May 2013 - Mack's Lure

May 2013The Writers: Stan Fagerstrom - Part 6 of 6Stan Fagerstrom poses with Kirby –his co-star. Photo courtesy of StanFagerstrom.Editor’s Note: This is the final partof the series on Stan Fagerstrom’slife as a writer and internationalcasting expert. In part five, Stantalked about his experiences inBrazil, New Zealand and a coupleof incidents he had doing shows inthe U.S. In this part he talks abouta couple of funny experiences he’shad over the years, his opinion ofthe sport today and he also talksabout what he feels are his mostimportant contributions.A Cup of Beer and a ChimpStan will tell you however thathe’s had his good moments alongwith the bad. He detailed one ofthem for me.“I was doing some informalcasting practice one day at an ISEshow in Sacramento,” he recalled.“The show was open but thereBy Terry Battistiwas just a scattering of peoplewandering about. The casting areaI was on was unusually long. Itwas used both for fly as well as baitcasting demonstrations and lots ofdistance was required for the flycasting back casts. I was casting ata variety of targets I’d set up 30 to40 feet away when some big guywearing a 10-gallon hat steps upway down at the end of the castingarea. He was carrying one of thoseking-sized paper containers full ofbeer.“The guy watches me cast fora minute or two then thrusts thatbig beer holder out over the endof the casting area and shouts,‘Hey, partner, let’s see you hit this.’Remember now, this guy is at least75 or maybe even 85 feet away. Iwouldn’t bet you a dime I could hitthat small a target at that distanceonce out of 500 times but I figuredwhat the hell, give it a try. I let flywith the 5/8-ounce casting weight Ialways use for the trick & accuracyparts of my casting shows. Thatweight arched up and came downwith a k-a-s-p-l-o-o-s-h right smackin the middle of the big guy’s cup.As you might imagine, the beerwent everywhere, including on thebig dude who was holding the cup. Ithought I was in big trouble for sure.For a heartbeat or two I consideredhightailing it the hell out of there. Ishouted that I was sorry and that Ihadn’t meant to get him wet. Insteadof being angry, the big guy wipedthe beer off his face and holleredback. ‘It’s ok,” he said, ‘I guess Iasked for it. I just didn’t realize howdamn good you really were withthat thing.’ Neither, my friends, didI!“As I’ve already endeavored topoint out, you’d better be preparedfor ego adjustments if you getinvolved in show business, whetherit’s fancy casting or the circus. Iwas feeling pretty darn good aboutmyself when one of the country’slarger tackle companies invited meto participate in a Chicago showwhere they would be observing thecompany’s 50 th anniversary in thetackle business. I was told I was tobe one of two performers they werebringing in to perform during theshow. I’m thumping my own tub abit as I think ‘Hey old man, you’vedone pretty well for yourself beingone of just two they consider goodenough to bring in at this specialtime.’“Well, I get to the function andContinued on Page 2Page one

Continued from Page 1it turns out the second performeris a 4-year-old chimpanzee namedKirby. He couldn’t cast but whenthey tied a marshmallow to the endof his line and cast it out for him,he sure as heck could reel it backin and pull the marshmallow off hisline and eat it. I enjoyed watchinghim and the two of us becamefriends before the show was over.That didn’t set too well with histrainer because every time I cameby, Kirby wanted to come over andgive me a hug instead of tendingto business. To add insult to injury,where my already-fractured ego wasconcerned, that little bugger drewtwice as many show visitors as Idid at our respective performances.We had our picture taken together anumber of times. My late motherin-lawgot her hands on one of thesephotos and always made it a pointwhen she showed it to one of hermany friends – something she did atevery opportunity – that I was theone standing on the right!”Stan Fagerstrom’s article on Catchand Release tournaments published inthe January/February 1972 issue ofBassmaster Magazine.Thoughts and MemoriesAlthough Fagerstrom has been amajor supporter of bass fishing formore than 60 years, there are somethings that continue to trouble him.“There are certain aspects of thesport that still bother me today,”he said. “For example, I hate thethought of fishing for bedding bass.If I ran tournaments, the spawningseason would be out of play.“The first few years of basstournaments there was a hugeamount of dead bass,” he said.