Mac's
- Thread starter lablover
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FG kokanee Dave
Member
I am going up in a few weeks. I have done well for the pups with a white tube jigs in October. I have a friend that likes to use a buzzbombs over humps in about 80 feet. I ill post here if I can figure the Mac's out. If you go up before I do please let me know how you do.
liketrolling
Well-known member
I can tell you where to go and what to use to catch the pups but the big ones I cant catch.
they are stacking up in Lynwood bay
they are stacking up in Lynwood bay
Propnut69
Well-known member
Doesn't Linwood close for the spawn soon? Back in the day when I used to fish for big macs,I always had better luck trolling for them. This was usually in late nov,before the lake froze. I know jigging is the preferred method for macs,but I always liked trolling. Used to use big rapala's and flatfish,and try to put it right in their face.
Tried trolling for them once out at antelope flat and got tired of losing all my gear. Is was called, "flat" but the bottomed seemed anything but. And for jigging, the wind never lays down long enough to stay on them. My mack catching is reduced to bi catch while trolling for kokes.
Bduck
Flaming Gorge Forum MODERATOR
I like Dave's approach with the "bi-catch". Catching a laker while trolling for kokes is an added bonus. Jigging is not my forte' unless I was back east on a good crappie lake. Always like catching monster slabs. Use of live bait(minnows & crickets) is still legal in some states.
Ryno
Well-known member
Once the reservoir turns over and the spawn slows down, the lake trout fishing can really pick up, especially for pups. Usually around Thanksgiving the lake thermocline is broken down and my success increases. Last fall, I had most of my success trolling shallow running crankbaits (10-15 ft divers) under planer boards and close to shore. Lake trout coming off the spawn start feeding pretty heavily and with the lake being cooler, they can be right up on the bank. Some of my favorite cranks last year were Rapala Shad Raps and Berkley Frenzy divers in chartreuse colors and patterns. I also did well a few days while casting jigs towards shore (targeting rainbows) and picked up several laker pups in the 15-22 inch range in relatively shallow water. Many of them had young of the year smallmouth bass in their stomachs, which are very abundant in the Canyon portion of the reservoir. Gulp minnows were the ticket then, but it seems like each year its something different. Try a variety of jigs in earth tone or minnow colors. Rainbows usually hit the jigs too, so there's plenty of opportunity.
It can be really good fishing that time of year, depending on the year.
Good luck, Ryno
Well looks like were headed up early Friday the 24th! "Change of Plans"
Will focus on Mac's and play around for the bows? My source up there is telling me the bows have headed into the shallows and shore fishing for bows is on fire right now.
Part of the fun I think is finding the fish then trying to get one to bite! I've always wanted to try this time of year for macs so will see what happens????..........
Shoot me a PM if your going to be up there that weekend it would be a blast to team up!
Will focus on Mac's and play around for the bows? My source up there is telling me the bows have headed into the shallows and shore fishing for bows is on fire right now.
Part of the fun I think is finding the fish then trying to get one to bite! I've always wanted to try this time of year for macs so will see what happens????..........
Shoot me a PM if your going to be up there that weekend it would be a blast to team up!
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So quick question for all you PRO Mac fisherman-
Do you target suspended fish or fish on the bottom??? Do you use the same tackle dragging the bottom as you would for the suspended fish??
Dang I'm like a kid a week before Christmas!!!
Funny thing is everyone I talk to has a totally different technique for catching these fish?? One guy told me he "Hunts" them, finds a fish or school lock it into the GPS then comes back with the electric 1 MPH and everyone in the boat presents there
swim baits "Like a school" directed above them? Sound logical??
Who knows???
Do you target suspended fish or fish on the bottom??? Do you use the same tackle dragging the bottom as you would for the suspended fish??
Dang I'm like a kid a week before Christmas!!!
Funny thing is everyone I talk to has a totally different technique for catching these fish?? One guy told me he "Hunts" them, finds a fish or school lock it into the GPS then comes back with the electric 1 MPH and everyone in the boat presents there
swim baits "Like a school" directed above them? Sound logical??
Who knows???
Bottom fish are inactive and fishing for them requires pissing them off or harassing them until they strike. If trolling for them, a lot of guys will drag "brooms", which are cables or chains suspended off the DR ball to stir up the bottom. Typically, suspended fish are the actively feeding fish and technique is more of a bait enticement strike.
