Northwest Fishing Reports

Anyone ever take a small rubber squid cut the head off and slide the body over the end of a
flat fish? I saw some thing familiar in a catalog the other day, it was for salt water. I think it
would work for trout. They sell some small rubber squid in all different colors in the stores now.
Think I'll give it a try. Might have to trim the tentacles a little.
Sam this is your go to lure, you ever try this?

Could work....Never thought much about it. Would definitely have to trim off a bit of the head and then some of the tentacles, even probably a little glue would be necessary to keep the squid from getting ripped off the back (if I'm imaging the rig correctly??)

Like Sam said...could work...but IMO probably not...maybe for the stockers...but it's not natural to the trout to see tenacles and what not...perhaps in the salt...but that's for another time and place...if you're talking about freshwater...I really think you're best to stick with Luhr Jensen Needlefish Spoons, Roostertails, or Flatfishes...anything else just confuses things...at least IMO.

I find the flatfish to be as much of a "piss off/making mad" lure as it is a real dying baitfish sort of lure. One of my best colors is bright flourescent red/orange...Not too many baitfish that mimic that....

I do use flatfish 90% of the time for trout so I'll try it out...

Well I just made one using a F5, removed the hook eye screw, slide the 2" squid just past the hole,
then reinstall the eye screw. That should keep it on, a little glue might help, but I will try it with out
first, just in case the glue has a scent. Dont want it affecting my first try to see if it works.
Looks good:cyclops:

Sam Kafelafish wrote:I find the flatfish to be as much of a "piss off/making mad" lure as it is a real dying baitfish sort of lure. One of my best colors is bright flourescent red/orange...Not too many baitfish that mimic that....

I do use flatfish 90% of the time for trout so I'll try it out...

Sam, why do you think the red/orange color is the best when that is not the natural color of the fish it's trying to immitate? One would think that the frog colored flatfish would be best...I think I might start using flatfishes more often...what size do you use on lakes like Beaver and Pine? I have a few red flatfishes, and I've caught big fish on the frog colored flatfish. As you said, not many baitfish mimic that...so why does that seem to be such a good lure? I have no doubt it is, I'm just trying to understand why. I'm going to start using it more often.

GeryG wrote:Well I just made one using a F5, removed the hook eye screw, slide the 2" squid just past the hole,
then reinstall the eye screw. That should keep it on, a little glue might help, but I will try it with out
first, just in case the glue has a scent. Dont want it affecting my first try to see if it works.
Looks good:cyclops:

I'd be eager to hear your results! Please report back when you do catch a fish, if you do, with this lure. My imagination is running wild here -- can you post a pic of your completed project? It'd be fun to see...interesting idea.

cutthroatkiller wrote:

Sam Kafelafish wrote:I find the flatfish to be as much of a "piss off/making mad" lure as it is a real dying baitfish sort of lure. One of my best colors is bright flourescent red/orange...Not too many baitfish that mimic that....

I do use flatfish 90% of the time for trout so I'll try it out...

Sam, why do you think the red/orange color is the best when that is not the natural color of the fish it's trying to immitate? One would think that the frog colored flatfish would be best...I think I might start using flatfishes more often...what size do you use on lakes like Beaver and Pine? I have a few red flatfishes, and I've caught big fish on the frog colored flatfish. As you said, not many baitfish mimic that...so why does that seem to be such a good lure? I have no doubt it is, I'm just trying to understand why. I'm going to start using it more often.

I'm not Sam but I'd definitely go with frog. It's the best (I have to say that, its the pattern I use 70% of the time. Otherwise I'll look like an idiot saying my most used lure is junk) because its subdued, some trout would rather not eat something that looks like a Tasmanian Devil (Crazy Crawlers anyone?).

One would figure that using a natural color is best. Myself included. But since I started using flatfish for trolling, I use them probably 90% of the time. So I'm using them A LOT and have had a lot of time to experiment with all the colors (I have about every color of flatfish and almost ever hotshot as well that I've seen) and for some reason, a BRIGHT RED FLOURESCENT flatfish with black dots on it seems to KILL the trout. All flatfish work well for me. But bright red catches the most fish for me. I'm not sure why, but it does. And since I've tested so many colors and lures out, that's the lure I tie on first because I've personally had the best results with it. Not sure why.

Tip: Use a single siwash hook. Those trebles that come with it are garbage. They are too small and my hookup ratio and my catch ratio is much better using a single siwash. Get's a much better hookset and those trebles just rip up a trout's mouth...

Sam Kafelafish wrote: Tip: Use a single siwash hook. Those trebles that come with it are garbage. They are too small and my hookup ratio and my catch ratio is much better using a single siwash. Get's a much better hookset and those trebles just rip up a trout's mouth...

You mentioned you use black dots on the flatfish...do you put them on yourself? I don't believe the red flatfish comes with black dots on it. I hooked some nice Beaver Lake broods on this lure so it does work without the black dots...but I haven't seen some with generic black dots...unless you add them with a marker pen or something.