“You couldn’t ignore it. And hereI was promoting bass fishingand tournaments and at the sametime expressing concern aboutthe pressure on the resource. Iwas talking out both sides of mymouth and not enjoying it onedamn bit. Then in ’71, I wrote anarticle called ‘Tournament with aTwist’ for Bassmaster Magazine.It was published in the January/February 1972 issue. The ‘Twist’’was about a new concept oftournament fishing being practicedby the Silver Lake Bass Club outof Southwest Washington. I livedright on the shore of Silver Lakeat the time. In ’71, club membersdecided to run their tournamentsas catch-and-release events. Everyfish caught would be weighed,measured (they even tagged them),and released. The concept was asuccess and the following year RayScott began his catch-and-releasetournaments with B.A.S.S. I don’tknow if the Silver Lake tournamentconcept or my story had any effecton Ray’s decision, but from then ontournaments everywhere generallywere more concerned about therelease of the fish.“Even today I think there is roomfor more protection of the resource.I’d like to see bass weighedand released as soon as they’recaught. Wouldn’t it be adequate ifcontestants were permitted to bringjust their one largest fish to theweigh-in to hold up for the camerasinstead of an entire bag full of fishwhere some aren’t going to survivethe experience?Stan Fagerstrom’s book, Catch MoreBass, published in 1973. Courtesy ofStan Fagerstrom.“I started bass fishing at time whenwe all killed our fish most of thetime. There just wasn’t that muchfishing pressure. It took awhile,and having a chance to observe afew early-day tournaments, beforeit dawned on me just how quicklypressure was building on our bassfishing resource. If you’ve ever seenmy book Catch More Bass, the firstbook on bass fishing ever written by aPacific Northwest author, you knowit has far too many pictures of big,dead bass. That book was written inthe early 70s. That wouldn’t happenif I was to write a similar booktoday. I’ve rarely killed a bass foryears. I’d actually started to wise upbefore that book was published butmy change in thinking came too lateto make any of the desired changesbefore the book was sent off to thepublisher.”During my interview for thisarticle I had an opportunity to askFagerstrom about the late castingexpert and close friend Lew Childre,Shag Shahid.“Shag was as good as they comewith a bait casting reel,” Stan said.“We did a couple of shows togetherContinued on Page 3Page two

Continued from Page 2and I learned from him. He didn’tdo a lot of tricky stuff but in straightcasting at whatever the target I’venever seen anyone do a better job ofit.”Stan’s poem, On A Lake At Daylight.Courtesy of Stan Fagerstrom.What’s ImportantDuring the interview I also askedStan what articles he was mostproud of that he’s written over hiscareer.“As for my fishing articles, I’d haveto say definitely the many articlesI’ve written about casting. AlthoughI’ve written a number of them overthe years, it’s these stories that havebrought me a lot of satisfaction.Of the other material I’ve writtenthough, I’d have to say my poetryhas been the most meaningful. If Iget deeply emotionally involved,it’s the easiest way to attempt toexpress myself. A couple of suchpoems have been widely publishedaround the country.”Stan Fagerstrom is a legendamong bass writers and casters.With a career that spans more than60 years, he’s seen it all and doneit all. His publication list spans wellinto the thousands and he’s givenhundreds of casting clinics over theyears.“I’m the luckiest guy on earth,” hesays. “To have been able to make aliving doing something I love andhelping others in the process hasbeen an inspiring experience. I’vebeen very richly blessed. If you’veever watched one of my castingexhibitions you know I always saythe same thing at the end. I thinkit’s appropriate to say it here againnow. It’s simply this: The next bestthing to fishing is to have a chanceto write or talk about it. I thank Godand I thank you for giving me thatopportunity again here today.”EpilogueAfter reading Stan’s articles forover 30 years, I finally got to meethim in person this October. Onlyknowing him as a prolific writerand caster, I was amazed at whathis life has brought him and allhe’s done for so many. As he talkedabout in part one of this series, Stanparticipated in World War II in thePacific Theater. He was a combatinfantryman who was there in thethick of things. Stan spent a lot oftime with me going over his oldmaps of the Pacific Theater andvarious other papers from the time.He also showed me the two BronzeStar awards he received for heroicactions he conducted while in battle.By reading his poem “No SecondChance” in part 1 of this story, youget a glimpse of what it was like tobe Stan or many others who foughtfor our freedom during those times.I feel blessed to have beenwelcomed with open arms into hishome and into his life. I will foreverbe grateful to him for what he’sdone. Thank You SGT Fagerstromfor your sacrifice to our countryand for teaching us all to be betteranglers. We will never forget.-end-Wedding Ring®Double Whammy®Kokanee Pro®Kokanee Pro® SeriesKokanee have soft mouths, so we haveensured a solid hook-up by tying 2razor-sharp hooks with no in-betweenspace. With contrasting bead colors, agold-plated Wedding Ring®, and our1.1 Smile Blade®, the presentation isperfect for kokanee.Plenty of colorsto choose fromat:www.mackslure.comPage three

