New “Spin” on an Old Lure
Wild Fish Wild Places 05.31.13
As one of the leading authorities on the world class cutthroat fishery of Pyramid Lake, I am constantly experimenting with new lures, new ideas and even different ways to use the old faithfuls. This year on Pyramid I have discovered a new twist on a very old idea.
To understand where I am going with this you must know a little bit about the history of Pyramid Lake. It was discovered in 1844 by John C. Freemont and shortly after this discovery the lake was being commercially fished to supply food to the silver mines of Nevada. One of the most iconic old commercial fishermen of this time was Fred Crosby, Senior. He made a living by fishing and a built a homestead on this lake. His grandson, Fred Crosby, still runs a fishing lodge on the shores of Pyramid Lake today and keeps his grandfather’s history alive with wonderful fishing stories told around the bar.
Pyramid Lake is where the world record cutthroat trout of 41 pounds hails from. Fred’s grandfather made a living on this lake by learning how to consistently catch giant fish. He would paddle an old wooden style boat with the fishing line attached to one hand and a big spinner with dyed fur on the other end. As he would paddle, it would impart the action needed to attract the giant trout. It was during one of these compelling fish stories with Fred over a highball that spurred the thought of using some spinners to target these big trout. If they caught big fish for grandpa maybe they will work for me? Or is that just the whiskey talking?
Over the past six months we have been experimenting with the different styles and brands of spinners, similar to grandpa’s idea, with some mixed but exciting results. In February when the water was cold we fished the smaller FishSeeUV spinners by Panther Martin. These spinners have been a personal favorite of mine for rainbow trout and smallmouth bass over the last year, so I was pretty excited to try them on my favorite trout species. When the fish were in a suspended feeding pattern cruising for tui chub and bug life, we had consistent action while fished on a downrigger to the suspended fish we would mark with our electronics. A few different sizes and colors worked but the bigger #6 and #9 with the marabou worked the best.
The next pattern was recently honed while fishing just after the spawn. The water is the perfect temperature in late May and the fish are putting on the feedbag! We know trout love shiny lures that give off a vibration, so I was excited to experiment with the next pattern. I thought I would see how big I could get away with so I decided on a #20 Muskie Marabuck Panther Martin, black and red with a brass blade, similar to what Fred Crosby, Senior had used during the early 1900s. After figuring out where the fish were staging we put out this large spinner on a “flat line” setup using a small trolling weight to achieve the five- to six-foot depth we were looking for. I surged the trolling motor a few times to emulate the “ole paddling” action and what do you know, fish on! It only took about 10 minutes to connect with the first trout of about 25 inches weighing in at five pounds.
The day progressed nicely landing a number of quality Lahontan cutthroat trout on a crazy old pattern taken from history. It just goes to show, listen to old guys as they might know a little something about their fishery.
FISH AND FISHING. TWO WORDS HAVING A MYRIAD OF MEANINGS TO A MYRIAD OF PEOPLES. TO FISH FOR FOOD, FOR LIFE, FOR SURVIVAL; OR TO FISH FOR FUN, FOR SPORT, FOR MONEY.
When, almost 5,000 years ago in China, man first attached a hook and line to a bamboo rod to catch carp a little further from the river’s edge, little did he know that this creation would evolve into an industry which at the early part of this, the twenty-first century, is worth over $108 billion annually to the US economy in terms of sport fishing alone!
The variety of fish species is infinite. From cold water inhabitants such as members of the Salmonidae family, to warm water, tropical dwellers like the Cichlids. From the gigantic Tarpon of the Florida Keys to the gentler Arctic Charr spectacularly attired in their vivid courtship colors in the frigid rivers and streams of the arctic tundra. Take the celebrated Coelacanth, over three hundred million years old and still found today in the warm seas of the Indian Ocean around Madagascar, or the seemingly ubiquitous Golden Orfe, or the goldfish, which completes endless circuits in so many glass bowls in family homes in every corner of the world.
In this series, we will seek out great predatory fish. Fish that are much revered, fish that strike terror at the very mention of their name and fish that are the staple diet of many peoples subsisting along the shorelines and riverbanks of the great waters we will visit during our odyssey. Positioned at the very top of the food chain, these apex predators reign supreme in their own domain, be it mighty river, great lake or ocean.
Our quest will take us across cultures and continents to exotic locations of immense beauty and wealth as well as lands poleaxed by poverty. We will explore not just these wild and wonderful places, but the significance of our target species to the different groupings of peoples in terms of social, economic and cultural values.
Our travels in search of extraordinary predators will take us from the cold, unforgiving waters of the West of Ireland to the steaming jungle swamps of India. From the frozen, pristine wilderness of the Canadian subarctic to the sun-baked backwaters of Northern Australia. This will be a series of contrasts and comparisons where we will meet people who live to fish and people who fish to live.