Also, what size do you recommend? What size single siwash do you recommend? Do you have a link at the siwashes you personally use?

Thanks in advance.

cutthroatkiller wrote:

Sam Kafelafish wrote: Tip: Use a single siwash hook. Those trebles that come with it are garbage. They are too small and my hookup ratio and my catch ratio is much better using a single siwash. Get's a much better hookset and those trebles just rip up a trout's mouth...

You mentioned you use black dots on the flatfish...do you put them on yourself? I don't believe the red flatfish comes with black dots on it. I hooked some nice Beaver Lake broods on this lure so it does work without the black dots...but I haven't seen some with generic black dots...unless you add them with a marker pen or something.

Also, what size do you recommend? What size single siwash do you recommend? Do you have a link at the siwashes you personally use?

Thanks in advance.

I like F4's for most applications and occasionally I'll size up to an F5 when fishing in a lake where the "big ones have been known to hit.." In other words, when I'm targeting bigger trout, I'll make my flatfish a bit bigger.

The black dots actually come on the flatfish outta the wrapper. I've seen some stores that only have the bright orange/red colors with no dots, but a lot of stores have the ones with black dots. For F4's: size 8 siwash. For F5's, I use either size 6's...Gamakatsu...The siwash's come with an open eye, so you gotta go in their with wire cutters and cut off the crappy trebles that they come with. Then crimp down the eye on the siwash to the eye ring...

Sam Kafelafish wrote:

cutthroatkiller wrote:

Sam Kafelafish wrote: Tip: Use a single siwash hook. Those trebles that come with it are garbage. They are too small and my hookup ratio and my catch ratio is much better using a single siwash. Get's a much better hookset and those trebles just rip up a trout's mouth...

You mentioned you use black dots on the flatfish...do you put them on yourself? I don't believe the red flatfish comes with black dots on it. I hooked some nice Beaver Lake broods on this lure so it does work without the black dots...but I haven't seen some with generic black dots...unless you add them with a marker pen or something.

Also, what size do you recommend? What size single siwash do you recommend? Do you have a link at the siwashes you personally use?

Thanks in advance.

I like F4's for most applications and occasionally I'll size up to an F5 when fishing in a lake where the "big ones have been known to hit.." In other words, when I'm targeting bigger trout, I'll make my flatfish a bit bigger.

The black dots actually come on the flatfish outta the wrapper. I've seen some stores that only have the bright orange/red colors with no dots, but a lot of stores have the ones with black dots. For F4's: size 8 siwash. For F5's, I use either size 6's...Gamakatsu...The siwash's come with an open eye, so you gotta go in their with wire cutters and cut off the crappy trebles that they come with. Then crimp down the eye on the siwash to the eye ring...

Ahh, perfect. Thanks Sam. I am going to look for the black dot red flatfishes now and replace with siwash hooks. I swear I learn something new everyday on this site. Thanks for posting that picture too, helps me visualize it...

I found a brand new in the package f5 just like your red/spotted one that was dated back to the sixties if I remember correctly. Not bad for two bucks at a swap meet, haha. I've seen the same vintage model with all the packaging/paperwork etc. same condition go for almost twenty bones too, haha. Use'm is what I say! Post up some pics of your mad scientist invention. I'm always tryin weird new stuff cuz I have no idea what they are thinkin any time, just go with it till ya get hit!

I have done well with the top one in that pic.
About the skirts, I saw the same thing in a bass pro catalog the other day. I am going to try this also, it just looks good...

Jake Dogfish wrote:I have done well with the top one in that pic.
About the skirts, I saw the same thing in a bass pro catalog the other day. I am going to try this also, it just looks good...

Yep that top one is called coach dog. It's taken brown trout out at Pine Lake before..That picture of those 3 are probably my favorite 3 colors/bodies to use. The one on the bottom left is a size 70 hotshot...

sam did u catch the browns using no weight with the flatfish
i have always wanted to catch a brown out of pine any tips

Weight = yes. Browns usually are not right on the surface. However, this fish took it at probably 10-15 feet right under the thick layer of planter bows that were hanging around the surface cause they had just been planted. Your best bet for getting a brown is soaking a fat nightcrawler with air in it off the bottom or trying to troll something like a Rapala or a bigger flatfish 5 feet off the bottom. Troll around points, docks, humps, etc...

thanks sam i will have to give that a try
there arent many left in there are there

There's always some caught every once in a while. The guys who target them do NOT use powerbait. They will be soaking worms or trolling a larger lure....

They are beautiful fish. I've released the ones I've caught in hopes that some other fortunate angler gets the chance to hook into it and release it so another person can experience the same thrill...

Sam,
You menton brown trout at Pine lake, Last year I was fishing there and saw a
brown trout about 24" jump out of the water 3 times trying to catch a dragon fly out of
the air. That was pretty cool, made my day. He was jumping over a foot out of the water.