Last week I tied up top water and subsurface tube chum fry patterns(1 7/8 inch length) using angel hair for material. Yesterday the weather and tide were good and it was time to try out the new patterns at a location where there was chum fry and sea-run cutthroat activity a week ago. I got there a couple of hours before the low slack tide and was rewarded with the sight of many sea-run cutthroat annihilating chum fry along two shorelines. Sea-run cutthroat were seen, slashing, jumping, and swirling everywhere as they busted through schools of chum fry in a feeding frenzy. Often chum fry could be seen spraying out of the water as they tried to escape the hungry sea-run cutthroat. This activity occurred every couple of minutes as small schools of chum fry were being pushed down current. At one shoreline the sea-run cutthroat appeared to be moving with the chum fry as they were being sweep over a shallow shelf. At the other shoreline the sea-run cutthroat seemed to sitting along a curent seam waiting for the schools of chum fry to be swept by.
I thought here we go for a "slam dunk" day of non-stop sea-run cutthroat fishing. I cast the new top water and subsurface chum fry patterns for 15 to 20 minutes right into the areas where the bedlam feeding activity of the sea-run cuthroat was occuring. I didn't even get a single strike. As I waded back to my boat, I noticed small schools of chum fry in 1 to 2 feet of water. The chum fry appeared to be about 1 1/4 inches long. I thought "ah hah" my chum fry patterns were too long. I shortened the patterns to 1 1/4 inches and cast the pattern out to the area where all the activity was occurring. On the first cast I hooked a nice 16 inch sea-run cutthroat and was hooking up a fish on almost every cast for quite awhile until the tidal current slowed down. It was an epic period!
On the top water chum fry pattern I was getting about a 50% hookup ratio if a sea-run cutthroat took a swipe at it. The top water chum fry pattern worked better than my expectations. About a 18 inch sea-run cutthroat came all the way out of the water as the fish slammed the pattern. However, after a few minute "battle" it came unbuttoned but that was okay since the "take" on a top water pattern is what it is all about.
IMHO when sea-run cutthroat are totally keyed into chum fry, it is a "match the hatch" situation. The correct length of your chum fry pattern can be a very important factor to have success with a chum fry pattern. Yesterday proved to me how critical it is to have the right length for a chum fry pattern under the above conditions.
Below is a picture of the 1 1/4 inch long top water and subsurface tube chum fry patterns that worked so well yesterday.
Roger.
I thought here we go for a "slam dunk" day of non-stop sea-run cutthroat fishing. I cast the new top water and subsurface chum fry patterns for 15 to 20 minutes right into the areas where the bedlam feeding activity of the sea-run cuthroat was occuring. I didn't even get a single strike. As I waded back to my boat, I noticed small schools of chum fry in 1 to 2 feet of water. The chum fry appeared to be about 1 1/4 inches long. I thought "ah hah" my chum fry patterns were too long. I shortened the patterns to 1 1/4 inches and cast the pattern out to the area where all the activity was occurring. On the first cast I hooked a nice 16 inch sea-run cutthroat and was hooking up a fish on almost every cast for quite awhile until the tidal current slowed down. It was an epic period!
On the top water chum fry pattern I was getting about a 50% hookup ratio if a sea-run cutthroat took a swipe at it. The top water chum fry pattern worked better than my expectations. About a 18 inch sea-run cutthroat came all the way out of the water as the fish slammed the pattern. However, after a few minute "battle" it came unbuttoned but that was okay since the "take" on a top water pattern is what it is all about.
IMHO when sea-run cutthroat are totally keyed into chum fry, it is a "match the hatch" situation. The correct length of your chum fry pattern can be a very important factor to have success with a chum fry pattern. Yesterday proved to me how critical it is to have the right length for a chum fry pattern under the above conditions.
Below is a picture of the 1 1/4 inch long top water and subsurface tube chum fry patterns that worked so well yesterday.
Roger.