Stan’s SpaceThe Keys To CatchingKokaneeBy Hall-of-Fame AnglerStan FagerstromPart 1 of 2If those wonderful landlockedsalmon we call kokanee had the capabilityto do it, chances are they’ddeclare an all out war on Mack’sLure.And who could blame them? It’sa cinch no other lure maker hascaused them more misery than thosefoxy folks who hang their collectivefishin’ hats in Wenatchee, Washington.And it’s not a brand new development.It started way back when a fishcatchin’little wonder called theWedding Ring first hit the marketdecades ago. The products theWashington lure makers have beenmaking ever since have just donemore of the same.If you keep up with things inthe field of kokanee fishing you’reaware of what I’m talking about. Fora long time now Mack’s Lure hasbeen right at the forefront of presentinganglers with new methodsof putting kokanee in the fryingpan. And that, my friends, ain’t alwayseasy.Have opportunity to get into thethinking of guys like Bob Schmidt,the general manager of Mack’sLure and Bobby Loomis, the company’sdirector of sales and marketing---andI do---and you’ll learn aheap in a hurry. One of the thingsthat grabs me when the two talkabout kokanee brings up a pair ofwords that rhyme. Those words are“evolve” and “revolve”.In that last column I also promisedto share what Schmidt had to sayabout the lures most likely to get thejob done. If anybody has a right tomake a meaningful comment in thatregard, he’s the guy who can do it.Here are the experts who are providingsome of the best kokanee catchingproducts you can get your handson. And yes---that’s a pair of beautifulkokanee they are holding. Pictured onthe left is Bob Schmidt, general managerof Mack’s Lure, and Bobby Loomis,Mack’s director of sales and marketing.I’m reminded of evolve in dealingwith the near constant improvementand design in the lures Mack’s Luremakes available to anglers. Theword revolve comes into play intalking about how those finicky kokaneeoften choose one color overanother when they start feeding.We’re right now entering thatperiod when you’re likely to encountersome of the best kokaneefishing of the year. I can, thanks tothe Mack’s Lure executives I’ve alreadymentioned, provide you withsome kokanee-catching guidelinesthat can be of tremendous help.As I’ve already detailed, kokaneeare a landlocked sockeye salmon.While they’re not the migratorytravelers as are the salt water variety,they do share some of the sameways of doing things. One is thatthey are a schooling fish. Just liketheir saltwater counterparts, theyare also scent and color oriented.“Kokanee will go on a bite andthen shut off just as quickly as theystarted,” Bobby Loomis says. “Likemany species, the size of the baitsthey’ll take do not really correlateto the size of the fish. Trying to createbig baits to take big fish doesn’twork well, but at times downsizingyour presentation does seem to helpcatch more.”Loomis points to a couple of otherfacts that kokanee anglers need toknow. “Being finicky plankton feeders,”he says, “you’d expect the bestcolors for kokanee should revolvearound green and chartreuse. Thesecolors do work well, but it seemsthat the best colors for them oftenseem to revolve around silvers andpinks.”What’s the best size Smile Blades touse when you’re after kokanee? You’relooking at ‘em! They are the two smallestSmile Blades made. At the top is the1.1-inch blade. The bottom blade picturedis 0.8-inch in size.Loomis and Schmidt point outthat kokanee will follow the existingfood chain like other species. Watertemperatures also affect whereyou’ll find them and the planktonthey feed on at any given time ofday. Experienced anglers tell youkokanee can sometimes be caughtup near the surface and then, dependingon those details I’ve mentioned,as deep as 200 feet.What this tells me and you is thatwe darn well better be well preparedfor a variety of tactics whenwe’re serious about our kokanee an-Page fourContinued on Page 5

