Mountain whitefish in large rivers

[tluedeke]

I recently went out for the first time, fishing whitefish in the Columbia River. I got skunked rather catastrophically, despite the fact everyone around me was catching fish. My suspicion is that I was getting bites, but not noticing that I was (due to light bites).

How do you more experienced folks differentiate light biting fish, when banging the bottom with slinky weights. You get a lot of rod feedback (the more sensitive the tip, the more twitching and jerking you get on the rod tip). For a light-biting species like whitefish, what should I be looking for? Are there are tricks you guys use to determine when you have a bite?

Any thoughts or feedback gratefully appreciated....

- TPL

[TroutSnipr]

Could you describe how you have your weight/bait/leader setup? How much weight are you using? Are you trolling or anchored into the current? What type/action rod are you using?

[obryan214]

have you tried spinners? catch many each season one the satsop while targeting trout with size 0 mepps and panther martins. get a few on flies also, mostly muddler minnows.

[king killer]

Flies in egg patterns work great also with a Added strike detector.

[tluedeke]

OK. Went out for the second time, based upon a marginal recovery of my optimism. Bad idea.

I tried everything. Color (pink, red, orange, white), depth (1/2 ounce to 3 ounces of weight), presentation (tighten line quickly, let it sinks ASAP, everything in between), areas (riffles, upstream/downstream, everything in between).

NOTHING!! Seriously, WTH?? This is an area that is widely known for substantial whitefish populations and production. Based upon my cofishers (is that a word), the fish density *must* be high..

I've never encountered a type of fishing with such a thin margin of error. Any suggestions?? Thoughts? How could I be fishing the same water with the same rig with the same presentation, and get skunked catastrophically while everyone around me is catching fish??

Utterly lost.....

[tluedeke]

BTW, today was egg patterns with two leaders 12" and 24" above a slinky weight. Tried both dousing them in salmon scents and without. Makes no difference.....

[TroutSnipr]

In the dam tailwaters on the Columbia my grandfather always used one of two setups. Both methods had the boat pointed and/or anchored into the current fishing out the back. He ran a floating red jighead tipped with either a maggot/waxworm/mealworm on about a 36" leader then a swivel then a weight slider. Weight varied by current but this allows the fish to pick up the bait without feeling the weight. He sometimes mimicked the modern back-bounce technique and also the amount of line he let out once the weight had settled.

The second method was a dispy diver usually with a red/and white spoon tipped w/maggot or sometimes a red spinner with a chrome blade. This was good for suspending fish. I don't really know how the whitefish populations then compare to what they are now, but we seldom came back home without a cooler full of fish. Also we used relatively long 8' medium light or medium action rods with a slightly slower action. This makes the tip a little more stable in the current and a bit easier to detect the bite. I never really remember having to set the hook much when we were whitefishing (it was close to 30 years ago). Mainly you would see the tip steadily pulsing in the current then it would just go tight for a few seconds and you just lifted the rod out of the holder and started reeling. Hope maybe this helps.

[Bodofish]

Nymphs, hoppers, egg patterns, just about any kind of bug fly, bumble bees.... If they're where you cast, they'll bite like crazy. The first time I fished the Yak after it went selective I couldn't get a trout to bite to save my life. It was the first time I'd had a fly rod in my hand in 25 years. I did bang about 40 white fish, some upwards of 20" or so. It was a fun day!

[MotoBoat]

Does a White fish fight as hard or harder than a trout of equal size?

[TroutSnipr]

I would say that they fight harder than a hatchery rainbow more like a native Cutt or Brown. I always seem to horse them a little less than trout because I perceive they are softer/smaller mouthed than a trout and I don't want them to get off before I get 'em in the boat. I mean they aren't paper mouthed like a crappie, but I always feel like they are going to get off.