Cabin Fever

[Doc Cuervo]

Well, the last three days I have been able to bundle myself up, hop on the Harley and ride up the pass. Does wonders for the soul when suffering from cabin fever. I go all the way to the top of Ute Pass, have a couple bloody marys and head back down fast as I can. It kinda makes you know you are alive.

[Guest Henry Horns SASS #19579L]

We have a ton of water coming out of the skys tonight. The rivers will all be blown out for a few days and rising. Most likely colored beyond fishable. I just bought some surgical tubing for my steelhead rig today. Guess it will have to wait for better times.

 

Good news is that it might bring some bright fish in.

 

Now what would a Steelhead do with surgical tubing? They don't even have thumbs to help hold onto it.

But, seriously, how do you use surgical tubing to rig for them?

They chase Steelies up here in Mn, but I never have tried it.

Henry

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

Now what would a Steelhead do with surgical tubing? They don't even have thumbs to help hold onto it.

But, seriously, how do you use surgical tubing to rig for them?

They chase Steelies up here in Mn, but I never have tried it.

Henry

 

Good morning Henry,

The rubber tubing is used to hold a small piece of lead wire about 1/4 or 3/8 inch in diameter as a weight. Steelhead and other fish like to lie on the bottom and it is difficult to get a bait down to them.

Take the tube, cut about an inch off and slide it over the line, then insert the piece of lead wire into the tube about a1/2 inch. Leave about two inches out for a weight drag on the bottom. The current will move it along. The rubber will hold the lead in one place but if the weight gets caught on the rock at the bottom of the river, it will pull out of the tube and free your line. The only thing you are out is the small piece of lead wire. This is called drifting. You can also control the amount of line behind the weight and therefore how far off the bottom you bait will lie.

 

There is another method called plunking where a large pyramid sinker is tied to the line and it is chucked into the middle of the run. It just lies there. I am not a plunker. I am a drifter. or if I fish with flies a flyfisher. Steelhead fishing with flies is a real art form. I have done it, and hooked fish, but never been able to land them. The leader is the weak point in that.

[Guest Henry Horns SASS #19579L]

Thanks BMC,

That's good info. I fish for Walleyes from shore in the St. Croix and that sounds like a good technique for them, too.

Happy Cabin Fever, Pard.

H

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

I would guess that the technique would work for any species that lives on the bottom of moving water. You can cut the lead wire to any length to suit your needs, and you can also modify it to attach it to a "stringer" line off the main line so that it s a breakaway. I would think for walleye, it would be just the ticket in fast water.

I think I paid $4.00 yesterday for four feet of rubber tubing, and I bought the lead years ago. You don't use very much of it. I guess I could melt it down and add it to some bullets if I poured my own.

I quit that years ago tho. I would go with the smaller 1/4 inch diameter lead though. You can make the weight as long as you want.

[Barterin Bill]

Don't do like Jimmy Buffet;

 

Twenty degrees and the hockey games on.

Nobody cares; they are way too far gone,

screamin' "Boat drinks," somethin'

to keep them all warm.

This morning I shot six holes in my freezer.

I think I got cabin fever.

[Deja Vous]

Don't do like Jimmy Buffet;

 

Twenty degrees and the hockey games on.

Nobody cares; they are way too far gone,

screamin' "Boat drinks," somethin'

to keep them all warm.

This morning I shot six holes in my freezer.

I think I got cabin fever.

 

Only six??? You get to work on making plugs now for all of them..

[Barterin Bill]

Only six??? You get to work on making plugs now for all of them..

I guess he's not a CAS shooter and only had 1 six gun.

[Deja Vous]

I guess he's not a CAS shooter and only had 1 six gun.

 

Winter in the snow belt is a good time to, sew, reload, clean your leather, get out your guns and shoot snap caps at TV in Dec.. about March you are using real ammo ... lol... Course you have enough after reloading for 4 months, so you can take out TV in the surrounding area too with the cool new cammo outfit you managed to sew to wear for your mission.. lol..