Super D-
That was my thoughts?
A lot of guys tell me there dragging flat fish on the bottom and catching them???
But I know for the pups when you see them suspended or under the schools of kokes if you drag right threw the school it's almost a guarantee your going to hook up on a pup. There generally a nuisance fish when targeting Kokes! LOL
I'll let everyone know how the adventure goes this weekend and what method works for me!
That was my thoughts?
A lot of guys tell me there dragging flat fish on the bottom and catching them???
But I know for the pups when you see them suspended or under the schools of kokes if you drag right threw the school it's almost a guarantee your going to hook up on a pup. There generally a nuisance fish when targeting Kokes! LOL
I'll let everyone know how the adventure goes this weekend and what method works for me!
Bogey
Well-known member
First off, I'm not much of a mackinaw fisherman - it's somewhat a new game to me and since starting about 4 years ago, I probably only go once or twice a year for them. I've never even heard the term "pup" until this thread, but I'm "guessing" it means small ones?? LOL, but then I'm not even sure what qualifies as big and what is small with these fish? I will say, that the way my buddy showed me, is pounding the bottom with our riggers (yes, stirring things up and hitting stumps and snags as well...) while trolling a flatfish. I think we tend to catch bigger fish trolling?
These are a couple of pics - we have a 2 fish limit where I fish.
These are a couple of pics - we have a 2 fish limit where I fish.
Bogey
Well-known member
lol, I meant it when I said I didn't know much about mack's and now I've proved it!! I was reading this thread http://ontariofishingcommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=76374
(very good read with great pics) and I believe I now know what a "big mack" looks like = something that has NEVER been in my boat!!!
(very good read with great pics) and I believe I now know what a "big mack" looks like = something that has NEVER been in my boat!!!
THE SCOOP:
Arrived this past Friday just in time for the evening fishing!
Checked Antelope flats and NOTHING Checked the mouth of the channel going into the red cliffs and NOTHING as we were trolling into the marina about 500yrds out started marking Mac's WTF I thought ? Hooked up one small pup and a dink rainbow. It was getting dark so we headed back to the cabin to re-group.
Saturday morning I made it a point to find the Linwood Bay humps..........6AM
Easy to find there are 5 boats so tight together I could walk across them! and 10 other boats circling around it like Indians!
But sure enough that whole area was solid fish on the finder! We where down 5 minutes and began hooking up!
A GIANT pop gear trailing a Minnow or a White shad rap was the ticket! We hooked up 8 macs and it began to die off so we headed to Sheep Creek for some rainbows
Low and behold the Fall Rainbow fishing was HOT we hooked up 5 in about 30 Minutes. We shored the boat and casted bait on the rocky points.
Headed home Sunday AM at 6.
It appeared the boys anchored over the humps with there I pilots were doing fairly well jigging. I talked to Ashley one of the guides up there and he said they caught 39 that day but nothing big.
It was the same for us 5-6 Lbs. was the norm.
Good luck too all going up!
Lablover
Arrived this past Friday just in time for the evening fishing!
Checked Antelope flats and NOTHING Checked the mouth of the channel going into the red cliffs and NOTHING as we were trolling into the marina about 500yrds out started marking Mac's WTF I thought ? Hooked up one small pup and a dink rainbow. It was getting dark so we headed back to the cabin to re-group.
Saturday morning I made it a point to find the Linwood Bay humps..........6AM
Easy to find there are 5 boats so tight together I could walk across them! and 10 other boats circling around it like Indians!
But sure enough that whole area was solid fish on the finder! We where down 5 minutes and began hooking up!
A GIANT pop gear trailing a Minnow or a White shad rap was the ticket! We hooked up 8 macs and it began to die off so we headed to Sheep Creek for some rainbows
Low and behold the Fall Rainbow fishing was HOT we hooked up 5 in about 30 Minutes. We shored the boat and casted bait on the rocky points.
Headed home Sunday AM at 6.
It appeared the boys anchored over the humps with there I pilots were doing fairly well jigging. I talked to Ashley one of the guides up there and he said they caught 39 that day but nothing big.
It was the same for us 5-6 Lbs. was the norm.
Good luck too all going up!
Lablover
