of the Sierra foothills.
LANDLOCKED SALMON—Rik Cox, 17”, Folsom Lake, 2/5/14
In the 1990’s he changed careers and joined the fishing tackle
industry. He has been a sales rep, manufacturer and distributor
in the fly industry. His media credits include hosting
“The KNCO Fishing & Outdoor Report” radio show since 1993,
writing a weekly
newspaper column
for “The Union”
newspaper since
2003 and writing
occasional articles
for magazines
such as California
Fly Fisher.
BROWN TROUT—Gary Roberts, 25”, 4lbs. 8oz., Lake Pardee,
Swarm Switchblade Flasher System
STRIPED BASS—Biff Brethour, 34”, 15lbs. 1 oz., Delta, 4/18/14
RAINBOW TROUT—Charles Mierkey, 19 1/2”, 3 lbs. 7 oz., Collins
Lake, 3/22/14
2/25/14
LARGE MOUTH BASS—Larry Thomas, 17 1/2”, Lake Berryessa,
2/14/14
RT Tournament - Brannan Island
It was sunny and windy as 11 teams fished the Delta on
Tuesday launching from Brannan Island. Two of the teams
fished from shore, the rest from boats...lots of fish were
caught with 2 teams sharing first place...money to be
awarded at the May 16 RT breakfast. The winners are below—Dan Lucas and John Hess with their stripers on the
left. Directly below are Ron Jones and Mike Steer with
their striper catch. A good time was had by all.