Bottom Fishing Report
It Is almost bottom fishing time! Bottom fishing opens May 1 in select areas.
Bottom fishing bounty from seasons past
With the month of May on its way, many anglers will start thinking of dusting off their bottom fishing gear getting ready for the upcoming season.
With rockfish and ling cod about to open, anglers will want to make sure they have a good selection of snaps, swivels, lures, and leader material. Along with those, be sure to have extra beads, hooks, and a file to keep your hooks sticky sharp. I actually like to build out my own bottom terminal kit to make sure I don’t borrow from my salmon gear.
Some of basics I like to have in my terminal kit
Short, stout rods, paired with matching level-wind or lever-drag reels are standard leaving lots of options for anglers with various budgets.
One thing to not short yourself on is the number of lures needed in a variety of weights. As much as it is a bit of a ‘send it down and giv’r ‘ fishery, you will still want to approach this strategically. I like to use the least amount of weight I can still fish effectively- this means that I may use the same lure, but in varying weights, as my depth changes along with the push of the tide. I want to keep my jigs up and down the best I can, so changing out weight as needed can play a key role.
If drifting swim-baits, you’ll want to approach them the same way, with various ball-weights kept on hand for easy rigging. As you fish them deeper, you’ll need to add more weight to help keep them at a slight angle: this helps you keep fairly true-to-depth, while also allowing a slight angle that shows you that the tail is swimming/kicking. If there is a slight angle, you know it’s trying to drop or fall, and with that, swimming properly.
My top picks when I am heading out
Adding gel scents can be a great difference maker, with a variety of scent options playing a key role as food and bait opportunities change. Lots of herring around? Switch out to Herring gel. If the squid hatch is happening, squid gel can be awesome, and is a great sleeper scent for most ground fish in general.
When it comes to various jigs and irons, I like to fish similar shapes to the classic Norwegian Cod jig. Gibbs makes a great replica. These shapes cut the water fast and dance erratically, tempting fish from the deepest of depths. If fishing mid-water or shallow structure, butterfly-style jigs can be great as they drop a little slower and are meant to be fished mid-water away from snaggy structure.
Keep in mind that a descending device is required by law and must be kept on-hand when targeting groundfish. Having it in your bag or kit doesn’t count- it must be on deck and ready to use. There are lots of different designs, but our favourite is the Sequalizer: it’s easy to use, can clip to a down-rigger, and doesn’t require an angler to ‘jerk’ the rod multiple times to release a fish. They open up automatically at a pre-set depth, ensuring a safe release for fish being sent back.
Come check out the Seaqualizer in the shop
Come on by the shop and see me – bring your rod and reel if you want to see how I rig up my rods for guiding: I have a way I like to set up for ease of rigging, changing gear, as well as storing that I’ve figured out over the years. It’s very simple, works well, and has saved lots of time on the water.
Swim-cerely,
The Flounder Pounder, Jordan Simpson