Continued from Page 4gling. Let’s just look at lure colorsfirst. The Mack’s Lure Smile Bladesprovide a wondrous opportunity totake advantage of the better fishingthat subtle color changes makeavailable.I say that because of the ease withwhich you can change these Mylarplastic spinner blades and becausethey are now available in 35different colors and six differentsizes. My goodness, that’s a varietydesigned to provide satisfactionfor someone as demanding as yourmother-in-law!Switching colors can sometimes be theanswer to putting more kokanee in theboat. Pictured here are the top sellingSmile Blade colors in the 0.8-inchsize for last year. Many other colors areavailable in these fish-attracting plasticblades. The other colors are picturedright here at this website.Now I’m not suggesting that youhave to purchase all 35 colors inthose Mack’s Lure Smile Bladesto have a chance to put kokanee inthe boat. And once again, thanks toLoomis and Schmidt, we’re able totrim that list of “must have” SmileBlades way down.Now read carefully. Following isa list of the most productive Mack’sLure Smile Blade colors that caughtmore kokanee than the others in the2012 kokanee fishery. Here is thelist: Transparent silver tiger, silverscale, pink sparkle, chartreuse scale,chartreuse sparkle, gold sparkle, glowhite silver scale and pink silver tiger.Pictured here were the top selling SmileBlade colors for 2012 in the 1.1-inchsize. The blade colors shown are justa few of the many different shadesavailable to all anglers. One of the reasonsfor the increasing interest in theMack’s Lure Smiles Blades is undoubtedlydue to ease with which these bladescan be used. All you need do is slide oneon your leader ahead of your bait orlure and you’re ready to go!Get on the water tomorrow withthese eight Smile Blades and youknow darn well you’ve got somethingthat’s been productive before.Keep changing until you findthe colors those hard to predictlandlocked sockeye tell you it’swhat they want.Here’s something else that youshould know. The most effectiveSmile Blade sizes for kokanee lastyear were the 1.1-inch and 0.8-inchblades. As you can verify yourselfright here at this website, or in theMack’s Lure catalog you shouldhave, these sizes are the smallestSmile Blades made.What you’ve just read doesn’t beginto cover all aspects of kokaneefishing but it does give you someextremely important basics. You’llbe wise not to ignore them.Keep an eye on my next column.I’ll provide more details onhow to invite more kokanee to joinyou for dinner. Incidentally, onceyou get ‘em and need someone tojoin you at the dinner table---pleasekeep me in mind!-To Be Continued-Cookin’ Your CatchMaple SalmonIngredients:• 1/4 cup maple syrup• 2 tablespoons soy sauce• 1 clove garlic, minced• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt• 1/8 teaspoon ground blackpepper• 1 pound salmonDirections:1. In a small bowl, mix the maplesyrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlicsalt, and pepper.2. Place salmon in a shallow glassbaking dish, and coat with themaple syrup mixture. Coverthe dish, and marinate salmonin the refrigerator 30 minutes,turning once.3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F(200 degrees C).4. Place the baking dish in the preheatedoven, and bake salmonuncovered 20 minutes, or untileasily flaked with a fork.Original recipe makes 4 servings.Let’s Eat!!!Page five

Double DDodgerThe Double D catches morefish…The Double D not only has theproven traditional dodger actionthat is known to catch fish, but alsodelivers its patent-pending stop &go action to your lure.The Double D fordouble duty…There are five attachmentpoints that allowyou to spread your lines,as well as move themout from underneaththe boat path like a sideplaner does.Questions of the MonthHave a question? We’d love to answerit! Contact us at mackslure@mackslure.com if you have a questionyou would like to see featured!Q: I hear a lot of people talk aboutfishing Smile Blades at our club,and online, but sometimes I hearthem say Flash Lite blades; arethey the same thing?A: They are both patented bladesmanufactured by Mack’s Lure, andalthough made from the same lightweight material they are differentproducts.The Smile blade is shaped like asmile and is nonsymmetrical. It isextremely effective used right ontop of any bait, or lure, so to addcolor, and a fish catching erraticPhoto of the Monthmovement, without it adding weightto your presentation.The Flash Lite blade is balancedand has a longer, narrower, design.It is extremely effective as anattractor and often several blades ata time are used to mimic schoolingfish. The blades are used above theswivel for attractor’s more so thenon top of the lure itself, except in thecase when fishing for larger speciesof fish.Take a Kid Fishing!You will be glad you did!The Mack Attack is a free serviceprovided to anyone who is interestedby Mack’s Lure, Inc. We needyour input! If you know of anyonewho would like to be on the mailinglist to receive the Mack Attack,please forward their e-mail addressto al@mackslure.com.Photos, stories, and comments arewelcomed and encouraged. Pleaseforward all content materials tobob@mackslure.com.THANK YOU!17” Trout On Ochoco ReservoirI live in Central Oregon and the BIG Trout love your SUPER Series Wedding Ring.I was on the Lake today and caught 9 fish and 7 were on the Supers ....I LOVEthem. Thank you for a great product, Raywww.mackslure.comPage six